7 Smart Choices for Frequent Business Travelers

Depending on your perspective, travelling for business can be pleasant or a necessity you passionately dislike. The tips below could help you make better travel-related decisions and capitalize on being away from home for work-related reasons. 

Before you dive in, check out how to get the cheapest business class flights!

Stay Active Instead of Sedentary

Numerous studies show staying active sharpens people’s ability to concentrate, have highly creative ideas and enjoy more mental well-being. Put simply, physical activity boosts your brainpower.

Tell your boss you prefer a hotel with an onsite gym or pool. Otherwise, do research and find safe places to walk near your destination. You may even be able to rent a bike and take part in a different way to stay fit. By remaining on the move during business travel, you may keep your brain in a better condition to excel.

Choose a Corporate Credit Card That Offers Rewards

It’s common for companies to provide credit cards for employees who go out of town often. Doing so saves some of the headaches involved with tracking transactions, because the businesses’ accounting departments can just look at monthly credit card statements instead of requesting employees provide receipts or ask for cash before leaving.

There are many considerations employers make before distributing credit cards to employees who travel. If you have an opportunity to weigh in about what kind of card you get, assert it’d be advantageous for everyone involved if the card had a rewards program that allowed you to earn things in exchange for redeeming points. Understand this more at https://creditrewardperks.com/las-vegas/. That’s especially true if you use points for rewards related to items associated with business travel, so your employer doesn’t have to pay for them.

Go With Nonstop Flights Instead of Direct Ones

A direct flight sounds like a quick way to reach your destination, right? Although it’s better than switching planes, your direct journey may still involve a stop, but you’ll just stay on the airplane rather than getting off.

When possible, always pick nonstop flights to have the shortest journeys possible. As the name suggests, a nonstop flight doesn’t have any planned interruptions that make you arrive later than needed.

Decide to Research Alternative Accommodation Options

Hotels are perhaps the most popular places for business travelers to stay, but they often have a sterile feel that makes people long for their own beds more than ever. Also, hotels are impractical for long business trips because they usually don’t have full kitchens in the rooms.

Check alternative accommodations. One possibility is to stay in corporate housing facilities. Those establishments usually have more amenities that cater to people who want home-like environments, such as laundry appliances in the rooms, cooking supplies and even custom furniture delivered before arrival.

You could also learn more about staying in a bed and breakfast or a person’s private space that’s rented out for profit. Although those aren’t generally as equipped to serve business travelers as corporate-specific accommodations, they might be adequate for shorter stays.

Sign up for Loyalty Programs

Maybe your business travels take you to a certain destination several times per year, and it has started to feel familiar because you go to the same restaurants and bars during each visit. On the other hand, maybe you head off to a region of the country with a supermarket chain you’ve grown to love that hasn’t opened locations near where you live yet.

Pay attention to the places you visit most often when on the road for business and see if it’s possible to sign up for customer loyalty programs. Doing so might take a few minutes, but could result in coupons, special sales, free meals on your birthday and other perks.

Consciously Avoid Long Lines at the Airport

Waiting an unexpectedly long time at the airport could cause extra stress and might even make you miss a flight. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to reduce the time spent waiting in line before flying. They include not traveling at peak times, getting approved to use a service that allows for expedited security checks and flying out of less popular airports.

Select Items Strategically When Packing a Suitcase

Toting a bulging bag is a quick ticket to a sour mood as a business traveler. Think carefully about whether items you seemingly can’t do without truly need space in your suitcase. Ideally, pick things to mix and layer as a way to create numerous outfits from a few pieces. Also, if possible, bring versatile shoes that work for corporate meetings and downtime alike. Footwear is heavy and can occupy lots of space inside your luggage.

Bear in mind, too, that many hotels offer travel sizes of personal care items like toothpaste and shampoo, so you probably don’t have to bring those things from home. You may even reason that the brands you use are cheap enough that you can just buy them upon arrival and throw them away or leave them in the room when you’re checking out.

These suggestions prove business travel doesn’t have to be a burden. By making better-informed choices and keeping your needs in mind, work trips can become a breeze.

Sarah Landrum

Sarah Landrum recently graduated from Penn State with degrees in Marketing and PR. Now, she's a freelance writer and career blogger sharing advice on navigating the work world and achieving happiness and success in your career. You can find her tweeting on her coffee breaks @SarahLandrum