Chapter 9

Business Travel

Today’s business demands often include travel. You may be attending business conferences, conducting product or services presentations in other cities, representing your company at trade shows, or personally building business relationships. You are traveling as a representative of your company; leave all you meet with a lasting and positive impression by using good manners and Power Etiquette. Whatever your reason for travel, plan your travel so that you are relaxed and ready to work when you reach your destination.

Begin by establishing an efficient way to make reservations. You may choose to use a travel agent who has all your personal travel preferences such as seat choice, time of day to travel, new city arrival time, hotel preference, and airline choice. You may make your own travel arrangements by using an on-line reservations site or you may call the airline directly.

Electronic (paperless) tickets are a popular alternative to standard tickets. You pick up your electronic tickets at the airport rather than wait for delivery by mail. Check with the airline regarding rules and restrictions. You may need to present a printed ticket receipt and a valid photo ID. Electronic tickets may be challenging to convert if a flight is cancelled and you need a flight on another airline.

Proper planning helps in making your travel arrangements and packing for the trip easier and more efficient. Baggage is easier to handle if you use a rolling 22- or 25-inch suitcase. There are a variety of styles and levels of quality available. Purchase the highest quality that you can afford. There are two convenient designs: one with a suit section and one with an open compartment with pockets. Either works well, but the suit section allows your jacket to be hung to reduce wrinkles.

Limits for carry-on baggage, as well as restrictions on their contents, vary among domestic and international airlines. Some domestic airlines allow two carry-on bags or one carry-on and one laptop computer. Check with your airline in advance to see how many carry-ons they currently allow; they will also be able to tell you the size limitations or other restrictions for your carry-on bags. International flights generally allow only one carry-on bag.

If you travel often keep a small bag with toiletries packed and in the suitcase. To avoid forgetting items or having empty containers, replenish the items when you return so that you are always ready for the next trip. For extra security, carry bottles with liquids in small resealable sandwich bags.

Items to Keep Ready for Travel

Passport

Toiletry kit with full containers

Shoe polishing cloth and shoe bags

Travel envelope for tickets and travel vouchers

Money pouch for cash, credit cards, and valuables

Business cards and company brochures

Checklist of things to pack

Begin with the following checklist or develop your own.

Toiletry kit with small containers

Suit, shirt, and tie/blouse

Shoes and hosiery/socks

Extra pair of shoes

Jacket and slacks to wear

Accessories (neckties, jewelry, belts, scarves)

Casual clothes

Lightweight overcoat

Umbrella

Select travel clothing that resists wrinkles and is comfortable. Your garment selection should include a high-quality suit that fits you well. Conservative color choice and style are essential for flexibility and long wearing. Pack a white shirt or blouse, conservative necktie/scarf, and appropriate jewelry. Travel in comfortable clothing that is wrinkle resistant and can be worn for casual meetings or sightseeing. Casual clothing, such as slacks and a jacket, collared shirt, and loafers are suitable travel clothes. You maintain your professional business look and also have comfort. Your luggage should contain your business attire with a spare shirt/blouse and extra slacks/skirt, shoes, and undergarments.

As you travel, keep detailed records and receipts for all expenses, including gratuities. As often as possible, pay your business expenses with a business credit card. Doing so will simplify reimbursement later.

When junior and senior executives travel together, the junior executive is responsible for ensuring that the travel arrangements are in order. The junior executive handles checking into the hotel on arrival and settling the bill at departure, tipping, and restaurant reservations. In other words, the junior executive handles all the travel details.

Business travel generally requires long hours and a fair amount of energy to maintain your stamina and professional astuteness. Be sure to reserve some time to take care of yourself. Plan time to exercise and relax by taking a walk in the fresh air, swimming, and/or having a massage or meditating. As glamorous as travel sounds, it is hard work, often more so than a normal work day at the office. When you are well rested, you are more likely to remember and practice proper business etiquette.

