Hi guys,

I've just landed a support role with international travel (North Europe & America) I have only ever traveled as a tourist previously, albeit quite extensively.

I'd love some general pointers of how to make the most of my traveling, I.E best rewards from hotels groups to stay with, credit or charge card options, itinerary management websites and even essential items to pack (I know it should be common sense, but even on pleasure trips I always neglect something important).

So a few quick details, I'll be based in Sheffield, and will be abroad perhaps 1 week in 5 or 6. Company does not provide credit facilities, nor do they book tickets or Hotels, it's all down to me.

Thanks in advance for helping me get my head round this myriad of info!

Welcome to Flyertalk Nifton!

Community Buzz forum is for discussion of Flyertaker meetings & Dos, I'll move your thread to Travel Buzz for discussion.

The key to max programs is to fully understand the pros & cons, make sure you are aware of both when evaluating.

Willie
co-moderator Community Buzz

based in the uk?.....destinations?....money limits?

w/no money limits, i would fly 1st & stay at the top hotels!

car renting?

The key things I would do:

1. Learn your company's travel rules inside and out. What class of ticket do they allow, is there a cap on per diems? Do they pay actuals, and therefore need receipts, do they have any corporate rates at hotels, are you travelling on your own or with others, etc.

2. Find out where you will be going - is it the same half dozen places, or is it 100s? What hotels are int eh cities you will go to, and close to where you will need to be for work.

3. What airports will you need to fly to, especially North America? Connecting in the US is a bigger pain than usual, so if you can, pick an airline (and thus frequent flyer plan) that fly directly to where you need to be.

4. Work out what you want to be able to do - is it upgrade, free personal flights, free goodies, ability to board early etc.

DO NOT fall into the trap of using your reimbursement checks to pay for personnel expenses not related to your business travel (for example; don't use the money to pay your Cable-TV bill). Pay off your business travel accounts promptly once the reimbursement checks arrive.

w/ 8 trips/yr, if only a few are across the pond, you should be able to get to elite status if you can use 1 alliance....

posting all the detail you can come up with will help people to guide to a decent plan....

Travel light
Never check luggage
Turn everything into Miles or Hotel Stays

Services like Hotwire are good for getting nice rooms at a low price, but you sacrifice points because you will not earn them. Use them when your membership hotels are not available where you need to go.

Avoid peak travel periods..holidays and weekends

Keep all your receipts in a single location, input them as quickly as you can.

If you know broadly what destinations you will be flying to, check out which airline flies to most or all of them and get yourself on their frequent flyer programme. Rack up the maximum (usable) status and reward miles with the same airline if possible, and enjoy the privileges that come with them. Ditto hotels, although if you have the choice of where to book you may want to opt for non- or smaller-chain hotels where you will probably get much better service if you are a regular guest. Do research online for good local restaurants, and try to get to know the places you visit a bit rather than just the hotel.

Always pack earplugs, adapter plugs and imodium. Take a camera. Take plenty of business cards. As others have said, pack light and carry your stuff on, don't check it. Have enough local currency in your wallet at least to get a taxi between the airport and the centre of town, in small bills. Prepare for the snafus and irritations of regular air travel - a plan B for anything serious; movies, books, music, family pics etc on your tablet or laptop; some spare ID photos (useful if your passport goes awol and needs to be replaced in a hurry); a relaxed attitude. Leave a photocopy of your passport, driving licence etc in the office. Consider investing in local SIM cards if you are going to do a lot of phoning at your destinations; roaming call charges are horrendous and data even more so, but the company may not mind this. Keep all receipts (Number One Rule)! Make sure your channels back to loved ones are all set up, and use them.

And don't forget the unappreciated worker bees back at base who never get a trip overseas on the firm. Bring back sweets or something from your trips that can be shared around the office.

RE North American travel - Use caution when travelling to the USA on business.

Unlike some other nations, presenting yourself at the US border and stating that you're 'here on business' will result in numerous questions concerning the nature of your work & your remuneration. Make sure you always state that you are travelling to the US on business, and not 'for work.' (Unless that's a lie of course - If you're travelling to work you should consult an immigration lawyer.)

The American CBP officers will be trying to determine whether or not you are doing work that could be performed by an American citizen. You can occasionally expect to be sent to 'secondary' for more extensive grilling. Of course thousands of people enter the USA on business daily (I do it on average twice a month), but the interaction with CBP is very different than when travelling on holiday and/or what you see in the movies or read in books.

It's also useful if you pack a "B-1" letter on each trip, signed by an executive at your employer. Here's a sample:

http://www.globallawcenters.com/samp...portletter.php

You may be asked to produce this letter, plus a business card. Never travel to the USA on business without a return ticket already in-hand.

Finally, note that some American ports of entry are more relaxed re business travellers than others. You'll get a sense of this over time.

+1

Using the camera in your cell, pda, etc is a quick way to make a backup copy, if paperwork is essential.

Emailing a facsimile of the real receipt can sometimes start whomever handles travel reimbursement working on the paperwork, assuming they are willing to do this. YMMV.

This doesn't answer your question but you will get a lot more responses to your posts in the future if you are more specific in the title. "Newby needs help" will not attract a lot of readers. "Need advice - traveling from England to North America" would have gotten more people's interest.