Ideas and Solutions

If you travel on business for your company, even if it's only occasionally, you want to be sure that the trip goes as smoothly as possible. After all, business travel is expensive as is your time...and your boss is counting on you to maximize the hours and days you spend on the trip.

Below are 4 straightforward strategies to help assure that your next business excursion will be a successful one:

Expect delays .
If you travel by air, you should anticipate that the time you spend at the airport, and maybe the time you spend in the air, could be delayed by such factors as weather, long check-in lines, slow baggage handling and backed-up runways. If you travel by ground, traffic should always be a consideration. Be certain to plan your meeting schedule accordingly, being careful not to arrange a meeting at a time thats less than a few hours after your expected arrival.

Know the territory and the people.
In the days before your trip, especially if its a destination youve never been to, take a few moments to review maps, costs of taxis and other overviews of the area you'll be traveling to. This can be done easily online.

Another important consideration is to learn about the customs, practices, food specialties and other characteristics of the people who live in the area. Obviously, if you’re traveling to another country, this is very important...however, within the United States there are many cultural differences depending on where you go. Knowing about these can help avoid a potentially embarrassing situation with a key customer.

Don't be too casual with confidential information.
It's likely that your company would not want inside information about the company to be shared with just anyone. Be aware of this, for instance on the airplane. If you spread out confidential work on the lap tray, chances are the person in the seat next to you will get a good look at it. Also, be careful when using your cell phone, especially in a crowded terminal or outside on a busy street. You'll probably talk louder than you might think, compensating for the noise around you...which means that what you say could be heard by many other people.

Pack smart,
including carrying the right credit cards. When you do your research about your destination (see #2), note the weather in the area and pack your clothes accordingly. Furthermore, be sure that your credit cards are not maxed out the last thing you want is the embarrassment caused by taking a business client to dinner, and trying to pay with a card that gets rejected. Be aware that even a credit card your company issues to you could be over its limit, so check things out before you leave on your trip.