Business trips can be a great way to meet new clients and make new connections that help to push your business forward. But without the right planning, they can end up being a waste of your time and money. A lot of people will tell you that they hate business trips and they’d rather do everything over the phone, but that’s probably just because they aren’t handling their business travel in the right way. As long as you follow these simple tips, you can make virtually every business trip a success in some way.
Plan For The Worst
If you plan for the worst, you should be able to avoid most major disasters. The best way to approach your trip is to assume that everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Make sure to pack a change of clothes and a few essentials in your hand luggage in case your case gets lost. Arrive a day or two before you have meetings scheduled in case there are any delays. You don’t want your flight to land in the morning and then have meetings in the afternoon because any small delay means that you’re going to be late. Always check travel sites for traffic updates in case there are any road closures or major blockages anywhere, otherwise, you might be late for meetings. Double check the reservation dates on everything ahead of time in case you have made any mistakes. As long as you assume that the worst is going to happen, you should be prepared for everything.
Give Yourself Extra Time
When you have a meeting scheduled, it’s vital that you get there on time or early. When you’re trying to impress a client or build a long lasting relationship with a partner, turning up late to the meeting gives a terrible first impression. Checking the traffic should give you some idea of how long it will take but you never know what could happen along the way. That’s why it’s best to give yourself plenty of extra time so you definitely don’t miss the meeting.
Do Something Fun
Although you’re going on the trip for business, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself a bit while you’re there. If you find some interesting sights to see or nice restaurants to eat at in the evenings, it makes the trip more bearable and you won’t dread going on business trips in the future. You need to make sure that you prioritize work, but you can still take some time to explore as well.
Work On The Plane
If you want to spend a bit of time sightseeing, you should take the opportunity to get a head start on your work while you’re on the plane. You haven’t got anything else to do for a few hours so you may as well get some work done. Plan out a few things that you can do and make sure that you pack essentials like a laptop or tablet to work on.
You don’t need to dread taking business trips as long as you plan them properly and leave a little bit of extra time to enjoy yourself along the way.
