VALERIE KHOO

OPINION: I have a love/hate relationship with business travel. usually, there are planes involved.

There’s also the heavy luggage that needs to be lugged between taxis, hotels and meetings. And internet coverage that ranges from the sublime to the ridiculous depending on whether I’m accessing via the hotel, free wifi, or mobile broadband.

however, travel is a normal part of doing business. sometimes, your clients are in other states or countries. your projects take you afar. Or you need to attend a conference in a different city.

on the one hand, there’s the anticipation of new business and networking opportunities. on the other, it means you’re away from home, out of sync with your routine and missing out on the gym.     

so when it comes to travelling for business, how can you minimise disruption, maximise your business opportunities and stay productive while you’re on the road?

1. The tray table plane introduction

I’m not one for conversation when I’m 30,000 feet in the air. It’s not that I’m a nervous flyer. I just don’t want to risk starting a conversation if I actually want to sleep, work, or watch the movie in peace. Thankfully, most people feel the same way. however, there are some travellers who just love a good yarn, want to tell you all about their holiday, or wake you up just to show you how cute their sleeping baby is (true story).

so I’ll admit, I avoid conversation, bury myself in my magazine or laptop – or, better still, stick in my earphones and appear engrossed in the in-flight entertainment.

however, some of the best networking can occur on the plane. Particularly if you’re on a business route. Like Sydney to Melbourne at about 7am. these are the flights that are full of suits and the passengers rarely have check-in baggage. usually, these people are busy preparing for their impending meeting that they’re grateful to be left alone too.

My friend Carol struck up a lucrative deal with a passenger she sat next to on a plane. By the time they touched down, they had shaken hands on what turned out to be a successful strategic partnership.

so I tend to do the tray table introduction. If I make any conversation at all. that is, when the pilot tells us it’s time to stow our tray tables in preparation for the descent, I’ll make small talk.

By this time, my fellow passenger is open to this friendly gesture because they know they won’t be stuck in the conversation long in case I’m a loony. If THEY are the loony, I stick my earphones back in!

however, if you discover there might be a mutual benefit to continuing the conversation, exchange cards or share a cab into the city. Mind you, I’d only do this into a city that I’m already familiar with. I’ve kept in touch with a handful of my tray-table contacts and they’ve turned into worthwhile relationships.

2. Pressing the flesh at conferences

Once upon a time, I used to think that conferences were all about the sessions – the learning, the speeches and the workshops. while these are certainly important, I’ve now realised that the real value of business conferences lies in meeting people. Networking, pure and simple. Particularly networking with people who you don’t otherwise have the opportunity to meet face-to-face.

Remember the famous scene in the film Jerry Maguire where Jerry (Tom Cruise’s character) walks the hotel lobby with his client Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jnr) at a major sporting conference? you need to be pressing the flesh and meeting people if you want them to remember you.

I’ve often said that the best part of a conference lies in the lobby, during the breaks. not in the keynote speech. not with the international speaker the organisers have shipped in for star value. But in the people you get to know over coffee or drinks.

Don’t bypass an opportunity to meet someone in real life. If you expect to go home and get in touch via email, this will work. But it won’t be nearly as effective as meeting them in person.

yes, it can be tiring to make an effort to do this when you sometimes just want to sit in the corner and Blackberry your office. But resist the temptation because the results are worth it.

3. Technology and gadgets

Unless you have fabulously reliable mobile broadband, you may need to rely on hotel internet. And hotel connections vary considerably – both in terms of speed and reliability. If you’re not certain about the quality of your hotel, bring a spare ethernet cable. I’m always finding half broken ethernet cables provided in the hotel room desk drawer.

If all else fails, I use my iPhone as a hotspot to create my own wireless network. this has saved me on more than a few occasions.

Also, bring spare USB sticks in case you need to stick a document or boarding pass on to it to print out at the business centre.

Furthermore, pare down your haul. this is advice I try to give to myself but I’ll admit, I’m a gadget freak. so, yes, I’m the one at the X-ray security screening backing up the queue because I have multiple laptops, iPads (yes 1 and 2), Kindle, digital voice recorder and iPod in individual trays. Clearly, I have a problem.

As an experiment, I went on a recent trip only taking one device. It worked fine. I could communicate with my office. I could access all the files I needed. The world didn’t end. But I did suffer gadget withdrawal. I am seeking help.

Check in online. Don’t check in luggage so you can walk off the plane and hit the ground running at your destination without having to wait at the carousel.

I have to say, whoever gave this advice was obviously a man. Or a woman without the usual quota of shoes, accessories and toiletries. I agree with checking in online but, seriously, I cannot travel for a few days living out of my cabin baggage. I know there are people out there who can do this. But I simply do not have this skill.

Apparently, this works a treat for some. If you have tips on how this is humanly possible, please do share with us in the comments.

My advice on saving time is about as scientific as paying close attention to the length of upcoming queues (at the bag drop, security, duty free and so on) and grabbing an opportunity to get into the shortest one.

while we’re on the subject of time, if you’re at opposite time zones to your office it can be tempting to work all day at your destination – and then work all night so that you’re accessible to your office colleagues. I’ve done this in the past and here’s the thing: It’s just stupid.

while it might work occasionally, you’ll exhaust yourself if you do this for more than a couple of days. you won’t be effective or productive in either case. Focus on what you’re doing at your destination, lock in a brief period each day to liaise with your office – and get some rest!  

5. Pack your medication and other essentials

never think that you’ll find your specific medication, personal items or contact lenses at your destination. you never can. Well, not easily anyway. Organise these items in a perennial travel pack that you grab-and-go whenever you are away. There is nothing worse than combing an unfamiliar city for just the right anti-allergy drug or discussing your personal medical needs with a concierge.

– BusinessDay.com.au

I’m a woman who travels for work with only carry on baggage. Firstly, you need to get down to just one gadget, plus your phone – I use my iPad and ditch the rest at home. The iPad and my phone fit into my handbag, along with a magazine or some papers if I have reading to catch up on (I got a handbag big enough for exactly this purpose). I generally wear my tailored clothing on the plane – a skirt suit or else a dress and jacket. Ditto for my high heels (I only ever take one pair).

In my carry on, I pack underwear, tops (preferably ones that don’t need ironing), a dress (also easy care), spare pantyhose, PJs, gym tights, tshirt, sportsbra, socks and gym shoes. Depending on dinner plans I might pack jeans, but mostly I don’t bother any more. Toiletries I bring just the bare minimum – I don’t wear a lot of makeup anyway, and my moisturiser,etc are all small containers.

I usually have room to spare, so if I don’t know the place I’m staying, my travel hairdryers goes in as well.

Surviving business travel