As the economy continues getting stronger steadily, business trips are once again on the rise. Whatever the purpose of your business trip, whether you are traveling to hold meetings with potential business partners or to take part in a trade exhibition or conference, going on business trips is something utterly distinct from taking a vacation with friends and family.
Many people got the chance to go on business trips several times. Bleisure travelers are generally regular business passengers: 32% of bleisure travelers go on business trips once or twice a month. Therefore, you constantly search for solutions to enhance and simplify the experience no matter how often you travel.
Taking the leap from office worker to adventurer unlocks a diverse set of adventures and a new perspective on life, but it also provides you with a roadmap of things to consider when planning your first trip abroad.
Get into the right mindset to avoid the intense feeling of worrying about what you might be leaving behind by planning. The following guide and tips will help you prepare for your first business trip.
1. Make Smart Packing Choices
If you plan to rent a house or apartment before going on a business trip, identify what types of security are incorporated to ensure the building’s safety. For example, many furnished apartments in Boston have surveillance cameras and security staff at the entrance to prevent burglaries.
Avoid the hassle of dragging around luggage overflowing with things, and compile an encompassing packing checklist instead.
Of course, you can customize it for specific trips or conditions, including t-shirts or looser clothing if necessary, but here are some essential things to pack:
- A practical suitcase: Carry-on bags are time-saving at the end of your trip, and you won’t have to contend with those annoying luggage fees. In any case, keep an eye on the size of your suitcase. The luggage capacity on regular airlines is frequently constrained, and that bulky rolling suitcase you’re trying to use as a carry-on shouldn’t hog half the overhead space.
- Portable charger for phone: It sounds simple enough, but it is highly frustrating when your battery runs out during a critical moment. Think about purchasing a wireless power supply when you don’t have access to the power grid.
- Bags to store clothes: When you are on business trips, you prefer your clothes free of wrinkles. You would rather not depend on a hotel service to iron your clothing, and it would not be a clever use of your spare time on a business trip. To prevent this, store your clothes in a bag designed for dry cleaning, as these are meant to avoid wrinkles. In addition, they make it simple to arrange and store your clothing.
2. Reconcile The Tangled Threads
The most crucial thing to pack on your business trip must-pack list is your travel documents, as you won’t be permitted into the aircraft without them.
Therefore, it’s a brilliant idea to maintain all your travel docs, such as flight schedules, hotel bookings, and rental car information, safely stored in one place.
Consequently, you can get them right away whenever you want them, avoiding a potentially tense situation if you can’t find your boarding ticket.
Even one week before you leave for vacation, you have to draft and arrange automatically generated out-of-office email responses, accept credit cards for business, take out any remaining cash, and organize your passport and some other essential documents.
3. Install The Appropriate Applications
An essential item you carry may not simply be in your handbag but right on your smartphone. Uber is likely the top trip-related application of choice, but dozens of similar applications are to pick from.
Passbook, for instance, is a must-have application on the iPhone focused on customer engagement. It primarily acts as a digital wallet, maintaining a record of your flight tickets, vouchers, and gift cards.
TripIt is one more recommended application, allowing you to manage hotel, car, flight, and restaurant bookings and consolidate them into one. Moreover, the Smart Receipts mobile application stores all your invoices in one place, so you can review them later. WiFi Finder will search for the nearest wireless access point, helping you avoid those high roaming rates from creeping up.
Conclusion
The more business trips you take, the more you will probably develop your unique style and ways to keep it as simple as it is attainable over the long term. The most crucial thing is to find a method that works well for you and to enjoy the process along the way.