The Dos and Don’ts of Business Travel Productivity

Even though business trips are often necessary to keep a company running and meet different objectives, at times travel can seem counterproductive. With key people away from the office, operations could reach a standstill. While you’re away for work, stay productive and keep projects moving forward by adhering to these key business travel dos and don’ts:

Don’t

1. Get Chatty with your Coworker or Boss
   Even though traveling for work can be exciting and even feel like a vacation, try to refrain from getting too relaxed and conversational with your trip companions. At best, you’ll be distracted from company objectives, and at worst you may accidentally air your own dirty laundry to superiors and end up hurting your career.
2. Leave Key Work Items in Checked Luggage
   Another mistake for staying productive out of the office is not packing efficiently. If you put key work tools, like your laptop, notes, or charger in your checked luggage, you could lose valuable productivity time en-route. What’s worse, if your checked luggage becomes lost, your entire mission could be put on hold while you search for those essential items.
3. Rely on free Wifi
   While tech is needed to most business operations these days, have a backup plan for when wifi in airports and hotels just isn’t cooperating. For example, write down the addresses of key meeting locations so you don’t end up lost without service or internet, and enable offline editing for key documents saved in the cloud.

Do:

1. Make To-Do Lists
   When on the go, it can be hard to keep track of what needs to get done as you’re shuffling through plane tickets and standing in long lines. Write down a to-do list in your phone or on paper. Peter Bonac told Allbusiness.com that he likes to make two to-do lists for maximum productivity: one of the tasks to complete with internet access, and another for tasks that can be completed without. According to one 2009 survey, workers were 20% more productive on a company aircraft than in the office, so consider tackling big tasks from your list on the plane!
2. Check-In with the Office
   Keeping up with headquarters can help productivity by increasing communication of both side’s objectives. The Muse recommends communicating with the office before you leave and let them know when you’ll be available. If base camp knows what you need them to do, and you know what they need you to do, everyone can get more done and make this trip a success.
3. Embrace a Little Downtime
   Finally, though remaining productive on work trips is important for any goal, relaxing a little can also boost productivity. As Business.com points out, traveling is tiring. You want to be alert and unstressed for each meeting or event, so try to rest during travel, too. Enjoying a business trip is a good way to remind yourself why you love doing what you do!