Sometimes, you have to travel around the world as part of your job. This could be your own choice as a self-employed individual, or it may be part of your role within a company. Either way, it’s a pretty nice perk to have! You get the joys of traveling while still being paid to work – what more could you ask for?
Of course, business travel and regular travel are two different things. They offer entirely different experiences, which means there are certain things to know before you go traveling for work. With that in mind, here are the main things to be aware of if you need to do some business traveling:
Make the most of your time
Time is of the essence when you’re traveling for business. You don’t have the freedom to create a travel itinerary and take your time, as you do when you travel for leisure. Instead, the main focus will be on work. Then, you have as much free time as you can find to do whatever else you want to do. My advice is to make the most of your time and explore the new city when you have a moment to spare. Don’t go to your hotel room and fall asleep! It might be a good idea to book onto a tour around the city, so you get to see as much of it as possible. Try and plan around your business responsibilities as well, so you at least have some sort of travel plan to follow.
Get the right immigration help
Naturally, when you cross over from one country to another, there will be laws you have to abide by. The main one is immigration. The duration of your business trip – and the location of it – may play a role in your immigration status while abroad. It’s well worth talking to an experienced immigration lawyer to understand any potential issues that could crop up. They’ll help you get all the right paperwork in place – if it’s required – so you can legally go about your business while abroad. Don’t overlook this as it can stop your trip in its tracks if you don’t have all the right business immigration paperwork handy.
Don’t forget to claim your expenses
As someone who loves saving money, it comes as no surprise that I think you should think about business expenses during your trip. A lot of companies will give you a daily allowance that you can effectively use for free. But, there are other expenses you can sometimes claim as well. Travel expenses are the most common, and this essentially means you get money off your tax bill at the end of the year. You can look up the definition of per diem to find out more about being reimbursed for your travel expenses! Self-employed business travellers should pay close attention to this as it can save you so much money when the taxman comes calling!
Business travel can be just as fun and rewarding as leisure travel. The key is to find the right balance between work and play. Follow the advice above if you’re going on a work trip and want to ensure everything runs smoothly.