When it comes to traveling for business, it's all about preparation. Most trips will go smoothly, but without the proper planning, things might not always go to plan!

For some individuals, business travel can mean traveling around your local area, but for others this involves going global, and doing business internationally in other countries. No matter where you're going though, there are plenty of business travel tips you can take from experienced and seasoned business travelers to help make your journey run smoothly.

Travel Insurance for Business Trips

This might sound obvious, but you really don't want to travel without having a comprehensive travel insurance policy for peace of mind. This is especially important to cover medical costs when overseas since the bills can be extremely high.

You should double check with your insurance provider to find out if it covers you for business travel - many policies do - but you should always make sure. You might also find that the company you work for also covers you under a corporate travel insurance policy, but you shouldn't presume, so again, double check with your travel team or human resources department to make sure domestic and international travel are covered.

Packing tips: Carry On Bags & Traveling Light

When you're traveling for business and need to take a flight, try to travel with just a carry-on bag. This will save time and you'll avoid waiting by the carousel for checked baggage. This is especially doable on short business trips abroad when you only need to take the essentials and can pack light.

For longer trips, you might not be able to avoid checking in baggage, and if that's the case, remember to carry all valuables and essentials in your carry-on luggage.

Planning ahead by having your travel essentials packed in advance is also a great idea. So have phone chargers and power adapters pre-packed to save you a lot of time, effort and reduce the chance of forgetting to bring them with you.

Admin in Advance

If you're going to be traveling by air, you should check-in from home before you get to the airport to avoid the queues. You might even have the added bonus of choosing seats beforehand.

Keeping your boarding pass on your phone or printing it out at home is also a great way to save some time and energy.

You should also book any rental cars in advance. Those queues can be long enough even without the hassle of having to go through the whole process at the destination!

Bring The Travel Essentials

When you’re rushing out the door for a business trip it's easy to forget some of the travel essentials you'll need to take with you.

Forgetting to take your laptop charger on a business trip is a slip of the mind many of us have fallen victim to. This is one of the things that should be at the top of the list. It's becoming much easier to charge your cell phone but, of course you actually need to remember to have your cable and power adapter with you in the first place! So, create a list of things you'll need before you pack so you can cross reference it when you're organizing your travel bag.

Remember, if you're traveling by air internationally, the liquids and toiletries you carry need to be under a certain size (100ml) and contained in a transparent plastic bag with a zip closure. These toiletries can be expensive to buy at the airport, but you can buy them in advance, and once you have the containers there's nothing to stop you refilling them so you can use them again.

Try to pack in advance if you can and don't leave things until the last minute before you're about to jump in your cab to the airport. Rushing around trying to hit a departure deadline is a sure way to forget something essential. With that in mind, always leave for the airport or your destination in good time. If possible, check for any traffic problems well ahead of time. Often you can find updates on social media where people are posting about localized issues and problems.

Once in a while the unexpected can happen, and these things can't always be avoided. However, a bit of pre-trip planning and researching your destination can often result in you avoiding awkward and frustrating circumstances. The last thing you want is to cancel meetings because you've missed a flight, or had to re-arrange your transport.

Book Direct Flights When Possible

One of the biggest time consumers is when you have to take multiple flights to a single destination. Of course, it isn't always possible to book a nonstop flight to every location, but you should when it's an option so you can avoid wasted time and long layovers.

Travel time can take up a lot of your day, especially when it involves long flights through different time zones. Having to sit in a terminal building for hours or having to book a hotel room for an overnight stay can add a lot of time to your travels and direct flights are the answer to these problems.

There are other benefits from booking direct flights - not only does it save both time and money, it's also better for the environment. This can be helpful if the business you're working for has committed to reducing their carbon emissions. It can be impossible to avoid flying for business, but small tweaks like having a direct flight policy can make a really big difference.

