How to Stay Organized During Business Travel

Creative Organizing Tips to Use Before Hitting the Road

Business travel tips include creative organizing ideas to keep house and office in order and to make sure trips go smoothly.

Stay Organized During Business Travel

Stay organized during business travel with some creative organizing tips:

• Provide advanced notice to colleagues, clients and business partners about upcoming business travel. Send a blanket email to interested parties and follow up with reminders on the phone or in person as needed to help stay organized during business travel.
• Office organization tips include setting expectations for communications during business travel. It’s perfectly reasonable to tell people “I’ll be traveling for four days beginning on the 3rd. I will have access to voicemail and email but while I am out of town, I won’t be as readily available as when I am in the office.”
• Start the tedious process of completing expense reports before leaving the office to stay organized during business travel. A dedicated envelope for receipts that stays in a briefcase, handbag or wallet can also help with organization while on the road.

• Organize for business travel by taking the time to confirm meetings, hotel and rental car reservations before the trip.
• Print maps or program a GPS with directions to and from the hotel, airport and client’s office.
• Creative organizing means planning ahead. Fax, email or ship documents, marketing materials or other necessary items for meetings to the hotel or to the client’s office ahead of time and confirm their arrival.

Last Minute Reminders to Organize for a Business Trip

Creative organizing includes prepping to leave home as well as the office.

• Organize for a business trip by using a packing list to make sure nothing is left out. Include business fashion wear for evening if appropriate.
• Skin can become very dry on an airplane; keep moisturizer cream and skin care products for the plane in a carry-on bag.
• Request that the post office holds all mail and pay household bills before leaving on a business trip. Empty the refrigerator, take out the garbage and attend to any other last-minute tasks before leaving. The morning of the trip, turn off power strips, unplug appliances and turn down the heat or adjust the air conditioning to cut costs while out of town.
• Creative organizing means using effective time management tools to stay organized during business travel. Bring work or projects from home for unexpected free time and utilize layovers or free evenings at a hotel to get ahead.