You arrive promptly at the airport with your boarding pass printed. Slip-on shoes help you breeze through security. Buying breakfast is a smooth, paperless transaction, thanks to your corporate credit card and travel expense management software. Your carry-on glides silently down the concourse and fits precisely in the overhead bin.
The economic crisis kept vacationers at home for years, and those traveling on business got used to quiet airports, hotels and restaurants. According to The New York Times, that’s all over. Experts predict a boom in leisure travel this summer, resulting in packed flights and hotels.
But there is some good news. Savvy travelers can follow these five tips to adjust expectations and remain productive while on the road.
- Don’t bank on getting work done. If you’re planning to finish an important report at the airport gate, you’re asking for trouble. Treat any calm moments as an opportunity for such low-intensity tasks as using your smartphone to review email and complete your online expense reports.
- Sleep before you fly. Don’t plan on getting much shuteye on the plane, or even an empty seat beside you. Experts predict domestic flights will be operating at 84 percent capacity, according to The New York Times. You’re going to have neighbors and noise.
- Streamline where you can. Many travel headaches are beyond your control, so compensate by optimizing where you can. Using a mobile web app for expense reporting allows you to take advantage of spare moments, and integrating a corporate credit card can speed up transactions and reduce paperwork.
- Avoid vacationers at security. Don’t get stuck behind a large group of inexperienced travelers, especially in TSA lines. To breeze through security, stick with fellow business travelers and explore options for expediting clearance, like biometric ID cards and TSA Pre✓™.
- Request out-of-the-way rooms. You’re at a hotel to work; other guests are there to have fun. With average occupancy expected to reach a six-year high of 62 percent, try to keep your distance. For more quiet, The New York Times suggests requesting corner rooms and higher floors.
Airports and hotels are increasingly filled with infrequent travelers. These five tips can help business travelers stay productive and sane on the road - so will Chrome River's expense report software.
We want to hear from you. What are your favorite business travel tips and strategies? Let us know by posting in the comments section!
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Our choice of Chrome River EXPENSE was made in part due to the very user-friendly interface, easy configurability, and the clear commitment to impactful customer service – all aspects in which Chrome River was the clear winner. While Chrome River is not as large as some of the other vendors we considered, we found that to be a benefit and our due diligence showed that it could support us as well as any large players in the space, along with a personalized level of customer care.
We are excited to be able to enforce much more stringent compliance to our expense guidelines and significantly enhance our expense reporting and analytics. By automating these processes, we will be able to free up AP time formerly spent on manual administrative tasks, and enhance the role by being much more strategic.