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4 minutes readBuy plane/train tickets and book accommodation all in advance
If you have a limited budget, then booking early will enable you to select a larger set of options at attractive prices. The closer you get to the travel dates, both tickets and hotels will become significantly more expensive.
Why it’s important. The longer you put off dealing with tickets and hotels, the fewer comfortable options remain. Moreover, if you book early, you have better chances of getting a direct flight and a hotel in the center or near your meeting places. A direct flight will save your energy, while a conveniently located hotel will enable you to plan your days so that you can both work productively and find time to relax.
Take out medical insurance
Why it’s important. Insurance may be a requirement for obtaining a visa, and occasionally they request it at the border. But most obviously of all — insurance will help if something goes wrong during your business trip and you need to consult a doctor.
Obtain a visa
If you already have a visa, it’s a good idea to check its expiry date. It’s not unheard of for travelers to discover only at passport control that their visa has expired — and that’s no fun at all.
You should submit documents to apply for a visa as early as possible to avoid worrying about whether your visa will be ready in time. When you are short of time, you may be able to arrange an urgent visa. In this case, discuss how expenses will be covered with your management, as express visas are more expensive.
What to focus on when booking a hotel
Why it’s important. Sometimes you might think that it’s not important to pay much attention to choosing the hotel — after all, the business trip is for meetings, seminars, or business dinners, and you will only be sleeping at the hotel. However, this misconception will be instantly dispelled if you find yourself with a room over a noisy street, in a poor location from which it’s problematic to travel anywhere, or when you are allocated a somewhat unattractive bedroom.
- Location. It’s best to use the place where your meetings will be held as a starting point, in order to spend less time on the road.
Group bookings
If an entire team is going on the trip, you may organize a group booking. To send an application, please follow this link.
- Meals. We suggest you focus on the rates, including breakfast. It’s convenient when you need to save a bit of time in the morning and gain a decent energy boost for the day ahead.
- Check-in and check-out. If you plan to arrive early in the morning or late at night, consider an early check-in or late check- out. We explain here how to arrange such a service in RateHawk.
- Transfer. A transfer may turn out to be a better value than a taxi, especially if you are a group. Some hotels provide this service for free.
- Parking. You should take this factor into account if you plan to hire a car. It’s better to check the car parking charge when you book the hotel.
- Safe. You can’t go on a business trip these days without a laptop and or iPad, so you need to think about safeguarding your equipment. We recommend that you check in advance what options for storing valuables are available at the hotel and what they cost. We explain in a separate article how best to safeguard your possessions in a hotel.
Take care of your documents
If you are expecting reimbursements from management, don’t throw out checks, be they for transport, communications, or other expenses. In order to download confirmatory accounting documents on RateHawk, you simply needed to access your back office and select the required files.
What will come in useful on a business trip
- Portable charger. There is nothing more annoying than when your smartphone suddenly runs out of battery, especially when you need to call a taxi or view a map.
- Portable router. In case the Internet is unexpectedly disconnected at the hotel or during a meeting.
- Passes and tickets: an office pass, tickets to events (for example if you’re traveling to a conference).
- Photocopies of documents: of your passport, insurance, driver’s license and other important documents.
- A first-aid kit.
Essentially, there is nothing complicated about preparing for a business trip. RateHawk tools will always help you for planning, and if any questions arise, you can always contact your account manager — they will help to resolve your issues.
