It never seems to fail that something will go wrong while you are traveling. Either a flight is delayed, you have a flat tire, or someone gets sick.
However, when you are traveling for business, you don’t want to worry about anything but what you are going there to do.
For this reason, you must do all you can to make sure your business trip goes off without a hitch.
These seven tips can help you have the smoothest business travel possible:
1. Plan Your Trip ASAP
The earlier you start to plan your business trip, the better. This will give you plenty of time to work out any kinks you encounter and double-check the logistics.
Waiting for the last minute to get your itinerary together will only lead to rushed planning which will certainly cause you to forget something.
2. Call Ahead
Before you leave, it’s a good habit to call and reconfirm all your reservations. This includes your hotels, car rentals, convention bookings, and even restaurant reservations for business meetings.
You’ll need to be sure they have the rates and number of guests properly documented. You don’t want to get to your destination and find out that you are missing a room or there aren’t enough seats at the table.
This is especially true if you are getting a group rate from your hotel. Learn how hotels determine group rates here.
3. Dress the Part
Hotels, airlines, and car rental companies are more willing to work hard for individuals who walk into their lobby dressed like a professional.
While every customer should receive the same courteous customer service, unfortunately, businesses do discriminate.
These company’s see business executives as a higher income potential for their business since they are often repeat customers and are often paying with the company credit card.
When traveling for business, be sure you can be identified as an executive with just a glance. You’ll find that companies are much more willing to grant your requests or even upgrade your services.
4. Pack the Essentials in Your Carry On
When packing your bags for the trip, have one larger bag with as much of your clothing and non-essentials as you can. Pack another bag that is small enough to be considered a carry on.
While this tactic is beneficial if your travel plans include flying, it can be helpful even while on the road.
Having one bag with all your essentials with you at all times can prevent you from arriving at your destination with some of your essentials lost. It can also be helpful to do any work communication en route.
Not sure what to pack? Check out this business trip packing checklist.
5. Keep Digital and Original Versions of All Documents
Any documents needed for the trip should be kept with you at all times. In order to prevent the occurrence of a lost document, it is always a good idea to keep both digital and print versions of all documents.
Before leaving, take a picture of any convention IDs or print receipts,carry-on or proof of purchase for any significant business expense. This gives you two copies of each. Where one may fail, you have the other as backup.
It is also a good idea to download a Google Map of the route and the area you are staying in so that you can use it even if you lose signal and can’t access the internet.
6. Arrive a Day Early
One of the best ways to ensure that your trip goes smoothly is to arrive a day early. Arriving (or planning to arrive) the day before your actual meeting gives you some cushion so you can still have some setbacks and not be late.
Even if your flight is delayed, you lose your luggage, or you have a flat tire, you will have an extra 24 hours to get there.
Even if your trip goes smoothly and you arrive as planned, arriving so early also allows you to fix any bugs you find when you arrive or do a little extra planning on-site for the best trip ever.
7. Prioritize Health
Traveling can take a toll on your body and mind. To ensure that you perform at your best on this business trip, you should prioritize your health.
Don’t forget to get enough sleep every night.
Even though you’ll be mainly eating restaurant food, try to make healthy menu choices. You can also stock your hotel mini fridge with fruits and veggies for snacks and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
This may very well be a work trip, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t schedule some downtime to allow your mind to decompress. This will help to keep the stress levels down and your brain healthy.
Traveling often subjects your immune system to unfamiliar germs. To help prevent getting sick on the road, be diligent in sanitizing as much as you can.
Have a personal bottle of hand sanitizer with you for times you can’t wash your hands.
Conclusion
When traveling for business, there is nothing you can do to prevent any hiccups from happening. These seven tips, however, can help to lower the chances of something going drastically wrong.