Most business travelers complain about how stressful business travel is. There is often little time to relax. And most business travelers don’t get to enjoy their destination.
Younger employees won’t put up with stressful business travel anymore. It’s important to understand the needs of all employees. Make business travel an enjoyable work activity.
There are lots of tiny things you can do to make travel more enjoyable. Here are just five ways to plan the best business trip.
Taking Time
Good quality does not come out of extreme pressure.
It’s better to take time instead of being rushed. Don’t book your schedule so that you don’t have any free time. Plan some cushion time between meetings.
Take an extra day off before or after your trip. That way you have time to actually enjoy your destination. Maybe you could even bring your family along if they have the time.
Encourage your employees to take a few minutes for themselves every day. When traveling, it’s even more important to plan personal time. Travel is stressful and you don’t have all the comforts of home.
Making a five-minute phone call to your family can make a huge difference. Or taking a bit of time to meditate or read a book is a good way to unwind.
Your body needs time to relax and recover, too.
Nice Hotels
You need to be comfortable to work productively.
A nice hotel is the best way to make your trip comfortable. Here is some information on the advantages of staying in a hotel instead of your standard roadside motel.
Business hotels have more amenities than regular hotels. They are also more well-suited to accommodating a variety of needs.
A good business hotel will have a good fitness center. Most have pools and saunas. Really good ones might even have massage centers and salons.
Breakfast should always be included on a business trip. Many hotels have restaurants or can organize large group dinners. If you want to get out of the hotel, they can usually recommend nearby places.
During a business trip, everyone needs their own space. It’s important that there are enough rooms for all of your employees and guests.
Large hotel chains usually have standardized amenities. But boutique hotels can offer unique and interesting stays.
A good hotel can turn a business trip into a trip to remember.
Events
Don’t stay cooped up in the hotel the entire time.
Check out the city you’re visiting. See if there are any shows or festivals going on. Maybe there is an exciting art exhibition happening.
It’s always good to do one or two things not related to work on a trip. After all, during your normal work week, you take time for yourself, too. The same should be true of a business trip.
Offer a variety of events for your employees. Not everyone has the same interests. Some people will opt to spend some time alone.
Don’t force people to do extra events if they don’t want to.
Teambuilding
Business trips can be a great way to build team morale.
Here is a list of team-building activities that you could do. If that isn’t your thing, come up with other activities that people might enjoy.
Even a movie night can be a fun event and a good way to bring people together. Or just go out for drinks or dinner. Ask what people are interested in doing and go from there.
Travel can be quite lonely. People are away from their families. Bringing your employees together alleviates that loneliness.
It also makes the trip more memorable.
Flexibility
Things might not go as expected.
When things go wrong, just go with the flow. Don’t become so locked into your ideas that you aren’t willing to change.
At the end of the trip, evaluate what went wrong and what went well. See if there is any room for improvement next time.
Do a survey to ask what people liked and did not like. You might be surprised by the answers. Everyone is different.
Conclusion
Business trips are good for business, but only when they are relaxed and enjoyable. Luckily, that isn’t hard to plan.
This post has given 5 best tips that can help you to make your business travel even more reliable.