AUTOMOBILE AND LIMOUSINE ETIQUETTE

The limousine driver, or chauffeur, will open the curb side door for you and your guests when entering or leaving the limousine. Wait for him to do so. The host should enter the vehicle first so that guests do not have to slide across the seat, and so he can easily give instructions to the driver. If space inside is limited, the junior executive should sit in the jump seat, reserving the primary seat for the senior executive and his guest(s). If there is a bar, the host may offer the guests drinks if appropriate and if there is time before they will reach their destination. After giving the driver directions, the host may ask him to roll up the privacy window, if there is one. Limousine drivers should be tipped according to the time they’ve spent with you and the services provided. A trip across town in the hotel limousine should equal the cost of a cab covering the same route. A half day spent making stops for shopping or sightseeing, carrying packages, waiting at your meetings, running errands, or picking up guests at their hotel deserves a gratuity equal to the time and service. Gratuities may range from $10.00 to $100.00 depending upon the time and services. (Also see the Gratuity Guide in Chapter 3.)

When you are fortunate enough to have a limousine provided for your use, be careful not to abuse the privilege. It may not be at your disposal for shopping, sightseeing, or entertaining friends outside the company business. If the limousine is designated at your disposal for the duration of your stay in the city, coordinate with the driver and make special requests in advance.

When you are a passenger in another’s vehicle and there are more than two passengers, ask where you should sit. Otherwise, assume you will sit next to the driver.

If traveling by taxi cab, the preferred passenger seat is on the rear passenger side. The junior person enters first and slides over, followed by the senior person, and guest if any. If a valet is assisting you, the host enters first to slide over. The guest, whether male or female, should not have to slide over. The driver side rear seat allows you to speak to the driver without speaking over the other passengers. This position also allows you to pay the driver since you will be the last passenger to leave the vehicle. Taxi cab drivers sometimes open doors for their passengers and sometimes do not. Be observant of courtesies and tip accordingly.

AIR TRAVEL

Travel by air is frequently the quickest way to get from a business meeting in one city to a conference in another. When traveling by air, you may choose from coach class, first class, and on some airlines, business class. Many corporations do not pay for business or first class because it is usually more expensive than coach. Business class and first class are roomier and more comfortable for longer flights, but more importantly, you may have an opportunity to network in business class. Use your frequent flier miles for upgrades or purchase upgrades if you wish to travel with more leg room and opportunity.

Practice proper etiquette and show courtesy to your seatmate(s), fellow passengers, and flight crew. Introduce yourself when you begin a conversation. Make sure your seatmate wants to chat before engaging her in conversation. She may need to prepare for a meeting or may prefer to relax quietly. When you do not wish to chat, politely tell your seatmate you have some business to prepare before you reach your destination (or that you’d like to read or relax), and excuse yourself from further talk.

Allow your seatmate(s) some elbow space on the armrest. Move your seat back slowly when you are ready to recline. Before using the air telephone, ask your seatmates if it will bother them. Speak softly when using the phone in flight. As you move about the airplane, use the magic words: please, thank you, and excuse me (see Chapter 6). Send a thank you note to the executive or other individual responsible for your travel arrangements when you return.

Corporate jets are used to transport corporate directors, clients, and management to important or urgent meetings. Corporate aircraft crew consists of a pilot, co-pilot, and occasionally a flight attendant. When traveling by corporate jet, arrive early so you do not delay departure. Wait to board until the hostess has arrived and boarded. Carry your own baggage unless the crew offers to store it for you. Space is usually limited so travel light (avoid using the plane to transport bulky purchases or personal items). Refreshments may be limited so accept what is offered without making requests that might embarrass the hostess or cause difficulty for the crew. Be neat so you aren’t the sole cause for vacuuming the entire plane. When leaving the plane, thank the pilot and crew for the flight. Write a letter to the hostess and mention the crew. It is especially important to send a thank you note to the individual responsible for your corporate jet travel arrangements when you return.

If you are a frequent guest on the corporate jet, you may travel with the same crew. A card and gift are appropriate at holiday time and can be sent to the crew in care of the host.

STAYING AT A HOTEL

Make reservations for your stay in a hotel in advance of your departure. Ask for any special accommodations you may need at the time you make your reservation. When you check in at the hotel, you may request a morning newspaper be delivered to your door, a wake up call, or a fresh pot of coffee or hot water for tea be delivered first thing in the morning.

Avoid conducting business meetings in your hotel room. It’s no more appropriate to conduct a business meeting in your hotel room than it is in your bedroom at home. If your hotel suite has a separate living or meeting room, same gender meetings or meetings of four or more of mixed gender are acceptable.

