Business Travel 101: Your Business Travel Checklist

Business travel is not the same as it was three years ago.

In a digital, post-covid world, the way that business travel is conducted is vastly different. Not only are there a wealth of new considerations to abide by before jumping on a plane, but if you haven’t travelled in a while, you may be a bit rusty on the best planning procedures to follow.

With many white-collar employees returning to planes, trains, buses and cars, if you’re planning to return to corporate travel again in the near future, you’ll want to brush up on what you need. Here is our 2022 business travel checklist to ensure your next trip runs as smoothly and as seamlessly as possible.

Step One: Do Your Research

Failing to plan is planning to fail, and in business trips, this old mantra certainly rings true.

In a world of Zoom meetings in pyjamas and having the phone charger always within reach, stepping out of the house and back into business trips may be a daunting process. Before you start planning out your itinerary and booking everything in, it can pay to understand all of the new travel laws that you’re required to follow:

• Does your intended destination require you to quarantine?
• Will you be required to present pre-arrival COVID-19 tests?
• Are you required to have travel insurance?
• What visa will you need to have?
• Will you require a COVID-19 vaccination certificate?

Depending on whether you’re travelling interstate or overseas, you may also have certain cultural standards that you’re required to follow regarding the way you dress and act. At Pulse Travel, our experienced corporate travel managers consistently have their finger on the pulse of the latest travel requirements. Not just able to ensure your travel follows the requirements of your company’s travel policy, our team will also be able to inform you of the COVID requirements of your destination, and provide recommendations regarding how to best plan your trip.

Step Two: Plan Your Business Travel

When it comes to business trips, there are two things that you have to consider when planning: Efficiency and cost.

For many businesses, cost per trip is one of the most important factors to consider when deciding whether to return to business travel or not. If your company has a corporate travel policy they will have a set of travel guidelines that you will need to follow. Some of the guidelines set out in your businesses travel policy may include:

• Which aeroplane classes you’re permitted to book
• Details on any business agreements between airlines and your company
• Which hotels you’re required to book with
• Details on which car hire companies to book with and whether rideshare services are permitted
• Whether a meal allowance is to be included when travelling
• Which costs are permitted to be reimbursed

Once you’ve sat down with your corporate travel manager to book your trip, you can work on finalising your itinerary and filling in any gaps in your calendar. Your itinerary will be your travel bible, so it’s important to ensure that this is as streamlined as possible. A great way to ensure your coworkers are across your movements while travelling is to sync your itinerary with an online calendar such as Google Calendars. Not only will this ensure everyone is across your movements and knows when you’re in a meeting or in the air, but it also helps to ensure it’s no big deal if you lose your itinerary on the plane!

Step Three: Packing For Your Business Trip

Once your visa has been approved, you’ve double-checked the COVID-19 requirements of your destination and your travel documents are all arranged, it’s time to pack for the trip! When it comes to packing for a business trip, it’s best to K.I.S.S. Realistically you’re only going to be away for a short period of time, so ensure you keep it light.

Apart from your shirts, pants, socks and jocks, there are a few other essentials you’ll want to pack for your journey. Here is a simple checklist to help you keep track:

• Phone & phone charger
• Laptop & laptop charger
• Powerpoint adaptor (if travelling overseas)
• Important travel documents
• Business Cards
• Passport & Visa (if travelling overseas)
• Headphones
• Breath Mints
• Face Masks
• Hand Sanitiser

Once all of your essentials have been securely packed away, all you have to do is tidy up any loose ends at work!

With the corporate world returning to travel in droves, if you’re considering embracing travel for your business again it’s well worth speaking to a corporate travel agent. Providing professional, 24/7 support, the team at Pulse Travel will not only ensure that your travel fits within the guidelines of your corporate travel policy, but also keep you up-to-date on any changes to your flights and restrictions that you’ll need to be aware of. Ready to return to corporate travel? Get in touch with our team today.