In honor of the new Plantronics Voyager  Legend headset, Road Warriorette will be featuring some sponsored posts on behalf of Plantronics and has been compensated for her contributions.

Thanks to everyone who entered to win the Plantronics Voyager Legend! Our winner, chosen by random.org, was number 1, Jeffrey, who said that his favorite way to combine his work life with his personal life on business trips is to bring his family with him. Sounds like a good plan! Some of my other favorites:

From Robert: Whenever I travel for work, I look for a small local theatre company to see a show. It helps me wind down.

From Roger: It may sound selfish, but on longer trips, if there isn’t an ‘official’ dinner with customers/partners I skip the excess, shop-talk, forced dinner with colleagues and just do room service and a movie. I like the expense account feasts as much as the next guy, but a bit of quiet ‘alone time’ can do wonders to restore ones sanity on a long trip.

From Richard: I have my kids research the city I am going to and they tell me where to go spend my down time. I send pics and Skype them from those places.

And of course, video calls, phone calls, and texts to the loved ones at home!

A big thanks to the sponsor, Plantronics, for this great contest.

Today is the last day to enter the Plantronics sponsored sweepstakes. All you have to do is answer the following question: How do you bring your business and personal life together during business trips? Click here to enter for a chance to win!

And check out the review I did of the Voyager Legend!

Sponsored Review: Plantronics Voyager Legend

Plantronics Voyager Legend Review

In honor of the new Plantronics Voyager  Legend headset, Road Warriorette will be featuring some sponsored posts on behalf of Plantronics and has been compensated for her contributions.

I’ll be honest. I’ve never successfully used a wireless headset before. I had one with my old phone but I could never make it work, and it frustrated me so much that I gave up and reverted back to my standard white iPhones headset. So when Plantronics first sent me the Voyager Legend to review I delayed using it for a while because it made me nervous. What if I hated it? What if it didn’t work right? (I feel pretty dumb for feeling that way now. Live and learn!)

The setup. I was anticipating some hideously complex setup that required a doctorate in technology. I’m so happy I was wrong! Setup was super easy. I literally put the headset on my ear, pressed a button, and had my phone search for Bluetooth devices. Took thirty seconds, done, ready to go.

Using it. Next came the really scary part: actually using it. It felt very comfortable on my ear, even when wearing it for hours. It also felt very secure and didn’t come off at all. To test it, first I had the Home Warrior go into another room and call me. The Legend said, “Incoming call from Home Warrior. Answer or ignore?”  Whichever command I chose, it understood me. The sound was great—crystal clear on both ends.

I wore it around for a couple of days, and it worked really well. I had no dropped calls or issues with it. Although one day I had my curly hair down, and I’m pretty sure the guy at Starbucks thought I was crazy and talking to myself because my hair totally hides it.

Noise canceling. The Legend blocks noise really well. I had my husband wear it and go to some noisy areas so that I could hear for myself how much background noise seeps through. Specific noises, like the Mini Warrior crying, came through some. But general background noise, like crowd noise, couldn’t be heard at all.

Call routing. This was so cool. If I answered a call on my phone, I could switch it to the headset just by putting it on. I didn’t have to push any buttons or anything.

Other stuff.  The Legend has a mute button and a button to end a call. Once I figured out which was which they were a snap to use. I also tried using it to listen to music, although since it’s only in one ear I still prefer my regular headphones for that.

My one minor complaint: I wish it came with some sort of carrying case. I felt really nervous putting it in my purse without anything protecting it, even though it did fine in there. There is a charging case that will not only store it but also charge it, but it comes out next week so I don’t have it yet.

Overall? I freaking love this thing. I can finally get up and refill my coffee without worrying about jerking wires out of my ear because I dropped my phone. I can take calls while traveling without worrying that background noise will distract my caller. I can answer calls while driving without being dangerous. It was so easy that even technologically phobic or dumb people can use it without frustration. I would certainly recommend this as an excellent, easy-to-use device to anyone who works remotely or travels.  Or really anyone who wants to be able to talk on the phone and do something else at the same time.

Available for $99.99 on the Plantronics website.

Don’t forget, we are giving away a Voyager Legend headset! The sweepstakes is open until Monday night, so enter today for a chance to win!

This contest is closed.

In honor of the new Plantronics Voyager  Legend headset, Road Warriorette will be featuring some sponsored posts on behalf of Plantronics and has been compensated for her contributions.

Plantronics has recently released the much anticipated Voyager Legend headset! It’s being touted as the “world’s smartest headset”, and includes features such as smart call routing, precision audio, and caller announce and voice commands. To celebrate the newest member of the Plantronics family, we are giving away one Voyager Legend headset to a lucky reader!

How to win? It’s simple! Between now and Monday, November 12, write a comment answering the following question: How do you bring your business and personal life together during business trips? A winner will be chosen randomly from all of the entries on Tuesday, November 13. As always, only one entry per person.

When traveling for work it’s so easy to get stuck in the go-go-go mode. Bringing your business and personal life together can be really hard when you’re on the road a lot! But you’re not just a worker bee, so make sure you pay attention to the rest of you as well. Here are some of my tips:

Stay in touch. Make sure you keep in touch with the people you love. The Home Warrior and I talk every day I’m gone. I will also make a point to talk to my sisters, mom, and best friend when I’m gone for longer periods of time. Just because you’re away doesn’t mean you can’t maintain regular conversations! If you’re pressed for time, multi-task—chat while you’re getting ready for bed or unpacking (this is where a headset like the Voyager would come in handy!).

Take some time for yourself. Just because you’re traveling for work doesn’t mean you don’t get down time! While you’re on the plane is a great time to do something just for fun—read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, knit… Or take advantage of a layover and get a chair massage. Just a few minutes doing something you enjoy can help you maintain balance.

Make sure you get your work done! At the same time, it can be so easy to let time slip away while you socialize with coworkers or wine and dine clients. Those things are certainly important, but save time to do your actual work as well. Presentations don’t write themselves, as I have unfortunately discovered. (But don’t worry—the Voyager has a sophisticated noise canceling feature, so even if you’re out you can still take that work call. The office will never know!)

See the city you’re in. So many of us don’t ever look beyond the office and our hotel room, but all cities have something to offer! Try to eat out at a local restaurant, and taste a local specialty. If you have a little extra time, cruise by an interesting attraction or take in some scenery. It will help all of those towns you’ve visited stand out from each other, and remind you that there is more to life than work.

Click here to see official rules for the sweepstakes.

Good luck!!