Travel writer Addie Hall developed this post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated for her contribution.

Whether you’re driving or flying to your destination, less is more when it comes to business travel. But even though it’s best to travel lightly, representing your company also requires that you dress professionally. In order to do this, you need the right tools.

Choose the Right Bag For the Job

If you will be taking a briefcase, be sure to either keep it with you or pack it safely within a larger bag. While multipurpose bags that hold both a computer and clothes are efficient, you may not want to drag a battered travel bag into a business meeting. And remember, if you’re flying you’ll need your laptop easily accessible at security checkpoints.

For shorter trips (1-3 nights)

If you’re only staying a few nights, you can usually get away with a smaller bag that can accommodate your office supplies as well as your clothes. Look for “weekender” or “overnighter” bags that have separate compartments for clothing and personal items. The Samsonite Wheeled Overnighter features a deep compartment for garments as well as folder pockets and a removable laptop sleeve.

For longer trips (a week or more)

If you plan on taking a week’s worth of clothes, you’ll need a bag in the range of 24-26 inches. Luggage made from ballistic nylon is a good choice because it is both lightweight and durable. Choosing a bag with four wheels—sometimes called “spinners”—such as the International Traveller London Range 24” makes it easier to get through tight spaces and change directions smoothly.

Travel-friendly Clothing

By choosing clothes in the same color family, you’ll be able to pack fewer shoes and accessories. Depending on the type of business you’re in, you’ll probably need one or two dark suits, a shirt or blouse for each day and a pair of casual pants, along with your basic underwear and socks. Many clothing retailers offer wrinkle-free travel clothing that is appropriate for business, such as Jos. A. Bank’s traveler shirts and pants for men and Brooks Brothers’ wrinkle-free shirts  for women. And women, be sure to pack extra pantyhose! Traveling wreaks havoc on your legwear.

Downsize Your Beauty Routine

When you’re visiting clients or attending business meetings, it’s generally not the best time to deviate from your normal routine. Take along your favorite toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, face cleanser and lotion to ensure that there are no surprises from trying new products. Purchase smaller versions of your favorites from retailers such as 3floz.com (named for the TSA regulation of no more than 3.4 fluid ounces of liquid in each bottle in your carry-on) or fill reusable travel-sized bottles from your larger containers at home.

Addie Hall is a former magazine feature writer who got her start traveling the back roads of the South in search of good stories. She now works in corporate marketing in Birmingham, Ala., where the airport TSA agents know her by name.

Road Warriorette will be featuring a weekly sponsored post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated by Country Inns & Suites for her contribution.

Happy Thursday all! As you may have been following along during the last month, our good friend Road Warriorette has been sharing business travel advice on everything from being productive to mobile office tips to hotel etiquette. This week, she shares her “best of” list for business travelers – both the first-timers and the seasoned pros. And after you’re finished reading, please join the conversation by sharing your favorite business travel tip! – Emily

Clothes:

• Try to build your travel wardrobe around a single color. If all of your clothes match with black pants (or brown), it is that much easier to pack. It is also much easier to get dressed in the morning! And you will need to bring fewer pairs of shoes.
• Flat, slip-on shoes are best for day of travel. They allow you to move quickly through the airport, go easily through security, and be comfortable on the plane.
• Bring a scarf or pashmina for the plane–use it as a blanket, pillow, or whatever you need.
• If you can at all avoid it, don’t bring anything that wrinkles or that you have to iron. There are plenty of stylish clothes available that don’t require ironing!

For the plane:

• Don’t throw your bag in an overhead bin that is way in front of your seat if you can at all help it. It’s rude to the people sitting below that bin.
• If it’s a long flight, bring an eye mask and earplugs or noise-canceling headphones.
• Make sure you have something to entertain you on the plane—don’t anticipate working the entire time unless you know that you will!
• Bring snacks. Nuts, granola bars, and veggies all travel well and satisfy hunger.

Packing:

• I bring my own shampoo/conditioner; since I travel so much, my hair acts crazy if I continually use the products the hotel puts out. I fill up travel bottles from my full-size products, but great sources of travel sizes are Sephora and 3floz.com.
• Eagle Creek packing cubes are so helpful for the small items (underwear, socks, hose, etc); they will help you save a ton of space.
• I have three small bags for my toiletries–one for liquids (that gets taken out at security), one for non-liquids (toothbrush, deodorant, etc), and one for make-up. This allows me to fit them in my suitcase wherever they will go instead of taking up a lot of room
• Don’t bring full size (or even travel size!) beauty products. Use spare contact lens cases for small amounts of liquids, such as face soap, moisturizer, eye makeup remover, etc.

