A business trip abroad can be an exciting and equally daunting prospect. If you’ve been tasked with arranging it all yourself (or you’re arranging it for someone else), there are a few important things you’ll need to consider. Below are just 5 tips for ensuring that your business trip is planned out properly.
Know your budget
If you work for an employer, you’ll likely be given a budget to work with. If you run your own business, you’ll need to set your own budget. Work out exactly what your budget is first before you start booking things. Your budget needs to cover flights, local transport, accommodation and other travel fees. You should also consider whether general spending money for food and drink is likely to be included within this. Knowing your budget will prevent you overspending in a certain area (for example, if you’ve only got $500 to work with, you don’t want to be splashing out on business class air travel as this may not leave much room for accomodation).
Find the right hotel
Ideally, you want to find a hotel that caters to travelling professionals. When looking at hotels, consider whether the amenities fit your needs. For example, is there reliable wi-fi so that you can work from the hotel and is it free/low cost? If you need to get up early for a meeting, will the hotel serve breakfast early enough for you to eat? Do the hotel rooms have a rail for hanging up your suit on a hanger if necessary? These could all be important questions to ask. Make sure that the hotel is also accessible to where you need to be for work.
Plan how to get around
Once you’re at your destination, you need to work out how to get around. Relying on taxis could be expensive and possibly unreliable in some locations. Public transport may be a better option – you should plan out your journeys in advance. You may even decide that it’s best to hire a car. There are car rental companies like Burswood Car Rentals that offer corporate car hire. In this case, you’ll need to factor in the cost of car hire, fuel and parking.
Pack everything you may need
When packing for your trip, try to be as prepared for all eventualities as possible. If you’re travelling somewhere with unreliable weather, consider packing attire for different weather conditions. Make sure that this clothing is professional and in tone with local business attire. Pack any electronics you need such as your laptop or tablet, and make sure you have portable chargers and plug adaptors.
Double-check the time and location
You don’t want your trip to be wasted because you accidentally got the time or location wrong. If someone else is in charge of the time and location, make sure to confirm it with them before you travel out to meet them. It’s worth researching on Google Maps exactly where you need to meet so that you can plan how to get there in advance. If you are planning where to meet, make sure to confirm the date and location with any other parties so that they don’t forget or get it wrong.
