Congratulations! You’ve moved up enough on the corporate ladder and have landed your first business trip. You’re probably excited and can’t wait to fly to your next destination to show off your professional skills. But with that comes a set of nerves. What do I bring? How do I handle being out of the office? We’re here to tell you to shelve your fears. With these tips, your next business trip will go as planned and before you know it, you’ll be celebrating your next promotion with a glass of bubbly.

 

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Corporate Travel Tips

Pack Well

Make a checklist or find one online that you can use. After you gather all the items and pack them, check it twice. Helpful items include business clothes, toiletries and anything you might need during your meetings. The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination that’s 1,000 miles away and discover you don’t have that important file.

Arrive Early

No one will blame you if your flight is delayed. But your employer will probably be pretty upset if you oversleep and miss your plane, according to Primer Magazine. Set you alarm and get there early. Plus, it’s more professional too.

What to Bring

You’ll be traveling for work, so you’ll want to bring the appropriate items. Think business cards, a laptop and extra chargers for your electronics. If your company hasn’t given you business cards yet or if they won’t be ready in time for your trip, go ahead and get your own printed with your personal email address. You’ll be networking and making contacts that you’ll probably want to follow up with. Be sure to bring comfortable shoes along too. Try to condense as well. Try to fit everything you need into a carry-on. If you must check, consult your company to see if they’ll cover the charges. Lastly, be sure to pack a notebook, the old-fashioned kind. Since whipping out a laptop during a big meeting is rude, a paper one is an unobtrusive way to take notes during a meeting.

How to Handle Being Out of the Office

For starters, you’ll have your phone and computer with you so you’ll be able to do some remote work. It’s probably best to put up an out of office message on your email account and in-office phone too. You’ll want it to either say that you’ll be checking email and your phone infrequently or list other in-office contacts that the person can reach if they need immediate assistance.

How to Make the Most of the City You’re Staying In

One of the perks of traveling for work is that your employer will pay for you to go to a new place. But the downside of traveling for a business trip is that you might be too busy to check out this new destination. If the trip falls near a weekend, see if your employer will add a few days to airfare. As long as there isn’t a significant difference in airfare price, you may be able to arrive a few days early or stay a few days later to travel around the area. If you won’t have time to do that, consider going out in the morning or late evening to explore the region. The last thing you want is to leave a new place without seeing any of it. If you have a say in your housing, it helps if you pick a conveniently located building.

Be Careful Not to Overextend

As much as you’ll want to roam around your new destination, be careful not to do too much. You want to be well rested for your business trip, since you’re ultimately there to impress your peers. Try just doing things at night or just focusing on one activity each evening to feel refreshed and not exhausted. An easy to way to ensure you feel rested is by booking a room in a place that feels cozy and homey. Consider PC Housing to meet your business travel needs and ensure that you get a good night’s sleep.

Follow these tips to ensure that your very first business trip is as successful as you.