If you travel for work with overnight stays, how do you switch off in the evenings?

[Serenwib]

I travel a fair amount for work, mostly within the UK but a few times a year abroad. I really struggle with switching off from work in the evenings, and often end up just working in my hotel room until I go to bed. I then end up completely exhausted.

If you travel for work how do you create a sensible work life balance?

On my own in a hotel room I like something comforting at bedtime to unwind like old Friends or Big Bang Theory episodes!

Go for a walk or window shopping, followed by a bit of pampering.

Same as at home: go for a run/exercise, then shower and read book.

I have a big bubble bath, couple of g&t and a good book.

Bath, watch something I’ve downloaded on Netflix/prime/iplayer, read a book - generally much more relaxed than at home as no one is bothering me!

Eat, go for a walk, watch crap on TV, have a bath as I only have showers at home, read a book. Definitely not work!

Sympathy for the OP. I refuse to do any overnight stays.

With modern technology, I bet the number could be greatly reduced.

I always try to choose a hotel with gym and pool. I'll do that and then have a nice relaxed meal, either a quiet pub or takeaway in my room. Back to the room, sort my stuff for the next day, watch some trashy TV, maybe some naice snacks. I actually mostly enjoy it, but maybe that's because I don't need to do it too often.

Bed to myself and watching whatever I want is my favourite part about travel! Best situation is you're traveling alone or with other parents who just want peace and quiet and not an evening out

I used to stay in a hotel at least once a week for work. I'd go out for dinner on my own, go for a walk round if a nice place, go to the gym or for a swim then watch telly in bed with a glass of wine.

Hotel qith a pool, so good swim. Food. Early bed with a good book and no interruptions.

I always hated it, I did it for years. Gym or a run, decent dinner (via room service, running the gauntlet of dining alone and associated unwelcome attention was something I always avoided) book, bed.

I take my PlayStation and/or Nintendo switch with me. And my iPad for reading if I fancy it with shite on the tv in the background.

Just being alone and enjoying the room with no being needed! Bliss...

Thanks for your replies and ideas.

I don't really have the novelty of it being quieter than at home as my DC are grown up. Otherwise I could definitely see the appeal!

A lot of the travel is for conferences, which do still need to be face to face. I'm usually travelling on my own.

I do take a book with me, but still seem to end up on my laptop working. If there's a pool at the hotel it's often closed by the time I get back. I can't run any more due to a knee injury.

I absolutely do not work, that's for sure!

In London, I often see a show. I'm booked for the Hunger Games on my next trip as I'm in Canary Wharf area.

I'm in Cardiff in a few weeks so I'm looking at restaurants now. I usually go for a wander then find the restaurant I've planned and read while I have dinner. I rarely drink when I'm away.

If I'm in a dull area with limited night life, I go for a walk, sort dinner then look for a film. I also travel with a small crochet project (udlly a single colour scarf for ease!) and my Kindle to try to avoid constant doom scrolling.

I am retired but I used to pick up dinner plus a mini wine from a grocery store.

Did a 20-30 minute workout in my hotel room - calithenics, planks, abs.

Shower then dinner while watching trash TV.

Pack briefcase and/or roll-aboard for the next day.

Lights out.

I like going to the cinema both in the uk and overseas. In major cities (Barcelona, Rome, Athens, etc) you can usually find English films that are subtitled rather than dubbed if you don’t speak the local language, althouhh you might have to hunt a bit. Nothing better than the cinema for forcing disengagement from the outside world IMO.

Like others have said, you could also do excercise although depending on where you are, a casual walk around might not work. I really struggled in Joburg for things to do, for example and also some US locations but for different reasons.

Many metropolitan areas have outdoor pools that stay open late.

it can be a challenge to switch off, I do get that, because subconsciously you feel like you’re on company time (or at least I always did). But I imagine they aren’t paying you well enough to own your entire life ;)

I go to the theatre or cinema.

or have a pamper night in the hotel with face masks, feet masks etc and watch a film on my tablet.

or book a hotel with a pool and go fid a swim, sauna and steam room.

Gym/swim, a nice glass of wine and a book or watch a comedy on the TV.

I used to travel for 1-3 nights a week, mainly UK, occasionally abroad. Used to love 1 nighters, mainly a swim then a meal in room (often did just a meal deal or supermarket / M&S stuff as was putting too much weight on, but would get nice things) early night with kindle or sometimes would watch TV (the only time I ever watched TV). Never phoned home. Found 2/3 nights harder. Didn't particularly like going out with colleagues, but would do so if it was just dinner somewhere, and back to hotel by 10 ish. Have wandered about in cities at times for an evening walk, Also, like you, sometimes worked. The way I saw it was that it was buying time back for when I was at home.

I go with dh on one work trip a year. He finishes work at around 9pm. We go to asda for a sandwich and snacks, watch an episode or 2 of a tv programme on the laptop and go to bed. Up at 6 or 7am to go to work again.

Go for a walk, dinner, cinema or to the theatre. Go shopping. Meet colleagues or people I know for a drink or dinner, e.g. people now located elsewhere that I wouldn’t see in the office. If you were in a city with a late night opening in a gallery or museum, you could do that.