Understand travel accommodations clearly

This topic comes first, and I can't stress enough how paramount this is to your success. Poor accommodations not only sour a travel stint, but they can also create tension between you and your team, as well as the group you're traveling with.

Always double (and triple) check that your accommodations have comfortable spaces for you and your travel companions. In other words, make sure you don't set up shop in a studio apartment with little privacy for a week. It might save you $50 a night in rent, but is that worth a week of headaches? I know the answer to that one: it isn't.

Make sure everyone has a bedroom and that there's more than one common area to loiter in. Most noise pollution happens in either the kitchen (dishes, cooking, coffee making, cleaning) or the living area (tv, music, laughter). If you're trying to work at the kitchen table or in front of the tv, for example, you'll have problems.

For optimal working while out of town, settle in to an alternate common area or find a space with an office you can use. If you decide to pinch pennies and don't establish yourself in a space with ample options, you'll have to hustle down to the local library or coffee shop where nothing will be in your control: sounds, expectations, internet speeds, hours, etc.

Ensure quality connectivity

Equally as important as the space with which you work will be the speed with which you can communicate with your team and execute on the work you wish to accomplish.

In a recent Airbnb stay, I communicated with the host very early asking about internet speeds, going so far as to have them run a speed test in the rental with a link I provided in our chats. By getting a sense of what they see in the space, I know if it will work for my needs.

Is it old school AOL email checking speeds, or can I comfortably have video calls when they come up? Are their dead spots in the house where wifi drops off drastically? It's surprising that many great rentals still have lackluster internet in 2015.

That being said, internet can still be crummier than you might anticipate despite your best efforts. I always suggest letting key contacts or clients know you'll be away from your typical office for x-number of days before you commit to multiple video calls or web presentations while you're away.

Don't forget about backup communication, too. How's cell phone service on that beachfront house 15 minutes from town? Does it have a landline? In my most recent trip, cell service was nonexistent, and I didn't even think to ask the host about this. It wasn't listed as a concern, so why would it be one? Turns out asking is a rule of thumb.

Remember the “Big 3” here: internet, cell service, and other local options.