Travelling has without a doubt become an important part of business, despite the change in travel and work due to the pandemic, travelling for business is something we all do at least once in our careers. Whether you are travelling short distances for meetings or in-person sales, or travelling to another country for international relations, it’s important to know the ins and outs of how to make your trip as smooth as possible. Business travel can very easily turn into a stressful event if not planned and organized correctly, especially if your trip is filled with important business meetings and company obligations.
Whether you travel frequently for business, or are just doing a once-off trip, here are some useful and handy tips and tricks to keep in mind when going on your next business trip:
- Intelligent packing:
Over-packing is a common rookie mistake when going on a business trip. Keeping your packing light will help you move around quicker and more easily. Be discerning when packing certain items, like that extra pair of shoes or the extra jewellery. Think of packing per day, not for the whole trip. Break your stay up into activities and attempt to mix and match your outfits.
You don’t need one outfit per event, you can easily pack a few items of clothing and swap them around depending on what type of event or meeting you’re going to. For example, a pair of dress suit pants can go from formal for meetings during the day, to casual at night for a drink at the local pub by throwing on a t-shirt and sneakers. Pack your dress shirts in plastic bags in your suitcase to prevent them from wrinkling, this will save on ironing time on arrival.
- Charge all your devices:
Charging all your devices and gadgets before you fly is always a good idea. The airport has charging ports, but they are often a very slow charge and you can’t leave your stuff there to charge while you grab a coffee and a bite to eat. If you are able to get access to airport lounges, then that’s ideal. This relieves the pressure slightly as they offer food, drinks and a safe and contained space to work, relax, eat and charge your devices.
- Speed up your travel
In today’s corporate business world, speed and efficiency is everything. Gone are the days where you would need to waste your time in long and tedious queues and deal with the hassle of airport formalities. Almost everything nowadays is digitalised. You can do almost everything on the internet from play online bingo for real money to getting ready to board your plane.
Book Meet and Greet from air assist and ensure an excellent work schedule. This will speed up your time moving through the airport, speed up or even eradicate queuing altogether, give you access to priority lanes in security/immigration/check in. Technology has given us the opportunity to fast track the travel experience and make everything smoother, easier and quicker.
- Non-stop flights are the way to go
Non-stop flights are one of the biggest time savers when travelling for business. Transit flights may save a few bucks overall, but the time spent waiting for a connecting flight is not worth it. These flights will lengthen your trip and create more space for lethargy and physical exhaustion in the long run. Wherever possible, book direct flights.
Travelling for business can be fun too, spend the extra time planning your trip using the tips and tricks above and free up more time for some potential sightseeing or leisure time while on your trip.
