Rakuda Ginza

Archive for the ‘Business Travel’ Category

In any travel situation, the further in advance you can plan your trip, the better you will do on all of your accommodations.  But in the world of business, it often occurs that you have to get to a destination immediately and the ability to move swiftly is critical to the success of the business goal.  The good news is that you can do some preparations well in advance for short notice business trips so you are not caught completely without a plan.

You don’t want to have to flounder around about how to book a flight and where to stay if the business journey looms suddenly and immediately.   Short notice business trips seem to be endemic of certain industries and job descriptions so if you know you will go through this drill often, you can make some arrangements far in advance so you have a checklist of just what to do when you find out that you must be at your destination virtually immediately.

First of all, in a short notice travel situation, economy takes a second priority.  Your employer knows that if you have to book full fare on an airline to get to your destination at a specific time, the higher expense is unavoidable.  Make sure that your company travel policy has some clauses to put aside travel budget limits in such a scenario.

The part of the trip where you will have the least “wiggle room” will be airline accommodations.  Of course, you can use the big internet search tools like Travelocity or Orbitz.  In general, those are good places to start to find what airlines do have flights at your specified times.  But once you pick an airline, working through the airline’s web site directly will show you the most options they can offer and sometimes provide you with better fares, even on short notice.   Be sure you watch the travel details closely so you don’t find yourself enduring long layovers that are going to jeopardize the tight timetable of the business meetings you need to attend.  If necessary, spend the money on nonstop flights to assure that the business goal of the trip is top priority.  Read more... (630 words, estimated 2:31 mins reading time)

Tipping is an odd practice primarily because it is common and expected in some professions and not at all in others.  As adults, we become accustomed to tipping in the normal day in day out activity of our business and private lives.

But when it comes to tipping on a business trips, its best to think about the use of tipping as a common courtesy in light of your business trip and how it can be used to benefit you during the trip.  To do that, think about the tip as a practice and why we tip.  For the most part we do it because it is expected.  If we think about how we tip at all, it is in the context that the tip is part of the server’s income and we want to help someone who did a good job for us.

But one of the best justifications for tipping comes down to nothing more than building a low level business relationship with the server so you can expect good service the next time you need it.  On a business trip, you develop a lot of very short lasting relationships.  But you want the best from those who can make your trip and your accommodations enjoyable and uneventful.

So if there is a hotel restaurant that you will be eating in each day, you know you will see that waiter and the staff of that restaurant again.  A good tip policy can go a long way to assure that your service will be top notch every time you dine in that restaurant.  This same principle applies to leaving a little tip for the cleaning crew who takes care of your room.

I had a situation in a fine hotel where I wanted the staff to leave me more than one package to make coffee in my in room coffee maker each day.  Sure, I could have gone out and bought my own coffee.  But on a business trip, you depend on being served so you can focus on your mission.  So I left a note to the cleaning crew along with a nice tip.  Each day I had more than the number of coffee packages left for me.  Everybody wins in that situation.  Read more... (740 words, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)

Its one thing to show up at your business meeting prepared mentally for the meeting and with all of your business needs at your fingertips.  If that was all business travel entailed, that would be challenge enough.  But to carry off a successful business trip, you have to think about your personal needs, medical needs and everything you might require.  The ability to travel light on a business trip is truly a refined skill that takes into account the ordeal you might go through at the airport, the potential for lost baggage and what you really do need once you get to your destination.

Many travelers have a firm ethic about not checking bags.  The result is you see almost a comical effort by travelers to drag huge bags onboard and jam them into overhead bins.  As a business traveler, your ability to relax and pass through the airport system with little fuss is paramount.  When you take bulky bags on board on an airplane, you exchange the time at baggage claim for a huge hassle in getting your bags on and off that airplane.

It’s best to balance what you really need at your destination with the problems of taking too much on board.  To reduce your anxiety about baggage claim, leave plenty of time between your travel plans and your business appointments at your destination.  If you have several hours or a day before you must make your business contacts, you can relax and go through the baggage claim process without anxiety.

The other problem with baggage claim is lost luggage.  So to assure you will have the basics when you get to your hotel, lost luggage or not, pack a very small bag to take on board.  In that bag, only take your basic requirements.  Include your medications, contact lens supplies, sample sizes of toiletries, underwear and one change of clothes.  Then you have what you need for one night and the next days meetings while your baggage catches up with you.  Read more... (639 words, estimated 2:33 mins reading time)