UPTOURIST

There’s more to business travel in the millennial age than there was 10 years ago. Now, rather than the prototypical suit-and-briefcase types, we’ve got travel vloggers, fashion bloggers and tech startup CEOs traveling all over the globe finding a way to make a living and expand their business. Solid business travel tips are a must for navigating national and international travel, circa 2016 and beyond.

As the millennial “work-from-anywhere” workforce continues to grow, business traveler numbers will only continue to increase.

There are a lot of things you need to know in order to travel without hiccups, while arriving safe and on your own two feet.

Here’s just a few tips to help you save money, pack properly, stay healthy and avoid scrutiny from Homeland Security for the rest of 2016 and beyond:

Check for Traveler Alerts

Unless your life means nothing to you, check out the Department of State website for current travel warnings. Do this well in advance of your flight, as well as in the days leading up to departure, so you can change plans accordingly if needed.

Enroll in Travel Programs

I’m not referring to signing up for yet another travel credit card. The types of travel programs business travelers need to focus on are those that get you through all the incessant lineups, even potential strip searches, that all travelers must encounter at some point when flying.

• Apply for TSA Pre-check for travel within the states,
• Choose something like one of these trusted travel programs if you’re going to be traveling a lot internationally.
• Another smart idea is to stick with the same one or two airlines and hotels while you’re traveling. While airlines are scaling down their rewards programs, they all still offer some sort of frequent flyer savings and/or rewards points to be used later on. Hotels do the same thing — ask for a frequent guest account number and watch your accommodation’s savings soar. They’ll also often offer other perks such as discounts on meeting rooms, shuttle services and food while staying at the hotel.

Get Yourself Righted Before and During Your Time on the Plane

• Try to relax while you’re in the air, working at 30,000 feet isn’t any way to get a lot of work done, unless you’re riding on a private jet.
• Be nice to the airplane staff — you never know what kind of privileges they can offer you now or in the future. Even a free bag of peanuts or bottle of mineral water can cheer you up on a long flight.
• Always carry a change of business-appropriate clothing inside your carry-on, in case you end up stuck without your luggage when you land and have a meeting scheduled for soon after.

Stay Healthy While You Travel

• Carry hand sanitizer wherever you go — we don’t live in a germ free world folks, and there’s a lot of “ick” out there that can make you sick for days, possibly leading to hospitalization or even death.
• Eat right, get exercise and always make sure you get up and walk around every hour or so — whether on a plane, train, or in the meeting room. Follow these tips to avoid blood clots in your legs, which are a too common reality especially for plane travelers.
• On the topic of eating right: Business trips aren’t the time to try new and exotic dishes — at least not until the deal is inked and you’re on your way home. Save the experimentation for times when you don’t necessarily need to be at your best 24/7.

Make Sure You Know What’s Up With Your Passport in 2016 and Beyond

Big changes have taken place over the last year. While many rules remain the same, others have been changed and you must know about them if you don’t want to get stuck at the airport with nowhere to go.

• As of the start of this year, you can no longer add new pages to your visa when they run out, you have to apply for a renewal. There’s no way around this new rule and no amount of begging, kicking or screaming will change things for you on the departure day if you’re stuck without any extra room.
• If you don’t pay your taxes and pay your child support, keep in mind that owing more than 50-grand in back taxes or any amount of child support payments in arrears will likely result in a passport suspension, revocation, or denial (if you’re applying for a new one).
• Current wait times for new passport processing is up to six weeks, due to the surge in travel overall.
• Bonus Tip: Apply for a duplicate passport if you travel as often for pleasure as you do business. This way you can use one for business and one for pleasure and not fill either up as fast.

I hope these business travel tips are helpful to you. Feel free to comment down below if you have any of your own or are aware to any changes affecting the advice given on this page.

 

Main Image Credit: m01229/Flickr