Courtesy of globalization and multi-state partnerships, traveling has slowly become one of the essential job duties for most entrepreneurs. In fact, the United States alone was responsible for over $292 billion spent on business travels in 2017. While this number is already extremely high when compared to almost all other nations in the world, except China, it is also continuously growing each year.
Since it is fair to expect that someone who works in business will eventually find themselves traveling around, learning the ins and outs of these types of ventures could help save a lot of time and money. According to a bilingual international sales expert, Isbert Bermudez, there is certainly no shortage of tips that people can find through quick research.
In order to properly prepare for the trip, however, there is a narrow list of crucial information that every person should know.
If It Does Not Fit in Your Backpack, Do Not Take It
Contrary to most people’s expectations, business travel should most definitely not include extensive luggage. A lot of inexperienced individuals make the mistake of taking too many items as they fear that they will be unprepared for the engagements that they are attending.
Mr. Bermudez’s advice here is to go by the backpack rule-of-thumb. If there are items that cannot fit inside of a decent-sized backpack or traveling suitcase, they should not be taken. Millions of businessmen and women learned this the hard way after falling victim to luggage delays or lost bags that caused them to miss scheduled events. Also, relying on a single backpack will guarantee that someone’s valuable items seldom leave their proximity.
Sign Up for Airline Programs and TSA Precheck
One of the crucial keywords related to business travel is “timeliness.” People who expect to spend a decent amount of time on the road should do everything in their power to get some of that time back. This is easily accomplished by signing up for things like airline flier programs that may facilitate preferential boarding times as well as the TSA’s Precheck program that helps get ahead of the queue during security checks.
If traveling will be done via transportation methods other than planes, the same objective can be reached by simple actions such as booking vehicle rentals ahead of time.
Maintain a Hotspot-Enabled Mobile Plan
Most of the airports around the world have some form of Wi-Fi that is accessible to travelers. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of instances where technical difficulties can leave one disconnected during a long layover, per se.
Isbert Bermudez proposes a great preventative measure by advising people to always have a hotspot-enabled mobile plan. This is especially helpful since the vast majority of mobile plans nowadays are optimized to carry a personal hotspot feature. So, a lack of Wi-Fi will be nothing more than a temporary inconvenience.
Have at Least One Internationally Preferred Credit Card
When traveling internationally, it is important to remember that banks have to be notified. Failing to do so will most likely lead to blocked transactions due to suspicion of fraud.
In addition to notifying the banks, it is imperative to always have an internationally optimized credit card. In other words, any card that carries no fees for transactions initiated in foreign countries. Those who are familiar with foreign fees will recognize that there are some considerable savings to be derived here.
Back-Up All Files
Technology is usually an indispensable part of everyone’s luggage. After many experiences with software issues, however, Isbert Bermudez advises people to take a hard drive or USB where data can be backed up. Even though it may take a few extra minutes to do, having a copy of all files and not needing it is definitely better than needing a copy and not having it.
The safest storage options will normally be those that operate in cold environments or offline. This is because people who may be doing work during their flights or rides can still back everything up without having to connect to the internet.
Look for Direct Flights
As far as planning tips for business travelers go, Mr. Bermudez stresses the importance of looking for direct flights. Expectedly, such alternatives tend to cost more since airline providers leverage the added convenience for an increased ticket price. Those who are in a position to pay the higher cost should certainly do so, however, as direct flights help avoid multiple issues that are common characteristics of trips with layovers.
Some examples include tiredness from waiting at an airport for a prolonged period of time, higher risk of losing items during aircraft transfers, more carry-on items such as snacks needed to fight hunger, and similar.