General Tips

• Emergen-C! I take it every day when I travel, sometimes twice.
• I use my White Noise iPhone app a lot in hotels; especially when the walls are thin, there is a highway outside nearby, or the air-conditioning unit is super loud.

Now is your chance! Share some of the knowledge you have amassed in your years of business travel. What is your best business travel tip for a newbie? What does business, and business travel, mean to you?

Having an exercise bike in the house or a health club nearby can be a great motivator to keep up with exercise, but time on the road can make it easy to let the workouts slide. For those times you’re away from a weekly routine, we’ve brought together some great tips for how to get your heart rate going – some that can even be done in your hotel room.

Exercising In Your Room

Staying in shape on the road doesn’t mean you have to lug around heavy equipment in your luggage (imagine that!). Through some basic exercises, you can do the necessary work to help you stay in shape without actually using any equipment at all. Simple standbys like push-ups are great for your body, and for a higher-level workout, you can alternate with staggered push-ups by using a phone book or other prop in your room. For info on other no-equipment exercises, check out this article from About.Com.

Yoga For Travelers

If you’ve ever participated in a Yoga class before, you no doubt understand some of its unique benefits. Yoga is a simple and effective way to keep your body in tune, but it’s also a wonderful way to relax, especially if you are starting to feel stressed out. iYogaLife has setup a convenient and easy-to-use slideshow that demonstrates some great poses for travelers that you can even do in the airport!

Exercising At Country Inns and Suites

The best way to stay in shape while traveling is to make sure your hotel is equipped with a fitness center. Many Country Inns and Suites destinations offer fitness facilities and a selection of our properties feature indoor or outdoor pools. Use our destination tool to discover if your hotel has a fitness center.

Staying connected while you travel is essential to staying productive. Imagine if you went a day or more without Internet access – would your inbox be over-flowing? Even if the answer is “no,” it’s always handy to know where you can plug in to the Web. Whether catching up on some in-flight research, or sending emails from the rest stop – reliable Internet service helps make it happen.

WiFi In The Air

Many airlines now allow travelers to use in-flight WiFi for a small fee (and if you’re in luck, sometimes it’s free!). Airlines understand the importance of remaining productive while traveling and have gone to great lengths to provide WiFi enabled flights. Currently, airlines providing WiFi enabled flights include Delta, Virgin Airlines, AirTran and American Airlines, but keep in mind, not all flights are WiFi enabled so make sure you double-check before booking. The folks over at Gizmodo held a Mile-High Showdown to find out which airline has the fastest service.

WiFi On The Road

Staying connected on the road is also a common option; plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, and rest stops that are now offering free WiFi for patrons. Pull over, take a break from driving, and you can use the time to get some extra work done. Many coffee shop chains and major retailers offer some level of WiFi access.

High Speed Internet In Your Room

And when you’re not on the road or in the air, your hotel room should be set up to help you be the most productive. That’s why Country Inns & Suites offers free high-speed Internet in every room, at every location. We also offer WiFi in many locations and continue to expand our network.

Do you have any other great tips for using WiFi or high-speed Internet on the road? We’d love to hear them in the comments section!

-Emily

Travel writer Beth D’Addono developed this post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated for her contribution.

Healthy eating on the road can be an important part of your commitment to healthy habits.

Staying in shape and eating right is hard enough when you’re home. Add in the road warrior’s diet of client entertaining, airport fast food and snacking on the run, and you can be in trouble. But with a little forethought, mindful eating while you travel can support your commitment to healthy habits.

