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.

Do your homework about hotel accommodations well in advance.  If there are likely destinations that you could be called upon to go to quickly, you can do your research on the closest hotels to the business site so you cut down on commutes once you are there.  By having your target hotels bookmarked and the phone numbers on file, you can quickly call and set up your accommodations in a matter of minutes.  But if you find that your best choices for hotels are booked up on the days you will be at your site, call them anyway.  A good hotel will call around to other hotels in the area and get you a room as close to your destination as possible.  They can save you hours of frustration searching for a replacement room.

Rental cars are usually not as much of a problem.  It’s a good idea to call ahead and get a reservation but short of a major convention or sporting event in town, there are so many rental car agencies that you should be able to find a car to rent even if you don’t start your search until you are on the ground at your destination city.

You can make other preparations for the possibility of a short notice business trip like having your toiletries and personal affects you always travel with packed and ready to walk out the door.  By having your travel clothes ready to go, you can virtually walk home and walk out in a matter of minutes for a short notice business trip because you are that well prepared.

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.

Tipping is not a difficult skill to master.  When tipping for a meal, you can write the tip directly onto your bill.  Now when you order room service, there may be a question as to whether you should give the delivery person a tip for bringing the food.  Often room service charges a fee for the service already.  So in theory, you don’t need to tip that person.  But remember, you may want good service in subsequent nights or in future stays.  So slipping a tip to that delivery service person just to make sure they know that you appreciate good service makes sense.

When tipping taxi drivers or the hotel doorman, it’s appropriate to fold the money in the palm of your hand and hand it to him or her in the form of a handshake.  If they are holding the door for you, they will look down to see you are giving a tip when your hand moves out.  That moment of contact is important so they look at you and know you recognize their good service and remember you for future reference.

The amount of tips is pretty much standard.  15% is a standard tip for most meals or for the taxi drive.  $1 per bag is standard for a doorman or bellhop who is helping you with your bags.  Now if you only have one bag, it might be a good idea to bump that up a bit.  Never tip with change, always with folded bills.

Preparing for tipping as you travel is part o your preparations.  You should assure you have plenty of small denomination bills even before you leave for the airport, as it is common to need to tip shuttle drivers and waiters at the airport or even the stewardess on board the airplane if you buy a drink from her (or him).  As your business trip progresses, keep an eye on your cash levels so you have plenty of spare cash for additional tipping.  Business travel is a tipping intensive experience and you should be prepared so you don’t find yourself embarrassed and unable to reward those who make your trip more enjoyable along the way.

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.

To pack light, do a good inventory of what you really do need.  There are some economies you can utilize to greatly reduce the bulk of what you are going to take without sacrificing your needs and ability to look good when you make your business contacts.

*    Wear a basic outfit.  If you have a suit or other garment you know will be your anchor piece, wear it on the plane.  You can also wear a coat or jacket that you might need there and then fold it and use it for a pillow on the plane thus keeping it out of your bag.  That coat is not considered part of your carry on but it helps you reduce your baggage bulk.

*    Economy of space in your bag.  Compress what you pack and use every empty space.  Pack socks into shoes and roll your clothing rather than lay them flat to squeeze the empty air filled space out of them.  You can always iron and get pressed any outfits that get wrinkled in route once you are at your destination.

*    Mix and Match.  Take outfits that can be used over again with a different pant or shirt combinations.

*    You can get it there.  Don’t take anything that won’t get guaranteed and frequent use.  If there is something you might need, remember, you can buy it there in a drugstore or nearby store.  So don’t let anxiety make you over pack.

These steps can reduce your packing problems and result in a workable travel system that will reflect that you are well organized and ready for the road.  And there is no better feeling than to come home and realize you used everything you took and needing nothing else while you are on that important business trip for your company.