From my years operating as an Air Marshal logging hundreds of flights per year and now as a performance coach for high-achieving entrepreneurs, I’ve collected a few travel tricks that keep you operating at your peak.
As I'll be on a speaking tour for Entrepreneurs' Organization chapters in Melbourne, Adelaide, and the Philippines this June I wanted to share my exact system for showing up at my best when counts while traveling for important business keynotes or conferences:
1. Clear Mission Focus
“Will it make the boat go faster?”—that single question powered Britain’s rowing team to Olympic gold in Rome. Every choice was filtered through it: Will this action speed up the boat or not? Whether it was grabbing another cookie, washing their hands, or taking on extra tasks, the answer decided their move.
Before I pack a single item, I get crystal clear on what my boat is. On why I'm actually traveling and what I’m looking to achieve.
For this EO tour, my mission is:
- Deliver high-impact keynotes and workshops that transform how these entrepreneurs approach performance
- Have that lead to potential new 1:1 clients.
This clarity helps me make every decision through one filter: "Will this help me achieve those things?"
When you're spending thousands on flights and accommodations (not to mention your valuable time), having clarity on your goals prevents the common mistake of treating business trips like quasi-vacations or getting sucked into unimportant distractions.
2. Use a Battle-Tested SOP
Elite military teams never “wing it,” and neither should you. City-hopping across time zones is draining, so I try to mitigate that fatigue by front-loading most decisions before I fly with a simple SOP.
My SOP includes everything from pre-trip prep (slide deck finalization 72 hours before departure) to a packing checklist (exact items for speaking engagements) to arrival protocols (immediate time zone adjustment). It also includes a more specific checklist of "Are there people who I want to meet and have we scheduled to connect?” or “Are there any distractions that I need to avoid?”
This helps ensure I can still operate at my best in unfamiliar environments when possibly compromised by jetlag.
3. Reliability > Adventure
When your performance matters, choose certainty over novelty. I stay at hotel chains I know well rather than boutique options that might look cooler on Instagram.
Why? Because I know exactly what I'm getting. The bed quality, noise levels, gym facilities, and room service timing. This predictability creates a stable foundation for peak performance.
I save the adventure accommodations for actual vacation.
4. Fly During Daylight Hours
This one's controversial for some reason but game-changing: I avoid overnight flights whenever possible, even when flying business class. The truth is, you simply don't get quality sleep on planes compared to proper hotel beds.
For long-haul trips, I'll break up the journey with an airport hotel to ensure proper recovery. Yes, it takes longer, but I arrive ready to perform rather than needing a recovery day. Remember, you're traveling for results, not to minimize travel time and besides, an airplane seat is a great space for deep work.
5. Order the Fruit Platter
This is a lesson I learned from a savvy old air marshal.
Always request the fruit platter on flights. It costs nothing extra but makes a massive difference in how you feel upon landing.
Our taste buds function differently at altitude, which is why airlines load meals with extra salt and sugar. I bring a protein shake and a bag of mixed nuts to supplement the fruit platter (if you’re still hungry they always have extra food). This simple swap prevents the inflammation and brain fog that comes from processed airplane food.
6. Compression Socks
This isn't just for old people, it’s a protocol professional athletes follow on flights between games. Quality compression socks dramatically reduce the inflammation and fluid retention that happens during flights.
Is it a factor in your mental performance? No. But is it much nicer to arrive the next day without your ankles feeling bloated? Yes.
They take all of 10 seconds to put on and make a big difference.
I use simple knee-high running socks similar to these but from Decathlon.
7. Hotel Breakfasts = Fuel Not Feasts
A health coach friend once told me that his biggest challenge is to get rich people to stop gorging on free food.
How many times have you gone to a conference or stayed at a hotel and just needlessly gorged on the hotel breakfast, feeling a bit lethargic afterwards?
To avoid this, I view the hotel buffet as a fuel meal, not a feast. Something to fill my body with energy, not to satiate my taste buds.
I load up my plate only with quality protein (usually eggs and smoked salmon), healthy fats, and vegetables before I sit down to eat. Then and only then, if I want to get up and take another plate with any baked goods, do I do that, which rarely ends up happening.
This approach provides steady energy rather than the crash that comes from the standard carbohydrate-heavy continental feast.
So next time you're standing at the breakfast buffet, ask yourself your version of "Will it help the boat go faster?"
8. Morning Movement, But Don't Overdo It
I never skip morning movement on travel days, but I’m also cautious about intensity. Remember why you're there. In my case, to speak, not to crush a new deadlift PR.
A 20-30 minute session focusing on mobility, light resistance work, or perhaps a swim wakes me up and gets me pumped to perform without fatiguing me. Save the intense training for when you're back home.
A great trick to not feel like you're falling behind is to simply view conferences or speaking engagements as the deloading weeks in your training program.
9. Book Key Meetings In Advance
Don't leave networking to chance. I schedule strategic breakfasts, lunches or dinners well before arrival to maximize relationship-building opportunities.
This prevents both the "where should we eat?" time-waste and ensures you connect with the highest-value contacts.
10. Debrief While It's Fresh
Within 24 hours of each event, I conduct a personal debrief focusing on three categories: what worked well, what didn't, and specific adjustments for next time.
I document these insights immediately while they're fresh, creating a continuously improving system. This systematic approach prevents repeating mistakes and compounds effectiveness with each trip.
BONUS: Create One Life Experience
Life’s too short for forgettable trips and only seeing the inside of hotel ballrooms, so I build at least one standout experience into every itinerary. When this trip wraps up in Manila, my wife and I will fly to Siargao for five days of world-class surfing with new scenery and world class waves.
This serves dual purposes: it provides strategic decompression after an intense period which is crucial for long term performance, and it ensures I'm actually experiencing the places I visit. Life is too short not to appreciate these opportunities when they arise.
What about you? Do you have any travel performance strategies I've missed? Email me at [email protected] and let me know! I'm always looking to upgrade my systems.
And if you're an EO member in Melbourne, Adelaide, or the Philippines, I look forward to meeting you. We'll be diving deep into the Elite Performance framework that's helped my clients achieve breakthrough results.
If you’re not an EO member and would like to join these events or meet up please let me know (I still have a couple lunch slots open)!
Who dares wins,
Itamar
