Taking off Travel blog

Traveling has become significantly more difficult over the past decade—regardless of the continent or the season, there are just more people traveling and it is always crowded. Everything from the excessive screening at airports to getting bumped off due to overbooking, all threaten to taken the fun out flying. It’s even more difficult for a business traveler who has to do it frequently. However, it is possible to make travel enjoyable, by following some simple rules that will help to minimize potential problems and make your trip stress-free, if not enjoyable.

Book Smartly

Whether it is rental cars, hotels or airlines, be smart about the bookings. Travel is not about getting the lowest prices—for a business traveler it is about avoiding cancelled flights and uncomfortable, inconveniently located hotels. Consider an airport hotel if your stay is short; a taxi to the airport is usually one of your biggest expenses, and also you won’t have to worry about rushing to make your flight.

If a very cheap hotel is located in an out-of-the-way location from which transport will be difficult or a greater expense, then it is not cheap. Precious time which can be better utilized in meetings or used for rest is wasted in transit, while the transport bill skyrockets. Likewise, an airline is not “cheap” if its flights have long layovers or delays, because time is wasted and you won’t arrive at your destination fresh and ready to participate in business meetings.

There is a wealth of information available online, and business travelers should use it to their advantage. Always check an airline’s on-time and lost luggage performance before booking. Also, look up the fare history on the intended route so that it can be determined if you are really getting a good price. Book flights that allow you to reserve seats, and ensure that seat early by getting a printout of the boarding pass; this is the best way to avoid getting bumped off or arriving without your checked-in baggage.

The Airport Experience

Check-in lines are always long and airport security is meticulous. So arrive early, a minimum of three hours before boarding time for international flights and two for local. Airport security officers will not be rushed just because the last call for one’s flight has been made, in fact if you’re in too big of a hurry they are going to pay you closer attention. Anticipate delays and schedule meetings with sufficient cushion time so you don’t become stressed out unnecessarily. Plan to have your before-flight meal at the airport instead of several cocktails, which will add to your jet lag and use up some of your extra time.

Once you’ve found an airline that you feel comfortable with, stay loyal. There is nothing better in travel than the perks that come with an elite status gained through frequent flyer programs. The same is true for hotel and car rental loyalty programs. Be sure to use these incentives to your advantage when traveling frequently. One weekend worth of flying to Asia can earn one a year of upgrades, speedy security lines and priority standby status.

On average, one passenger on each flight arrives at their destination without their luggage. So hold on to everything of value or those items that you can’t manage without. This includes medicine, jewelry, documents or that suit that will be needed for your early morning meeting. Make sure the luggage is clearly identified and drop a business card inside as well.

If you must travel for work, then why not enjoy it as much as possible? After your business is done, explore your destination—be open to different cultures and cuisine, and visit the local markets. Save a day to see a museum and learn about the local history. Create a diary or even a travel blog to share with others; remember travel is an option not everyone is blessed with.

Author Samantha Hathaway is a financial consultant and always traveling between the U.S. and Europe. She is also a blogger and content contributor to payday loans, a site with information about and access to pay advances.

There was a time that only credit cards used for personal purchases would earn people rewards, but banks that issue corporate credit cards have begun to give business travelers the same options. These credit cards are offering businesses travel miles like they do for their other customers, and since business people are known to travel frequently, these travel miles will be very much appreciated.

1. Capital One Venture for Business Card

The Pros

Business owners as well as their employees often travel to conduct business. When these travels are paid for with a Capital One Venture for Business card with travel rewards, the business can benefit with:

1. Double miles every time a purchase has been made,
2. 5,000 bonus miles added each time an employee is given a card,
3. 10,000 bonus miles added if the business cardholder spends $1,000 within a three month period,
4. Redeem miles on any airline the business chooses,
5. Businesses can earn as many miles as possible,
6. The miles do not have an expiration date,
7. Fees for the first year are waived,
8. No fees for any purchases made with the card while in a foreign country and
9. The best customer service.

