You’re not tired. You’re unprepared.
High performers prep for keynotes but wing the travel. That gap kills performance.
Itamar shares the exact system he built as an air marshal and now uses when travelling for business.
Most people confuse efficiency with output. The real mistake? Optimizing for speed, not performance.
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00:00:00:01 - 00:00:24:10
Itamar Marani
For my years operating as an air marshal, logging hundreds of flights per year, and I was 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 in a speaking tour for Entrepreneurs organization chapters in Melbourne, Adelaide and the Philippines. I wanted to share my exact system for showing up at my best when it counts while traveling for important business keynotes or conferences.
00:00:24:14 - 00:00:47:13
Itamar Marani
Point one Have a clear mission focus. Will it make the boats go faster? That single question powered bronze rowing team to Olympic gold and 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 next move.
00:00:47:15 - 00:01:12:03
Itamar Marani
So before I pack a single item, I get crystal clear on what my boat is and why I'm actually traveling and what I'm looking to achieve. For this CEO tour, my mission is very clear. One Deliver high impact keynotes and workshops that transform how these entrepreneurs approach mental performance and to have that lead to potential one on one clients.
00:01:12:05 - 00:01:38:21
Itamar Marani
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 accommodation, 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. Elite Tip number two Use a battle tested soap.
00:01:38:23 - 00:02:06:04
Itamar Marani
Elite military teams never win again, and neither should you. City hopping across time zones is draining as is, So I try to mitigate that fatigue by front loading. Most decisions before I fly with a simple soap. My s.o. PE includes everything from Pre-Trip Prep, the slide deck finalization at least 72 hours before departure to a packing checklist with exact items I need for my speaking engagements to the driver protocol with how I can immediately adjust for the time zones.
00:02:06:06 - 00:02:29:14
Itamar Marani
It also includes a more specific checklist of who are the people who I want to meet and have we scheduled to connect? Or are there any distractions that I really need to avoid? This helps me ensure I can still operate at my best in unfamiliar environments when possibly compromised by jet lag. Three Reliability over Adventure. When your performance matters, choose certainty over novelty.
00:02:29:16 - 00:02:59:10
Itamar Marani
I say it hotel chains I know well rather than boutique options that might look cool 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 when it actually counts. I save the adventure accommodations for actual vacation or fly in during daylight hours, so this one's a bit controversial for some reason, but it's game changing.
00:02:59:16 - 00:03:19:11
Itamar Marani
I avoid overnight flights whenever possible, even when flying business. The truth is you simply don't get quality sleep on planes compared to proper hotel beds. So if a performance is important for you, you want to get proper sleep for long haul trips, a break the journey with an airport hotel to ensure proper recovery. And yes, it does take longer.
00:03:19:11 - 00:03:43:20
Itamar Marani
But when you think about it, as far as output, it's not exactly true. When I break up, my flights actually arrive ready to perform rather than needing a recovery day. Now, remember, you're traveling for results, not to minimize travel time. And besides, an airplane seat is a great space for deep work. Five. Order the fruit platter. So this is a lesson I learned from a savvy old air marshal when I was just getting started.
00:03:43:22 - 00:04:04:04
Itamar Marani
Basically always requests a fruit platter on flights. It costs nothing extra, but makes a massive difference in how you feel upon arrival. Our taste buds function differently at altitude, which is why airlines load meals with extra salt and sugar. So to get my macros in, I bring a protein shake and a bag of mixed nuts to supplement the fruit platter.
00:04:04:10 - 00:04:32:00
Itamar Marani
And Pro-tip if you're still hungry, they always have extra food. This simple swap prevents inflammation and brain fog that comes from ultra processed airplane food. Six compression socks. So this isn't just for old people. It's a protocol. Professional athletes follow on flights between games. Quality compression socks dramatically reduce inflammation and flutter tension that happens during flights. Our bodies simply didn't evolve for 30,000 feet, and this small trick helped reduce that.
00:04:32:00 - 00:04:59:01
Itamar Marani
Fatigue is very helpful now. Is that a factor in your mental performance? No. But is it much nicer to ride the next day without your ankles feeling bloated? You can go on your run or workout. Yes. Compression socks take all of 10 seconds to put on and make a really big difference. I use a simple knee high running socks similar to these, but from decathlon seven hotel breakfasts are fuel meals, not feasts.
00:04:59:03 - 00:05:21:18
Itamar Marani
A friend who is a health coach once told me that his biggest challenge is to get rich people to stop gorging on free food. So ask yourself this How many times have you gone to a conference or stayed in a hotel and just needlessly gorge on the hotel breakfast feeling a bit lethargic afterwards? To avoid this, I view the hotel buffet as a fuel meal, not a feast.
00:05:21:20 - 00:05:42:11
Itamar Marani
Something to fill my body with energy, not to just satiate my taste buds. I load up my plate with only high 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 or breads. Do I do that?
00:05:42:11 - 00:06:05:16
Itamar Marani
Which ends up rarely happening? This approach provides steady energy rather than the crash that comes from the standard carbohydrate heavy continental breakfast. So the next time you're standing at the breakfast buffet or at a meal during a conference, ask yourself, is this a feast or a full meal? What do I want to get out of this? Number eight Morning movement.
00:06:05:16 - 00:06:25:07
Itamar Marani
But don't overdo it. So I never skip morning movement on travel days. But I'm also cautious about intensity. There's something I have to learn the hard way. Basically, remember why you're there. In my case, it's to speak, not to crush a new deadlift. PR In your case, it might be to network or to meet new people or to experience new things.
00:06:25:09 - 00:06:52:02
Itamar Marani
So you don't want to overdo it. For me, a 20 to 30 minute session focusing on mobility, light resistance work, or perhaps a swim, wakes me up and gets me pumped to perform without exhausting me. You can save the intense training for when you're back at home, and a great trick to not feel like you're falling behind in your training is to simply view conferences or speaking engagements as the day loading weeks in your training program.
00:06:52:04 - 00:07:28:02
Itamar Marani
Nine Book key meetings in advance. So don't leave now. Working to chance. I schedule strategic breakfasts, lunches or dinners. Well before arrival to maximize relationship building opportunities. This prevents both the waste of where should we eat and ensures you connect with the highest value contacts possible and make meaningful connections. Number ten Debrief While it's fresh. Within 24 hours of each event, I conduct a personal debrief focusing on three main categories What worked well, what didn't, and specific adjustments for next time.
00:07:28:04 - 00:07:56:22
Itamar Marani
And then I update myself. I document these insights immediately while they're fresh, creating a continuously improving system. And this is somatic approach prevents repeated mistakes and compounds effectiveness with each trip. So one last bonus tip. Create one life experience every trip. Life. It'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.
00:07:57:00 - 00:08:19:14
Itamar Marani
When this trip wraps up in Manila, my wife and I will fly down to Siargao for five days of world class, surfing with new scenery and world class ways. And this serves a dual purpose. One It provides a strategic decompression after an intense period, which is crucial for long term performance. And it ensures I'm actually experiencing the places I visit.
00:08:19:16 - 00:08:35:17
Itamar Marani
Life is too short not to appreciate the opportunities when they arise, and that's something I try to nail in and focus on now. What about you? Do you have any travel performance strategies I've missed? If so, please let me know in the comments below. I'm always looking to upgrade my systems.
