Are you constantly looking to improve your business travel experience? Here are a few interesting little business travel hacks that can save you time and money while on the road or in the plane.
Use Your Mileage and Reward Programs
If you travel a lot, always using the same airline and the same hotel chain can be very beneficial. For the ordinary traveler, these rewards will never add up to enough to offset the savings they can get by deal hunting -- for a business traveler, the rewards can be quite substantial. By staying at the same hotel chain, you will also usually get better service.
Get Your Employer to Sponsor Your Loyalty Programs
This is especially important during the winter months, when flights are increasingly delayed -- regardless of whether you're in sunny California or snowy Connecticut. Loyalty programs make it much easier to manage delays and other issues, because you will be treated as a priority member.
Don't Assume Flying Is Always Faster
Going a state over? You might be surprised to find out that using ground transportation can be just as fast. A driver can get you where you're going directly from where you are to where you need to be. A plane requires that you get to the airport, get through security, get to the gate, take the plane, get out of the gate and then leave the airport.
Take a Portable USB Charger With You
If you have a lot of devices on you, it's very likely that you have USB chargers. Don't rely on the idea that you'll always be able to find a plug. Plugs are getting increasingly difficult to find even in airports. A portable charger doesn't need to be plugged in; it has a battery pack that it will use to plug your devices, whether you need to quickly call a ride or log into your computer back at work.
Traveling can be an efficient, exciting and fun experience as long as it's properly managed. Most of the stressors and frustrations of business travel don't need to exist at all -- as long as you do your planning.
