If you’re a regular traveller, you’ll know how important it is to get your business trip planning right. From the booking details to how to pack, you’ll look for any way to make your life easier.
More and more, we use technology to communicate with customers, colleagues and suppliers across the world, but there is still no real substitute for the face-to-face meeting. Conferences, exhibitions, industry bodies, and straightforward client meetings all benefit from everyone being in the same room. And that means you have to travel.
Travelling can be a headache, but if you’re in control of as much as possible, it can be far less hassle than you think – and might even be enjoyable once in a while! Here are our top ways to make sure your travel planning works for you:
Get someone else to manage your business travel services – UK or overseas travel takes time to organise and book properly. Rather than waste time doing it yourself, get help from someone who knows who to call and what to put in place. Ideally, everything should be planned and on a clear itinerary so that all you have to do is pack a bag and be ready when the taxi arrives.
Be flexible – when you’re organising your travel, look for flexible options where you can. They may be more expensive, but they will allow you to change flights so you can extend your stay if things are going well, or come home if your conference finishes earlier than you expected. If you are on a tight budget, book as far in advance as you can to get the best prices for your travel.
Have a clear itinerary – one of the biggest benefits of having something like virtual assistant help with your travel is that you get a detailed itinerary. That means you have a single piece of paper with all your flight, hotel, transfer and meeting details on it – as well as numbers for you to call if there’s a problem. So no need to worry about finding all the information or looking everything up on email – it’s all there at your fingertips.
Look for priority or business services – being able to use business lounges, check-in ahead of others and board early are all ways to make your travelling life easier. Look for ways you can access these services when you book or when you get to the airport so that you can make the most of the options available to you.
Tips for travelling
If you’re already a regular traveller, you know that it’s all about reducing hassle. The less time you can spend in queues at the airport, the better. That means being organised and making your life as easy as possible.
Pack light – taking hand luggage means there’s no need to check in bags, which means you can get out of the airport as quickly as possible at the other end. Make sure your luggage is within the airline’s size and weight guidelines. Look ahead at weather forecasts for your destination so that you pack the right type of clothing too.
Keep chargers readily available – most planes and trains now have charging facilities, so keep your phone and tablet charged whilst you’re travelling so that you have a full battery at the end of your journey. Keeping your charger cable easily available will make this hassle-free.
Stay in touch – keep your virtual assistant phone details handy, if they have booked your travel. If a problem arises, just call and they can sort it out for you, so that you don’t have to spend ages on the phone yourself. You, or your assistant should also make sure that your technology is set up for calls or internet access at your destination, so you can get to work as soon as you get there.
Manage time zones – there’s no tried and tested way to manage time zone changes – different things work for different people. But drinking plenty of water, reducing alcohol and heavy meals, and getting sleep at the right time for you can all help. If you’re on a short trip to a different time zone, it may be helpful to keep on your own time rather than try to adjust, which will make it easier when you get home.
Improve your business trip planning now
To reduce your travel burden, starting today, why not talk to us about our travel planning support? We can send you business travel itinerary examples, talk to you about the best way to organise travel for you and others in your business and give you advice on how to make your travelling life easier.
So, if you’re short on time and need help from a travel planning virtual assistant for your business trips or would just like to know more about our virtual pa business feel free to call us on 0800 994 9016 or use our contact form in the menu above.