Ever since the times of ancient merchants that moved from village to village and sold their goods, doing business meant having your bags packed for travel. Granted, the rise of information technology has made the world smaller and allows us to do an incredible amount of things from our cell phones. But sometimes, being there in person is a necessity, and frequent business trips become a reality. This situation can become quite tedious for people who are not that experienced in globetrotting or have long since abandoned the lifestyle of a journeyman.
1. Have your emergency kit assembled
In the world of business, emergencies tend to come out of nowhere. It is entirely possible to be woken up in the middle of the night by a phone call and an order to fly halfway across the world with no time to prepare. Needless to say, putting together your luggage in such circumstances is more than frustrating. So, assemble your emergency kit in advance. Some of the things you should absolutely have at any given moment are:
- Business garments (preferably packed in plastic bags)
- Casual clothes
- A pair of comfortable slippers
- Toiletries
- Chargers and headsets
- Office Supplies
2. Establish lasting connections within the hospitality industry
If your business travels often have the same destination (which is a very possible situation) you should use these frequent visits to establish some connections within the hospitality industry. For instance, if you pick a go-to accommodation for each destination, you can drastically streamline the check-in process, learn how to best utilize the facilities to your advantage (conference rooms, pools, outdoor bars, etc.), and even come into the position to negotiate more favorable rates and book rooms in advance.
3. Don’t miss the opportunity for promotion
Business travels always have some specific purpose. That doesn’t mean you can’t use this opportunity to promote your company in less obvious ways. Therefore, your goal will be to supply yourself with enough promotional materials and give away the items in the places you see fit. The main issue here is getting those items in the limited time frame you usually have at your disposal. Fortunately, some companies like Fast Promotional Products NZ are able to deliver the finished products at short notice, so you shouldn’t have a problem in this regard.
4. Leverage reward points
The story here falls much in the same line with the accommodations – the more you use the services of one particular airline company, the better access you’ll have to all the benefits that the company is offering. For instance, Delta Air Lines has their SkyMiles program that, in the long run, unlocks access to free flights and accommodation. Turkish Airlines implements a similar system in the form of their Miles & Smiles rewards. Regardless of which way you decide to go, sticking to one company of your choice will make your frequent flights much more streamlined and frugal.
5. Always have an unlocked phone with you
As we already mentioned, we are living in a well-connected world. Being able to perform your job means being able to stay in touch 24/7 regardless of the part of the world you find yourself in. In these circumstances, carrying an unlocked phone and using local pre-paid data plans seems like a much better solution than relying on sometimes horribly expensive roaming services. Even if you want to keep your daily driver intact and open for calls, you have virtually nothing to lose by having an additional device just for the sake of tethering.
6. Don’t miss the opportunity for sightseeing
Being on a business journey doesn’t mean you can’t allow yourself a bit of fun. So, why wouldn’t you schedule your activities to make some room for sightseeing? Getting a good overview of each city in the world doesn’t take more than a few hours a day. Even so, business schedules tend to be very tight, so it is highly advised to use the services of a local tourist agency experienced in the local culture, geography, and traffic. Most of the city tours can be booked even one day in advance.
We hope these few tips will make your business travels far more affordable, efficient, and, of course, pleasant. Sure, everything related to your job will always be just that – your job. But, much like with any other obligation, the level of enjoyment you will be able to get out of it depends entirely on you.
