Preparation d'un voyage d'affaires

Un salon en Chine approche? Un voyage aux Etats-Unis? Soyez rassurés en vous préparons bien à l'avance. Quelques heures peuvent suffire pour re-booster votre niveau et votre confiance à l'étranger. Si vous voyagez régulièrement, vous savez certainement comment se débrouiller dans la plupart des situations. Mais le stress de voyage est toujours là. Alors voyons ensemble ce qu'on peut faire de plus.

1. Make travel and accommodation arrangements.

Be sure you are ready before you even leave you office - plane or train tickets, hotel reservations, car rental confirmations. The sooner you make those arrangements the better prices you should get and the better you sleep. But make sure your trip dates don't collide with local bank holidays, you wouldn't want to waste your time in your hotel room.

2. Make a clear plan of your itinerary.

A nice clear table will be perfect - a day by day schedule of transportation and hotel including numbers of reservations, phone numbers, etc. You might want to change the color for business meetings - address, exact time, names of people to meet together with their e-mail address and phone number. If there's a possibility, try to fit in a couple of hours of free time - just to be able to breathe between the meetings.

3. Share your trip plan.

Make sure your family and your assistant know when and where you are. Give them a copy of your itinerary. If there's anything wrong and you become missing at some point, it'll be easier for them to track you down.

4. Verify your documents.

Of course your passport or identity card must be valid at least 3 months, for some countries even 6 months. So make sure your documents have that expiration date adequate and enough pages for any visas. Don't forget about your driving licence and make sure it's valid in the country you're going to. Even if you don't intend to drive, take your driving licence with you.

5. Prepare local currency.

If you're going outside the European Union, check the local currency and prepare a reasonable amount of cash before you leave. Remember when landing we don't always think about finding an exchange office straight away, so be prepared to pay for your taxi. You would also like to make sure your credit cards are accepted in the destination country.

6. Jet-lag

If you travel far away, take that into consideration. You will be tired when away - our bodies need a day to get used to 1 our time difference. If you travel to a place with a 6 hour difference that gives you 6 days to fully adapt. By that time you might me already on your way back - which could be even more exhausting. The only solution is sleep and hydrate, take melatonin if it works for you. There are several smartphone applications that could help even before you leave. http://www.jetlagrooster.com

7. Luggage.

Last but not least. Pack only what you need. A business trip usually includes frequent changes of hotels, lots of moving around. So travel light - take only what is necessary to work. But don't forget your medication, contact lenses and anything else that must be prescribed by your doctor.

Think about plug adapters to be able to charge up your phone and your lap top.

I guess that should make you ready!

All I can say is "Bon Voyage!"