The Cons

As far as can be seen with this card, there is only one con. To qualify for it, applicants must have the highest credit scores of at least 740.

How Travel Rewards Can Be Redeemed

With this particular business credit card, business owners have several options as to how they will spend their rewards. They may purchase airline tickets, receive cash or gift cards or choose the products the credit card company has to offer.

2. Business Platinum with Preferred no Hassle Miles from Capital One

The Pros

This card also offers business owners very attractive benefits for using the card: 1. Up until December of 2011, business owners can make purchases at a 0 percent APR, 2. They will not be charged an annual fee, 3. In the area that business owners spend the most money, they can earn three miles for every dollar spent, 4. One mile will be earned for every dollar spent on all the business’s other expenditures, 5. They are free to fly any airline of their choice, 6. They have the opportunity to earn as many miles as they can, 7. Their miles never expire, 8. They have the ability to place their own business’s logo on their credit cards.

The Cons

The credit score required for this card is even higher than for the previous; applicants must have exceptional credit with a score of 750 and above.

How to Redeem the Rewards

Redeeming their credit card rewards is just as easy as with their personal cards. They have the option of receiving travel tickets, opting to receive cash, receive merchandise or they can take their rewards in the form of gift cards.

3. American Express Business Gold Rewards Card

The Pros

This Rewards Card gives business owners considerable benefits: 1. Those who switch $50,000 of their business purchases to this card will receive 25,000 bonus points each year they have the card, 2. They have no limitations on the number of points they can earn, 3. The points never expire, 4. The annual fee is waived the first year.

The Cons

This card also does not present its owners with any negatives other than the fact that impeccable credit is required. 750 and above will help people qualify for this card.

How to Redeem the Rewards

Once enough points have been acquired, cardholders can redeem their airline privileges with any airline by booking their travel through American Express’s Open Travel website. If they are so inclined, they can also redeem their points at hotels and spas. The convenience of business credit cards for small businesses as well as medium and large-sized businesses makes acquiring them worth the time. The added bonus is the rewards that they can receive from them. Travel miles benefit those businesses that have reason to do a lot of traveling for business as well as pleasure, and most of the cards have travel-related rewards. The three choices in this article are a good beginning for any business seeking business credit.

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Ashley Renner  is a freelance writer for a credit card comparison website called CreditCardChaser.com. When she isn’t helping people find the best credit card for their personal needs, you can see Ashley riding her jet-ski around her lake. She loves saving money and helping others save money!

Image: phanlop88 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

There are both upsides and downsides to traveling for business. The major benefits are that you get out of your cubicle for a few days and you get to meet new people and see new places on the company dime. The downside, of course, is that you have to actually travel to get there. This could mean a commute to the airport, long lines once you get there, hassles with baggage, and even a frisking by TSA agents. And that’s before you even get on the plane. In short, traveling has become a nightmare for most people, whether they’re getting paid to do it or not. And the worst part is that you may find yourself jet-lagged, fatigued, and rushing around to try to stick to your schedule. So here are just a few ways to meet your deadlines and make it to the meeting on time when you travel abroad for work.

1. Book early. This can be taken two ways: you can book your flight weeks before you intend to travel, ensuring that you get the travel dates and times you prefer, and you can also book a flight so that you arrive early enough to make sure that you don’t miss any important appointments (as well as compensate for potential delays).

2. Alarm clock. Jet-lag can be a real killer, especially when you’re crossing several time zones. But you do have a couple of tricks up your sleeve to stay on track. First and foremost, stay awake. By keeping yourself up past your normal bedtime, you’ll be tired enough to sleep when it gets dark in your new locale. This will help you to acclimate appropriately to the time zone. In addition, make sure to set your travel alarm clock to local time and then set it well before the time you actually need to be somewhere. You might have some trouble dragging yourself out of bed the first few days, so make sure to compensate by giving yourself extra time.

