Elevating work travel: Before you go
Hi friends – Hannah, here!
I have been traveling for work consistently for the past 7+ years, so I’ve learned a thing or two on the road. Some people love work travel and some people hate it – I land (mostly) in the former because of these tips. I try to frame work travel as “fun,” and am a big believer that your mindset going into trips makes a big difference. Maybe you look forward to seeing customers in person, having planned something fun to do, or are big on airline miles. Here are a few things to make the most of your work travel.
Rewards Programs:
Credit Cards:
This may be THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP IN THIS ENTIRE SERIES. When traveling, if you maximize your rewards, you can use the points you collect from work travel to reward future you with personal trips or shopping. Put some of the expenses on your own card if you are good about filling out expense reports on time OR If you have a corporate card, call the credit card company and ask if you can have the points sent to you. This is not universally available, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!
If you’re using your personal card, make sure that you have applied for a credit card with travel rewards. My favorites are the Chase Sapphire Reserve and the American Express Platinum. We’ll get more into credit cards later, but at a minimum, make sure the card you’re using has travel rewards. These are FREE points – and they can be used for so many things in the future.
airlines:
I prefer having a single airline and single hotel chain where I book *almost* everything. Of course, there are exceptions to the rules, but if you stick with one airline and one hotel chain, your status with both starts to – you guessed it – elevate!
As you rise the ranks on Southwest, you can work towards free wifi on every flight, early boarding, and even a Companion Pass, where your guest flies free.
On United, you can work towards priority boarding, points multipliers on flights, seat preferences, and upgrades to first class.
Each time you fly with a single airline, it counts towards legs on that carrier, so book your work trips on the airline website, then stick to that airline for personal trips, too, and watch your status rise. No one loves the chaos of the airport and the airline industry these days, but with status, some of those minor inconveniences disappear, and travel becomes more bearable.
HOTELS:
Personally, I’m a Hilton girlie. But whichever chain you like best, pick one and stick to it! Just like with airline miles, the more nights you stay, the more perks you earn and status you gain. Things like:
points towards free nights
complimentary high-speed wifi
free bottles of water
upgraded rooms when available
Elevated tip: If you work for a bigger company, you can use their hotel code for personal stays for a discount, or you can use services like AAA, if that’s something you have, to find discounted stays.
Happy travels!
Hannah
