Occasionally, it happens I travel extensively, and in a very short timeframe. In the last four weeks I covered 68 thousand miles moving from Singapore to Jakarta, then Bangkok and Kuala Lampour, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul and Milan. As much as I love traveling and working with the teams in the field, a busy schedule packed with meetings, workshops, conference calls can be overwhelming. Therefore, as a matter of survival, I have elaborated my very personal guide for the minimalist traveler, trying to maintain focus and balance while moving from airports, hotels and offices at the speed of light.
Rule #1: Lightness.
Of course, what else? If we agree on the assumption that simplicity, decluttering and essentialism can improve the quality of your life (by letting you focus on what’s really relevant), then traveling light is THE rule: it saves you time (i.e. hand luggage), money (i.e. risk of loosing anything, or to incur in airline luggage surcharges) and effort (carry around heavy weight is never pleasant). When preparing the office backpack and your trolley, you really need to check you are not bringing anything that is not absolutely necessary. Extra is prohibited; eventually you can always buy it locally (it never happens).
Rule #2: Mindfulness
With busy, accelerated schedules, your head can easily start spinning and your mind wandering: your thoughts are constantly flowing from the past (“did I forget anything in the taxi?”) to the next thing in your agenda (“how should start my speech?), and to somewhere else (“I should check if my team is getting ready for the presentation tomorrow”). Break this dangerous circle that is preventing you to be fully present in any moment. Wherever you are (could be commuting in subway), stop for 5 minutes, and let your breath be your anchor to awareness. It will help you to focus your attention in any activity, interaction and relationship throughout your trip.
Rule #3: Authenticity
While traveling you meet dozens, hundreds of people. Risk, is that at some point it’s all about “you” (that’s what happens to many poor, arrogant managers) while it’s more about the people you meet (real leaders have the ability to make everyone feeling important). Then: demonstrate personal interest; make eye contact; appreciate their work; don’t forget them after the meeting; keep the relationship alive after you leave. It takes an effort, but it will be highly rewarded.
Rule #4: Diversity
The world is not flat (as claimed by T. Friedman in his bestseller). Cultural and economic differences still represent a huge challenge for anyone working across different countries. Asia Pacific? Yes, but Malaysia is not Indonesia, that is very different from Thailand or India (not to mention Australia, of course). Then, a key element for the insightful leader dealing with local issues in a globalized world is to be equipped with key data and information (a mix of economic indicators, political and religious background, along with an understanding of what motivates people and what are the key engines of the economy in the country) that can make the interaction with the local people more meaningful and relevant. You can check here is the list of my favorite resources for the intelligent traveler.
Enjoy your travels.
