What You Need On Your Next Business Travel Expedition
Flights are opening back up to the public, which means business travel is now the priority of airlines across the world. That’s actually how they make the bulk of their profits by offering cheap flights to business owners and professionals.
The average flyer is their seasonal customer, and business travel is the bread and butter. So what should you take with you on your next business travel adventure? Will flying ever be the same again? Will your favorite airline shut down because of the lack of customers?
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Risk Management
Is flying really a necessity for you? If you can avoid it and have a conference call at home, this is the cheaper option. It’s not the best option as face to face meetings are always to do business.
But let’s do a little risk management to find out the answer.
- If you don’t do your business meetings with clients face to face, what will you lose?
- Effective communication may be sacrificed.
- Not having the ability to read their body language and make eye contact.
- Change your mind on the fly and work together to redesign the plan.
- Forming a bond of trust, handshaking, tangible understanding, and more will not be available.
- Will you be able to make effective presentations online instead of in person?
- Will, the internet of both parties, be adequate to relay detail, i.e., will the picture quality be good enough?
- Cost management will incur that you weigh up the cost of software, equipment, and any other needs such as interpreters or technicians for the online meeting, versus in-person.
If you can answer questions such as this, you can perform a critical risk assessment for whether you should be traveling or not. If you can do just as well at home as in person, consider setting up a virtual business meeting if your partner or client is willing to do the same.
Can you Make Purchases on this Expedition?
A business trip is wasted if real progress is not made. Is it possible for you to make a purchase or make good progress on a project if you travel to the client or partner? If they would like to have the reassurance that you’ll be able to land, meet them, and buy something to progress a contract forward, then tell them of your PayPal business account.
Using AirWallex, you can use your business account in multiple currencies without a hiccup. This will also allow you to receive your invoices online and a detailed history of every single purchase you have made.
If you’re planning on sealing a deal in a foreign country, this is definitely something you will need. With the ability to use any currency and yet take out the additional costs of the FX fees, it’s beautiful to small businesses and startup entrepreneurs.
On the Flight
Business travel has changed and maybe for quite some time yet. It would help if you had a few things to keep safe and make it to the end of your business trip while still in good health and good sense.
- Bring multiple masks with you and have them to hand. Please put them in your hand luggage so you can quickly change masks every couple of days when the filters no longer work.
- Hand sanitizer must be kept in your pocket at all times. You never know who has touched what and what could happen to your health if you were to touch your eyes or face afterward.
- You also need to have protective gloves that you can work in, and this means see-through plastic. You can still type and write with these gloves while on the flight. Make sure your protective gloves are those medical and utility-grade disposable ones. When you’re wearing them, avoid touching any part of your body and sanitize your hands frequently
- If you cannot wear a mask, then have a medical exemption letter from your doctor. You will be kicked off the flight and quarantined if you do not have this proof. This can ruin your trip, lose you a crucial business deal, and damage your personal life.
Business Travel Expedition: A Head-on a Swivel
As you know now, you can have the virus and not even know it for at least 14 days, and some nations are saying their experts purport this to be 21 days. Not being able to know if you have the virus or not is troubling. But think about this in the context of business travel.
You could take the virus back to your workplace and infect your entire workforce. That means you are suffering from a big hit and potentially going out of business because the losses are just too great.
So, it would help if you had your head on a swivel when you’re traveling. Make sure you are not standing near anywhere, keeping 2 meters of distance all the time. If someone is not following these rules and standing next to you, ask them to move away or move away from yourself. Don’t handshake anyone.
Don’t hug anyone or kiss anyone on the cheeks in a greeting manner. If someone is wiping their nose and then opening doors, you should avoid touching the handles. This is why PPE gloves are so important.
Make sure that you are asking the right questions. When you enter a hotel, ask if the room has been wiped down and correctly cleaned. Only eat in restaurants that are following the basic distancing measures and proper hygiene standards. Ask the other business if they have been keeping safe, too, just to be sure.
Business Travel Expedition: A Good Attitude
Businesses need to get back on track, and it begins with the CEO’s attitude. This means that as you’re traveling the world and meeting clients or partners, have a sort of classic British attitude of ‘keep calm and carry on.’
Business travel expedition – this cannot be stated enough! You need to set your contemporaries at ease as you meet them. Make them feel reassured and the energy to strive once again. You can do this by being productive in the meeting, making light-hearted jokes, and giving dates and figures to make concrete statements that will bolster their confidence.
Business travel is severe. It’s the backbone of the economy and for airlines, their bread and butter. But it would help if you didn’t get careless, always have your PPE with you and focus on making good progress in your meeting.
