The Ultimate guide to traveling for work
Whether you’re a small business owner or just traveling for work, hopefully, this article will give some helpful insights for making “work on the go” just a little bit easier. As an experienced traveler, I have learned some things along the way.
Maximizing your downtime in a car, plane or train
Travelling by car
If you have a long car ride ahead, or just some extra time, you can use your hotspot to get extra work done. If you are brainstorming, put in some headphones and look out the window. You never know what you might come up with.
To keep your phone, headphones or accessories running, you should invest in a portable charger with a lot of life in it. My favorite is the XL Mophie Charger. I have had mine for years and it still lasts me so long.
Additionally, I don’t travel anywhere without my cord organizer bag. There is nothing worse than fumbling through your bag pulling out a million charges. This is the one I recommend.
Traveling via plane
While I won’t get into finances right now, if you have a credit card with the airline you’re flying, you can probably use that to help you get into a lounge at the airport on a long layover. If you don’t their are usually work stations at the airport where you can set up a laptop and plug in.
If you do have access to a lounge, that is the perfect place to grab a bite and get to work. In fact, I am writing this in the JFK Delta lounge right now on my layover. Sometimes, you will be required to pay a fee for entry, and if you have a long enough layover, the complimentary food and drinks are well worth the fee.
Traveling on a train
The downtime on a train can be the perfect place to get some work done even though it is tempting to put on a tv show and binge watch netflix, however we are here for work
In order to maximize productivity, on some trains, you can request to sit in a quiet section that will allow you to focus easier. Additionally, you can choose the kind of seats you want. If you are going to be working, you should choose a seat with a table so you can set up your electronics.
Making the most out of a time zone change
If you are traveling somewhere where there will be a time change, I have some good tips. For long distance trips, book a red-eye through the night, sleep on the plane, and you will wake up at your destination in the morning. It might be rough, but try to stay awake the whole day when you get there, and the next day, you should be set.
When you are traveling short distances with smaller time changes, try to go to sleep at a good hour and wake up early. You might be tired on the first day, but it should be easier to wake up on time the next day.
Check your companies business travel policy
If you are a business owner or traveling for your job, you should document all of your expenses. For employees, most companies have a per diem reimbursement policy, so your Ubers and lunches might be covered. For business owners, all of your expenses should be documented for tax purposes. Research ahead of time the proper procedures so you don’t find out after it is too late.
Sign up for a rewards card for purchases
There are a lot of cards on the market that reward travel expenses for points. Some of those are 3x-5x the normal amount of points on travel expenses. If your employer allows it, book all your travel expenses on your personal card to be reimbursed and you can get the points. If you are a business owner, try to book everything on the card with the best rewards and pay your balance in full. After you rack up all the points, you can use them on your own vacation.
Research foreign business etiquette or read-up on the people you are trying to do business with
Depending on where you are traveling, business etiquette can be quite different than what you are used to. Proper research is important to make a great impression. Whether or not the deal goes through, you can still leave with them with a smile on their face with the potential of a future deal.
Going somewhere domestic? It doesn’t hurt to find out more about who it is you are doing business with. And no, I don’t mean looking at their company website. Maybe you find out that the boss has young children, and you can find something to talk about or bring up.
An extra tip, it never hurts to send flowers after a meeting letting them know how much you enjoyed meeting them no matter how the meeting went. This is a very kind thing to do and will bring a smile to their face no matter what.
These are the Top 5 work and travel tips
Disclaimer****
The Content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, financial, investment or other advice. All Content on this site is information of a general nature and does not take into account the circumstances of any specific individual or entity.
Check this out next: