Business Travel Tips that will Boost your International Experience

If you’re a business owner, there’s a high chance that you’ll travel quite a lot. You may need to travel internationally for meetings, and you may even find that you are constantly out of the office for events too. If you want to make your international business travel experience way better, then here are a few tips that will help you along the way.

Develop a Relationship with your Hotel

If you are always visiting the same location, you may find that you have a go-to hotel. This is great, but did you know that you can usually take advantage of loyalty rewards too? Don’t be afraid to negotiate with a hotel if you are going to be staying there for quite some time, or even ask about their corporate rates. You can save a small fortune by doing this.

Utilize Online Booking Tools

Saving money on your business flight is very easy to do when you know which steps you need to take. The very first thing that you need to do is take advantage of online booking tools. There are plenty out there for you to choose from and you would be surprised at how easy it is for you to save a huge amount of money. Some tools will even tell you the best route to fly at the same time, so you can find out both the cheapest and the fastest way to fly without compromise.

Utilize your Credit Card as Much as Possible

Some credit providers will give you a lot of money off if you use your card to book a flight. Others will give you rewards depending on the amount of miles that you fly with them. Either way, if you want to help yourself here then you need to sign up with one that gives you the best rewards. When you do this, you will soon find that your business flights become cheaper and that in some instances, you can save money on hotels at the same time.

Find Alternative Accommodation

Another way for you to save money would be for you to find alternative accommodation. Sites such as AirBNB are great for this because they give you the chance to couch surf or even stay in a more budget location. Some hotels would be more than happy to give you a discount if you choose to stay with them for multiple nights too, so make sure that you keep that in mind when you make your booking.

Hire a Travel Agency

This will save you time and money. When you go through a travel agency, they will help you to get the best rate and they may even have access to lower room rates than what you see online too. This is a fantastic way for you to lower the cost of your business trip overall and it will also make you much more comfortable in some instances. When you go through the same travel agent over and over again, you may even save money on their services too, so overall it’s certainly worth it.

Stay Organized

You never know when you’re going to be hopping on a train, bus or even a boat. The key to success when you are always making business trips is planning. You need to know where you are going at all times, and you also need to be able to plan out what items you need too. If you want to step things up to that next level, try and pack a bag that contains everything you need to embark on a usual business trip. That way you are always ready and you are also able to go at the last minute if required. Some of the items you should be packing include jumpers, a phone charger and even your passport.

Always have an Unlocked Phone

Using an unlocked smartphone when travelling internationally can really save you money. You can purchase a local SIM card in the country of your choosing, and then text or call at the local rate. You will also be able to avoid a ton of roaming charges too. Speeds tend to be faster on these types of SIM cards too, so you can easily conduct business as you normally would without having to worry about a thing. Having an unlocked phone will still give you the chance to stay in touch with all of your business colleagues, and this can really make your trip much easier and less stressful.

Keep Calm and Take as Little as Possible

One of the biggest worries you’ll probably have when travelling for business is arriving at the airport late. You may be concerned about the queues for getting your bag checked, or you may even be worried about your laptop getting damaged. Either way, the best way for you to avoid most airport worries would be for you to handle your own baggage. Fit as many things as you can in your carry-on, including your company laptop or even your personal belongings. When you do this, you can easily save yourself the worry and you can also feel assured knowing that your possessions are in very good hands.

When packing, make sure that you take versatile clothing with you. You need to have shoes that look sharp in any business meeting, and you also need to make sure that you have something that’s suitable for when you leave the office. The best way for you to get around packing tons of clothing would be for you to take a single-color blazer and some jeans. You can easily pair the outfit with a shirt if you want to go more formal, or you can easily swap it out for a t-shirt when you want to go and explore the town. It’s little things like this that will really have a huge impact on your experience, and it will also help you to feel more comfortable too, so it is important that you keep that in mind as well.