As I reflected on what my first Hotel News Now article of 2025 should be, I couldn’t help but take a moment to pause and let it sink in, it is actually 2025, which marks the five-year anniversary of one of the most challenging moments in our industry and in my career in travel tech. Let’s think about this for a moment and put this into context, 60 months, 260 weeks, 1,827 days have passed since the COVID-19 break through. Isn’t it that crazy?
Looking back, I remember telling my then-boss, Michael Byrne, that the world would never stop traveling and that we should continue like normal business to support our industry. Little did I know, I had never been more wrong in my life. Today, we have returned to that so-called normal life, and it is hard to believe there was ever a time where we were unsure if the world would travel once again. The travel revenge was just a concept that is no longer just a fleeting trend. It has become a new way of life. In fact, while I can’t talk about all your travel situations, mine is not merely at pre-pandemic levels, I am traveling even more than ever before, which sometimes can be challenging.
Traveling has become a constant in my life, so regular that it took me some time to realize I had unknowingly stepped into the lifestyle of a digital remote work nomad. Last year, my company awarded me as the one who traveled the most—an award I’m not sure whether to feel proud or a little bit exhausted about. At first, I thought the title was a playful acknowledgment of my hectic schedule. But as I reflected on it, I began to realize that my life was no longer rooted in one place. The lines between work and travel had blurred so seamlessly that I hardly noticed the transformation. I have learned to navigate airports as second nature, turning layovers into productive hours, calling American Airlines home as I am a One World loyal woman.
The rise of digital nomadism and the increase in remote work have transformed not just the workplace but the very concept of living itself, creating a new way of life redefining traditional notions of home, families, witch its advantages and disadvantages, like everything in life.
The hospitality industry is of course jumping into the opportunity, offering amenities, co-working spaces, and much more, but today, I wanted to talk about us, the individuals, how we can adapt to such a life: living light, moving far, with our home in our backs, like snails, surviving the journey.
As a result, I wanted to share my very own Top 10 survival list for life on the road without burning out, and most important, constantly adapting to change. Here it goes:
- Utterly indispensable: passport or ID, phone and laptop. Everything else can be found elsewhere.
- Essential beyond question: noise-canceling headphones, power bank, chargers and adapters, melatonin, vitamin C, and my favorite propolis gummies for sore throats.
- Healthy routines, an absolutely necessity: habits for exercise and rest are non-negotiables for me, even more so when you are on the move. Plus, it will help your jetlag.
- The cloud: keep digital copies of your essential documents. Download work documents to get going even when WiFi is not an option.
- The clothing basics: one set of pajamas, two sets of work-out clothes, three business outfits and two leisure outfits.
- Toiletries: time is precious, don’t waste time packing them every time you travel. Weather is not a condition here. Your toiletry bag should be always packed and ready to go mirroring a mini version of everything you would have at home. To me, a diffuser is mandatory. When will hoteliers learn the importance of hair dryers for women?
- Change your wardrobe: optimize shoes, if you are a women, get rid of the curse of high heels that take so much space, opt for a pair that matches several business outfits and as per clothes, choose textiles that don’t get easily wrinkled and that are easily combined.
- Schedule wisely your flight schedule and rest strategically during the flight: timing is everything. Eastward travel should have late flights to sleep. Westward travel should involve sleep only right after take-off and then stay awake to sync with the local day.
- Drink, drink, drink: be water my friend.
- Last but not least, carry-on doesn’t get lost. Compact to the maximum and take your basics always with you.
I am curious, what are your tips? We all learn as we go and I can’t wait to keep improving on my own habits and get inspired by other road warriors.
Mercedes Blanco is chief partnerships officer at The Hotels Network and a founding member of Women in Travel Thrive.
The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel News Now or CoStar Group and its affiliated companies. Bloggers published on this site are given the freedom to express views that may be controversial, but our goal is to provoke thought and constructive discussion within our reader community. Please feel free to contact an editor with any questions or concern.