5 Tips to Make Business Travel Easier
I’m not a person who loves to travel. Perhaps I should clarify that – I don’t like the process of travel although I do often enjoy the destination. When the travel is for business purposes, that inconvenience factor associated with the travel increases. Because it’s business, these trips may interfere with your personal life which also makes the imposition of the travel greater. But there are ways to plan for a better experience.
Let’s start with what we can do to make the airport component of the travel flow more easily. Check in can be performed online with some airlines and by kiosk at the airport at others. Most of us bring PCs with us during our business travels so checking in online and assigning our own seats is easy. Of course you’ll need to print your boarding pass so as you check into your hotel be sure to ask about use of a business center where there are printers.
Another tip is to pack light. Only take what you really need. This is easier said than done, but with practice, and the right suitcase, you can get much better. I used to take a small suitcase full of toiletries. But with the current rules in air travel security, I had to make some changes in my habits. I quickly found that I can along quite nicely with just the small baggie of items. If your bag is small enough, you can take you bag along on the plane with you and bypass the 30 minute wait at the baggage claim.
Never arrive at a destination completely ignorant of where you are at (the airport relative to the city). I often map simple paths out from Google maps and feel comfortable when I get into a cab that I know where I’m going.
Enjoy getting to see the world. So often our business travels take us to the ends of the earth, but we only stay long enough to go to our meeting, and then we jump on the plane and go home. Most people are very proud of their city and love to show it off. Let them take you to dinner and show you their city. You may learn a thing or two that will help you in your business.
If you don’t have someone to escort you around town, don’t just have dinner in the hotel. Ask the hotel employees for suggestions, hail a cab, and get out on the town. Seeing the local sights and tasting the local fare can be once in a lifetime events.
Business travel can be inconvenient, but take the opportunity to learn something new and see another part of our great world.
Filed under: Business