It’s not always easy to stay your professional best while traveling. After all, traveling can be a hassle most of the time.
Corporate trips are often dull, tiring, and stressful. But, with the right tips in mind, you can make corporate travel fun and hassle-free.
Here we have the 4 best tips for frequent corporate travelers.
1. Consider Flexible Accommodation
The duration of your business trip dictates the kind of accommodation you choose. In most cases, companies offer their employees sponsored accommodation on these trips.
But, it’s always a good idea to check out your company’s corporate travel policies before you book a stay. The last thing you should want is to pay for expenses your company won’t reimburse.
Remember, business trips can be expensive, especially for frequent travelers. Every company has unique procedures and rules for corporate trips.
Some companies undertake all business trip expenses including meals and domestic travel. Some companies even sponsor accommodation for spouses or partners.
But, sometimes companies reimburse specific expenses. You’re left to pay for other expenses like laundry or meals. Or, your company might set an allowance for accommodation and other living expenses.
If your business travel plans are made in such a way that you can enjoy a day off in between, you should consider exploring the places you are going to. Mornington Peninsula winery accommodation is a must-visit for business travelers who are visiting this part of the world for work.
If you have an allowance, it gives you the freedom to choose your accommodation. Many corporate jobs demand long hours from employees.
These demands can also have a degree of unpredictability attached to them. So, it’s possible you might have to extend or shorten your stay if you work at one such job.
This unpredictability is why it’s wise to look for flexible accommodation. Serviced corporate apartments are available in major cities if you’re looking for such accommodation.
These serviced accommodations are perfect for those relocating to new cities for work. They’re also perfect for those that prefer hotel-style stays for short-term gigs.
Corporate apartments in Los Angeles and other major cities are a good option for seasoned corporate travelers.
The furnished apartments available in these cities offer practical but luxurious corporate housing. Besides, serviced apartments are often cheaper than hotels that offer you similar facilities.
Your company might be more willing to pay for long stays in these apartments than for long hotel stays.
2. Have Your Essentials Ready
It’s pretty easy to get hassled when packing for a business trip. You need to keep a few things in mind while packing to make your traveling experience smoother.
One of the best things you can do about the same is to keep all essential items accessible. If you do, you’ll find that you can access all that you need without unpacking all your bags.
In handy bags, pack all essential items you’ll need while traveling and after landing. It’s a good idea to keep a power backup and mobile charger ready at all times.
After all, staying in touch with family and colleagues in case of an emergency is a must. Also, ensure you carry basic toiletries with you on your flight.
A bar (or bottle) of soap, some dry shampoo, a toothbrush, and toothpaste are the main items you should have on you.
You could even carry along a perfume or deodorant in case you need to get straight to work after landing.
But, remember to carry only travel-sized toiletries in your carry-on bags. Ensure these toiletries don’t leak either.
It’s not wise to have your toiletries and documents in the same bag, though. No matter your efforts, creams, shampoos, and soaps can sometimes spill in your bags.
If these products contain coloring agents, they may stain important documents. These documents can include your visa, passport, and other travel papers.
So, it would be better to pack toiletries in a separate bag.
Or, if you don’t want to carry extra baggage, there’s an easier option. Use sealable bags to carry toiletries so they don’t leak everywhere.
As for your documents, carry them in a separate zippered pouch. In doing so, you can avoid rummaging for them when you need them.
3. Avoid Check-In Luggage
Since we’re speaking of bags, a good thing to discuss here is cabin vs check-in luggage. It may be a good idea to avoid carrying checked luggage on short business trips.
On average, it takes travelers between 15 and 45 minutes to receive their checked bags. Avoiding such luggage will help you save that much time during baggage claim.
Besides, there’s always the chance that an airline might misplace your luggage. Misplaced luggage is more common for those on connecting flights.
So, if you wish to carry check-in luggage, you could choose a direct flight to your destination. But, if you don’t, then you risk waiting pretty long to receive your misplaced bags.
Most airlines take between 5 and 14 hours to classify a bag as lost. Returning the luggage and reimbursement could take weeks to months.
To avoid this hassle, it’s best to stick to bags you can carry along. The carry-on bags you use shouldn’t be too heavy, though.
Carry those bags you know you can handle well while traveling. It could take time to journey through an airport to reach your flight.
During this time, you should be comfortable lugging around your bags.
4. Beat Jet Lag
Jet lag is unavoidable after a long journey. But, there are ways to make this condition bearable.
For instance, you need to have a plan in place to deal with jet lag as soon as you land. Don’t make the mistake of leaving it to your body to decide when to sleep and wake up.
Most of us find it tempting to jump straight into bed after a long flight. Doing this isn’t the best course of action if you want to keep jetlag at bay.
No matter how tired you are, avoid falling asleep at your destination if you arrive during the day. Instead, keep yourself awake all day and go to bed at your regular time.
In this way, you could help your body adjust to the local time zone and regularize your sleep schedule. Remember, not everyone at your destination is facing jetlag.
It’s up to you to adjust your routine to accommodate their working hours. If you have to start working as soon as you land, you may want to avoid taking a nap on your flight.
If your flight is long enough, it makes sense to get in some shuteye. But, if you can’t squeeze in enough sleep on a short flight, drink coffee instead.
On short flights, you risk falling asleep during take-off or landing due to lack of enough flight time. Falling asleep during these times could damage your ears.
It could also pose other health issues. Besides, it could make you feel sluggish, or worse, dizzy.
It’s better to stick to sleeping on long rather than short flights for this reason.
Conclusion
Traveling can be a rewarding experience if you check all the relevant boxes. Keeping your essentials ready and opting for corporate apartments over hotels is wise.
These tips will do for new and experienced travelers, so they’re pretty versatile. With them in mind, you can have a successful business trip all-around.
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