As online meeting tools have become more robust, business travel has declined over the past 10 years or so. (Remember the '90s? Dude, everybody was traveling for business then.) But it's still sometimes necessary to hoof it in person to close a deal, pitch a sale or just touch base with the folks who help you do business. So here are a few suggestions to minimize the hassle of the business trip.
1. Confirm the day before, check the day of. This especially applies to flights, where the weather can make a huge difference. Just last week, my husband called me from the airport an hour after I had dropped him off with the news that his flight had been canceled due to high winds at LaGuardia. Confirm your reservations the day before (and print your boarding pass to save time), but remember to check the most current conditions before you leave the house (or your wife leaves the house in her jammies, as the case may be).
2. Check to see what your hotel already has. If there's an iron, hair dryer and/or alarm clock provided, that's some space and weight you've saved in your luggage.
3. Focus on packing your specifics. Remember, you're going to another work location, not Outer Mongolia. Chances are that if you forget to pack something generic (such as shampoo), you can get it there. However, if you forget something specific to you (such as prescription medication, your business cards, your USB drive with the files for that presentation on it), you're out of luck.
4. Keep a ready-packed toiletry kit on hand. If you travel more than once or twice a year, it's worth it to keep a one-quart plastic bag stocked with your toiletries in the same place you keep the rest of your luggage. That way, you can just grab it and throw it into any bag.
5. Consider getting one of those office-supply kits. You know, the kind that schools sometimes sell as a fundraiser. They're not that useful around the office itself, but when you've got to improvise in the field, having a tiny pair of scissors or a tape dispenser can save your bacon.
6. Plan to spend time waiting. Travel involves a fair amount of killing time, but you might not want to assume that you can kill that time while working. If you can bring along some mindless work that needs doing, that's great. But don't plan to read a lot of highly technical stuff while wondering if your flight will take off that night. Better to bring some music, books and/or games to pass the time in a leisurely fashion and hopefully alleviate some of the stress of waiting. (My iPod touch, which I love, carries music, games, books [thank you, Kindle app!], photos, plus Wi-Fi email and internet. And it's about half the size of a deck of cards.)
7. Let the people you work with know that you'll be only partially in touch. If you can, it's a good idea to check your email and voicemail about 3 times a day. But that's not always possible, especially if you've got a lot planned for your trip or you're going somewhere with shaky coverage. Before you go, tell everyone you think might want to contact you that you'll be checking in, but since you're on the road, you can't promise to get back to them in a normal not-on-the-road time.
8. Designate a folder for receipts and use it. This can be a paper folder, or an organizer folder in your planner, luggage or briefcase. Doesn't matter. All that matters is that you save your receipts in the same place, and write yourself a note to extract them the day after you get back.
What other business trip tips have you learned in your travels? Let me know in the comments!
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