Most hotels have lobbies suitable for meetings and even lobby lounges that are open most of the day. There are normally small tables provided for business papers. Leave the computer in its case; print reports before you meet. Hotel bars are generally noisy, dark, and unsuitable for quiet conversation for business. In some instances a quiet place may be found at a table on a restaurant patio between meal hours. I have seen informal meetings at a poolside table when there were few sun-bathers or swimmers. Meetings with foreign guests should only be held in lobby lounges or hotel restaurants.

Most fine hotels provide toiletries as a convenience and a touch of luxury for their guests. Hotel robes, towels, and other items are not meant as gifts to be removed from the premises. Never take anything from your hotel room other than the toiletry samples. Other hotel items may be available from the gift shop for you to purchase. A mono-grammed polo shirt from an upscale hotel might make a nice gift for a client who has enjoyed their stay in the hotel; purchase a new polo shirt from the gift shop and present it to your client on their departure.

For a complete discussion of gratuities see Chapter 3. A condensed version of the Gratuity Guide follows.

Mixed gender colleagues should not share a hotel room under any circumstances. Even in the most professional of relationships, the sharing of a room is likely to be interpreted negatively by clients and other business associates as well.

Use the in-room checkout where available. At check-in you will be asked to secure additional hotel charges with a credit card. Some hotels offer an expedited or express form of checkout that enables you to check out of the hotel without stopping at the front desk when you depart. Some hotels have a special TV channel for this purpose, others use different methods. Inquire about express checkout before your departure date. Often, hotels will allow you to settle your charges the evening before departure. Evening or in-room checkout is especially convenient if you have a very early departure time. Leave the room keys in a visible place in the room. Check the bill for accuracy before you check out. It will be easier for you to resolve any discrepancies now, before you leave the hotel, than it might be several days from now when you are back at your office and your memory is not so fresh.

Late checkout is sometimes available. If you have late meetings or a late flight you can request a late checkout eight to twenty-four hours before your departure. If the hotel can accommodate you, you can usually get an extension of an hour or two. Many hotels will be willing to grant your request. Housekeeping may be delayed in completing their block of room duties; provide an extra gratuity for their service (see the Gratuity Guide, Chapter 3).

When you are a frequent guest at a hotel chain, you may be offered special privileges of late checkout, room upgrades, free newspaper, and extra nights at no charge. You can benefit from planning your stays in one hotel chain and joining their member club.

STAYING IN A PRIVATE HOME

Being invited to be a guest in a private home is an honor and requires special etiquette. Remember that you are a guest in someone’s home; you are not in a hotel. Your host and hostess may have other responsibilities besides providing you with twenty-four-hour attention. Be considerate of their other commitments, time schedules, and privacy.

Select and bring an appropriate gift for your hosts. Your thoughtfulness will help set the tone for your stay. Gift baskets, edibles such as chocolates, and plants make fine gifts.

If you are asked to join your hosts for meals, be prompt and dress appropriately. You may need to inquire as to proper dress; some households are quite casual, others more formal. Naturally, use your best table manners.

Keep your room tidy; keep your clothes off the floor and make your bed when you arise. Hang your clothes in the closet or wardrobe and hang your towels.

Always use your telephone calling card for any phone calls you make using your host’s phone. Be sure to ask before you use the phone.

Send a thank you note and flowers or plant within forty-eight hours of departure. Unless your host gives other instructions, leave a gratuity in an envelope for household help before you go.

TRAVEL SAFETY

There are basic travel tips that can ensure safer travel and make your life easier. If at all possible, travel the day before the scheduled meeting. You will be at your best and be most effective after a good night’s sleep, particularly if you travel some distance. Traveling the day before will also help to get your body attuned to the local time schedule.

Plan your travel schedule so you arrive in the new city before dark. You’ll have an opportunity to see where you are going and to note nearby restaurants or other businesses you may need during your stay. Arriving during daylight hours may help you to secure a better hotel room while there are more choices. Later in the day, the hotel may not be as able to accommodate preferences such as a nonsmoking room or a room away from the traffic side of the building.

Prior to travel, inquire about the most efficient transportation to the hotel. Depending upon the time you arrive and your familiarity with the city, you may choose to use the hotel courtesy shuttle (if one is available), a cab or limousine service, or public transportation. Perhaps your client or their representative will plan to meet you at the airport or send a car for you.

Carry your contact’s name and phone number in your wallet, just in case you are separated from your luggage. Luggage is sometimes misdirected to the wrong airport or put on a different flight and may take some time to catch up to you.

