I don’t know about you, but I LOVE traveling for my business.
Even if I’m just headed to a nearby city for an overnight stay or small conference, it just feels … well, glamorous!
It reminds me that my company has a national footprint, that clients and colleagues in other regions want to connect with me, and that I can see new places and build relationships simultaneously.
What I DON’T love is organizing all of the logistics around a business trip.
Especially if I’m going to a large city or a brand new destination, figuring out transportation to and from airports, meeting locales, and appointments can be a real bear.
So can making sure I can eat, work, and relax in between scheduled events in a place I don’t know.
Winging it can be fun when you’re on vacation, but business travel needs to be more structured. And just thinking about all those interconnected details is exhausting.
This is why I call on my virtual assistant to help me schedule and plan my business travel … and you should, too!
Why Should Your VA Help With Travel Plans?
Even if you’ve handled your own travel arrangements for years and resist the idea of handing this work over to your VA, I’m here to ask you to reconsider.
For one thing, travel planning and booking is relatively simple administrative work but it can suck up gobs of time … time that you, as the business owner, should be spending on money-making tasks instead.
On top of that, standardization in travel bookings is possible with a virtual assistant to offer you the best deals, which means getting your VA’s help can save you money.
When you enlist your VA to help, you’re automatically increasing the speed at which travel plans can be executed.
She can streamline the processes of making payments, scheduling reservations, evading queues, and arranging for security check-ins.
She can sign you up for points and rewards with favorite hotels and airlines, and keep track of your status. She can even troubleshoot issues from afar, once you’ve arrived!
Everything from forgetting your passport, to getting stuck in customs lines, to needing local cash to meet travel needs can be managed by your VA, so you can focus on being fully present for your conference, meeting, or presentation.
5 Travel-related Tasks to Outsource to your VA
Wondering how to get YOUR virtual assistant started?
Here are some of the simplest ways she can support your travel planning right now:
- Advance-of-travel research: On top of flight, hotel, and transportation, your VA can look into which neighborhoods are best avoided, tipping customs, wifi availability, and more.
- Itinerary preparation: Ask her to chart out each day for you, including pertinent phone numbers, maps, times, and potential costs
- Between-appointment planning: Put your VA in charge of locating places to visit or use when you’ve got downtime. She can scout out Internet cafes, local restaurants, and business centers for your use.
- Confirmation: Ask her to confirm all travel arrangements and coordinate with your travel location (concierge, event planner, etc)
- Money matters: If you’re going abroad, get your VA to determine your currency and conversion needs, especially if your destination is a cash-centric culture
Business Travel Doesn’t Need to Be Complicated
When you’re traveling for business, you want to be able to focus on networking, wowing clients, and putting your best foot forward.
It’s MUCH harder to do that if you’re also juggling schedules, reservations, and transportation needs. So outsource those details!
Ask your virtual assistant to oversee your travel arrangements from now on, so you can put all of your energy toward growing your company in new and exciting cities.
