By Leola Small, Cliftons Marketing and Inside Sales Manager

4:45am *alarm goes off*

5:30am *taxi arrives*

It's never a welcomed surprise to be woken up by an alarm before the sun gets up. The dark and coldness of the morning is enough to send me straight back into bed! But alas, work needs to be done.

After a quick shower, everything starts to feel better. I always pack my bags the night before as my common sense is still asleep at 5am most days. Once ready I wait outside with my small (usually almost empty) carry on suitcase, for my pre-booked taxi to arrive.

Taxi arrives, en route to the airport. The ride is usually a quick one as there is barely anyone on the road and in no time I am at the departure drop off. I head directly to the security entry, as I have checked in online the night before and have my boarding pass stored on my phone. I never check in bags and always walk straight through.

6:15am *Sitting at the departure lounge on my laptop*

Usually waiting for a 7am flight I take out my laptop and begin replying and closing off emails before the flight. I like to get to the airport AT LEAST an hour before my domestic flight and sit there and wait. I would rather be early than rushing late.

7am *Flight*

I usually arrive at my destination before 8:30am, grab a coffee and into the office. By this stage my body thinks it's lunch time already, but I just plough through! Once the scheduled meetings have finished, I usually head out to lunch alone. After an afternoon of meetings, I am absolutely buggered! If there are a few of us in town, we may go for a quick bite after work, but my usual after work activity while travelling is to head back to my hotel for some rest and much needed relaxation!

If I've gone to dinner, I might be done by around 8pm. That's almost a 16-hour day, which is not unusual when travelling. The hard core travellers will stay out till late at night - but that's not for me!

The next day is usually crammed with meetings before my late afternoon flight home. Arriving home around 11pm is fairly standard when coming home from interstate trips. The worst part of that is trying to wind down to get to sleep at a decent hour so I'm not too tired for work the next morning!

If I've learnt anything from business travelling a lot, it's this:

• Pack the night before an early flight - no one likes packing in the morning!

• Book your taxi the day before and ensure you have enough time to get to the airport early.

• Only take a carry on - it saves so much time without having to check and collect luggage.

• Online check in - Avoid the queues and get your boarding pass early.

• Pack only what you need - you don't need options for clothes or your hairdryer!

• If you eat healthy and exercise regularly, stick to it - don't let travelling throw your lifestyle out.