12 tips for business travel

Quick insights

• Business trips can be opportunities to connect with clients and colleagues from different locations.
• It may be helpful for employees to consult their company’s travel policy prior to a business trip.
• Taking pictures of receipts can be useful for accurate expense report submissions.

Whether you’re a seasoned business traveler or are planning for your first work trip, it can be helpful to prepare in advance. It’s important to book accommodations in advance, track expenses for reimbursement and prepare for work outside your typical routine.

Traveling for business soon? Follow our tips below to prepare for your trip.

1. Consult your company travel policy

Many companies create travel policies to help employees understand what kinds of expenses are reimbursable. These policies may cover details like:

• Acceptable spending categories (like airfare, lodging, meals and rental cars)
• Spending limits for each category
• Rules for reimbursement (for example, you may need to keep your receipt and provide a brief description for each purchase)

Some companies prefer to issue per diems instead of setting spending limits on specific categories. A per diem is a set amount of money per day paid to an employee to use on acceptable expenses during a business trip. Businesses that opt for per diems may want to set the daily spending amount based on location, as some areas tend to be more expensive than others.

2. Keep your receipts

Many businesses require employees to submit expense reports to receive reimbursement. Expense reports are itemized lists of purchases and related details. It’s likely that business will ask for receipts, or pictures of receipts, for each purchase for bookkeeping purposes.

It may be wise to take a picture of receipts for all reimbursable expenses. You can also check if your company uses expense management software. This type of software can usually take photos of receipts and automatically capture details like subtotals and expense categories.

3. Plan ahead

Booking flights, accommodations and transportation in advance may allow you to secure the best rates and availability. You also may want to check with your company to see if they have any preferred vendors that provide discounts.

Creating a detailed itinerary can also help you stay on top of your schedule in a potentially unfamiliar area. Consider documenting meeting times, locations and colleague contact information in your phone of a planner.

4. Stay organized

If you’re traveling by plane, consider checking in early online to save time at the airport. Most airlines allow you to download boarding passes to your phone’s wallet to avoid printing a physical copy at the airport.

It may also be a good idea to keep important documents on you at all times. This could include your ID, your passport and business cards.

5. Manage your time wisely

If you’re flying, consider arriving at the airport at least two hours before departure for domestic flights and three for international flights. This may help you budget enough time for parking, security and finding your gate. If you’re traveling during a holiday or peak hours, though, you may want to budget additional time at the airport before your departure.

If you’re driving or taking public transportation, leave early enough to include buffer time before your first meeting in case there’s traffic or other delays.

6. Pack wisely

If possible, pack a carry-on bag for air travel to avoid checking your bag. This could save you time when you land and possibly help you avoid additional fees.

If you do need to check a bag, put your laptop and any other work necessities in a carry-on or personal item. This way, you’ll still have them in the event of lost or delayed checked bags.

Lastly, bring essentials like chargers, adapters and a portable power bank. This way, you can work or use electronics during travel or throughout potentially long days on your business trip.

7. Pack both business and casual clothes

If you’re traveling to meet with colleagues or clients, you may need both business attire and casual clothing. Think about what you want to wear for meetings as well as more casual team/client outings.

It also may be helpful to use packing cubes or pack wrinkle-resistant clothing to ensure your outfits are ready to go once you arrive at your destination.

8. Bring travel-sized toiletries

Keep in mind that you can’t bring full-sized toiletry items through security at an airport. Bring travel-sized toiletries to avoid the hassle of needing to replace items after arriving at your destination.

If you travel frequently, consider buying reusable travel-sized containers for items like shampoo, conditioner, face wash and moisturizer.

9. Stay productive

If you have downtime before takeoff, it may be helpful to catch up on work or plan for upcoming meetings. This way, you can make the most of the in-person time and connect with your colleagues.

Airports can be noisy, so you might want to bring noise-canceling headphones to minimize distractions. Alternatively, you may want to consider heading to an airport lounge to work or relax in a potentially quieter environment.

10. Bring water and snacks

Staying hydrated and satiated may help you feel at your best once you land and meet with your colleagues or clients. While you can’t bring liquids past security, you can bring an empty water bottle and fill it up airside at a water fountain.

You can also bring some snacks from home if you’d prefer not to buy them at the airport. Options like granola bars and other pre-packaged snacks are allowed through security and may keep well even if you don’t eat them right away.

11. Leverage loyalty programs

Some companies choose to issue individual business credit cards to employees. In this case, the business may be able to earn rewards on work-related expenses. But if an employee uses a personal credit card to be reimbursed later, they could potentially earn points on travel-related purchases.

Employees who travel frequently also may want to consider hotel and airline loyalty programs. These programs may allow their members to earn free hotel stays and airline miles over time.

12. Find time to explore

If time allows, you may want to explore the city you’re staying in. Even if you aren’t able to extend your trip further, you can try out nearby restaurants and cafés during your meals or free time after work.

Planning to meet with colleagues or clients after working hours? Ask anyone who is local for their recommendations or favorite places in town.

In summary

It’s important to stay prepared and organized for business trips. By following the above business travel checklist, employees can stay productive and make the most of their trips.

And if you will be using your personal credit card during your travels, consider alerting your credit card company in advance. This way, you can potentially avoid any hiccups with using your card as usual.