Top tips for productive business travel.

It can be a relaxing experience - travelling by train or plane gives some business travellers the opportunity to clear their heads of clutter and refocus on what’s important. For others, business travel feels like a bit of a nightmare, eating up their time and keeping them from getting things done. Whether you’re stressed or stress-free, there are various things anybody can do to make the time spent travelling on business more productive and more enjoyable.
 
Read
What better time to keep up to date with what's going on in your particular field? A lot of people don't feel they have the time to read up on what's going on in their business area, they're too busy getting on with their jobs. So use this in-between time to get clued-up on the latest developments and topical stories. You could turn to a trade magazine, scour the web for news stories or spend some time on a relevant industry blog.
 
Get creative
Without the usual distractions shift into problem-solving mode. Take the time to focus on the major problems you, your team or your company want to solve. Focus on one issue at a time and hone in on workable solutions. Hopefully, you'll then be ready to return to your team with some really useful, well-thought-out ideas.
 
Just to-do it!
Do you have an unruly inbox that’s collapsing under the weight of your ever-increasing mountain of emails? Maybe there’s a report that would only take half an hour to read but keeps getting overlooked? I'm still a big fan of the good old to-do list; make yourself one before you leave and then work through the quick wins on your travels. If you can’t sort the issue while you’re travelling, make a note of what you can do or who you need to involve to make things happen. Instead of allowing the time on board to pass you by, sort out those tasks you keep putting off – you’ll be pleased you did.
I often wonder how much business-related activities actually go on whilst people are travelling on business. Your company may allow you to travel 1st class for a journey over a specific amount of time – this is usually to give the added benefit of making best use of your time as well as comfort! So next time you are travelling on business, don’t give up on being productive, use our tips to leave you feeling accomplished.
 
Want to know more how you can get more from your business travel? Please contact us on 0131 467 7000 or mike.halliwell@ttce.com