Before My First Work Trip, I Wish I Knew About:

• Efficiency in Security
  When preparing to go through security, get your things organized. This will save you so much time at the airport security checkpoints. Keep all your electronics together so you can easily put them in the tray. Put all your other loose items such as shoes, jacket, belt, and others in a separate tray.When you are on the other side of the security checkpoint, you can easily collect your laptop and cell phone. Take a moment and slowly put everything back in its right place. As you put each item back in its bag or put your shoes on, make note that they are secure so you can move on.
• It’s Fine to Wear Outfits More than Once
  You don’t want to weigh yourself down with a heavy suitcase for your business trip. There is absolutely no reason that you need to pack a different outfit for each day on your corporate trip. Consider getting business clothes (slacks, suits, shirts, skirts) that are in neutral colors such as whites, blacks, and grays so you can create several outfits from only a few pieces. This is what is known as a capsule wardrobe, which takes up less space and is less weight in your bag.
• Overhead Luggage Saves You Time
  You will not believe how much time you will save when you don’t have a bag to check. Think about it: You will have to wait in line to check your bag. If it is overweight from the standard 50-pound maximum per checked bag, you will have to shift your items to your carry-on or additional suitcases or pay more. Then, after your flight, you will have to wait for the bag to come out at the carousel.Now consider if you had all your items in a small overhead-sized bag. You can check in at a kiosk, get your boarding passes, and move on straight to security and the gate. You don’t need to wait in what can seem like an interminable line to get your suitcases weighed and get checked in.
• Toiletries Are Provided in Most Business Class Hotels
  You don’t need to weigh yourself down by packing numerous toiletries. Items such as body wash, shampoo, and conditioner are almost always provided for you in your room. Even though hotels are moving more toward dispensaries in bathrooms to reduce plastic waste, you still don’t need to haul these items with you. Unless you have allergies to specific brands, there is no need to bring your own regular-sized toiletries with you on your business trips.
• Reviewed All Company Policies
  Another good thing to do right before your business trip commences is to do a review of your company’s corporate travel policies. Make sure you are familiar with what your spending limits are for each item in your corporate travel policy. You need to make sure you don’t exceed these limits without approval. For instance, your corporate policy for rental cars may already include insurance options and therefore you will not have to pay the additional expense at the counter. After all, you do not want to have the surplus expense out of your own pocket to make up the difference. Plus it does not look good when you exceed budgets, so it is best to go into your trip prepared with a review of the policy.
• Not to Get Frazzled When Last-Minute Travel Changes Occur
  Travel is and will always be unpredictable. This will never change. You will need to not shift into panic mode when a wrinkle is thrown into your itinerary. The key is to not let unexpected travel delays interfere with all you must do. To cope with any travel changes and delays, you must first try and center yourself, and then review the change needed and act accordingly. It will take some time for you to get into the flow of shifting into travel mode to problem-solving mode, and you can learn to do it while being calm.

Traveler’s Q has experts that can assist your business with our corporate travel tips. Contact us today so our corporate travel planners can steer your business into the future of corporate travel.