As your small business begins to grow, you may become faced with a challenge: traveling. As an avid traveler myself, both for business and pleasure, and an obsessive reader of tips/tricks, I’ve been able to accumulate a good bank of suggestions on the best and cheapest ways to travel.
If you’re new to the world of traveling, or just looking for a better way to do it on a budget, check out these suggestions.
1. List the items you plan to bring, then cut it in half.
This is where you will (slowly) learn to battle over packing. Versatility is key, so pack clothing items that can be used for night and day (like button-up shirts.) Making a list of items you think you need is a good place to start, then eliminate the things you can definitely live without. Take two pairs of shoes, one for any business meetings, and another comfy pair for walking around. A handy little tip for shoes is filling them with small items like toiletries and socks so it eliminates empty air space in your suitcase.
2. Plan for additional items and pack an extra fold up bag.
Once you’ve eliminated the items you can live without, don’t use that space! You might pick up something on your travels that you didn’t expect. Having an additional bag is handy for separating dirty laundry, lying on the ground to sit, or even wrapping breakable items.
3. Keep calm and carry on (literally.)
If your trip is only 2-3 days, it’s completely doable to pack everything you need into a carry on (specifically a backpack). These days, carry on baggage can be quite large, so always double check sizes with the company you’re traveling with. Using a carry on eliminates the wait for checked baggage, the small chance of lost baggage, and gives you access to everything you brought.
4. Take advantage of Wi-Fi.
If Smartphone’s are a businessperson’s best friend, then Wi-Fi becomes your loyal sidekick. The app Wi-Fi Finder locates the nearest free and paid Wi-Fi areas in over 650,000 locations, so you can check and send emails, research something, and post online virtually anywhere. (Side note: This is going to be even easier in San Francisco soon, thanks to Google’s recent $600K investment into making San Francisco parks Wi-Fi friendly.)
5. Call your bank, credit card company, and cell phone provider beforehand.
It’s really important to give these company’s a heads up when you’re heading out of the country. Your bank and credit cards providers should know so they don’t accidently cut your funds half way through your trip if their fraud departments detect a random transaction. Your cell phone company can also suggest plans and add-ons that could help you stay connected while you’re traveling.
6. Take advantage of online check-ins.
This is something I recently discovered. Online check-ins allow you to print your boarding pass before even getting to the airport. This is especially handy when you have no checked bags, because you can head directly to your gate.
Last but not least, do not procrastinate bookings. It’s pretty rare nowadays that airlines, buses and train prices decrease the closer to the date, so you have a better chance of snagging a good deal if you do it well in advance. Now, good luck and happy travels!
© Zoe Begopoulos, DemGen Inc 2013