• Start your day right. A breakfast high in protein and healthy complex carbs will give you needed energy and derail your urge to snack. The Country Inns & Suites by Carlson^SM Be Our Guest breakfast offers a rotating menu of hot meal options, including eggs and breakfast burritos, served alongside oatmeal, fresh fruit and build-your-own breakfast parfaits.
• Light snacks. Keep easy-to-pack healthy snacks with you at all times. This can include dried fruits, nuts, seeds, trail mix, protein bars and protein powder that mixes easily into skim milk for a quick pick me up.
• Think lean protein and veg. Your regular routine is interrupted, so give your body a break by choosing easy-to-digest foods that still fill you up. Non-cream based soups are always a good idea, from hearty bean or lentil to miso or chicken. A meal of lean protein like chicken, turkey and fish, along with vegetables and a salad, works great for lunch or dinner.
• Stay hydrated. Drinking lots of water not only counteracts the effects of flying, it keeps you feeling full and balanced.
• Lunch is big. If you can, make lunch your biggest meal of the day, when you are the most active. Your metabolism will do the rest.
• Your car is not a calorie- and fat-free zone. Sometimes dashboard dining can’t be helped—but remember that every mouthful counts. Stop at farmers markets or grocery stores when possible for fruit and portioned healthy snacks. If you must use the drive-through, the broiled chicken sandwich is almost always better than the double cheeseburger. And don’t supersize—skip the fries and soda.
• Choose entrées wisely. When entertaining clients at a swanky restaurant, skip the bread and fried food in favor of a vegetarian option or an entrée salad. Many restaurants offer tapas-style or small-plate menu items. Ordering two appetizers or a salad and an app is a good way to go. And for dessert, remember that a few bites of dark chocolate are good for you!
• Work it out. Take the time to visit the complimentary fitness center at your Country Inns & Suites hotel. You don’t need an hour to make your efforts count. Fitness experts are pushing for shorter, higher-intensity workouts to help you jump-start your metabolism and stay in shape.

By tweaking just a few of your regular habits, your time on the road can actually be good for your health!

In support of the current “Country Means Business” promotion, Road Warriorette will be featuring a weekly sponsored post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated by Country Inns & Suites for her contribution.

We want our hotel rooms to feel like home, right? That’s part of the deal with hotels. You travel, you’re away from home, and you want to feel comfortable. I get that, but it’s still important to remember that not only are you a guest, you are not the only guest. Be cognizant that your actions can affect the stay of others. Road warriors have to look out for each other! Some things to remember:

Be ready to check in. When you reach the front desk, try to have your credit card and ID ready, especially if there is a line. Often by the time you get to the hotel you have been traveling or working for a long time. It can be very frustrating to wait for someone to remove all of the contents of their purse, wallet or briefcase to find their itinerary.

Watch your noise level. Most of us know this one, but sometimes we can be loud without realizing it.  Be aware of this whether you are on a work conference call or catching up with friends or family. I was guilty of this myself once. I was in a room next to a coworker, and she could hear my alarm through the wall. It wouldn’t have been a problem, except that I am a “snoozer.” I set my alarm 30 minutes early, and it goes off every five minutes. This could be very irritating for guests in rooms nearby.

Don’t slam the door. I am pretty sure that most people’s parents taught them not to slam doors in the house. Why should a hotel door be any different? I know these doors are very heavy, which makes it even more important to close them quietly.

Share the common areas. You’re not in your own living room. Spreading your stuff all over every available space is rude, but too common. Once, I came downstairs to the hotel lobby to get some work done, and found one person using three armchairs- one for him, one for his briefcase and one for his papers, with his laptop taking over the ottoman! It’s true that common areas are typically designed to be very comfortable (check out the lobby at Country Inns & Suites-many have fireplaces, oversized chairs, freshly baked cookies and even a lending library!) but don’t forget to allow others to share the space with you.

Clean up after yourself. Leave your room in a reasonable fashion. Towels on the floor are one thing, since this often signals your desire for laundry service. But don’t leave trash lying around, and make sure to call room service to pick up your tray when you finish eating.  This extends to the common areas as well!  If you are enjoying breakfast at a busy time, clean up after yourself and throw items in either the trash or appropriate recycling containers so that someone else can use your table quickly. No need to wait for housekeeping.

Tipping. The tricky question: To tip or not? It is never required, and should be thought of as a reward for excellent service. There are many different rules for tipping, so check out this great guide from Cheapflights. Tipping etiquette varies between countries, so be sure to research local customs when traveling internationally.

Remember that while traveling, you are in a shared environment – whether you’re borrowing space on a plane seat, in the restaurant booth, or yes, even the hotel room. So share nicely!

Just in time for the month of romance, goldpoints plus^SM members can save 20 percent on all purchases from FTD.com. From flesh flowers and plants to specialty chocolates and spa baskets, you can receive this great discount by visiting http://www.ftd.com/goldpointsplus2.

Show someone the love with this special deal. Not a member? Sign up for goldpointsplus by visiting http://www.goldpointsplus.com.

I Love this Country!

