Category: Business Travelers

Business Travel Tips: Top 5 Business Traveler Nightmares ? and How to Prevent Them

Business travel is on the rebound. As the economy continues to grow, companies are unleashing their employees to travel to seek opportunities and work with clients and customers all over the world. Increased numbers of business travelers bring problems as well. Travel delays and other obstacles simply increase with volume, and the more you travel, the more you suffer from them.

But preparation can at least equip every business traveler with the tools to master the business travel environment and reduce or eliminate the obstacles to a successful business trip.

Here Are My Top 5 Business Travel Nightmares — And How To Prevent Or Deal With Them:

1. You’re in danger of missing your flight: you’re stuck in the security line because you didn’t know about some recent rule changes. Today, 3-1-1 is the mantra of the business traveler. If you want to carry on – remember containers of liquid holding no more than 3 ounces, all in 1 (and only 1) quart size zip lock bag. But these rules change all the time. Keep up to date on the government carry-on restrictions. It takes a few minutes at home on your computer before you head to the airport. The best resource to use is www.tsa.gov. Another alternative would be your airline’s website – if you check in on-line, then it’s just an additional click of the mouse.

2. Your flight’s been cancelled, you’re in danger of missing that critical client meeting and you’re 30th in line at the customer service desk. As a standard practice, your travel agent’s, preferred airline’s or website’s customer service number should be in your cell phone speed dial. At the first hint of a delay, contact one of them directly and ask for the flight status. They have access to information that you don’t and can start working on alternatives for you. If your flight is cancelled, there are only going to be so many seats available on alternative flights, and your objective is to get one of those coveted seats before anyone else does. One early phone call can get you there.

3. You are receiving the cold shoulder because you used the 6 words that every ticket or gate agent despises. “Do you know who I am” are the six most lethal words any passenger can use. A gate or ticket agent, unlike your colleagues or your clients or customers, doesn’t care who or how important you are. What’s important to them is your name and flight information, which they have in front of them. So leave your “status” at home. Kindness, deference, respect and a little empathy go much farther as a business traveler than self-importance when dealing with airline personnel. They are the gatekeepers with a lot of discretion, and treating them properly can make them much more interested in helping you when one of the inevitable flight problems arises.

4. You just realized you can’t rent a car (or possibly even get home) because you’ve dropped your only form of identification in the airport that’s 2000 miles away. Remember that you can’t rent a car without a driver’s license and can’t board a plane without your ID. Thus, you must keep your ticket and your ID in a secure place with easy access at all times on the road. Get something to put around your neck or, if that’s not stylish enough, try a separate case, such as the A-Way Ticket Tote. A little expenditure for something that will keep your ID in the same place all the time will be a big help in preventing a disaster or at least keep you from worrying about it.

5. You and your colleagues have been discussing a confidential strategy the entire flight only to find that your competition has been listening from the row behind you. Business colleagues typically discuss their business when they travel together, and if they are going on a trip for a specific purpose, their discussion will probably center on that purpose. But on an airplane you have no idea who is listening nearby. Just be sure that you are guarded enough that you would not be embarrassed or your business harmed if your words were published in the newspaper. Be discrete; you really never do know who is listening to you.

Making Use of the Business Travel Directory

Looking back to the days I worked as an international business consultant. I traveled between 200 and 300 days per year. In the beginning this is quite fun; going to airports, shuffle from plane to plane, meeting a lot of interesting new people, seeing foreign places and so forth. After a while it is not so fun anymore; you get used to it. After a few years as a heavy business traveler you sleep when travel but sooner or later you just get tiered of all this traveling and you decide that enough is enough. I quit as a business traveler.

Now I just travel for leisure and fun, with very few exceptions.

A business traveler might face a lot of difficulties during travel from one place to another around the world. The difference in the culture, food, mode of travel and location play an important part during the travel. The saying “information is wealth” will suit a business traveler more than any other person in real life.

The business traveler needs to get the right information from the right source if he wants to be successful in his business trip. The Business travel directory is one such resource which can be sought when a business traveler needs information on anything. There are many directories available online and a traveler may look to it when needed.

A business travel to international destination is not an easy task if you don’t get the right information needed for your travel. Airline, Car rental, hotels, maps, directions, and other information are needed by a business traveler. After you land in a destination you can’t look for a hotel during a peak season in that destination.

Then you are the one who is going to pay a lump sum for a meager hotel accommodation. Maps are needed to locate the place that you are going to visit. It would give you the confidence if you know in which direction you are going to go. A business directory is one that gives that confidence.

Restaurants near your choice of stay are also important. A good business directory for travel should be able to give you this information also. There are many websites that serve as a travel directory for the business traveler. Some of them might require you to become a member of that site if you need to use it.

Free memberships are also provided. Hard copies of business directory for travel are available in the leading bookstores in most of the business destinations around the world.

Guide To Business Travel

Despite the emergence of e-commerce, businessmen still travel more often for sales and business shows. Here are some tips to make your business travel a successful one:
1. Plan your business trip long before you leave the office.
2. Always prepare a travel bag with complete necessities to be used on any emergency trips.
3. Bring some ready to eat foods, it will save you a substantial amount of money, considering the high cost of foods in hotels.
4. Be sure to have a buffer time between your flight and your scheduled meeting.
5. Choose aircraft that has better seats with ample leg room.
6. Put all your valuable materials in a small carry-on bag.
7. When calling your main office, use the 800 numbers as much as possible because it’s much cheaper.
8. If you’re a businesswoman, it is important to dress well. Additionally, you must bring casual clothes for your free time.
Not all hotels have inexpensive telecommunication systems from their rooms, so always choose your hotel’s business floor, for these rooms are made especially for business traveler. These rooms should have dual telephone/modem lines, fax machine, and free communications between rooms. In order to save money on calls, use your calling card and place calls through your country’s long-distance carrier or find a pay phone in the hotel’s lobby. If available, use a nearby business center for your fax needs since fax service within your room will probably cost more.
These days, a business traveler has to bring a lot of electronic equipment such as; cell phones, electronic organizers, laptop computers, etc. Here are some suggestions on how to keep your expensive business items safe:
1. Put your laptop inside a bag that will not indicate that there’s a laptop inside. The same works well for other equipment such as camera, electronic organizer, etc.
2. Don’t expose your laptop to x-ray scanners at the airport security check, rather have it checked manually. X-rays could damage your electronic equipment.
3. Don’t place your laptop on the aircraft’s overhead bins; instead place it near your seat or under the seat in front of you.
4. Always bring extra batteries for your equipment.
Today’s business travelers are enjoying much comfort compared to their counterparts a few decades ago. Low airfare, plenty of airlines to choose from, communication equipment (especially cell phones and laptops) make modern day business travelers more efficient. Even on a business trip, parents can always be with their family members and co-workers can still get in touch with their office work, at least virtually.