Tips & Tools For The Road Warrior
If you are logging a lot of miles on the road or by air for work, you know how overwhelming business travel can be. Here are some tips to help ease the stress and make travel a little more manageable.
Before you leave the office
Make sure you know your company’s policy on booking travel and reimbursement for travel expenses. Being clear on this issue will save you time and money in the end. Keep a careful record of any expenses you want your company to reimburse. Make sure you understand the policy on reimbursement for extras like room service and entertainment costs.
Checklist
It seems basic, but keeping organized during travel can help eliminate stress. You do not have to keep wondering if you forgot to pack something or left something undone. While you certainly can create your own list (and keep it on your smartphone or tablet), TravelSmith offers downloadable options. Microsoft Office also has a business traveler checklist. Not sure what you should always pack? U.S. News and World Report suggests 14 items business travelers should always put in their suitcases.
Technological assistance
Technology is everywhere for today’s travelers. TripIt is a helpful tool, especially if you travel with other business colleagues and need to keep in touch with each other. The online travel assistant organizes each part of the trip — flight, hotel, car, train, restaurants, etc. — even if those tickets were booked through different online services and/or vendors. TripIt builds a master online itinerary that combines all the bookings and allows for easy sharing.
Keep clean
Traveling puts stress on your immune system. When you’re traveling for work, you can’t afford to be sick. Airplanes are, unfortunately, full of bacteria and viruses. Keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes with you. Taking a few moments to wipe down the aircraft’s tray table and seat arms equates to an ounce of prevention. You may be surprised how dirty those items are. And a simple thing like keeping your own hands clean can, according to The Centers for Disease Control, save lives.
Stay connected
Nothing seems a bigger waste of time than being stuck somewhere and not being able to do work on your laptop because you don’t have an Internet connection. Why rely on public Wi-Fi when you can bring your own? Look into purchasing a wireless broadband USB modem. Instead of having to find a hotspot, possibly pay a fee and remember account numbers and passwords, the wireless USB modem uses any cell signal, allowing you to use it anywhere. Do some research to find one that is right for you. While they are expensive, the trade-off comes in convenience.
Travel Power
With technology being at the foundation of virtually everything we do, including some of the tools to make traveling easier, power can be a concern; or the lack of it. Portable chargers are imperative when you are on the road or in the air. If you travel a lot, or you are managing a team that travels, portable power chargers are game changers. No sitting on the floor next to the airport outlet, or running out of power along the way. Check out some great portable chargers that you can purchase with company logo for you, your team or as gifts to other travels.
When travel goes more smoothly, you can then focus on work requirements. Giving yourself a little extra time and planning ahead as much as possible seems like an overused piece of advice, but doing so can help you lessen the stress while you are away from home.