6 Tips for a Successful, Stress-Free Work Trip

If you want a job that requires a lot of business travel, you should first learn some tips for getting from place to place as painlessly as possible. After all, a stressful airport experience can take a toll on your demeanor. Booking the wrong hotels can be frustrating, as well.

 This in turn, can make it hard for you to concentrate on your job. Before you take that next transportation-heavy job, check out the below tips for making a long work trip a more pleasurable experience.

1. If You Have To Book Last Minute, Take Advantage

Plane tickets are cheaper if you book them well in advance. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to book a flight months or even weeks ahead of time. If your business requires face-to-face meetings with clients, you may not get much prior notice for your trips.

While same-day plane tickets do cost more, you may be able to save money on your room. That is because hotel chains do not like to have vacant rooms. They thus offer last-minute discounts to increase their chances of finding paying customers. You may thus be able to get a nice room for a much cheaper price than usual.

2. Avoid Checking Your Luggage

You should try to fit everything you need into your carry-on luggage. After all, the last thing you want on a business trip is to find out that the airline has lost the bag with all of your notes in it

To save space in you suitcase, try to wear your largest shoes during the plane ride. You may want to wear your suit jacket on the flight, as well. You should also pack wrinkle-free clothes so that you will look polished and pressed during your various work meetings.

3. Save Your Receipts

Whether you are buying tickets or food, make sure to keep track of all your receipts. You may even want to take pictures of them on your phone or place them all in a folder. This will make it easier to fill out your business expense report when you return to the office.

4. Find the Right Hotel

There are many factors to consider when looking for the ideal hotel room. First of all, try to find a hotel as close to the convention center or client’s office as possible. This way, you won’t have to deal with navigating busy streets during rush hour. While a prime-location hotel may be more expensive,  you will probably save money on cab or Uber fare. 

Once you do find the right room, make sure before you leave that your business actually books the correct location. Also, if you are going to be sharing a room with some of your co-workers, make sure the hotel has all of their names so that there are no headaches during the check-in process. In addition, contact the hotel in advance to find out if you need an authorization form.

5. Ask About Top Restaurants

Of course, not every big meeting takes place in an office setting. Many deals are closed at a bar or restaurant table. You should thus ask local residents about the best establishments in the area. You can talk to the hotel staff or even other servers that you encounter on your business trip. Your clients will be impressed that you know the area.

Thanks to the internet, you can also go online before your trip and research top restaurants and bars. You can even look at the menu ahead of time and make sure the food isn’t too expensive for your budget.

If you are booking your trip well in advance, you should also try to get a reservation at the restaurant you want. You don’t want to risk not getting a table. 

6. Don’t Cut It Too Close

Some people may prefer to arrive in a city right before their big business meeting to minimize any travel time. Yet you don’t want to risk missing out on your appointment entirely. You should thus try to get to your end location as early as possible.

If you have a morning meeting, you should thus try to arrive in the city the night before. This will give you time to spare in case you run into flight delays or other problems. You should also take direct flights whenever possible so that you do not have to worry about missing a connection.

You can’t forget about traffic, either.  As mentioned before, booking a hotel within walking distance of your client or office is ideal. Yet this is not always possible. If you do have to get into a car during your trip, make sure to allow extra time for traffic. 

Following the above travel tips should help your next business trip go more smoothly. In particular, finding the best hotels and booking flights in advance should make your journey more pleasurable and productive.