45 Business Traveling Hacks That'll Save You Time, Stress & Money

 In theory, traveling for a conference seems glamorous. Your company is paying for you to go someplace new and exciting where you'll stay in swanky hotels, meet lots of fabulous people, and learn tons of new things.

But sometimes, reality isn't so sweet. Maybe your flight gets delayed, or your luggage gets lost, or your hotel room has a barely functional A/C unit, or your favorite suit somehow ends up with coffee all over it.

Not so glamorous after all. 

Luckily, there are a few things you can do to stack the deck in your favor. I polled my teammates -- all frequent business travellers -- to find out their favorite hacks and tricks for making conference travel more enjoyable. Below is what they recommend you do on your next conference trip.

Planning Your Trip

1) Make sure you understand your company's expense policies. Knowing what kinds of things you can expense and how the whole process works will help you make smart purchasing decisions on the road.

2) Let Twitter and Facebook know you'll be in town to get recommendations from locals.

3) Are all the hotel rooms booked or too expensive? Try staying in an AirBnB instead.

4) Delete your browser's cookies (or use an incognito browser) before you book your trip -- it could reduce your fare. Some airlines and other travel sites will show you higher rates each time you come back to their site.

5) Want a good seat? Don't pick it when you're buying your tickets. Usually the more expensive (and desirable) seats will be the last ones available on the day of your trip -- and when you show up, you'll get assigned to them.

6) If you really want to pick your seat ahead of time, check out Seat Guru to see which ones are best. 

7) Use apps like TripIt to easily keep track of your itinerary and travel details. 

8) Download Uber, Lyft, or alternative transportation apps available in your destination before arriving so you can easily get to your hotel once you're on the ground. (And if you notice the people you meet want to use them too, you can usually share a referral code to get free credits on the platform.)

9) Subscribe to local email newsletters like Thrillist and UrbanDaddy to get ideas of fun things to do near the conference.

10) Use loyalty programs and points to your advantage if you're traveling a lot. Once you sign up for one for a hotel and/or airline, always book your travel and accommodations with them so you can rack up free rewards.

Packing Your Bags

11) Pack lots of Advil and Band Aids -- it'll save you from tracking down a nearby convenience store when your shoes start to bother you or you find yourself with a splitting headache.

12) Bring a comfy, versatile bag you can easily stuff swag and business cards into. 

13) Put a Tide-to-Go pen in your bag -- you'll be grateful to have it when something inevitably spills during an important dinner. 

14) Pack a power strip and extra chargers for your days at the conference. Not only will you make friends with other folks hunting for an open outlet, but you also will never be caught without power.

15) Another option is to buy an external battery pack for your phone. It's a little less of an icebreaker than the previous tip, but it can help you stay charged all day.

16) If you've never worn a pair of shoes before, don't bring them to the conference. You won't know know how painful they will be until you're actually wearing them all day -- and when you're in a new place, the last thing you want to worry about is your feet hurting.

17) Bring a jacket or sweater, even in the summer. Conferences can be freezing!

18) Pack clothes that can all match. That way, if you realize you need to be warmer/cooler or more/less fancy than you originally anticipated, you can easily adjust your outfit without worrying if it matches. 

19) Bring an envelope to keep all of your receipts in. This will make it much easier to do your expense report when you're back in the office.

20) Buy a reusable bag for your liquids and fill it with reusable containers of your favorite shampoo, conditioner, face wash, and lotion. If you travel a lot, having small, reusable containers of your favorite goods can definitely help you cut down on costs. 

21) Add a few small grocery bags to your suitcase. If you end up needing to bring home dirty/smelly/wet clothing, you can put them in those bags so the rest of your clothes stay clean.

22) Going to a conference in another country? Print out your conference and hotel information -- it'll make it much easier for you to fill out travel documents and chat with officials at the border. 

23) Also, email yourself all of your important documents (flights, conference, and identification) before you leave. That way, if your baggage gets lost or stolen, you'll still have all the information you need. 

Traveling Without Stress

24) Write out all the addresses for places you need to be and the times you need to be there. That way, if WiFi isn't available and your phone's data is spotty, you can still figure out your schedule.

25) For the same reason, you should also take pictures of all the maps you need to reference. Don't get stranded because your phone can't access the internet.