~Emily

As we all know, Valentine’s Day can sneak up on you – just when you’ve made it through the family gatherings, gifts and big meals of the winter holidays, it’s February. It always seems to be a surprise! Well, if you haven’t yet given much thought to planning fun activities for next week’s holiday, I wanted to share a few ideas that might be a good fit (or at the very least, ideas to get you thinking.)

Chicago

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so what better way to kick off Valentine’s Day weekend than next to your significant other in a cooking class? Join Chef Kristine Subido from Wave Restaurant as she demonstrates how to prepare heart-healthy dishes. The class includes lunch!

Sacramento

Or perhaps a little music on the water is what you’re after – why not try the Valentine’s Day Brunch Cruise from Hornblower Cruises and Events? This two-hour jaunt from the heart of Old Sacramento includes a full brunch menu, sparkling wine, and live entertainment. It’s the perfect mid-day activity to spend with your significant other.

New York City

And is there a better place in the country for great restaurants? Check out this list of Big Apple eateries (from OpenTable.com), most of which offer fantastic promotions around Valentine’s Day weekend. But make your reservation early – romantic dinners are a popular choice, and these places are likely to fill up quickly.

Country Inns & Suites, Around the Country

Maybe you’re in the mood for a romantic getaway in a new part of the Country? Take a look at our February romance specials and you’ll find dozens of Country Inns & Suites locations – from Orlando to Denver – that offer discounted rates and might include special touches like chocolates or a bottle of sparkling cider.

Wherever you are, I hope you find time to spend with that special someone. I Love this Country!

~Emily

In support of the current “Country Means Business” promotion, Road Warriorette will be featuring a weekly sponsored post on behalf of Country Inns & Suites and has been compensated by Country Inns & Suites for her contribution.

When deciding where to stay for a business trip, there are multiple considerations. Sometimes you just feel lucky to get a hotel within 20 miles of the office, as was the case when I was in a tiny town in Georgia last year. But when you have options, sometimes it can get overwhelming. Here are a few things to look for when deciding on your hotel.

Location. Different locations are important for different reasons. Obviously, proximity to the office can make things a lot easier. Commute time is shorter, and possible delays due to traffic are minimized. Sometimes, however, you want to be close to other things, like downtown, shopping, or the airport. This December I went to Pensacola, and the office I was visiting was as far away from the beach as you could get.  But I figured if I’m going to be in Florida, I’m staying at a beach. Even with the thirty minute drive, it was totally worth it.

Food. Will you be working late? Do you need to have room service available? Or is it enough to have good restaurants nearby? And what about breakfast? Do you enjoy the traditional continental option, or or will you build your own waffle?

Hotel amenities. Do you need a hotel with a gym or a pool? What about a fridge in your room? Will you need to print, copy, or fax anything while you are there? Do you need a universally accessible room? And of course, what about beds? Do you prefer a king, or two queens? Does bedding matter? Other amenities to consider are free breakfast and high-speed internet.

Reward programs. I highly, highly encourage you to try to stay at the same family of hotels whenever you can. Free trips are one of the best rewards for all of your business travel. The Home Warrior and I have taken many flights on American Airlines and Southwest from rewards points, and have been able to stay in hotels across the country for free. Another benefit? Once you attain Elite status you will often receive bonuses at check in, such as room upgrades, bottles of water, a free movie, or extra reward points. It doesn’t cost anything to sign up, and most families of hotels have multiple price points. (Check out the Carlson family, which includes Country Inns & Suites by Carlson, Park Inn and Radisson hotels.)

Hi everyone,

If you’re like me, you’ve become increasingly dependent on your mobile devices.  Technology is a wonderful thing, but it often means you’re working places other than your office. And for those times you’re not near the comforts of your cubicle—riding in a cab, standing in line at airport security, waiting to go into a meeting—mobile options need to be easy and fast. Here are a few tips I’ve found to help you keep things moving:

Sync your devices

Most of your mobile devices can be synced to each other. For instance, there are easy ways to read your email on your mobile phone, which helps a lot when using one over the other. Learn more about how to sync devices from About.com.

Know your work style

Are you better at working in short bursts or when you have a few hours to dedicate? Knowing your work style can help you make better use of the time you spend completing tasks. Take this fun workstyle quiz from Monster.com to see how you work best.

Double-check everything
Mobile working can be hectic; you’re always on a deadline and the work is never done. Double-check those emails for typos and grammar, make sure you attach documents, and keep your calendar organized.