Travel Tips
For the many business travellers stuck on the road much of the year, here are some tips to help you get by. If you're a corporate traveller or you travel a lot for business, here are ten tips for a more easy-going, trouble and stress-free time. Check out Travel Tips.
1 - Sign up for travel rewards programmes For many corporate or business travellers, hotel stays and flights can help you collect reward points and dollars for personal use later. Points are generally rewarded to the name of the person on record staying or flying - so start signing up! 2 - Get an annual travel or health insurance plan If you're not covered under your company for travel/health insurance, consider getting an annual plan that will give you x number of days (30 days, 45 days, 90 days, etc) over a year - rather than having to buy insurance every time. 3 - Download language guides It's always useful to download basic language guides to your Blackberry or iPhone: French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, German, or Chinese that can help you get by with your foreign business partners as well as dealing with cab drivers, hotel staff, and finding a bathroom! 4 - Minimize your travel booking stress If your company has no admin staff or is not affiliated with a travel agency or booking agent, it's worth your time to find an agent that you get along with and trust. That way, when you've got to plan a trip, you can give your agent details and they can get plan and set up your itinerary for you to save you the time and headache. 5 - Arrange everything before you go Likewise, whether you use an agent or make your corporate or business travel, be sure to book your flights and research business hotels (that offer Wi-Fi, exercise room, and etc) before you leave so you don't have to worry about it while you're on the road. 6 - Money & foreign currency While it's impossible to keep a stock of every foreign currency there is, it's always a good idea to have US dollars and Euros wherever you go as they are widely accepted. Make sure your credit card companies are alerted to your itinerary. 7 - Sign up for quick-pass security programmes In some countries, frequent business and corporate travellers can sign up for programs like NEXUS (between the US + Canada) that pre-screen passengers so that later, travellers can skip border security. 8 - Bags and packing The best business travel tip for packing is to avoid checking in your baggage - keep it simple with a carry on bag, suit bag, and laptop/purse bag. 9 - Arrive early All business travellers know that arriving early can sometimes help you get an upgrade to business or first class, especially if you're a frequent flyer. 10 - Emergencies Always have copies of your passport, ID, credit cards, healthy insurance policy numbers, and emergency phone numbers in your carry-on baggage in cases of emergency - like if your wallet is stolen. Click here for details.