Since childhood I have seen my father being a frequent business traveler and touring all over India. His official trips take place during anytime of the year and last from a minimum of 2 days to a maximum of 10 days. Till date I sit back with excitement for his arrival back home as he comes up with varied stories of different places of India and bag full of goodies specific to different Indian states. As I have always seen him preparing himself aptly for a business trip, I want to share few of those tips here:

Always pack light: business trips always involve less of leisure moments and more of tight meetings and conference schedules. So it is always good to carry a light suitcase than traveling with a bulky one. After all, the hotel laundry is there to make use of if required. Basic clothing, basic medication, toiletries, disposable items and important documents in separate pouches are all that are required for a business trip. Yes, do prepare to make a travel checklist and browse through while packing and before moving out of home to board the flight.

Pick the right hotel: during a business trip, it is always important to choose the right hotel that is choosing the hotel close to the office or workplace. As all hotel rooms are almost the same, it is good to judge the hotel by location and proximity to the workplace than by its room setups. Also, go for an hotel which has a good business centre, transfer facilities, free wifi etc.

Just don’t attend the meeting, explore the place: out of those business dinners and lunches and attending back to back meetings, take out some time to explore the place you are in. Try out some local cuisine, shop some local products and learn a bit about local people and their culture. it might help in conducting a business there in future again.

As my father still keeps on traveling all across India for official purposes, I still sit back at home like a kid waiting for him to open his suitcase full of local goodies once he enters home.