10 Things A NEW Business Traveller Should Know

I have a question for new business travellers. What happens once you step into the business industry? Getting operations in place, preparing new client lists, creating marketing strategies, charting long term goals, and yes generating potential leads for revenue.

Hang on! But when you think of yourself as a traveller for your “new business” (*gulp*) you think more of business cards, hotel bookings, business calendar, new business opportunities amidst the trip and client entertainment post arrival. Are you sure that all this will be enough?

We know what it is like. It’s exciting and terrifying and awesome all at the same time. It took me a complete year to understand the multiple business industries in the market. So I know what a hard decision it can be to manage travelling on a new business front.

Maybe planning your first business trip for a client meeting is nothing more than a basic itinerary but for sure it requires no less than full time planning for its execution. No wonder as the business is new and you do not have even the accountant and assistant maps in place. Might not sound that important but you surely need business accounting and assistance while you travel. Don’t worry we’re here to help you run the show, and we are including a surprise regarding travel taxes as well.

By the end of this article you will be able to:

• Make your business trip a success
• Plan your business travel easily
• Get on with itineraries like a pro
• Generate profits at your destination networks
• Have that business calendar up for any kind of travel that needs to be managed.

Here are ten tips for a smooth business trip

1. Make travel arrangements Secondary and Confirm your scheduled meetings on priority

Follow some concrete rules when planning and setting business trip meetings. You should ensure that your travel from out of state for the meeting is not cancelled or rescheduled easily. Additionally, send a calendar invite for all your meetings while you are still on the phone with the prospect. Last but not least, if the calendar invitation is not accepted, you can assume confidently the meeting is off until it is reconfirmed on the phone and accepted.

2. Call Ahead to Connections That Can Help with Your Purpose for Traveling

Take time to cold call local experts in your field/industry, (e.g. Travel Agents, Trading, woo commerce, Allied services, Consulting, Brand management, Transport etc.) that address your concerns and can also provide guidance to the destination you plan to visit. Communicate the need for anything that needs to be prepared in advance. This will not only make a pipeline for your future travel maps but will help you network more and more to expand your business.

3. Efficient time management by avoiding travel delays if any

Reach on a Saturday folks!

Arriving on peak business running days (Monday-Friday) will not only make you run out of time but will refrain you from that relaxed mode before you warm hands for the client meeting. However to plan a cost-effective trip you can fly on weekdays just a day before the meeting or so and spend some time on a trip nearest to or around your destination. In today’s era of the always-connected workforce, you can manage to fit in a bit of pleasure into your business trip which is a very prudent way to maximize your vacation time and see the world

Now to save time you have to follow a few rules:

• You can fly in meeting-suitable attire to avoid lost baggage disasters.
• You can also strive to spend the night close to the next day’s meeting to limit traffic problems.
• A short confirmation text the night before a meeting or first thing in the morning has often avoided mistakes on the exact meeting location or time of the meeting.
• Lastly, you can pack a pair of dress shoes in colour schemes that will all match with each other.

Here are helpful guides on choosing women’s professional clothing and men’s businesswear.

4. The ongoing strategy of Networking with potential leads/deals should be high on your mind!

Maximize your business trips by scheduling time for existing client visits, new business meetings, and professional development opportunities. Scan contacts based in that area and plan to host a dinner or grab a quick coffee with them. These face-to-face meetings go a really long way in maintaining business relationships with the existing clients as well as forming connections with potential business partners. This will act as a boon for all the future series of your business trips, in fact, the bond will go stronger with continued notifications and connections with the potentials.

5. “Travel Expenses” Your Saviour!

If you are spending more than 50 percent of each eight-hour workday on business, then your travel can be deductible. Almost every travel expense can be deductible if it qualifies as a business trip, including airfare and rental cars.

Note: You can deduct 50% of meal costs on a business trip. Meal costs are deductible at 50%, but entertainment expenses are no longer deductible business expenses, effective with the 2018 tax year. The 50% limit also applies to taxes and tips for business meals.

6. Keep your accounts in place: It manages end to end reservations and expenses

Accounting is no more “just a CA” thing with technology and artificial intelligence in place today. If you are ignoring your accounting stats while packing your bag, wait a minute!

Nowadays we have advanced technologies to carry a virtual accountant in your travel bag. Carrying the same will not only help you in your business statistics navigation but will give you that sense of carrying your business world with you while heading for the trip.

The software and their apps function efficiently while you travel & keep notifying you about:

• The expenses you’ve done
• Your cash inflow and outflow
• A quick check on your P&L Stats & GST reports
• Complete dashboard reflecting business activities

7. Join some B2B Groups or platforms

During the business trip, your schedule is very tight. It’s very difficult to make plans once you are there as every minute of the day needs to be planned out beforehand. B2B Platforms can help as they give you the chance to get in touch with professionals (For e.g. Buyers and sellers from a trading Industry) prior to your departure. Getting to know someone before the trip will make it easier to plan and grab new opportunities for both business-related and other travel. You can easily register to such firms by applying on their website.

8. Plan beforehand when you have limited travel time

You have limited time in your hands. Plan it on a daily basis, weekly basis and a monthly basis. Maximize this time by organizing and setting meetings before you board the flight. Use the travel time to do your research on the place and people you are visiting or events you’re attending or administrative work. Also, you can create your own road map of how to start navigating and executing the business plan once you reach your destination.

9. This Business trip should go fine. But are you? Take medication so that you can kill that presentation like real hard!

It’s quite obvious that by the time you reach your destination you will experience headaches or any other ailment due to jet lag, dehydration, neck ache, pains etc. You might also experience indigestion from the plane food, eating at different places and at unusual hours. Therefore, keeping some basic medication on you can help you avoid such circumstances. Also, While travelling and during the flight, drink at least 8 ounces of water per hour and avoid drinking alcohol, which dehydrates your body.

10. Heard about designing a business travel bag? Let’s do it for you!

When you are on the field doing sales, speaking to leads about marketing, you have to bring your laptops, pamphlets, action guides and stuff that go with it.

Having said that, carrying a specific bag just for business travel trips (compared to field trips) will allow you to manage its weight, keeping tickets and wallets in specific sections of the bag and dropping in those contacts and business cards appropriately where they can be easily pulled from. It also helps you to get through security much faster. Now, as soon as you return back to your hotel the first thing you can do is pull off all the business cards collected from the specific sections and segregate it. This is the best way to make sure that you don’t overlook an important sales lead. You can also read about these business packing tips and hacks.

There is a connection between business and travelling since ages  and this reminds me of a famous quote by Mark Twain which says, “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things  cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.”

If you found this article helpful, please do share it. You can also tweet #traveldotearth or share your perspective in the comment section below.