7 travel hacks for the sensible business traveller
Travelling is a great way to educate yourself. With the world getting increasingly connected, the need to travel on business is greater than ever before. “When you’re trying to create a global brand, you need to think beyond wherever the walls of your office are,” says Bruce Poon Tip, Founder of G Adventures, an adventure travel company, as stated by Fast Company. Here are seven travel hacks that you can use to make your travel comfortable, smooth, and rewarding:
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Put together your own mobile office
Make sure you have a travel office kit with all the basic office equipment in it. No matter where you are – at the airport, in a taxi, at the reception at the client's office – you need to be able to carry on with your work.
Kayla Wagner of Revel Interactive says, “I pack a small power cord with four plugs for when you can only find that one outlet at the airport but you need to power up three devices for the flight ahead. I also bring a book or audio book for when there’s no Wi-Fi, along with good old-fashioned pen and paper,” as stated by AllBusiness.
Avoid expenses you can avoid
Got a friend or a relative in the place you're visiting? Try and shack up with them. Cost-cutting need not be an emergency plan. Cut costs even when you can afford to spend. If you don't like to stay with friends or relatives, there are wonderful new and cheaper options like Airbnb. “I’ve saved countless dollars for my business by staying at Airbnbs’. When you’re a young start-up with less than 15 people, every dollar counts. If I don’t have to spend $250/night on a hotel and can pay $60 for a nice bed, I’m 100 percent game. It’s setting our business up to have more money to invest in growing—and you still get a good night’s rest,” says John Rampton of JohnRampton.com, as stated by AllBusiness.
Set aside a day for networking
Networking is one of the key factors to business growth. Networking on travel helps in expanding your network and having connections in newer, prospective markets. Business travel can be rushed with a tight schedule. But don't let the opportunity to network slip away. Plan your schedule to include a day solely for networking.
Kelly Azevedo of She’s Got Systems says, “I love to schedule an extra day at the end of a trip for meetings with local colleagues, new connections from a conference, or to simply see the city. Having this extra space in your calendar usually means a more enjoyable trip and better business relationships,” as stated by AllBusiness.
Travel light
Business travel can get more frequent than you expect, and tedious. The most annoying part of travel is the luggage. So try to carry as little as possible. “If you are traveling to the same few cities, it’s best to leave some clothes and necessities in each city. You can ask the hotel or Airbnb that you stay in to keep a bag with all your stuff so you can travel very lightly and not have to carry much luggage,” says Randy Rayess of VenturePact, as stated by AllBusiness.
Keep an eye on health
Health is wealth. Drink enough water. Carry a hand sanitizer; you will be accessing more public places and touching things touched by others in crowded places like airports. You will be using taxis. Keep yourself safe from germs. Take precaution to beat travel fatigue. “Bring a tennis ball with you when you're traveling,” suggests Brian Povinelli, Global Brand Leader for Westin and Le Meridien. “It's great to roll under your feet and even under your thighs to keep you from getting stiff/sore. It's small, inexpensive and easy to replace,” he says, as stated by Business Insider.
Keep your cool at all times
Travel can get tedious, what with all the new culture, new food, new language, and so on. These coupled with business pressure can be a bit too much to handle. However, stay calm at all times and get over the impulse to let off the steam, especially with airlines staff or hotel staff. “Be kind to everyone who is on the clock. Airline and hotel employees can often carry a lot of privileges that can trickle down to the customers. Being aggressive and rude with them will quickly put you down the list for upgrades,” says Steven Fox, President of Fastport Passport, as stated by The Huffington Post.
Fly the same airlines to earn points
Try to fly the same airlines in order to accumulate your flying miles. “The key thing for business travel is frequent flier programs,” says Anne Banas, Editor of Smart Travel. “You want to be brand loyal so you can get that elite status and have access to more perks and upgrades,” she says, as stated by Business Insider.
Travel can be enjoyable and rewarding if you remember to do the right things at the right time. Like for anything else, travel, too, requires thought and or preparation. Follow the hacks we’ve shared for a wonderful travel experience.