3. Appointment reminder. You could be rushing around on your trip, so set yourself appointment reminders so that you don’t miss deadlines or meetings. You can set them manually on your computer or cell phone, or even download a program that will enter them all for you based on your daily calendar.

4. Avoid overbooking. Your company may be keen to get you to as many meetings as possible while you’re visiting a regional office or outside vendors, but you don’t want to skip out early on one meeting so that you can make it to the next. This is both rude to clients and stressful for you. So check over your schedule to make sure you’re not cramming too much in; you can always make another trip later or simply extend a couple of days if you need to.

5. Schedule in downtime. At some point your jet-setting is going to catch up with you. Schedule in a break for a long lunch or a nap to recoup and re-energize. If you find that you can’t catch any zees, use the windfall to catch up on some paperwork or check in on a project that is due during your absence.

Sarah Danielson writes for Appointment Reminder where you can send out a customizable text, phone, or email reminder to your clients. Increase revenue and customer satisfaction with Appointment Reminder.

Could this be your view from a corporate villa?

By Dan Weisman

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Americans take over 405 million long-distance business trips each year. For most business travelers, that means days of conference rooms, airports and planes, and taxis. The last thing you want on a business trip is to spend more time in a generic, impersonal space, but what options are there for on-the-road accommodations other than the tried-and-true business hotel?

Try this on for size: an entire apartment with a kitchen, bedrooms, living room, and space to work that isn’t squeezed between your bed and the bathroom. Throw in amenities like free Wi-Fi, pool access and laundry facilities, and your business lodging is starting to sound like home. That’s the idea behind corporate rentals – fully furnished villas, houses and apartments that cater to business travelers. Instead of staying in a hotel that could be the same anywhere in the world, business travelers can rent a distinctive house or apartment and enjoy the privacy, comfort and convenience of home while traveling. Vacation rentals are the perfect cure to travel angst, especially for those who take extended or frequent trips, or want to entertain while on business.

Extended Trips
If you ever need to travel for a week or more, then you may not relish the idea of staying in a hotel every night – especially if you need to work and live in the same place the whole time. Corporate villas and apartments often provide all the business necessities, such as Internet, convenient transportation options, recreation facilities (pools, gyms, spa), and even housekeeping.

Best of all, a business villa or apartment also offers privacy and options that are simply unavailable when you stay in hotels. Stay in a corporate rental and you won’t have to see colleagues in the hotel lobby several times a day. Don’t want to go out and eat alone? You can stay in for the evening without falling back on room service and pay-per-view. Rentals give you the opportunity to settle into a place and work more like a local, which can help ease some of the stress of business travel and make your extended trip more successful.

Frequent Trips
Consultants, government workers and finance professionals, among other business travelers, often need to visit a site repeatedly over a period of several weeks or even months. For this type of travel, hotels can get old fast. Booking the same rental for the duration of the project can help make it easier to live and work on location. With laundry facilities and storage space, you could travel back and forth with fewer items and smaller bags. Instead of living in a different hotel room each week, you would have your own space to work and live, and even spend time with friends.

For those whose travel involves working with a team, corporate rentals can be found that accommodate as many as twenty guests. Whether your whole team is on site at once or in shifts, a corporate rental can be a great place to set up a mobile office, host meetings outside of the client’s space and simply relax. More importantly, corporate rentals provide great value for a team, as the per-person cost is typically much lower than the average corporate hotel rate of $147/night, according to Business Travel News.

Corporate Events
Small businesses and teams that want to hold an event on-location – to celebrate the beginning of a relationship or the end of a project – may want to avoid the clichés of hotel banquet halls and create a more personal atmosphere. Corporate rentals are perfect for hosting small- to mid-sized parties. Bring in a caterer and some beverages, put some tunes on the stereo, and invite your associates to enjoy a party in a unique setting that they are bound to remember.

