Shark Tank Robert Herjavec, with his travel log tallying over 100 days in a year and about 300 hours in the air, this road warrior has not only taken the business world by storm but also has capitalized on his own experiences of business travel.

 Herjavec’s no stranger to maximizing travel efficiency. In his latest partnership with La Quinta by Wyndham, he surveyed over 1,000 business travelers to know the essentials to succeed while working on the road. 

 We spoke to him about life on the road and how he manages his business travel.  

Business Travel Tips from Herjavec:

‍Maximize your schedule‍

Especially since a large majority of travelers have missed an important event, holiday or birthday because of a work trip and traveling, Herjavec has pointed out that the time lost during a trip should be maximized to its utmost extent. If you’re going to be losing time with family or loved ones—at least make the most out of it.

Since business travel was designed to get the worker out on the field, interacting in-person with customers is a necessary part of business, maximizing that time to fully focus on your personal and professional goals can help pack that trip with useful benefits—for you and your business. 

Stay connected to your team

Whether you’re heading into a lunch or dialing into a conference connect with your team. Despite being on the road, you still have a business to run so it’s important that you can connect with your core team anytime, anywhere. The business doesn’t stop because you’re in meetings.

Take advantage of meals. 

You got to eat, right? If you’re dining on the company dime or if you have some money budgeted out, take a customer or client to dinner with you. This way, not only will you be maximizing that time anyway that you would be spending eating alone by strengthening that working relationship, but you’ll also be putting the client first. 

Especially in this technological age, in-person meetings normally are bypassed, so if you take advantage of this opportunity and eliminate that downtime between meetings, you can maximize profit. 

Remember, the purpose of your trip is business and not leisure, so make it about your business—and the business work shouldn’t always have to stop just because you have to eat.

 Staying healthy is also important. 

Being successful in your professional life starts first and foremost with your wellbeing. If you’re not feeling your best, you won’t perform your best.

Herjavec advises to always bring workout gear with you and maximize the use of the hotel gym—keeping your mental and physical health always fit. 

Eating on-the-go can also be a temptation to reach for unhealthy, cheaper, and more convenient choices. However, packing healthy snacks or snagging some fruits from the breakfast buffet can help keep you and your diet on track. 

Choose a hotel that has the amenities you need

For Herjavec , it’s the simple things that help him make the most of his most valuable resource – time! When he gets to a hotel he wants free wi-fi, coffee, and a good gym that’s open 24/7. It’s pretty straight forward.  

La Quinta’s survey showed that 64 percent of travelers said that they’d rather go without clean underwear than without Wi-Fi while on a business trip.

Having a hotel that has the amenities you need will help you do what you need to do, which is work. 

The Future of Travel

With new amenities and programs, and as always, evolving tech incorporation, the future is looking up for travelers. Just for hotels alone, Herjavec told us we will start to see a greater appreciation of cybersecurity programs, smart appliances, smart locks, and more. 

Business travel will only get better from here on, so you can keep on doing what you do best, running your company.