More Productive Business Trips

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BONUS FREEBIE: Travel is BACK! Click here to grab my “Trip Checklist” to be sure yours goes off without a hitch despite possible speed bumps!

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I love traveling. For vacations AND for business. But business trips take extra preparation and planning, which means…

More Lists!

I know all about this from traveling to launch events for my books Listful Living and Listful Thinking. And from speaking engagements, like LinkedIn Talent Connect 2022.

Here are five travel lists you can use to be more organized and productive on your next business trip. I talked all about them on a recent episode of Inside Scoop here.

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1) Packing Lists

This probably seems obvious, but it’s important so I’m including it. Make a packing list of everything you’ll need before you pack.

Think about clothes, work items, medicine, toiletries, etc. It’s better to have a super long list and decide not to include things rather than forget them. (Or keep packing and unpacking your suitcase a million times because you have to keep trying to fit additional things.)

I’d also make a schedule of everything you’ll be doing on your trip and plan out your outfits. This helps so you don’t overpack.

2) “Notes for Next Time” List

Another great list is a “notes for next time list”. This is a list to make as you’re traveling.

Do you ever regret bringing too much or forgetting something as your trip is going on? Me too. So I write them down.

Did you only need three sweaters instead of six? Is your travel face cream running low? Write it down. This will help you to replenish any toiletries for your next trip AND give you a jump start on your next packing list.

3) Schedules

Read (or make) your schedule beforehand. This will help you plan your travel from place to place to ensure you arrive on time (aka early) for your conference panels or meetings.

If you’re attending a conference, there’s often multiple events and panels happening at the same time. So it’s extra important to read your schedule ahead of time and make a list of what you want to attend. (Or when to sneak away to nap between events!)

4) Expense Reports

You should always make a budget for your trip, whether it’s a vacation or a business trip.

During a business trip, keep your receipts and track your expenses. It can be helpful to make notes at the top of your receipts so you remember what meeting etc. the purchase was attached to.

I like to keep my receipts in a plastic bag and enter them into an Google Sheets chart at the end of every day. But there’s also apps like Shoeboxed to help you track everything.

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5) Follow-Up List

This one is especially useful for conferences. If you’re going to a lot of meetings or meeting a lot of people, keeping a list of who to follow up with will be extremely helpful at the end of your trip.

On this list include, where you met this person and what you talked about. And I would recommend doing this at the end of every day.

It can help to make notes on the business cards you collect. Or if business cards aren’t your thing, LinkedIn has QR codes that you can use to pull up someone’s profile and connect them on the spot.

This way you’ll know exactly who to follow up with and specific notes about what to follow up on.

Watch the entire episode of Inside Scoop here or check out my LinkedIn Learning Course about Organizing Your Remote Office to learn how to bring your office wherever you go!

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