How to Help Prevent Business Travel from Taking a Mental Toll

By Carrie Mantey

Many of us have experienced it — the negative impact that business travel can have on your mental health. Business travel can be difficult for some due to a confluence of factors, such as being physically isolated from family and friends, a full schedule that has you running from sunup to sundown, a lack of sleep, the general stress of traveling and the worry of becoming ill, just to name a few.

In fact, more than 20% of business travelers indicate they experience negative mental health effects from company-sponsored work stints, according to a study administered by YouGov on behalf of NexTravel, a provider of corporate travel management software. The online survey targeted over 510 adults in the United States who traveled for business in the year prior to taking the survey.

“Among the survey’s findings, 22 percent of respondents reported that business travel had a ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ negative impact on their mental health. Twenty-one percent indicated that even thinking about an upcoming work trip caused stress. Factors causing that angst include the toll travel takes on physical health, sleep schedules, personal relationships, personal finances and productivity,” cited Business Travel News in “Study: More than 20 Percent of Business Travelers Cite Negative Mental Health Effects.”

In order to counter the negative impact a business trip can incite on your psyche, event planners and companies that send employees on work escapades can help alleviate business travel burnout by:

• Providing more flexibility when it comes to booking travel, so business travelers have a say on travel dates, times, flights, vehicle rentals and more.
• Instituting a policy that is more conducive to business + leisure travel, so if the business traveler get stressed on the road, he or she can relax, and more fully explore the destination after the event is over or the work gets done. Being able to stay a couple extra days or bring family along can help boost more positive mental health.
• Ensuring there is time to rest or take breaks.

In an economy in which unemployment is at a low and business travel is a must, you want to not only retain your good employees, but also keep them happy. Here are just a couple of ways to help reduce business travel anxiety and keep your business travelers more even-keeled.