12 Surefire Ways to Sabotage your Business Trip

Corporate travel mistakes to avoid

By Bev Hermanson

Business travel is often like being in a pressure cooker filled with networking; an overdose of information; negotiating contracts and agreements; and getting your bearings in a strange place.

Your company is paying for you to get out there and produce significant results that will boost their bottom line. What they don’t want is for you to completely botch it up.

Here are 12 epic fails to avoid:

12. TAKING A QUICK TIMEOUT BREAK RIGHT BEFORE YOUR BUSINESS TRIP

Sounds like a great idea. Getting away from it all to relax. Arrive at your destination with your head filled with memories of the activities you enjoyed, frolicking on the beach, making new friends.

BAD IDEA. You’ll end up feeling flustered because you didn’t take enough time to prepare. When you’re flustered, you lose focus. Before you know it, you’ve missed half of what’s been discussed and missed your chance to voice your opinion or pitch your company’s proposal.

11. NOT CHECKING IF YOUR PASSPORT HAS EXPIRED

Many countries require a passport that’s valid for at least six months after the anticipated completion of your trip. If you have less than six months to go before your passport expires, you may be denied entry into the destination. This is one of the first things you must do before making any bookings for flights and accommodation.

10. ASSUMING THAT A TOURIST VISA WILL BE ADEQUATE FOR YOUR TRIP

For a tourist visa, you need to submit details of your itinerary, proof of accommodation, proof that you have enough funds to use while you’re in the country and proof of a return or onward travel ticket.

For a business visa, you often need to produce an invitation letter from each of the companies that you’re scheduled to visit, be able to clearly state the purpose of your visit, have proof of where you’ll be staying and proof of financial solvency.

It can take up to 12 weeks to get a business visa, so make sure you have enough time to complete the application process. Don’t leave it to the last minute. And don’t risk having your entire trip derailed by trying to take shortcuts. It’s not worth it.

9. FORGETTING TO CHECK IF YOU NEED ANY VACCINATIONS

As soon as you know which countries you’ll be visiting, check with your local Travel Clinic to see if there are any mandatory vaccinations specified to qualify for entry. There may also be some additional vaccinations recommended as a precaution.

Some vaccinations require repeat doses, so you should check the time frames to allow enough leeway in getting them all done on time.

AND … remember to TAKE YOUR IMMUNISATION CARD WITH YOU!

8. NOT AGREEING ON THE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS THAT YOU NEED TO USE WHILE YOU’RE AWAY

Before you step away from the convenience of unlimited wi-fi at your office or at home, make sure you have confirmed the methods that you are required to use for communicating with your clients and contacts at your destination. The same goes for communication with your company.

Do you have a hard copy record (either written down in a note book or printed out) of all the contact details and addresses of where you need to go while you’re away. Don’t rely on accessing a digital record of these details on your phone. That’s a sure recipe for disaster, as your phone’s battery might die, or your phone could be damaged or stolen, leaving you stranded without any information.

If you’re going to a country where the locals speak a different language, make sure you at least know the basics of how to ask for assistance – in their language.

Finally, make a note of where to locate your country’s embassy at your destination in the event of some kind of emergency.

7. MAKING POOR ACCOMMODATION DECISIONS

A big letdown is getting to your hotel and finding that it’s a complete dump or it’s miles away from where you need to be for meetings.

Before booking, check the reviews and the location. Confirm if the hotel has free wi-fi, and if they do, make sure it’s accessible in your room and not only in the lobby where there’s no privacy.

Confirm the check-in and check-out times.

And don’t even think of booking into a backpackers where you’ll need to share a dorm. There’s a right time and a wrong time for using cheap accommodation and your business trip shouldn’t be part of that discussion.

6. USING THE CHEAPEST AIRLINE TO GET YOU THERE

There’s nothing worse than using a cheap, unreliable airline that keeps delaying or cancelling flights. For business travel, the most important requirement is for you to pitch up at your meetings prepared and on time.

If the cheap airline cancels your flight and bumps you over to the next day, you might miss the important meetings completely.

You want your business trip to be a success, so opt for the most reliable method of getting there.

5. THINKING THAT TAKING THE REDEYE IS A GOOD IDEA

Taking a redeye flight will have you arriving early in the morning often before any coffee shops and stores open for business. You may also have to spend up to eleven hours hanging around before you have access to your accommodation. (Yep, that’s right. Assume you arrive at 5:00 and you’re only able to check-in at 16:00, that’s eleven hours of wasted time – or you could put your luggage into a storage facility and go straight into meetings until the late afternoon.)

An alternative: If your company insists on booking you on a redeye flight, you should insist on your accommodation being booked from the night before you arrive. In that way, you’ll have access to your room as soon as you arrive. That will allow you to unwind and unpack before you set off for your first meeting.

4. HAPHAZARD PACKING

If your trip is literally a fly in, fly out type of meeting, it’s best to try and pack everything that you’ll need into your carry-on bag.

That will save you time when you disembark and ensure you won’t have the stress of coping with lost luggage.

For a longer stay, it’s still a good idea to have at least one change of clothes in your carry-on baggage so you have the option of freshening up and changing clothes before you leave the terminal building.

Struggling to fit everything into one suitcase? Check with the hotels where you’ll be staying. If they provide towels and complementary soaps, leave yours behind.

Plan outfits that are mix-and-match so you can wear a shirt (or top) a couple of times with different trousers (or skirts). Using accessories will also add variety.

3. NOT HAVING THE RIGHT PLUGS AND ADAPTORS FOR YOUR DESTINATION

There’s nothing worse than trying to make a phone call or answer a call when your phone’s battery is about to die. And then you find out that you can’t recharge your battery because the charger’s plug doesn’t fit in the socket and the hotel doesn’t have a USB charging option.

Be prepared. Make sure you charge your phone fully before you leave home. Top it up on the plane if you see the battery is running low. Or charge it at the airport after you arrive, if you have time.

Of course, you might be able to buy an adaptor at your destination but there are no guarantees that the stores will have the right kind of adaptor and the chances are you’ll be paying a lot more to solve your charging problems.

2. FORGETTING TO ACTIVATE YOUR CREDIT CARD TO MAKE INTERNATIONAL PAYMENTS

There are three ways to activate your credit card for over the border payments: online, on your banking app or by calling your bank’s customer services division.

You will need to provide details of your travel dates, the countries that you’re visiting, and your contact details while away, to complete the process.

Notifying your bank in advance allows them to authenticate your purchases without having to contact you, which could be tricky if you don’t have roaming on your phone. If you don’t inform your bank before you leave, they will assume that the transactions are fraudulent and they may decide to block your account and your payments.

This could end up being somewhat traumatic for you, particularly if your company expects you to pay for everything upfront and submit an expense claim when you return.

1. NOT CONFIRMING ALL YOUR APPOINTMENTS AND THE ADDRESSES OF THE VENUES BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME

Make sure the people who you’ll be seeing know exactly who you are, and the purpose of your visit. Call ahead and confirm the date, time that you’ll be seeing them and the address of your meeting.

As soon as you arrive at your destination, confirm these details again – in real time, which means you must make sure your watch and phone are synchronized to the date and time at your destination.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than arriving at an address to find that the venue of the meeting was changed, or getting there to find that the person that you’re scheduled to meet is away at a conference.

~~~~~~~

Phone charged, synced to local time, transport arranged, meetings confirmed, dressed to impress – now you’re all set to seal the deals.

To keep you truly focused on getting the best results from your trip, having the right travel partners to help you with the logistics will make all the difference.

Here are some travel specialists you can try: