6 Tips to Make Business Travel Productive
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Loading... - Adzo Asamoah
- 18 Aug 2022
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Unlike a vacation, business travel can be a grind. Long days of meetings followed by nights in unfamiliar hotel rooms can leave even the most intrepid traveler feeling exhausted. Yet, it doesn’t have to be this way. With a bit of planning, you can make your business trips work wonders for you.
Here are six tips to make your next business travel more productive and efficient:
1. Make a list of the trip’s goals
Business travel can be a great opportunity to get out of the office and see the world, but it can also be a huge time waster if you’re not careful. Before you book your ticket, ask yourself what exactly you want to get out of the trip. Do you need to meet with potential clients? Visit suppliers? Attend a conference?
Once you know your objectives, you can start to plan how to make the most of your time. If you’re meeting different clients in person, try to schedule meetings back-to-back, so you’re not wasting time travelling between appointments. If you’re attending a conference, make sure to network with other attendees and collect business cards so that you can follow up with them after the event. By being clear about your objectives before you even step on the plane, you can set yourself up for a productive and successful business trip.
2. Plan everything ahead of time
Another way to make your business trip less stressful is to plan everything in advance. Start with listing what you need to bring (e.g. flight schedule, hygiene products, business attire, name cards, phone/laptop chargers and office supplies) and what you should book ahead (e.g. insurance, flights, accommodation, transportation and any other events that you have to attend).
Don’t forget to prepare for emergencies, such as packing medication for common cold and motion sickness and bringing enough cash (in home and travel destination’s currency) in case you need to get a cab. That said, try your best to bring as few items as possible to keep the trip easy and light.
Also, as some countries or cities are still enforcing travel restrictions due to Covid, check ahead the requirements (e.g. mask mandates) and whether you need a PCR test, quarantine or vaccination record, to enter your destination.
Having most of the trip planned out, you will not have to worry about constantly changing your schedule or finding last-minute accommodations, saving money and freeing up time for yourself to tour around. More importantly, you can focus on your work and get the most out of your trip.
3. Organize your trip with technology
Using the right tech tools can make your hectic business trip a lot easier for you to stay on top of things. Use meeting management solutions, like ClickUp, Beetnote and Calendly, to keep track of your meetings and have all the documentation (e.g. flight tickets, visa and passport) you need at your fingertips online and offline. You can work while you’re on the go or even during transit time in a truly agile way.
Also, as you will be working during the trip, make sure you can access the internet to keep yourself updated in case an event is being pushed back, or your flight has been delayed. If your phone’s network provider does not support international roaming, you can buy a prepaid SIM card so that you can stay connected even there’s no café with free Wi-Fi nearby. Read More...