The bottom line: corporate rentals make business travel more comfortable and convenient for a lower price than frequent hotel stays. Whether you travel for business or plan corporate travel, you can find great deals and options on corporate rentals by searching Flipkey.com, which features over 100,000 rentals around the world.

Dan Weisman is the Blog Editor for Flipkey.com. More of his writing about vacation rental travel and marketing can be found at www.flipkey.com/blog, and you can connect with him on Twitter at @flipkey.

Image credit: flipkey

Traveling for business doesn’t have to be all work and no play. With a country as large and as diverse as the United States, there are plenty of must-see sights in almost every major business destination. Six of those destinations stand above the rest as those which simply cannot be missed.

1. The Statue of Liberty – New York, NY

It might be the most cliché landmark in the country, or at least the most cliché landmark in New York City, but the Statue of Liberty is truly a sight worth seeing. The Staten Island Ferry provides direct access to the statue and visitors are allowed to enter the structure and climb its many steps. Along the way, business travelers might want to check out Ellis Island, which is a short ferry ride away from the statue.

It’s important to note that waiting times can top 90 minutes for a ferry ride and guided tour of the Statue of Liberty, and tickets are required for interior access to the landmark. Additionally, visitors are required to go through a security screening put in place after September 11, 2001.

Plan a little extra time, and see America’s most iconic landmark. It’s worth it.

2. Independence National Historical Park – Philadelphia, PA

While on the subject of America’s liberty-theme landmarks, business travelers to Philadelphia will want to check out the Independence National Historical Park, sometimes called “America’s most historic square mile.” The site features Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Center, and numerous 18th-century architectural highlights.

The best part about this square mile of pure freedom? Every attraction except the Constitution Center is absolutely free and the lines are notoriously fast-moving. Visitors to these sites might even have a few extra minutes for a historic carriage ride around the city’s nearly 400-year-old neighborhood which housed Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and many others.

3. The Golden Gate Bridge – San Francisco, CA

The techie business traveler who finds himself or herself in the San Francisco or Silicon Valley area will want to make the trek to the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the defining landmarks of the west coast, and of American ingenuity. It speaks to a time when the great technological marvels were steel and concrete, no silicon and copper.

There is no specific tour of the landmark, although it is included in many wider-ranging tours of the city itself. However, the South Vista Point offers a picturesque view of the bridge, the bay, and the hills that surround it.

4. Apollo Mission Control Center – Houston, TX

Houston, we have a landmark. The Apollo Mission Control Center is exactly what it sounds like: the sight of America’s greatest space exploration accomplishments and the launching pad for Apollo missions galore. Tours are provided daily for a small admission fee, and the building is generally open from 10am to 7pm on weekdays and weekends.

Houston business travelers absolutely must see this building and get the guided tour if they’re at all interested in aviation, the history of the space race, or the early days of Houston as a major American city.

5. Ferdinand Magellan Railcar – Miami, FL

History buffs who love the old-fashioned feel of early 20th century politics will love the Ferdinand Magellan Railcar exhibit in Miami, Florida. The railcar was known as U.S. Presidential Railcar No. 1 and was in service from 1943 to 1958.

Built with an armored architecture designed to keep presidents safe from harm at the height of World War II, it was the first railcar built exclusively for a president since a special model designed for Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War era. To date, it is the only railcar in the United States that has been declared a national landmark.

6. The World of Coca-Cola – Atlanta, GA

It might just be America’s oldest and most successful global brand, and its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, offers an educational presentation and tour that will explain just how it became so world-renowned. The company offers affordable $10 parking, and tickets can be purchased in advance either online or via phone.

The price of admission is low, and this must-see attraction will wow visitors with historical facts, vintage Coca-Cola merchandise and advertising, and a unique view on where the company sees its product going in the future.

This guest article was contributed by Jennifer Bell from Health Training Guide. Check out her site to learn more about gerontology training and other exciting health careers.

Image: Bill Longshaw / FreeDigitalPhotos.net