Are business travel trips always straightforward? No.
Don’t let us put you off – if your startup has to take international travel for business, it’s exciting. But if you’re a newbie, there’s a lot of room for error.
Read on for four of our best tips for smooth international travel for your startup.
Planning Where to Stay and Where to Go
You probably already know where you’re going, but how well do you know where you’re going?
You could be going to, let’s say Amsterdam for a conference, but if you accidentally book a hotel in Rotterdam thinking it’s nearby, you’ve got an hour’s commute or more on your hands. Where you stay will make your trip so much smoother. Ideally, search the town you’re going to and put that into Booking.com or AirBnb. It’ll then show you how many kilometers the different hotels are from the location you’ll be going to for business.
Unless you’re renting a car, check how easy it is to get an Uber or taxi from where you’re staying to where you need to go or if there’s public transport.
Don’t book without checking all of that!
The rest are luxuries – you might want to see what restaurants and bars are nearby, but as long as you can get from your bed to the place you’re going for work, you’re OK!
Getting Tech’d Up
Don’t travel without getting tech’d up – AKA, taking everything you’ll need to actually do business.
The first thing we’d recommend is an eSIM. Connectivity on the go is essential, and we know eSIMs are the best answer. You can buy an online eSIM and get connected wherever you’re going. The package you have now is probably limited with how much data and international calls you can make, and eSIMs are more flexible and cheap.
We don’t need to tell you to take your laptop or phone. They’ll probably already be coming with you, but we recommend a power bank to stay connected throughout the day without awkwardly having to take your plug out and find a socket.
Find Relevant Conferences and Events
If you’re going for a weekend for a business meeting, see if there are any relevant conferences and events. If you’re going to a city, you can typically always find relevant events to attend. Make the most of your trip and find ways to grow your startup. Look for industry events, trade fairs, and networking opportunities that’ll help you get your foot in the door of the industry.
Bonus points if you have some business cards or digital brochures to hand out!
Making the Trip Financially Doable
As is often the case with startups, they have to do their best to work within the confines of their budgets.
Always try to plan and have a travel budget so that all costs—airfare, accommodation, meals, and transport—are accounted for. Trust us, it adds up more than you think! Actively look for ways to avoid unnecessary costs, like booking early to avoid last-minute escalation of prices, sharing rooms with team members, and using the subway instead of ordering an Uber.
Use corporate travel credit cards with no foreign transaction fees, and don’t forget the expense management apps enabling you to capture the expenses in real time.
With good planning of the relevant logistics, your startup will have a great business trip. International travel is an exciting opportunity for all businesses!
