Small business advice: Business travel

Travel features fairly heavily in the day-to-day happenings of most Australian businesses. Whether it’s with a view to expansion or simply to meet with clients along the coast, spending a night or two away from home is a regular occurrence for many.

With travel playing such an integral role in a number of industries, it’s no surprise that young businesses are keen to get it right. Here, we take a look at several things young and small businesses can do to ensure that they are getting the most out of business travel.

Allow time for relaxation
It’s no secret that first impressions are extremely important when it comes to professional meetings. When your employee first makes contact with clients on a trip, it’s in the company’s interests for them to come across as well as possible. To this end, it can pay to include time for relaxation in the trip.

Rather than rushing from the airport to a meeting, it is favourable for your staff to have plenty of time to relax and settle into their accommodation. A well rested delegate will be in higher spirits, more motivated and more likely to return with good news.

Don’t miss out on rewards
If your staff are travelling a lot, there’s a good chance you could be entitled to a number of rewards. Using a Qantas business card can ensure that your business trip expenses are turned into points which can benefit your business moving forward.

Benefits like these can be of particular importance to small businesses, making an investment in a business trip all the more fruitful. Using a business card can also make the handling of expenses far easier in relation to business trips like these.

Embrace loyalty
Business often demands that your staff make repeat visits to certain parts of the world. Where this is the case, it often pays to be loyal and return to the same hotels and restaurants. Not only will this provide a comfortable and familiar environment for your employees, but it will also generally see that your staff members are better looked after, as loyalty is invariably rewarded.

Stay connected
Your employees may be away from the office in body, but they needn’t be far in spirit or mind. Providing your staff with the appropriate equipment to stay connected to the office at all times can prove worthwhile, allowing you to maintain a dialogue with them which helps to inform their work while they’re away.