Like many business travelers, you may find yourself on the lookout for tips, strategies, and hacks that can make a business trip easier. There are a number of lesser know business travel hacks that can make like more manageable when you are on a business trip.
Travel with a Couple Tennis Balls
Tennis is great exercise. However, when on a business trip you can’t count on having time to play a match. In addition, you very well may not have ready access to a tennis court. But, these realities do not mean that you should leave tennis balls behind. In fact, you should pack to tennis balls in your carryon bag when you travel for business.
Tennis balls can be helpful to ease soreness in your feet or thighs. You can roll a tennis ball under your feet, or even under your thighs. By doing this, you will be able to relieve soreness that many business travelers experience, particularly when they are stuck airlines for extended period of times.
Proactively Request a Hotel Upgrade
If you know that a hotel at which you are scheduled to stay has plenty of empty rooms, including rooms up a better grade than where you are booked, be proactive about asking for an upgrade. If the front desk is not busy when you check in, and if no other guests are lingering in the area, politely ask the clerk if some sort of room upgrade might be available.
The worst response you can get is a polite “no” from the guest services rep at the desk. In reality, a hotel employee really isn’t going to care what type of room you end up in. If the employee can cater some favor from you by giving you some sort of upgrade, there is nothing holding that person back from doing an upgrade if space permits at a property. In addition, front desk staff members do have some flexibility at most properties when it comes to issues like upgrades for patrons.
Dress Nicely When You Fly
In the 1960s and 1970s, people really did dress to fly. That just isn’t the case as a general rule any longer. Even many business travelers dress down when they fly, unless they have something immediate to do upon landing in the destination city.
You should consider seriously dressing nicely when you fly. For example, if economy class is overbooked, or even business class is overbooked, airline employees may need to upgrade certain passengers. The reality is that a passenger that is more nicely garbed, and who has been polite and considerate when dealing with airline staff, is more likely to benefit from the need to upgrade people on a particular flight.
Order a Special Meal Inflight
If you happen to be on a relatively rare flight with meal service, order a special meal in advance rather than the standard fare. The primary reason to order a special meal is you are very likely to be served before other passengers on the flight.
You do not want to be served first to win some sort of race. Rather, by getting your meal before other passengers, you get your meal out of the way and can turn to other activities without having to be interrupted by chow. You can turn to work you need to accomplish before a meeting. You can even take a nap.
Know the Difference: Non-stop Versus Direct
A surprising number of business travelers are not clued into the fact that non-stop and direct are not synonymous. Whenever possible, you want to get a non-stop over a direct flight.
A non-stop flight is precisely that. You go from your starting airport to your destination without landing. With a direct flight, you will be landing. You will not be switching planes. However, you could end up being on the ground waiting for what can amount of a significant amount of time.
Negotiate a Rental Car Upgrade
In a manner similar to what was described with a hotel, consider being proactive about seeking a rental car upgrade. Once again, make a request at the counter when other customers are not nearby. You can even ask the question “how much more will this make and model cost?” This can open the door to negotiating the price of an upgrade downward, at least to some degree.
By employing these hacks when possible, you will save money and improve your overall business travel experience. You will make your business travel experience more productive and even more enjoyable.
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Faxage a leading company that provides Internet fax service for individuals and businesses.
