12 travel hacks for the business traveller

Travelling for business can be equal parts rewarding and tiring, as you move around, staying anywhere from a hotel in Singapore to corporate apartments in Melbourne, and it can also be a tough time as you’re away from family and friends and working in a strange city. As a result, you can never have enough tricks, tips and hacks for saving money, time and your mind when you’re travelling – and I want to share some travel hacks for the business traveller which I have accumulated over the years.

1. Serviced apartments
Staying in a hotel room is all very well and good, but sometimes the lack of space and the distinct ‘hotel-ness’ of it can be a bit much. I like to stay in a serviced apartment whenever I can because you get the feeling of being in an apartment with all of the comforts of staying in a hotel. It’s a win-win situation really.

2. A Travel Checklist
I never travel without a checklist. It makes packing, scheduling and arranging my trip that much easier. I use a tool on my smartphone, but you could get by with a classic pen and paper arrangement, too.

3. A Bonus Day for Meetings
If you pop an extra day in at the end of your trip for any meetings that you might need to go to, you can always use it for seeing the city, visiting a friend or any other kind of leisure activity that you might like.

 
4. Elite Status
A great part about business travel is that you rack up the miles pretty quickly, and this accumulates to being able to get lounge access and preferential treatment by airlines. If you have elite status, you may be eligible for upgrades and other perks too.

5. Being Nice
This is a hack in the sense that it works wonders for your day. If you’re nice to people, they’re far more likely to want to help you out if your plane has been cancelled or if a hotel has lost your reservation. Be kind to people and they’ll open up to you in return!

6. Necessities in Each City
If you travel to the same spots a lot, see if you can keep a bag of essentials at a particular hotel or apartment, that way you can travel really light.

7. Always Be Charging
When you travel for business, you need to make sure your laptop and phone are always ready to go. Invest in a portable battery charger, it makes life a lot easier, but make sure you always have the charger going for your devices in the hotel or airport lounge.

9. Mobile Office
Keep the essentials for your day in a bag that you always have on you. That way you won’t be caught short in the event of an impromptu meeting, or in case your bag is lost by an airline.

10. Apps
There are countless apps for travellers – whether it’s a time app for the time difference, a scheduling tool or a translator, you’ll find that your phone is number one for helping you out when you’re moving around a lot.

 
11. One-Bag Travel
It’s an annoyance to have to check a bag in – so try to travel with one bag next time you fly. That way, you save time going in and leaving the airport. Bonus.

12. Be flexible
This is a great one for the frequent traveller. Things can change and you need to be able to roll with the punches when they do. If you’re flexible in your travel arrangements, it makes your trip a lot more smooth and hassle free. Oh, and don’t forget to be nice, too!