Wethmar says that Travelogic often handle cases where an employee adds a personal trip on the end of a business trip. “We had a client who flew to Perth and then went to Melbourne on a personal trip. We just calculated the difference between a Sydney–Perth–Melbourne–Sydney trip and a Sydney–Perth return and they used their credit card to pay the difference between what it would have cost doing a normal business trip and the actual trip.”
It’s too easy to see a business trip as business only, which is why it is a good idea to set boundaries on work habits before you go. The first thing you should do is make sure someone is covering for you back at the office so you don’t need to worry about what you’re missing. This prevents you from compulsively checking your inbox instead of focusing on the true purpose of the trip.
Time differences can be problematic when trying to unwind. Co-ordinate office hours and set aside a period when you will allow your office to call you. If you’ve prepared your staff well, the only calls you should receive will be regarding unforeseen events.
Constant access via technology can also be intrusive. Nowadays, the modern corporate traveller will usually travel with a laptop, mobile phone or PDA and other business tools. If these tools are making your life difficult, then they are not fulfilling their purpose. Know how to prioritise your contact with your office and know when to switch off.
Having said that, technology can be a useful way to keep on track, as Laird explains. “We have seen a high increase in PDA use and we work with our back office who provide the technology for us to send alerts. We can send SMS messages to clients as well—‘there’s a change in itinerary’—so they can access it straight away.”
Even if you don’t have a TMC looking after your needs, it pays to be aware of your technology requirements and convey these to the person booking your travel. Wethmar says that TMCs are better judges of accommodation for corporate purposes than in-house staff for that reason. “They might book a hotel that’s not appropriate for corporate travel; there’s no late night check-in, no early morning breakfast, no broadband, no workspace—they end up sitting on the end of the bed to email,” she warns. “Our job as consultants is to understand what the business travel requirements are.”
Laird adds that some hotels provide free internet access for corporate guests while others charge a fee and knowing this can be a value-add for clients. Requests may even be highly specific. “Some companies in the financial services sector do not like wi-fi technology, they have to have a broadband connection to the room.”
It’s no secret that the better prepared you are, the smoother the trip will be, but even the best-laid plans sometimes go awry, so there are some times when you’ll need to travel in a hurry. If you don’t have a travel consultant on hand, try internet sites such as Webjet.com.au to hunt down appropriate flights or accommodation site Wotif.com.au for last minute deals. Both these domains have been designed to save travellers time and money by bringing different airlines and hotels, respectively, onto one booking site.
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