Five reasons travel is good for business

Business travel can be exhausting, frustrating, and feel like an expense you can’t afford – but it’s also “the hidden talent strategy” business leaders are overlooking, according to Forbes.

Think your time is better spent in the office on Zoom than hitting the road? Think again. Every trip offers a payoff that goes beyond the meetings and conferences.

Here are five reasons travel is good for business – not just in obvious ways, but in surprising ones too.

1. Spotting trends where the locals live

You can read reports until your eyes cross, but nothing beats seeing a trend in real time.

In Puerto Rico, I met a cigar house owner who turned buying cigars into theatre, making a hard-sell product irresistible.

On another trip, I saw the newly opened French department store, Printemps, thriving in New York’s Financial District — a bold gamble that paid off as lawyers and bankers flooded in.

These moves don’t always make the white papers. You notice them only on the ground.

And the payoff is proven: Forbes notes that every $1 spent on business travel delivers $9.50 in new revenue and $2.90 in profit.

Travel is research in 3D – you see ideas before they’re picked apart in reports, and you can bring them home while they’re still fresh.

2. Innovation through collision

Travel is where ideas bump into each other.

In the UK and US this year, I was struck by how much interest there is in my work around marketing to mums – proof the insights resonate globally. But innovation isn’t always about big validations. It can be sparked by a café in New York that remembered my order, or a New Orleans music venue plastered with handwritten notes to foster instant community.

Business travel is a “quiet but powerful lever,” Forbes says. I agree.

It’s not the airport lounge that matters – it’s seeing differently, then applying that perspective at home. Being an outsider forces you to notice gaps, quirks and clever problem-solving that locals take for granted. Sometimes the best business idea is simply one you’ve seen thrive elsewhere.

3. Building resilience and problem-solving muscles

This rarely makes Top 5 lists, but it should.

Flights get cancelled. Wi-Fi drops out mid-presentation. Taxis don’t show. None of it is fun – but each time, I come home tougher.

Business owners are told to embrace ambiguity. Nothing teaches that like being stranded in a foreign airport at 2am, juggling meetings and presentations. Travel forces you to stay calm, improvise and keep moving.

Resilience is cultural too. Each time you adapt to new etiquette, pace or language, you stretch as a communicator and a leader. Harvard research puts resilience and agility at the top of future leadership skills. Travel is resilience bootcamp. You don’t build that muscle sitting at your desk.

4. Creating space for reflection and clarity

One of travel’s greatest gifts is distance from the everyday. At home, you’re reactive – answering emails, putting out fires. Step away – truly step away – and things look different.

I often find my sharpest insights far from the office. On the Greek island of Milos this August, I worked from a bakery courtyard each morning, eating filo pie while drafting emails. That café became my overseas office – and gave me unexpected perspective.

When you step back, bigger questions surface: Am I on the right track? What needs to change? Where should I double down?

Travel creates the space for clarity – not only about your business, but your role within it.

5. New networks, new revenue streams

The serendipity of travel is one of its greatest returns.

This year, I’ve caught up with international colleagues, swapped ideas with fellow speakers, and even sketched out new services sparked by chance conversations I’d never have had if I’d stayed in Australia.

These unplanned connections often turn out to be the most valuable. Sometimes it’s not about chasing revenue directly, but opening yourself up to possibilities you didn’t know existed.

According to Forbes, CEOs often undervalue travel when in reality it helps build culture, attract talent, and form partnerships. I’ve found that true in spades.

Stories that stick

Here’s a personal bonus: travel gives you stories, and stories are the bridge between research and resonance.

When I talk about customer experience, I don’t just cite stats. I tell the story of the Milos bakery that became my office, or the Puerto Rican cigar shop. People remember those images. Stories inspire teams, connect with clients, and make your ideas stick.

Yes, travel feeds my soul.

I love wheeling out my lime green JULY carry-on, ready to see what I’ll learn next. But more importantly, it feeds my business.