Reward Programs & Lounges for Frequent Business Travelers

When it comes to a company's travel arrangements some businesses see the benefits of letting their representatives travel business class. Often one of the perks of this travel upgrade is that you get access to airport lounges if there’s extra time before your flight. This kind of lounge access can be valuable, because you're able to sit and work in a quiet environment and have access to a range of refreshments. When traveling long haul this is a welcome added bonus and can help you feel more refreshed. Plus, you should get access to essentials such as decent free wi-fi that can make working easier at the airport if you are stuck there with a delay.

Even if the travel policy of the business you work for is to book you economy travel, that doesn't mean you can't get access to business lounges at airports. One great travel hack for the frequent flyer is that there are a number of schemes available that you can sign-up to and pay for this additional privilege. If you travel for work all the time, whilst you might have to pay the fees yourself as an individual, you can get the benefits of the lounge, when you travel.

Another time saver for U.S. citizens, that can come with additional benefits is to sign up for TSA pre-check or Global Entry, which can even be included in a travel credit card’s perks. This is a service that allows you to go through the security screening process in a much quicker fashion, by not having to show or remove things like shoes, belts, laptops etc. This not only saves time, but also reduces the general hassle of going through security. Even better - by signing up for this service, you can also get loyalty program benefits with certain airlines. So, a double bonus for travelers and well worth signing up for before your next business trip.

How to Avoid Jet Lag

If you've previously been on a long-haul trip to a business meeting and experienced the dreaded jet lag, then you'll know it can have a negative impact on your working day. While it isn't possible to completely avoid jet lag, there are a number of ways and techniques that you can do and try to reduce its effects so that the next time you are on a work trip, you turn up refreshed and ready to go.

When you're traveling, there are a couple of things that can be useful to take with you that don't take up much space in your hand-luggage - earplugs and a sleep mask. It can be difficult to fall asleep on an overnight flight, or in a different bed, and these two items can make a lot of difference. They can also help you combat jet lag by increasing the likelihood you'll fall asleep.

One of the best ways to combat jet lag, is to try to adjust to your new time zone as fast as possible. So, once you board your plane, change the time on your watch and digital devices to the local time at your destination. Once you've adjusted the time, try to adapt your routine to the new time and sleep whether it's evening or night-time.

There are a few things that are known to make jet lag worse - caffeine and alcohol. It's a good idea to avoid those two in-flight drinks as the fresher you feel, the less likely you'll feel any jet lag symptoms. Drinking plenty of water and choosing healthy snacks also helps keep the jet lag to a minimum.

Keeping Yourself Safe When Traveling

It's also a good idea to do some research about the place you are visiting if you've never been there before. Check to see if there's a phone app available for a local map and services, which many major cities have. For example, you can get a subway map of New York on your phone that's available offline. This can really help you find your way around the city if you're unfamiliar with it. Many cities have a similar app or travel guide to the local area that's very useful for travelers.

If you've got a spare credit card, it's worth keeping it separate from your other personal or business cards and documents, so you have a backup and access to emergency money.

Finding out where your local embassy is, is another good idea, again in case you lose your travel documents or need their services for any reason.

Briefing yourself with the local customs and etiquette is worth investing some time in, so that you don't offend someone unintentionally.

You should also find out if there are certain areas and locations close to where you are going which you should avoid. You can research local scams, and issues that travelers commonly face when traveling to a certain location.

For most cities and countries, there are things you should be aware of and watch out for. Certain scams that occur in a city are easily avoided if you know about them. For example- avoiding unauthorized and unlicensed taxi services and sticking with the official, licensed operators always makes sense when traveling in an unfamiliar area.

The good news is that if your company has a travel management program with a travel policy in place, often these can help keep you safe and out of harm’s way. These services can help you on a number of levels - from informing you directly about problems in your location that you need to be aware of, only booking you hotels and accommodation that's of high quality and in a good area, and giving you the means to contact help, if necessary, when you need it.

Travel Management Solutions

If you're keen to make your business travel run as smooth as possible, and do all you can to avoid any bumps in the road (figuratively and literally!), Egencia's travel management solutions are an ideal way to improve all aspects of your corporate travel program and establish successful business trips.

Speak to one of our team and learn more about we can help your business take travel management to the next level..