How to plan the ultimate business trip

If you travel for business you have no excuse to try and also relax a bit. Here are some tips on how to combine pleasure and business in a single trip. The whole point to this is to save both some time and money, especially if you work in a field or company where vacations are something nearly unheard of.

Check the company’s policies first
Most companies will frown upon mixing business and pleasure, however your meetings will definitely not last the whole day. This means that any spending you do on your spare time might not be reimbursed. What’s more, it is also a good idea to ask for permission before you book a few extra days: it creates trust, and everyone in the office will be better prepared to deal with situations where your presence would otherwise be needed.

Join a frequent flier program
If you fly often for business you might already have such a membership, and if you don’t it makes no sense not to take advantage of it. You can use the rewards to book an extra night that will not have to be reimbursed.

An airport lounge membership can help
You don’t have to go to the lounge and get drunk, but you can use the place to charge your laptop, check your emails or get some work done in case your flight is delayed, or arrived too early. Don’t expect your company to pay for it, as they might not. You can also grab something to eat or print some documents, as well if needed.

Try not to travel midweek
If your meeting is on a Friday or Monday, you can easily extend your stay over the weekend. You might have to fly there a day earlier, or return a day later: on Thursday or Tuesday respectively. It will be more difficult to extend your stay if the meeting is on a Wednesday, but it surely is not impossible. You could perhaps pair it with another business meeting, if you’re supposed to travel more for the same purpose.

Make sure you can get a refund if needed
You don’t know when an emergency strikes and you’ll have to cancel or change plane or train tickets for others. Make sure you can get a refund for the ones you already got, or that you can at least exchange them for the ones you do need, according to the situation. Make sure all your tickets and reservations are also refundable or are given the possibility to exchange them in case the trip gets cancelled.

Make sure you have enough time to leisure
As just mentioned, at times we’re forced to change plans at the drop of a hat, and this means to time to relax while on a business trip. This easily means you’ll lose money instead of saving it, like intended. These cases are surely not happening that often, and you generally know just how much time you have before you must return or leave for another business meeting in a different location.