Simple tips for maximising your business trips

Many Australians travel for work, so we asked travel expert Fiona Harper how to squeeze the most value out of your company-funded trips.

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Many Australians travel for work, so we asked travel expert Fiona Harper how to squeeze the most value out of your company-funded trips.

We’re also pretty savvy when it comes to managing travel expenses and finding hotels that deliver onpromises without breaking the travel budget.To help you get the most out of your next trip we studied different traveller types to discover their toptravel tips. Which type of traveller are you?The BossThe Boss cut his/her business travel teeth in the glory days of airline travel when boarding an aircraft was abig deal, back when we fronted up at check-in clutching a paper ticket (remember those?) and airportsecurity consisted of little more than a bored, drooling Labrador. Oh the simplicity of those days! The Boss isa little unnerved by the casual dress of today’s thongs and shorts-clad travellers but is comforted known therarefied air of the business class cabin is unlikely to be frequented by the great unwashed.A seasoned traveller, The Boss likes to bring their partner along on business trips, combining business withpleasure. According to recent Roy Morgan research, almost 60 per cent of travellers are 50-somethingempty-nesters who enjoy visiting vineyards with in-house restaurants and cellar doors, taking to the highseas on a cruise ship or wandering through art galleries and museums.The research suggested the number of Australians who took their last trip with their partner significantlyoutnumbered those who holidayed as a family with children, solo or with a friend.Top tip: The Boss recommends airline lounge membership, where they can be found pre-departuredownloading annual reports using complimentary wifi and a glass of shiraz in hand. The Boss appreciatesthat the real value of lounge membership extends beyond free food and drinks, providing a (mostly) child-free space to do business while in transit.The Boss In WaitingMore digitally-savvy than The Boss, The Boss In Waiting is a smart traveller who aims to balance businesstravel efficiency with an agreeable work/life balance. TBIW is recognisable by the dark shadows under theireyes, the result of juggling a gazillion balls in the air while maintaining an outward appearance of being incontrol. It doesn’t help that TBIW’s pre-teen son knows how to program the smart refrigerator to placeonline orders using the company credit card.Budget-conscious regarding personal and business expenses, TBIW might take their partner with them for acheeky kid-free getaway. He/she stays at hotels that offer complimentary wifi and is a big fan ofaccommodation that offer business travellers a simple, engaging place to rest, recharge and get some workdone, like Holiday Inn Express - the fastest-growing part of the worldwide Intercontinental Hotels Group.Top tip: TBIW is a card-carrying member of every airline loyalty program, knows at a glance the points andstatus earning capacity of domestic routes and recommends redeeming frequent flyer points for partnerstravel.The Young GunKeen as mustard, intelligent and ready to impress, the Young Gun is yet to make his/her mark as a businesstraveller. Oh sure, they know their way around Bali’s Denpasar Airport and can recite down to the gram howmuch their surfboard weighs, but they’re a little green when it comes to business travel.

NLMD-1234 | IHG HIEX | Business | Article 2YGs benefited from a university education funded by their Baby Boomer parents and they might not havemoved out of the family home until their late 20s. A privileged upbringing has permanently etchedunbridled enthusiasm for life across their youthful face. Dismiss their lack of street smarts at your own peril,however.Top Tip: Knows that first impressions count when it comes to getting that longed-for upgrade or whentravelling with The Boss. YGs dress sharply, smell nice and arrive enviously un-wrinkled after unfoldingthemselves from a long-haul economy class flight.Digital GeekDigital Geeks are easy to spot at the airport – they’re the ones sitting in an odd location, ear budsdisappearing behind gravity-defying hairdos with their gadgets charging at a power point. DGs grew up withGoogle as their BFF and have been swiping left and right all their lives. They’re probably not aware thatactual books, known as encyclopedias (gasp!), were the pre-cursor to Wikipedia and used to occupy pride ofplace in their Baby Boomer parents’ living rooms.DGs travel with equally digitally-savvy friends – they see nothing weird about texting one other while in thesame house, rather than get up and walk a couple of steps to have a face to face conversation IRL (in reallife). Wanderlust-fuelled Digital Geeks aspire to become Digital Nomads (see below).Top Tip: Recommends travel apps like Skyscanner to find the best airfares by using the Cheapest Monthairfare search.Digital NomadThe newly-minted 21 st century business traveller, Digital Nomads, make a living flitting around cheap Asiandestinations like Indonesia, India or Thailand. Successful DNs often travel in pairs, have at least one fashionsponsor, can rattle off the most effective travel hashtags to gain new followers and view tourist attractionsthrough a curated Instagram filter.DNs, sometimes known as travel bloggers, are big on “collaborations” and may unexpectedly findthemselves bedding down in obliging hotels and resorts in exchange for social media content sharing.Top Tip: Travelling year round, DNs are always on the lookout for travel bargains. They recommend houseand pet sitting gigs to live like a local and don’t mind travelling by bus or train to keep travel costs down.They can be trusted to know which cafes serve decent coffee and have speedy wifi.

Originally published as Simple tips for maximising your business trips