Do you travel a lot for business? Do you have a lengthy daily commute or perhaps you have to go to exhibitions or trade fairs which take you all over the country? You could regularly attend or speak at industry conferences, or maybe you’re flown around the world to schmooze with clients or seek out new business opportunities. Whatever the reason, if you travel regularly, you’ll know that it can get a little tedious. Here we look at how to get the most out of business travel and how it might look in the future.
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Travelling etiquette
If you’ve ever had the misfortune to sit on a train near someone conducting a lengthy and loud phone conversation, you’ll know how distracting and infuriating it can be. If you relish a bit of peace and quiet, then seek out the train’s quiet zone. However, ensure that you stick to the rules so you don’t end up infuriating someone else. You mustn’t take any phone calls and while you’re fine to work on your laptop, if you’re going to be doing a lot of typing, it’s probably best to sit in a different carriage.
If you’ve got a table seat, make sure that you don’t spread all your work all over it and into someone else’s space. If you only have a short journey, like Bowes Park to Moorgate, for example, then it’s unlikely you’re going to get much work done, so you won’t need to get all your documents out. Think of something quick you could do, like answer a few emails or listen to a business podcast.
When it comes to hopping on a plane and going further afield, make sure that you’ve mastered at least a few key words of the local language – hello, goodbye, please and thank you are the bare minimum − and do a bit of research on the local customs and sensibilities. And if you’re going somewhere nice, don’t forget to bring some treats back for your colleagues stuck back at home!
The pros and cons of business travel
The biggest pro of business travel is that you get to explore other countries and experience different cultures − all on someone else’s dime. Of course, how much you time you actually get to spend doing that will depend on your itinerary!
However, especially if you travel regularly, the cons can often outweigh the pros: spending time away from your loved ones; travel stresses such as flight delays and crowded trains; and the impact it can have on your body clock and the ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
The future of business travel
The coronavirus pandemic forced a good percentage of the workforce into their homes and we got a taste of what it’s like to work, and conduct all of our business meetings, remotely. Employers realised that perhaps we don’t always need to travel to do business. When you consider that a two or three-day overseas trip could be dealt with in a morning Zoom call, businesses are seeing the financial and wellbeing benefits of doing business remotely.Add to that the fact that the decreased number of aircraft in the sky has lead to clearer skies and fewer deaths from air pollution, employers may well be rethinking their travel policies. But as the business world slowly emerges from the shadow of Covid-19, whether this happens remains to be seen.
About Carson Derrow
