How to Prepare for Your Next Business Trip
How to Prepare for Your Next Business Trip
Preparing for a business trip can be stressful since you’re trying to make sure all your boxes are checked on your to-do list. Finding the best internet hotel to get your work done or finding the best place to have a decent meal without breaking the budget can become exhausting for a business traveler. The Global Business Travel Association predicts, “global corporate travel spending will grow to an estimated $1.513T in 2020.” This is money that companies are investing to receive a chance to learn, create, and have exceptional experiences. This is where prioritizing your planning will help create a worry-free experience. Besides, travelling is supposed to be fun, right? These are some steps that can make an easy to do list before you voyage.
Hotels
For business travelers, it is a good idea to be near your convention center or to be within walking distance from your meetings to give yourself a little extra time. It may also be a smart idea to stay where you are accruing Hotel reward points, so you can keep earning as you travel.
Once you have figured out where you want to stay, the next question you want to ask yourself is what your specific facility needs are. Many hotels offer different amenities for their travelers.
For an example, a free breakfast is offered at certain hotels, which can save a lot of time and be good if you are on a budget. Other hotels, typically resort-style hotels, will have full-service restaurants available for breakfast and dinner. If you are staying close to your convention center, hotels with many restaurants may be beneficial for distance. If you are meeting with partners or candidates, you can take advantage of Concierge service to reserve a nice restaurant for your meeting, and give you nice opportunity to experience a new restaurant.
If you will be doing work while in your hotel, make sure the Wi-Fi is strong and FREE. You may also want a productive working space, like a business center that is open around the clock, so you can take care of anything you may have forgotten or needs a touch up.
Airline/ Rental Car
Before you embark on your next trip, if you will be flying it is important to determine what class of airline ticket you will be booking if you will be traveling out of state. The business class is a good choice for the luxury style that does not break the budget, since the cost will be less than first class. When it comes to beverages and food, you get a much wider selection of drinks and food options in business class. And of course, the room will be much friendlier on your legs, especially if it is a long flight. Economy will have a substantial difference in terms of price. This can be an easy option for a convention that is not too far from you.
Furthermore, transportation from the airport to your next destination should be your next thought. Whether it’s a shuttle service to the hotel you’ve booked, or a business class car company that will pick you up at any location. If you are someone who likes to have his or her own privacy, you may want to rent your own car for the business trip. Booking with a travel agency can combine travel and accommodation to give you an affordable price that includes shuttle service and hotel booking. This is a good benefit if you need to stick on a certain price budget and can get a package deal.
Meeting Rooms
If you will be travelling a lot for business your to-do list will become hectic. This is why meeting with clients is a crucial part of the trip, and one that needs pre-planned action. You will need space to be able to speak in private about things that matter most to your company. Making sure you schedule enough time is important.
If you know you will be hosting a meeting, you want to make sure you arrange everything you need to be done before you arrive to your hotel. This includes reserving the equipment for the type of meeting because if there will be a video or PowerPoint, guest speaker, the hotel will have an AV team set up any type of equipment for you. If you will be hosting a meeting during a mealtime, figure out what time of day it will be held on. Do you need breakfast, lunch, or dinner? If you need help directing people to your meeting space, prepare signage for the front desk staff to put outside your meeting room day of.
Once you finalize everything you can think of, make your life easier and book it somewhere that will be closer to you. Be nice to yourself and stay at a hotel that will offer meeting spaces on the grounds. This will be quick and efficient way for you, and it will be good for other colleagues as well if they are staying nearby.
Cash and Expenses
For some companies, they may require you to travel outside of your country, and you need to remember to change your currency. In most places, you can do most of your spending with card or online prior to visiting. However, when traveling through the airport, there will usually be a machine to take cash out in the currency of the place you are visiting, if you will need cash instantly.
Next, you want to keep track of all the charges you spent during your trip. One way that is common for most travelers is to keep all your receipts from each expense until you are back in the office. If you are someone who doesn’t like to carry a bunch of receipts around with them or want it to be all digital, taking pictures of your receipts is also a good way to have them at your fingertips. This can also reduce time, as you can send the receipts to your office instantly. Of course, there are apps that can handle all of your expenses for you quickly. Some examples are QuickBooks, Rydoo, Concur, and Expensify all straightforward for use. QuickBooks allows instant access to your QuickBooks data from your mobile device and can easily upload any other receipts. Rydoo is a fast and easy app for corporate travelers to upload your expenses and analyze/ manage your expenses in real time. Concur is a more general application used by corporate travelers for any expenses, and the app gives you the same quality on the go! The last app Expensify can be used for personal or business usage to manage expenses.
Explore | Adventure
When you are on a business trip, yes, you have many stresses, so it almost feels like you are still at work, just in a different area than the office. Separating business and leisure can be one of the hardest things to do. However, whether you can spare an hour or longer, it is important to always find time if you are in a city you have never been before. Even if you have been in the city before for a meeting or convention, try to do something you haven’t done before. Take advantage of concierge service anywhere you have access to one. Maybe you want to try one of the most famous cuisines if you love experiencing new restaurants with a great happy hour! Or if you have more time to spare, get out and do a fun activity, such as visiting a museum, or an attraction that the city is known for. Be sure to explore while you are in town. These are great ways to learn more about the location you are staying in. It is important to have fun and remember planning doesn’t have to be tedious. A travel agent is a great resource to use for times like these.
“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin
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