These business travel tips are insanely useful

Traveling for business, in many ways, is the same as traveling for vacation. But in many other ways, it’s hardly the same thing at all! For example, traveling for business is not always fun, and it’s usually a lot shorter than traveling for vacation, with a “get in and get out” sort of feel to it. Whether it’s your first work trip or your fiftieth, these business travel tips will help it go smoother for you.

Pack lighter

If you’re going purely for business purposes, you probably won’t need to check any luggage at the airport. Instead, travel light with the best carry-on luggage to store in the overhead bin on the plane and then a smaller bag that you can keep under the seat in front of you.

Not only will this first of our travel business tips save you money, but it will make your trip a lot less stressful too. You won’t have to wait for a checked bag at the destination either.

Furthermore, you can save on what you pack by checking ahead for what are the amenities at the hotel. Phone the front desk and ask them if they have a hair dryer, shampoo, and conditioner already in your booked room. If so, you can skip packing these items!

And here are related business travel tips. If you absolutely need a hair curler or straightener, look for a travel size one to save space in your bag. Streamline your makeup too by taking only one mascara and one lipstick rather than several.

Book ahead

Booking well ahead of time will almost always save you money on flights and hotel rooms alike, both internationally and domestically. The closer you get to a flight departure date, the more expensive the ticket will be, in most cases. Furthermore, buying an airplane ticket just a few months before the departure date, rather than a few weeks or a few days ahead, can save literally hundreds of dollars. And the same reasoning holds true for hotel rooms too.

Also, while we’re on the topic of saving money, you might wonder if there’s a cheaper day of the week to book flights. If you google “when is the cheapest day to book flights” you’ll probably see Tuesday as the answer. But while you might find deals that particular day we don’t hold a lot of weight to this Tuesday rule. Instead, many airlines offer deals throughout the week. And the particular day they do so depends on many factors, such as where you travel to and from, as well as the time of year. In general, you will find though that a longer layover for a trip is less expensive than a regular return.

More business travel tips:

Be loyal

What we mean here is to be loyal to businesses and travel companies. Why? Then you can accumulate rewards points at a rather rapid rate that you can then spend later to save money. My partner is obsessed with collecting Air Miles and we currently have about 10,000 of them. Hopefully that’ll help us out for our honeymoon.

And here’s another way to be loyal. If you’re doing a lot of traveling, then try to use the same airline and stay in the same hotel rooms and use the same car rental agencies, if it’s at all possible. Brand loyalty can eventually get you into the elite status for several travel companies as well, which can give you a wide variety of different perks and upgrades. And, as we hinted already, another of the key business travel tips is to use rewards points you accumulate with your credit cards.

It isn’t all about work

Sure, you’re traveling for work, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun while you’re at it, right? So, with that in mind, we’re including F-U-N as one of the business travel tips for women here.

The truth is that going to your hotel room, then heading to your meeting, and grabbing the first flight out will drain your energy. It’ll likely make your trip the direct opposite of fun.

Instead, we suggest making time between meetings to see the sunrise or sunset. This activity will help de-stress you. Furthermore, why not enjoy a break at a local coffee shop? If you can, choose one that’s unique to the area you’re visiting rather than a chain like Starbucks; this way you can get to feel the local vibe.

And here’s a final point on our business travel tips list. There’s nothing wrong with booking just one extra day at the hotel. Then you can have a full 24 hours to yourself to do as you like. This is especially something you’ll want to do if you visit a new city. Get the chance to explore it. To fully enjoy your extra day, take time before getting on the plane to research the destination. In particular, look for top historical and cultural sites to visit there. This way you can make the most of your travel time and see the top-rated locations out there while traveling as a woman.