for Your Project Journey
ADVISORY ARTICLE
By William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD, DTM
Professor Emeritus
Eastern Michigan University, USA
In early June, my wife Peggy and I spent 2 ½ glorious weeks in France. Our trip included two weeks in the Provence region near Gordes and concluded with a few days in Paris to revisit the rebuilt Notre Dame Cathedral. Highly recommended it. Yet, getting ready for the trip was probably the most stressful part of our journey. Did we lock all the doors at home? Turn off the PC? What time does the flight leave? And where are those confirmation emails for the pre-booked hotels? The pre-vacation panic spiral is real, common, and can leave any traveler feeling like a chaotic mess before taking that fateful step in the airport. (Just think of how frantic that opening scene was in Home Alone and know it doesn’t have to be that way.)
A very good article (Travel, May 29, 2025) offered six simple travel tips that I followed and made my trip considerably less stressful. The suggestions came from Samantha Brown, an experienced global traveler and journalist. Her travel prep style is all about reducing anxiety before it starts — keeping things simple, intentional, and calm. From how to pace one’s itinerary to the importance of daily rituals, following Brown’s tips made my travel feel like the break it was intended to be, before and during my trip.
On reflection, these simple travel tips may be astutely applied to any project journey. Herein are my suggestions to help reduce the stress and strain of our professional work aligned with the Samantha Brown tips for smart, stress-reducing travel tips.
Samantha Brown Tip #1: “Pack a week in advance (seriously)” /
Dr. Bill PM Tip – Finalize Your Detailed Project Schedule at least a month prior to kickoff
This Project tip helps avoid the last-minute scramble to publish the Project “Kick-Off” Package at the zero hour of the kick-off meeting. In addition, having your Project “bags” packed [published] in advance gives the PM and Team the mental breathing room to handle other last-minutes details of the Project kick-off meeting [departure].
Samantha Brown Tip #2: “Arrive at the airport earlier than you think you need to” /
Dr. Bill PM Tip – Arrive, well prepared, at all Project Meetings at least 20 minutes early
Arriving early to project meetings allows adequate time for room set-up and the critical socialization time between the Team and the Project Sponsors. The best way to remove 90% of meeting stress is to allocate sufficient time for meeting preparation.
More…
To read entire article, click here
How to cite this article: Moylan, W. (2026). Simple Travel Tips for Your Project Journey, advisory article, PM World Journal, Vol. XV, Issue I, January. Available online at https://pmworldjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/pmwj160-Jan2026-Moylan-Simple-Travel-Tips-for-Your-Project-Journey.pdf
About the Author
William A. Moylan, PhD
Ypsilanti, Michigan
William A. Moylan, PhD, PMP, FESD, DTM, is a Professor Emeritus with Eastern Michigan University – College of Engineering & Technology. He has extensive professional experience in all aspects of program and project management, including over eleven years internationally with the Saudi Arabian American Oil Co, and since 1983, has been involved in implementing information technology. He has degrees from Lawrence Technological University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Capella University. He is s active in a variety of professional societies and civic activities including American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineering Society of Detroit, Project Management Institute, Habitat for Humanity, and Toastmasters International. He can be contacted at William.moylan@emich.edu
