Making the Most of Business Travel

For many people business travel has long been considered a necessary evil, time away from home and the office that often felt like it could be better spent. However, people that used to spend their business trips shuffling between hotel conference rooms and restaurants are now looking to make more of their trips.

This type of travel isn’t just for the high flying, expensive suit wearing, business man anymore either. With networking events and conferences based all around the world, people from virtually all industries find themselves needing to travel for work on a regular basis.

One of the key factors in encouraging a boom in business travel is social media. The easy access to regular and informal conversation with other experts in your field, via twitter for example, has led to more people collaborating and ultimately meeting in person to work together.

Using a service such as Statesman Travel can make business travel a lot simpler in terms of logistics but there are still little things you can do to make your trip even more valuable. 

How to make the most of business travel:

Do Your Research

If you find yourself travelling regularly for work it can be tempting to fall into a mundane routine. Being picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel, following the obvious nearby recommendations for large scale restaurants and being guided around the city between meetings. Unfortunately this doesn’t give you the chance to get to know a new destination and make the most of your travel opportunity.

Even if your time is limited, try to spend just 20 or 30 minutes researching a few sights that are of interest to you. They don’t have to be top of the list in the guidebook but something interesting specifically to you that will help you remember your stay. Even taking an hour to visit a couple of attractions by yourself with give your trip an extra purpose and give you something other than the inside of a conference room to talk about when you return home.

Creative Commons Flickr Credit: ChrisDag

Be Nice

It’s also easy to fall into zombie mode during business travel, especially if you’re a frequent flyer and find airport procedures a little tedious. Try to remember though that everyone is there to do a job and they no doubt recognise your type. With a smile and friendly hello you might find yourself on the receiving end of a little extra leg room or some great tips for your upcoming destination.

Pack Light

It’s always better to forget a couple of easy-to-pick-up items than spend days lugging around unnecessary baggage. Not only does carry-on luggage speed up your airport time (giving you more free time for those sights you picked) but it also gives you more freedom in your destination. Swinging a weekend bag over your shoulder means you can go for a walk in the spare hour before you get picked up to fly home and you can jump on the crowded underground without fear of losing your suitcase.

Eat Local

Eating at smaller, local restaurants are a great way to get insider tips about what to do in your temporary home. Solo travellers are often very well looked after in these sort of places and you certainly won’t find yourself short of conversation.

Of course you’ll also enjoy great food and much better prices than the hotel restaurant (and maybe even avoid those annoying work colleagues, if only for an hour).