A business trip may be professional by nature, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself while you’re out of town. These eight tips will help you reduce stress and make the most out of your next business trip.
1- Pack One Week Before Your Trip
Packing one week ahead of time ensures that you won’t be scrambling at the last minute and accidentally leaving something important behind. You likely have other tasks to focus on, like presentations or client meetings, so pack early to give yourself more time to focus on preparing for your trip. To ensure your clothes aren’t wrinkled, start gathering your items one week out but don’t actually put them in your suitcase until before you leave.
2- Don’t Forget Toiletries
You may not like or be able to use the soap and shampoo at a hotel, especially if you have skin allergies or sensitivities. Make sure that you pack airline-approved toiletries to give yourself everything you need at your hotel. Remember that fragrances, including cologne, must be checked if they are larger than 17 ounces.
3- Research Your Accommodations
You may have a hotel booked by your company, but you should research it early to know what to expect in terms of location, your room, and hotel amenities. For example, it can be helpful to know whether the hotel has a business center or lounge, dry cleaning or laundry facilities, and room service.
4- Identify Points of Interest
You should also research the surrounding area to find interesting things to do during your downtime. Even if you only have one free evening at your destination, why not make the most of it by enjoying dinner at a nice local restaurant?
5- Label Your Luggage
One of the biggest mistakes travelers make is forgetting to label their luggage. Use printed labels if your handwriting is not easy to read. You should also be sure to keep anything important for your trip in your carry-on bags, just to avoid losing anything vital to your business success on the trip.
6- Save Important Documents Online
Use cloud storage to create backup copies of any documents you will need for the trip. This will allow you to access documents and presentations even if you are unable to use your laptop for some reason. You can also email yourself copies of PDFs or other documents and save them on multiple devices to ensure they’re always accessible.
7- Buy Travel Insurance
Travel insurance covers all the what-if scenarios that can make you anxious before a trip. From flight delays and cancellations to lost luggage,business travel insurance gives professionals peace of mind, no matter where work takes them.
8- Arrange Transportation Early
Whether you plan to rent a vehicle or have a car pick you up, make sure you have transportation sorted out before leaving for your destination. If the company is arranging for a car to pick you up, confirm details early to make sure you know exactly where to find your chauffeur.
If you are going to be using local transportation, such as the subway or a shuttle from the airport, be sure to research them ahead of time, so you can easily get where you need to go once you arrive.
These tips will help you enjoy your next business trip and have fun along the way. Remember, it pays to be prepared.
