Business travel is something that certain professionals will have to contend with throughout their lives. Plan it poorly, and it can be incredibly stressful – to the point that it actually impedes your career. Plan it well, on the other hand, and it can be actively fulfilling and helpful.
Even in today’s digitally-connected world, the importance of a face-to-face meeting is difficult to understate. If you want to maintain strong relationships with important clients and collaborators, then the occasional business trip should be considered indispensable. This goes especially if you’re operating in an industry where marketing opportunities are concentrated in a handful of annual exposition events and conferences.
Preparing for your trip
If you’ve got a business trip coming up, then why not take the opportunity to plan it properly? In doing so, you might set yourself up with the habits that will ensure that all of your business trips go well.
Planning in advance
Getting the most from your trip typically means planning it in advance. If you are making the same trip regularly, then this planning step will become easier every time, since you’ll be able to make adjustments to your plans depending on your experiences.
Making travel arrangements
The most important aspect of your trip, arguably, is your transport. In some cases, you might take a car on a long drive. In others, a train might be appropriate. Where you’re travelling long distances and time is a concern, it might be wise to lease a private jet.
Make sure that you factor in the effect that your travel is going to have on your mental and physical state. If you’ve spent hours crammed alongside your fellow passengers on a bus, then you might struggle to perform well when you arrive at that important business meeting.
Book accommodation
To avoid stress and disappointment, you’ll want to book your accommodation in advance. This way, you can be reasonably sure that you won’t be rushing around at the last minute in search of a hotel, when you could be putting the final touches to an important keynote speech that you intend to deliver the following morning.
Stay connected
Your laptop and phone should be considered essential pieces of luggage. With their help, you’ll be contactable by the office, and by home. Business travel can also be a very lonely thing – and so even if you spend just a few minutes each day touching base with your loved ones, you might find that the experience becomes much more tolerable.
Prepare for the meeting
The vast majority of business travel revolves around a meeting. Whether you’re meeting many people or just a few important ones, you’ll want to ensure that you make the most of the opportunity. That means doing your research and sharing your findings with colleagues and other fellow travellers.