This article we discuss, how to prepare your first client facing business trip. How to prepare your business travel package and all essential for success visit. For IT guys it could be pre-sale or discovery activity, but these rules are applicable for all roles and activities.
Main topics:
- Dress code
- Prepare your checked-in and carry-on luggage
- Take laptop and install software
- Make your phone ready for a trip
- Essential things
- Items for driver
- Presents for client
- Documents
- Check list
Check dress code with client
There are a lot of funny and sad stories when consultants visit client absolutely not suitable dress.
Remember one thing – overdressed better than under dressed.
Usually it is business casual style. Of course, if you have business travel to some financial or bank organization you should prepare the best. Standard for these organizations it is a formal suit. You should ask client in advance, what is a dress code to be prepared well.
Some cases shirt without suit is enough. For instance my trip to Florida in the middle of summer. Temperature is 104 F (40 C) high humidity. Local IT guys visiting office in t-shirts and shorts, the best case jeans and shirt. So if you be dressed in trousers and shirt it is enough.
If your business travel is 1 week, you should package at least couple pants and shirt for every day. If you have 2 weeks visit, you can combine closes. In any case you should take more dress. On week end you can wash in hotel. Usually hotels have self-service washing machines. It will cost you couple dollars.
How to prepare package for business travel
You should take big checked-in baggage 27″ x 21″ x 14″ (68x53x35 cm) and wight 44 lbs (20 kg) in general, but you should check regulation of your airline company. Never take full checked-in suit case, because usually you want to buy some dress or souvenirs for yourself and you friend and family. You need additional space for these thing, pease remember about it.
Ideal approach for me – it is 1/3 of my suite case is empty.
Carry-on luggage is 22″x 14″x 9″ (55 x 40 x 24 cm) and weight 22 lbs (10 kg), again please double check your airline company.
What you have to package in carry-on luggage for sure:
- Documents
- Money and credit cards
- Laptop, mobile and other electronic, expensive and fragile devices
- Clothes for first day! It is very important, because you checked-in luggage could be lost and you will get it only next day. You just won’t have business clothes for first day of your business visit.
- Own headphones with mini jack. Transatlantic flight always have media system. If you don’t have own headphones, you should use cheap, reusable, which will be provided by airline company. Or worse case scenario buy it for price about $10.
- Toothbrush and personal hygiene items
- Powerbank
- Chargers and cables for phone and other devices
- Airplane pillow
- Socket adapter, if you travel to country with different socket type
Package your devises for business travel
Prepare laptop and install software
Don’t forgot about charger, cables and socket adapter, if you have trip to country with different socket. Power sockets it is a separate topic and you can visit wiki page to check power plugs and sockets worldwide.
It could be obvious advice, but remember never install pirate software for devices you are going to package for business travel.
You have to install all needed software for productive business visit in advance. Download all needed documents and templates in advance. Of course, we have access to internet worldwide, but please believe me. You won’t have Internet the most needed moment for you.
Everything what could be used offline, try to prepare it to offline mode.
Install VPN, if it is needed to have access you corporate resources outside corporate network business trip and client visit.
Prepare mobile phone for a trip
If you can request in your company travel sim with internet before business trip, you should do it. After arrival you will be immediately with working phone and most important with Internet. If you don’t have this option, you should buy it in airport after arrival.
Install navigation apps like Google Maps – Android and IOS or Waze more popular for US for Android and IOS.
Download maps offline for region which you are going to visit. For Google Maps this function exist for sure, I was checked myself. You can say, come on, I have travel SIM with Internet why I need this. Please believe me, you won’t have Internet, navigation etc exactly that moment when you will need it. For instance immediately after arrival, when you need drive from airport to hotel.
Be aware, if you are going to visit some attractions on weekend, especially in US. You can meet regions where there is no Internet. In Europe I also met these palaces, at the most inopportune moment.
Save places on the map (GPS coordinates) your hotel and your client office.
Install all needed for business travel applications like:
- Booking.com
- Expedia
- TripAdvisor
- Yelp
- Your airline company e.g. Lufthansa and Miles and More
- Uber
- Other taxi, hotel or navigation services
Packing suitcase and all essential for travel
Don’t forgot about first aid kit:
- headache tablets
- diarrhea pills
- cotton wool
- iodine
- patch
- melatonin (it is a separate topic)
- antipyretic
- vasoconstrictor nasal drops
Don’t forgot clothe for everyday activity. We have already discussed business casual style for working days. But you business travel it is not only a work, it is – adventure. Probably you would like to visit some neighborhood and attractions on weekend or in the evening. Don’t forget to package comfortable clothes and shoes.
If you a driver in this business visit, don’t forgot car phone holder. Most of rent cars already have CarPlay or similar system to connect own phone and navigation system to car via bluetooth or USB cable, but … Some time happens that you don’t have this and you need hold phone with navigation in hand, on knees and distract when driving.
Presents for business partners
You can take some presents and local souvenirs for client. It could be chocolate, coffee, alcohol, local food, your branded souvenirs like: cups, pens etc.
Take enough number of presents and even a little bit more. if you don’t know how many persons will present from client side, better don’t give any present that give not for everyone. Or you can prepare shared presents, like candies, chocolate etc.
If you want to present branded souvenirs your business partners, but have limited edition. You can book meeting only with top management, you always find topic for business discussion. After this meeting will be nice chance present limited souvenirs.
Prepare and package documents for business travel
The most important thing not only for business trip, for any short and long travel – documents.
Long story short: Don’t forgot documents and money, everything else you can buy.
Long story long or list essentials documents for save trip.
- Passport with visa
- You should take cache money both countries: arrival and destination.
- Debit card
- Credit card. It is needed for car booking or some hotel deposits
- Air Tickets for whole trip (electronic and printed out versions)
- Drive license, if you are a driver in this business travel
- Insurance and list of emergency phone numbers
- Car reservation voucher (electronic and printed out versions)
- Hotel reservation confirmation (electronic and printed out versions)
- Cover or recommendation letter. Custom service can ask you
- Information about customer and purpose of your business visit. You should ready to tell this custom service and show needed confirmations.
Last but not least …
Please remember, that business travel it is not only work it is always small adventure. Enjoy it every time and every moment. To make you travel easy and fun, you should be well prepared.
Have a safe trip.
