Business Travel Tips

[mcbook]

Recently I've been doing a lot of travelling with work. Generally I'm away 4 days (3 nights) per week. It can be tough but to make the most of the situation there are a few things that can be done e.g. hotel loyalty programmes and credit card rewards.

Anyway, I thought I'd start a thread for others in a similar position to share their tips. Or just how they get through the week being away from family and friends. I'll start with a few of my own:

1. Join hotel loyalty schemes so you can build up points and get free nights for personal travel.
2. Get a credit card with reward benefits so you can get cashback or other rewards from expenses incurred during business trips.
3. Pack simple and light - I travel with one suit, a shirt for every day, one pair of jeans and a few t-shirts. I find this reduces stress when packing and means I don't waste time packing that could be spent with the family.
4. Put a bag in the aircraft hold - these days there are so few bags in the hold (short haul) that the baggage guys can get it to the conveyor very quickly and there no messing around trying find a space in the overhead lockers.
5. A short Skype call with the family around dinner time helps to add an element of family life to an otherwise boring evening in a hotel

Now, over to you...

[mcbook]

V12 Virgin said:

Airport lounges- Dependent on which one you have access to, they can really take the sting out of a long flight or an early morning.
A decent breakfast and some good Wifi can go a long way, and some peace and quiet is also nice away from the crowds.
Similarly, if you're doing a lot of flying then a good set of noise cancelling headphones can work wonders.

Thanks for the suggestions! :-)

I don't have access to lounges but was thinking about getting the priority pass or similar. Not sure it's worth it though - I'm normally only waiting for 30-60 minutes. I fly budget airlines so unfortunately no BA Club or similar.

I have also been thinking about the headphones recently but seems like quite a big investment. Not sure if I can justify £300 when I have a pretty decent set of standard ones...

[mcbook]

toon10 said:

I don't put my watch or belt on in the morning, they're just in the bag for after security.

Also, pack a small bag with the stuff you want on the plane (iPad, headphones, magazine, etc.) and put that inside your laptop bag or cabin luggage.

Avoid Heathrow if at all possible. Those cancelled and delayed flights are time you'll never get back

Thanks, these are great.

I was delayed at Heathrow for 5 hours on Friday night... very annoying.

[mcbook]

Guys, thanks so much for the responses on here - some really great tips.

I think you've convinced my to get the Bose headphones but I think I'll go for the in-ear versions as they can be had for £200 (QC20) and will fit with my packing-light philosophy.

My current trips are very much domestic (Edinburgh-Heathrow) so can't really take advantage of the long-haul ideas but I'm sure others will be able to. Frustratingly, a lot of the good advice about getting out and about in the evenings is also lost on me as I'm working near the airport and opportunities are limited to say the least.

For shirts, I also use Tyrwhitt non-iron but don't find that I need to do the shower trick. I fold them carefully in my normal luggage and hang them up when I reach the hotel. Most of the creases will drop out overnight and those remaining will get a 'body-heat ironing' during my 10 minute walk to the office.

[mcbook]

//j17 said:

You've got the Festival coming up next month (unless like your Edinburgh clients who say they need you on-site every other month suddenly see how much your hotel expenses are going to go up for August and suddenly decide it's NOT that important for you to be there...until Sept.). Certainly worth going in and catching a show.

Agreed that expenses should cover a few trips into town and they do. However, I'm going from Edinburgh to Heathrow, not the other way round. I occasionally jump on the Heathrow express into town but it does feel like a lot of effort.

[mcbook]

This is a very simple one but I recently realised that travelling with a suit was a bit of a pain. Generally I wear it when travelling but sometimes it has to go into the case.

I asked myself, "do I really need to wear this?"

Looking round the office there is a mixture of suits, smart business-casual and even more relaxed dress. Having been on this assignment for a while I'm comfortable that the client doesn't need to see me in a suit to have confidence me. I've now ditched the suits and wear smart business-casual which tends to be discreetly coloured chinos (hate that word), a business shirt and smart shoes.

Packing just got a little easier.