How to plan a business trip: A practical guide 

When faced with an important business meeting outside your city, you have to plan the trip. This must be done to avoid any unforeseen situations and you must have everything arranged.

With this in mind, we have drawn up this guide to planning a business trip which takes into account all the necessary aspects. 

What you have to do before a business trip 

There are certain steps you will have to take some weeks in advance if the trip is to a different country, of an extended duration or if it is particularly important. It will then be a question of following the steps of your itinerary.

• Make sure you have or that you take out insurance: Find out about the country of your destination and its health system. Ideally, you should have travel insurance which provides cover for possible hospital admissions, operations, and also other problems which go beyond the realm of health cover, such as lost property, theft, flight cancellation or delays.
• Make sure your  documents are valid and up to date: This is an essential aspect, above all for international trips. Some of the most important documents are the NIF, passport, visa, or the European health card.
• Find out about your destination: This will help us to organise ourselves, prepare for protocols and have a better understanding of the culture, especially in countries which are very different from our own.Knowing about the climate and weather conditions of the place we are visiting will also help us to prepare our suitcase which must be as light as possible.
• Choosing accommodation: It is of great importance to choose accommodation which is convenient and close to the places we will have to go to or is well communicated. By doing this, we will avoid headaches with transport and the possibity of arriving late. If you have to move around then get to know in advance the transport options.
• Pack your bag in good time: We can make a list of the things we want to take in order not to forget anything. Do not wait until the last minute.Keep the suitcase open some days before the trip and cross things off the list.
• Make sure you have your electronic devices and chargers: In our suitcase it is essential to have the necessary electronic devices to carry out our work, as is having your mobile charged or being able to connect your laptop.
• Make a provision for unforeseen circumstances: If you are not travelling with a company bank card, provide for extra cash in your account, put aside for unexpected needs. It is important to have cash in a different place in case we lose our bank cards. Remember that we must take into account the currencies of different countries. 
• Take advantage to network: This is an opportunity to expand our network of contacts and maximize the synergies which they may create.
• Book some free time for tourism: Apart from all the work, there is always time to do some tourism in the city. If there is something which particularly interests you, put aside some free time for it. Make sure they are relatively near and that a vist there is viable. Food is another type of culture which is undoubtedly worth trying.

Tips for a business trip abroad

Now we are going to focus on those actions which are crucial to plan a business trip abroad, as they have certain peculiarities. 

• Find out about the electrical system: There are adaptors that can convert any plug to any system that currently exists in the world.Take this into account before you leave. 
• Brush up your language skills if they are rusty: One way or another, languages can get you out of trouble in any country. 
• Make sure that your bank card works: We must check that the use of our bank card abroad will be guaranteed. Speak to your bank directly and tell them your plans. There are solutions for cards that work in many countries in the world.
• Obtain a card for your mobile: It is always advisable to speak to our phone company and explain our case in order to check if we will have a phone service at our destination.  

Enjoy Mice tourism!

Planning a business trip is the perfect way to gain time and and enjoy the leisure options of the area whilst switching off from work.

At Grand Luxor Hotel Business & Events we are well aware of this aspect of Mice tourism, and for this reason we always provide our organizers and guests with a wide range of leisure options on the Costa Blanca of Alicante.  

Main picture: Briana Tozour on Unsplash