Oftentimes a business trip conjures up a happy thought of somehow turning it into a long vacation. Zapping right past the happy area of our brain are the words “Ah how I wish this could be my long stay trip to the Bahamas”; don’t we all do that? The travel industry has kept a conscious bifurcation between the vacationers and the business travellers. Where a holiday goer will pack his bags for a three-week long fun stay with family, the poor business traveller shrugs at the thought of an all work trip with no fun.
But, thanks to the internet gods, the tables have now turned. In this age of torpedo paced downloads and superfast work environment, nothing remains too difficult. Business travellers are increasingly planning their work trips like a long weekend getaway.
Business travel is coming off age. It no more translates to same old work trip for two weeks. It has become more of a ‘business + leisure’ trip and why not? With daily deadlines to meet, tight schedules to live up to and work targets to conquer an average employee has no personal time left. To cash in on some extra me time while out on a work trip, plan your business travel cleverly. Minimise and ease out work pressure by sneaking in a mini vacation on your next business trip.
Interested to know how? Well, read on. We have some interesting tips and travel hacks ready for you to make your next business trip is nothing less than an adventure.
Plan your stay ahead:
Strategize your business trip with a margin of space that allows you to combine travelling and working together. Cash in on those extra annual leaves. Request your manager to add a few days to your business trip so that you get a chance to unwind and relax.
Don’t travel alone: Check your work schedule on the trip. How long are you going to work every day? See if you can bring your family, friends or a travel buddy along with you without disturbing your work schedule.
Having a few extra hours for yourself after work means you can take your family along. This way you could complete your work engagements and run off with your loved ones for a daily leisure visit around the city.
Time your travel: Chalk out your travel plans. If the nature of your work demands travelling every day, then calculate the time it will take between running to the work area and coming back to your place of stay. If that is the case, then make sure you get enough time after finishing off work to visit some native tourist spots.
Schedule your meetings on work days. Engage Mondays till Thursdays as your working days and keep the weekend off to help you gain some time for a local sightseeing tour. In case if you have your whole troupe of family and travel buddies around with you, sync your work days with their travelling plans. Join them on the trip after work hours.
Accommodation and place of stay: Chuck the boring old hotel stay. Try the new concept of staying at a fully furnished serviced apartment. The idea of having an accommodation to yourself without any hassles or complexities of a hotel stay is a relieving idea.
A home away from home is always a welcoming thought. Making your own meals in the Kitchen, just the way you like it without being charged for it, is a happy change. Serviced apartments are way cheaper than a hotel. Corporate housing is the need of the hour and it will accelerate at a zapping pace.
Travel light: Pack your travel bags wisely. Get a lightweight suitcase or a compressed bag where you can adjust your necessities without compromising the responsibilities of work related gadgets and documents.
Check the dress code of the place you are visiting for work. If it is more towards casual dressing, then good for you. You can dress for work and leisure both.
Pick clothing that is easy to wash, dry, as well as fold and requires little or no ironing. Travelling light is a boon! That ways you don’t have to worry about a lot of fussy stuff like waiting for the room service to deliver your pin up attire.
Extend the budget a little: The thought of a vacation is always relaxing. Whether we like it or not business travel is always budgeted. Joining your work travel with a pleasure trip would mean extra costs. Offices mostly schedule business trips with a set budget. However, it doesn’t mean that one can’t add a few bucks more in the travel expenses. Always make prior arrangements for any cash related urgencies and keep your own green paper ready.
Martin Wynn
