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.

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