The plane tickets are booked. Your hotel room is reserved. But have you planned the adventure portion of your upcoming business trip? If traveling for work seems like just another job duty, you may be missing the opportunities to explore your destinations between meetings and work dinners. Here are some tips for business travelers seeking adventure on their business trips.
Schedule Wisely
Look at your business itinerary to determine when you have meetings, dinners, and other commitments. Schedule personal adventures when you have downtime from work responsibilities. Don’t forget to leave plenty of time for sleep and rest, so you have energy for your adventures. Adults usually need 7 hours or more of sleep nightly, but travel and jet lag can affect your sleep needs.
Fit in plenty of exercise, which you can often get by exploring the city on foot. Be sure to check a walk score map of your destination to find the best places to wander.
Take a Companion on your business trip
Traveling is more fun when you share your adventures. Take a family member, friend, or spouse on your business trips to have more fun. Since you already have a hotel room booked for business purposes, your travel companion can stay for free. They’ll just need to pay for their transportation, meals, and entertainment, giving them a cheaper trip. They can explore while you’re working, and you can enjoy the destination together in your free time.
Find Local Gems
Venture beyond the hotel or convention center where you’re working to see the local sights. If you’ve never been to that city before, look for a tour guide or venture out on your own to find those top spots. Ask locals for less-known highlights and dine at locally owned restaurants to experience local flair. Just remember to stay safe while you’re having fun!
Make Your Adventure Almost Free
Mixing personal travel into a business trip can make your vacation almost free. Your company will likely cover the transportation, hotel, and meals during the scheduled trip. If you’re a business owner, you can deduct most business travel expenses, including all of your hotel and transportation and half of your meal and entertainment costs, to save money. Keep the receipts and any pertinent emails about the trip in case the IRS wants proof of those expenses.
Streamline Your Business Trip
The official business trip portion is on the company’s dime, but if you streamline your daily operations as much as possible, you’ll have significantly more free time to explore. It’s simply a matter of maximizing your efficiency while you work. For instance, setting aside a certain amount of time to answer emails and network. No matter where you are, handing out business cards can make a big impact, but make sure that your card looks professional and stands out from the rest. You can use an online tool to create your own from hundreds of provided templates. It’s fast and free, and your business cards will look professionally done at a fraction of the cost.
You may also want to extend your trip so that you’ll have more time to explore. Check with your boss to make sure you can book your company-paid flight for a later return day. Then, you just need to cover your hotel, meals, and activities for the extra days. Since you won’t have work responsibilities, you have full control over your itinerary.
Enjoy Your Business Trips
Often when we’re busy with work, travel seems like an unattainable goal. However, business trips provide us with a cost-effective way to explore new cities while still getting your work done. All it takes is a little planning to manage your work responsibilities and still have a great time, whether you are traveling alone or with a loved one! Just have your business cards handy. You never know what connections you’ll make as you explore.
