For future reference, when I go on a trip to a distance convention or incentive event, I need to plan what I’m going to write about and when, as well as consider what type of material to collect (images, videos, souvenir, etc.).
Of course every event is different. Every time I went to Bloem was very different for example. The experience was different, I was different, even my goals were different.
Here are some things to consider when planning your Bloem trip.
1. Plan reflection posts
These will be posts I write while the experience is still fresh.
For example, for my Bloem trip, I could have planned the following:
- Pre-bus/plane to Bloem
- On the bus/plane to Bloem
- Friday night post
- Saturday morning post
- Saturday lunch post
- Saturday night post
- Sunday morning post pre-event
- Sunday morning post post-event
- Pre-bus/plane home
- On the bus/plane home
Again, this is just a guide. If you think of something during the event, it may be worth while to write an entire post about it rather than including it in your reflection post.
2. Plan photo opportunities
For each post, think of at least one photo opportunity. It could be with a prospect, a customer, an upline, a downline, a speaker, a building, the road, anything that you notice. You have to be searching for the opportunity in order to recognize it.
3. Plan healthy meals
Dried fruit, nuts, biltong, and other healthy snacks. Many of which can be homemade (see my @pr0j3ct4lph4 accounts on social media where I learn and grow my own food)
If you’re eating in a group, you can still order the healthiest option available, and drink lots of water. I find the best way to drink lots of water is to get into a habit of drinking from say a 1 litre bottle and making sure I finish it by a certain time in the day. Combine that with a glass in the morning and one at night and you’re already at 1.5L for the day.
4. Plan transport and accommodation
This may belong higher up the list in terms of priority but I figure it’s probably one of the more obvious.
However you’re going, start saving from day one after the event. In my case I take my year end bonus and put away about two thirds of what I plan to spend on travel and accommodation. So if I am going to spend R3000 on travel and accommodation, I put away R2000 and every month after I put in another few hundred towards it.
Remember that transport has 3 legs:
- Car/Bus/Plane to the location of the event
- Car/Bus/Plane back home
- Car/Uber from the accommodation to the venue, to and from the bus stop or airport,etc.
You can plan all of these beforehand, and for the bus or plane tickets your may get discounts of you’re prepared early.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
These are just some of the ideas I’ve had reflecting on how things could have gone. I could have been done with these posts by the time I was back from Bloemfontein. Instead I’ve now had to spend hours of time after the event reflecting.
If course I would still do the water the trip reflection post, which would include evaluating the process, but the posts before that could have been done already.
The aim here in Kaizen (continuous improvement). If I keep doing the same thing, and the same level of thing, I’ll always get the same level of results. But if I want to ascend, it needs to start with learning from what I’ve done, and implementing it better each time.
Have you had a long distance trip and learned some things you wish to share? Comment below.