7 Tips for Business Travel

I’ve been traveling a fair amount over the past year, so I thought I’d share some of the tips and recommendations that I’ve come to rely on when I travel.

1. Your laptop should be the first thing to go through airport security; your shoes should be the last.  No one will ever leave security forgetting their shoes, so you can be sure that your laptop will always go with you.
2. I sleep better with a photocopy of my passport, driver’s license, and credit cards tucked away in my briefcase.
3. In my experience, credit card companies seem to get worried when they see charges coming from more than two cities.  If you’re going back-and-forth between two cities, no need to call.  If you’re going to a third city in between, give them a call.
4. It may sound crazy, but rolling up your clothes makes them come out more wrinkle-free, and you can fit more in your bag.  I spent a week in Asia and was able to get a week’s worth of clothes in one carry-on bag while still managing not to look like a hobo.
5. If you are travelling overseas, check in with your physician a month before you go.  I was surprised how many vaccinations I had to get plus a couple of prescriptions.  His point was that food poisoning and insomnia are annoying here in the states, but they’ll incapacitate you if they happen outside of the US.
6. With an inexpensive webcam, you can call home with Skype and see your family.  When I’m overseas, my cost is about two cents a minute.  Beat that.

Use TripAdvisor before you go.  Checking out a hotel I stayed at in LA, there were some concerns over the “gang activity in the parking lot.”  It’s worth a 60-second read to make sure your hotel will provide you what you need.

Travel well!