Select a hotel in a safe location. Ask your host or travel agent to recommend hotels in safe areas or close to your business destination (e.g., corporate office). A map of the local area might also be useful.

Cash, traveler’s checks, and credit cards (and passport if you’re traveling abroad) are safest carried in a secured money pouch. There are a variety of money belts or pouches; select one that suits you best. Some pouches are worn in the sock, the hem of a slip (undergarment), around the neck, on the shoulder, around the waist, or in a belt. The neck pouch is useful because it is easily accessible when you need important documents such as your passport and is easily hidden under a shirt or blouse.

One can never be too careful with money or valuables. Use the hotel safe for valuables, extra cash, and your passport. Be sure to ask about accessibility to the hotel safe so that you know when you can retrieve your property. Some hotels allow access to the safe only during specific hours. If your flight home is at 6 A.M. and the hotel safe doesn’t open until 8 A.M., you’ll need to ask for your valuables the evening before. Valuables that you must keep in your room, such as your computer or cell phone, are safest stored out of sight when not in use.

For your safety, hang the “Do Not Disturb” sign on your door at all times, and use the security lock on your door. Keep any windows secured; do not leave windows open at night or when away. Never let anyone into your hotel room whom you do not know or expect. This extends to hotel staff such as cleaning persons or room service. Be certain that the room phone in your hotel is in working order.

It is good practice to carry a flashlight with fresh batteries in your luggage. If there is a power failure in your hotel or an emergency such as a fire or natural disaster, you may need the flashlight to find your way out of your hotel. The guest speaker at a seminar in a hotel meeting room told a story about power failures that had been occurring in the part of the hotel where she was staying. She could still conduct the seminar meetings without electricity, but she needed her flashlight to go up and down the dark stairwell to her room between meetings. You should also make yourself familiar with the location of stairwells and emergency exit routes. Small night lights are also useful in hotel rooms.

When on an extended trip, especially one that takes you to multiple cities, plan to send papers back in a preaddressed, prestamped box or envelope. Your hotel may be able to assist you with shipping the materials back to your office. At most conference exhibits there are lots of materials for you to collect for later review. Plan to ship this material home rather than carry it through your travels. Literature and other materials collected at trade shows can get quite heavy. Shipping it home rather than carrying it will reduce your travel fatigue and perhaps free your hands for other items you need to carry while traveling.

Trade shows sometimes offer a carrying box that you can collect materials in and ship home after the show. Some trade shows also issue machine-readable plastic identification cards, similar to charge cards, each of which is encoded with the attendee’s name and address. As you visit booths at the trade show, the exhibitors will run your card through an electronic machine that will later provide a mailing list so they can forward literature or other information you may have requested. This little card saves you from having to carry literature and saves the exhibitor from having to ship material and handle it at the show.

If you have attended a meeting where you have made a presentation and/or provided materials for your colleagues or clients, you may wish to discard unused presentation materials after your meeting rather than carry them back.

INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

If you can gather information about the host’s business and family prior to departure, you can plan to take gifts for the children such as team sport shirts and caps. Learn the geography and some pertinent facts about the country. You may want to obtain a map of the country to refer to during your travel. Take appropriate gifts (for a few ideas see the section on Cultural Courtesy in Chapter 8).

Learn a few words in the language. The magic words please, thank you, hello, and good-bye make a good start. Knowing how to count in the language is also helpful, especially as you begin to use the currency of the country.

Familiarize yourself with the monetary system. Your Sunday newspaper (travel or finance sections) may list the current exchange rates for the country you plan to visit. Plan to take at least $60 in foreign currency to cover immediate needs such as taxi cabs, bus rides, and tips. Frequently, the best exchange rates will be at the airport bank.

Plan to take appropriate clothing in neutral colors and conservative styles.

When you are a guest in another country act as a guest. Use your best manners.

Be on time. South of the U.S. border it is polite to be late to a business meeting by twenty minutes to an hour. More and more businesses, however, are encouraging their employees to be on time for meetings.

Plan to entertain your host in a restaurant. Ask your host or someone from your hotel to recommend an appropriate restaurant. Let your hosts know in advance that you wish to take them to dinner during your visit.

Be cautious about costs for entertaining. Plan your entertainment activities in advance so you are aware of the expense. Keep track of your time and expenses so you don’t exceed your budget.