Travel Tips for the Business Traveler
Odds are if you are a business traveler, you probably already know most of these tips but I put them here anyway for those who may be new to the world of business travel.
Some of these tips are good for vacationers as well but this list is mainly for those who travel on a regular basis for their work. I also suggest you check out my tips for air travel as well.
- Pick an airline partner network and book as much of your airline travel with that network. Star Alliance and Oneworld are the two major networks. By sticking to one of them as much as possible, you can rack up your flier points and status a whole lot easier.
- Just like airlines, pick a hotel chain and stick with it. Hilton & Marriott are the two big ones. When possible, try to book hotel accommodations with the same chain to collect points and gain status with the hotel.
- Hotel status tends to be easier to obtain than airline. Sign up for their newsletter as they often advertise point bonuses via email.
- Status with the hotel can be really handy to get room upgrades and extra perks while at the hotel
- Hotel status tends to be easier to obtain than airline. Sign up for their newsletter as they often advertise point bonuses via email.
- Pick up a good, solid carry-on bag and use it for all your business travel. Whenever possible, try not to check your bag so you have more options during flight cancellations.
- I also suggest a “backpack” for your laptop. The shoulder bags get hard on the body when going from one end of an airport to the other. A good laptop backpack is easier to haul around.
- Mark your bag with something unique that you can identify for situations where you do check a bag, or skycheck/gate check your bag. A lot of bags look the same so I always have something on mine that is uniquely identifiable.
- I have a strip of camouflaged duct tape on both sides of the bag. Makes it stand out easily among other black carry-ons.
- When packing your clothes for your trip, here are a few things I do:
- Stuff your work shoes with your socks and underwear. Keeps the shoes from compressing and maximizes the use of space
- Roll all your clothes as it gives you more space in the bag
- Pick a set of shirts and pants you’re going to use for all your work travel. If you use the same set of clothes again and again, you can simply wash them then repack them when they are clean. Makes it easier to figure out “what to bring” as far as clothes.
- For guys, buy a dedicated electric razor and leave it in your bag
- Coil up belts or wrap them around the edge of your clothes for better space use
- Use a travel app to store all of your airline, hotel, car rental information. I’m a big fan of Kayak but some people prefer TripCase. Either way, having all of your travel info in a single app can be really handy when on the road.
- Always check in for your flight the night before and pick a seat
- Get a frequent traveler card (like Nexus / Global Entry) to expedite your time through security and customs
- Sign up for an Uber account as the fares are cheaper and many times easier to get a ride
- You can read about how Uber saved me while I was in India.
- When you get to your destination (hotel), drop your stuff off and go find your client/office right away. It often helps to know where you are going the day before you need to be there so it’s easier to get there on your first official business day.