Business Travel Tips?
Business travel and the ADDexec: On the plus side, you get to move around a lot (except when you’re sitting mid-row in coach class), see a bunch of new things, and meet a bunch of new people. On the down side, there are a million more opportunities to be late, get distracted, and forget stuff at the home office.
Anyone have some good tips for making an ADDexec’s travel go a little easier?
Here are some standbys to get us started:
* keep a full toiletry kit packed and ready at all times.
* keep said toiletry kit next to your (high quality) suitcases.
* make a re-usable spreadsheet for your packing list remember/plan for what items you need to pack. Mine has sections for: work clothes, leisure clothes, outerwear (coats, shoes), toiletries, meds, personal electronics, work equipment, and work files.
* use the packing list as a checklist for packing up.
* make three copies of your passport and drivers’ license: one goes with your suitcase (in case you lose your wallet and need to tell authorities who you are), one goes to your assistant or a trusted peer at the home office, and one stays at home. Oh, and include those “call if your card is lost or stolen” phone numbers for your bank and credit cards.
* don’t schedule as many meetings as you think you can fit in. You can’t.
* if you’re driving to the airport but won’t use your keys while you’re traveling, get a good clip to attach your keychain to your luggage when you’re not carrying them around.
* don’t try to supervise your home office while you’re on the road. You can’t. So give someone else a chance, for Pete’s sake.
* leave your parking slip in your car before you head for the gates (why carry it around while you travel?) and write down where you park your car at the home airport!
* give yourself extra time to get to appointments. Sure, it’s no fun to sit in a client’s reception area while you wait for your meeting time to finally roll around. But guess what’s even less fun?
* always put your airline ticket, passport, and wallet in the same place(s) when you travel. That way you won’t do the “where’s my ticket?” pocket-patting Macarena at every security check.
* make an online backup of your itinerary, ticket info, and other useful info if you can do so safely. For example, you can mail your info to a free webmail account (like gmail, Yahoo! or Hotmail), or you can scan them and leave them as graphic files on a hidden or password-protected site.
OK, so those are the easy tips. What have you got?
