It could be time to change the way you travel for work. We’ve put together the ultimate guide to overhauling your business-related trips.
Be an early bird
You might well think you know the best hacks to get you through the airport in record time, or love boasting about how you never arrive more than an hour before a flight, but your luck won’t last forever. Arriving at the airport with plenty of time to spare can transform a business trip – you’ll have time to catch up with colleagues, power your various devices and make any last-minute calls. And if you’re an ‘elite plus’ member of a frequent flyer programme or if you travel in business class you have even more reason to be on time – with benefits including making the most of the airport lounges for drinks, snacks, a little bit of work or some well-earned relaxation time.
Get organised
When you’re abroad in unfamiliar territory, being organised becomes even more important. To-do lists! Might seem obvious but they’re especially useful during the actual trip. Write them daily, with the most critical tasks at the top, otherwise you risk ticking off easier tasks as a way of avoiding bigger ones. Also, if you travel regularly for work it’s highly likely you’ll quickly earn air miles, and it’s easy to lose track of how many you’ve accrued with the various membership schemes, which leads us nicely on to our next point…
Make the most of air alliance frequent flyer programmes
These schemes are invaluable, not just because of the air miles you can accrue in a short period of time but because of the perks, which include everything from lounge access to extra luggage and the right to use fast track security lanes. For example, sign up for just one of SkyTeam’s frequent flyer programmes and you’ll start earning and redeeming miles with all of their 19 member airlines.
Embrace do-not-disturb notifications
We’re much more easily distracted when we’re abroad, whether it’s with worries that your co-workers are coping without you or concerns about keeping on top of your inbox while away. However, getting the most out of business trips often means making yourself less available. Make sure colleagues know who to raise any queries with in your absence, and how about customising your responses to your emailer – a custom rule feature supported in many email account tools. Even if you’ll still checking your emails, doing this will give you breathing space and will mean people trying to contact you will be more understanding if responses take a little longer.
Write distraction lists
One of the best aspects of business travel – especially during flights – is the chance to work undisturbed, away from the usual distractions. The downside is that it’s easy to get distracted by concerns relating to your day-to-day life back home. Prior to any business trip, create a “distraction list” spreadsheet or document and save it to your desktop. Whenever you’re working but find yourself worrying about something unconnected, add it to this list and get back to work. Doing so will allow you to stay focused while ensuring these jobs are dealt with when you return.
Make contingency plans
Having contingency plans is even more important when we’re travelling for work – in unfamiliar surroundings, dealing with people we might not know very well, and potentially in places with vastly different working cultures. Before any business trip, take the time to think about what could go wrong and what to do if it does. If the person you’re meeting cancels at the last minute, who’s their second-in-command? Do you have all the material you’ll need on a USB stick, rather than just stored in the Cloud or on your computer? And lastly, make sure you have an up-to-date travel app – such as the SkyTeam app – so you can stay on top of any flight updates.
Pack like a pro
If you make more than three or four business trips a year, consider setting aside certain travel accessories which you know you’ll need. Most of us end up with a drawer full of travel adaptors, batteries and power banks we rarely use at home, so consider creating your very own travel tech kit filled with the items you know you’ll need when abroad. If you travel regularly on budget airlines, invest in a pocket-sized pair of luggage sales, helping you avoid the nightmare scenario of discovering you’ve exceeded your weight limit, prompting a hasty repacking exercise at the check-in desk as your boss twiddles his thumbs. And never be afraid to invest in a new suitcase rather than dusting off the old one you bought two decades ago. The last thing you want to see at the end of a business trip is your broken suitcase on the conveyor belt with all your belongings on display for the world – and your boss – to see.
If you regularly travel for work find out about the benefits of signing up for a SkyTeam member airline frequent flyer programme to start earning and redeeming miles with all SkyTeam member airlines. No need to register for several programs, their alliance-wide offer has you covered. Find out more…