If you're a frequent business traveler, you know the challenges of setting up home in a new city each week. Comfort can be lacking when you're on the road and sleeping on scratchy sheets or trying to get the hotel room iron to work. Does traveling comfortably need to be that much work? Not if you know what to look for, products for frequent travelers are available almost everywhere to help bring the comfort of home out on the road with you.
Sleep Accessories
One of the biggest difficulties that the frequent business traveler faces is the ability to get to sleep. Sleeping in unfamiliar beds with uncomfortable pillows and dealing with jet lag and time zone changes can really throw off your internal clock. If you find that you just can't get to sleep on the road, try a sleep mask. These useful little masks can really come in handy if your hotel room just isn't dark enough, or if you need to take a nap mid-day to refresh yourself before an important business conference.
You'll find face masks as simple as a contoured blindfold, to the more advanced tension -relief models with gel inserts that cool or warm depending on your preference. Some eye masks even feature mild massage, but you'll pay exponentially more for the functionality. However, they be worth the investment if you experience frequent sinus trouble due to travel.
If the unfamiliar noise of the road gets to you, consider a compact white-noise machine. You can carry it with you and choose from several pre-set sounds so that you can doze off to the same relaxing tones every night, no matter where you fall asleep. Alternately, you can download relaxing music to an MP3 player with dock to lull you off to sleep.
Air-travel Accessories
If you travel by plane frequently, it's worthwhile to invest in some must-have accessories to make the trip more comfortable. First, look at pillows. U-shaped neck pillows wrap around your neck and make it easier to relax in a seated position. If you have back problems, consider adding a lumbar pillow to your neck pillow to make long flights more comfortable.
Second, invest in a good pair of noise-canceling headphones. This may be your most expensive travel accessory, but if you fly frequently, noise-canceling headphones are worth every penny. Most air travelers underestimate the stress of even quiet engine noise over the long hours of a flight. A good pair of noise-canceling headphones drastically reduces engine noise and therefore flight stress. If you often have trouble sleeping on flights, you may find that noise-canceling headphones combined with a good eye mask will remedy that in-flight insomnia.
Clothing Care Accessories
When you're traveling for business the state of your wardrobe matters. If you find that you never have enough hangers, bring inflatable or foldable hangers that save space in your luggage. Pack a travel iron - they're more reliable than a hotel room iron. For an extra level of wardrobe maintenance, consider a travel clothes steamer. If you've got a high-end wardrobe that includes polyester or silk shirts that inevitably end up wrinkled, a clothes steamer is a worthwhile investment.
For maximum wardrobe protection on the road, carry a laundry stain remover and a travel lint brush. You never know when you'll spill something on your high-powered business suit before a big meeting, or run into a quaint little bookstore complete with cat to leave fur all over your clothing.
Travel Must Haves
Always bring your own travel alarm clock. Don't trust hotel alarm clocks, which may be unreliable or difficult to set. Wake-up calls are more reliable than hotel alarm clocks, but they don't provide the level of convenience that you get with your own alarm clock. If you need to style your hair during a business travel trip, remember to bring along a travel hair dryer. As with hotel irons, hotel hair dryers are unreliable at best and absent at worst.
For people with asthma or pet allergies, consider a travel ionic air purifier. Even if smoking isn't allowed in a hotel, prior occupancy by a smoker can still leave traces of smoke in the air. If your hotel has a pet policy and you've got pet allergies, an ionic air purifier can mean the difference between a comfortable night's sleep and being up all night with stuffy sinuses and puffy eyes.