You go to work and come back home, and the cycle continues. Everything was going according to the plan. Suddenly, one fine morning when you reach your office, your boss breaks the news that he is going on a business trip and you will have to accompany him on that trip. What’s even worse is that you don’t have much time to prepare for it. Your team is scheduling to fly in two days’ time. Thanks to the technology, you managed to make all the arrangement just in time and you had a better business trip.
Do you wish you had more time to prepare for your business trip? Most employees have this question in mind when they return from business trips. So, if you are a business leader reading this, make sure you give ample time to employees to prepare for the next business trip. If you are an employee, make sure you prepare for your business trip well in advance, so you don’t have to rush. Many people have learned this lesson after years of business travel. How can I prepare for a business trip?
In this article, you will learn about six things you must do before going on a business trip.
1- Sign Up For Frequent Flier Program
If you are a business professional who has to go on a business trip every two weeks or less, then you should sign up for a frequent flier program of your favorite airline. This can come in handy especially if you fly via the same airline over and over again. After all, everyone has their preferences. This way, you can collect air miles, which you can redeem in the future to avail free flights.
It will save you hundreds and thousands of dollars especially if you have to fly every week or so. Believe me, there is no greater feeling than getting a free plane ticket. People are ready to do anything to get a free ticket and you can easily get it by collecting and redeeming air miles.
If you don’t fly with a particular airline every time, you can consider signing up for a frequent flier program of the multiple airlines you fly with most of the time. This will help you avail the same perks despite traveling from different airlines every time.
2- Book Hotels Online
Before taking your next business trip, ask yourself this question “Where would you stay?” You don’t want to be booking a hotel when you visit it from the airport because there is a risk that you might not get a room at all because all the rooms might be booked. Even if you get a room, the hotel management can charge whatever they want from you. As a result, you end up paying more for a room.
The better option would be to go online and take advantage of a hotel booking app or website to book hotel rooms before you fly. Make sure to compare prices and see what facilities the hotel is offering before booking. Booking in advance will help you pay less and there are discounts you can avail for booking online.
3- Go for Travel Insurance
Do you have insurance? Most people will say yes. Do you have travel insurance? No, right. What is the difference? Why should I get travel insurance if I am already insured? All these questions bother business travelers. The easiest way to differentiate normal insurance from travel insurance is to ask yourself a question.
Does your insurance provide travel coverage? If the answer to this question is yes, you are in safe zone and won’t have to splurge to get travel insurance. If the answer is in negative, which in most cases is, you should get a travel insurance before you go on your next business trip. Why? You don’t want to be getting sick or being a part of an accident on a business trip, but it could happen. It might be rare but that does not mean that you should put your life on the line. For instance, you are on dhow cruise Dubai trip, you end up overeating during the dinner and ends up in the hospital next day. You don’t want to be getting in such a situation.
4- Pack Light
Instead of going overboard and packing everything you can get your hands on, you should pack light and wisely. Take only essential items you need and leave out everything else. You can purchase it from the country you are traveling to. When it comes to dressing, you should follow a mix and match approach. This will not only give you a unique look every time but also save precious space in the process. Take a diverse wardrobe selection with you. Invest in a suitcase with cubes because this will help you to keep everything organized and avoid any mess.
5- Decide On Connectivity Options
You are going on a business trip but that does not mean that you should lose your connection with your friends and family back home. Decide on your connectivity options before flying. How would you stay in touch with your loved ones when you are on your business trip? Would you buy a local sim card when you get there and use mobile data? If you do, it will cost you a lot more. Will you look for Wi-Fi connections? If yes, then it is harder to find especially if you are traveling to a rural or remote area, so you need to keep all this in mind before flying for your next business trip.
6- Keep All Your Travel Documents Organized
This might seem obvious but still many end up losing their travel documents and passports during their business travel and find themselves in hot waters. Check every travel document before flying. Need a visa? Give yourself ample time as the process might take time. You can use websites like iVisa to get a business visa for many countries. Don’t forget to snap photos of your travel documents or get them photocopied so even if you lose some of them, you have a backup.
How do you plan for your
next business trip? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section
below.