9 tips for planning a business trip for your coworkers or boss

The success of a trip is directly linked to good preparation and planning.

The priority in planning a business trip is always to ensure that the business traveler is as productive and relaxed as possible. This is why it is necessary to plan carefully and intelligently.

Indeed, there are many variables to take into account, details to comb through, reservations to create and calendars to align. And even with that all sorted out, there is still the possibility of problems arising when your employee is on the road.

As a travel manager, the best solution is still to organize as much as possible in advance so that an impromptu problem can be solved easily.

1. Observe and write down their preferences

When you’re responsible for planning business travel for a superior, you have to stay fast and efficient at all costs. And remember that sometimes our memory can fail us. We therefore encourage you to note the preferences of your superiors: is it better for them to spend as little time as possible in air connections or, on the contrary, to take advantage of a long stopover in the relaxation area of the airport. Taking this information down will allow you to keep communication to a minimum while traveling.

2. Help them prioritize the most important parts of the trip

During a business trip, executives have to accomplish several very important tasks. It is essential that you know the objectives of this trip, whether it is attending a meeting or establishing a new office in another country. Once you know the goals of the trip, organize the other details so that nothing stands in the way.

3. Make sure everything has been taken into account

The person on the move will undoubtedly have other minor projects that are not necessarily linked to the main objective. For example, continuing your sports program, or ending a presentation for an upcoming meeting. Or quite simply do a little sightseeing when his / her spouse is on the trip.

Ask your manager what they would be interested in doing or accomplishing on this trip. You can help him organize different things, provide him with recommendations or, at least, allow him to keep a clear agenda.

4. Create a business travel itinerary

Our last tip in this section is to create a detailed summary of the business trip so that it can be viewed in one place. This will save you and your traveler the time and frustration of having to go through lots of documents and emails to find the most important information.

When creating these documents, think chronologically, so you put yourself in the person’s shoes, and clearly think about what information they will need. Once the documents are created, do not forget to save them in electronic and paper format. You will be able to face any eventuality and a smartphone that does not work or the absence of an Internet network can in no way destabilize your traveler.

Plan a business trip for your colleagues

Your employees should receive the same care and attention that you give to planning your own trips.

5. Let traveling employees book themselves

Most of the traveling workers prefer to book their business trip themselves, just as they would for vacations. In particular, this makes it possible not to exchange endless messages with the person who took care of every little detail. Use travel management software that includes company policies so employees can book whatever they want under the policy. This saves everyone time, making it easier for travelers to find the route and accommodation they want.

6. Gather all the information in one place

There are a lot of details that must be worked out in order to plan a successful business trip. You have to do your best to bring it all together in one place. By booking with approved business travel management software , travelers can log in and see all of their upcoming routes with one click.

Most of your staff will want everything digital, but if not, feel free to create a paper travel dossier. In that file, attach the printed business trip itinerary and confirmations, along with envelopes for travel receipts and any other important travel or business documents they will need at their destination.

7. Purchase the necessary equipment before the trip

Think of your traveler as a mobile office representing your business nationally and internationally. As such, be sure to check all the tools you will need: business cards, batteries, basic supplies, and other necessary consumables.

8. Give the traveling employee a travel checklist

Create a checklist to give to the employee sent on the road before the trip so that no cables, adapters, hard drives and other essential devices are forgotten. The checklist should include everything your employee could possibly need!

If your traveler is taking an international flight, prepare a paper file with important information about their destination. Add some useful data, like the currency used, the time zone, the contact details of the local embassy, ​​advice on local laws and culture, common illnesses… You can also make sure that the employee’s phone plan covers travel. international. This is very useful information.

9. Record the traveler’s contact details

A traveler’s contact card is essential. It is a single document that includes all the contact details of the employee’s home and workplace, as well as standard information like name, identification number, etc. You can also complete this information with a few additional elements such as airline, hotel and meal preferences as well as passport details. With TravelPerk, you can enter most of this information just once and it will be automatically pre-populated for future trips. Regardless of how you keep this information, ask travelers to confirm or update it before they leave.