Ever since I can remember, my mom is traveling frequently to Kolkata due to business reasons. As a little girl, I used to enjoy her stories related to Kolkata and eagerly wait for boxes of rasgullas.
Her company’s head office is in Kolkata and her business trips last from one to ten days at a stretch. It has been years and still, she unfailingly sends the ‘boarded’ and ‘reached’ messages to us. Now, as a grown-up girl, I always enjoy hearing her stories and take some useful travel tips from a regular traveler like her.
Taking a cue from her advice, here are five useful tips to make your next business trip hassle-free:
1. Travel Light
I have never seen my mother carrying bulky suitcases on her business trip. She always prefers to utilize the laundry service available at the hotel in Kolkata than roaming around with a massive suitcase. She carries basic toiletries, medication, clothing, and important office documents in pouches which not only consume less space but also keep her items in an organized manner.
- Keep socks in shoes to save space
- Fold clothes instead of rolling
- Pack clothes around a color scheme like white, grey, black, etc.; as it will be easy to mix and match them
2. Plan your Trip Smartly
Business outings are all about back-to-back meetings and a tight schedule. To ensure that by the end of a trip, neither you are drained out nor sleep-deprived, it is imperative to plan your trip smartly. My mom never travels without checking the weather of Kolkata as she doesn’t want to be stuck without a jacket when it is freezing outside!
- Know the weather condition before traveling
- If possible, arrive a day or at least an evening before your meeting so that you get enough time to relax
- Join loyalty and frequent flier programs with airlines which will give you access to airport lounges, where you can rest
3. Pick the right Hotel
My mom says, that her hotel is like her second home, so she pays a lot of attention when it comes to choosing from the hotels in Kolkata near the airport. As she believes, a pleasant and comfortable stay can play an important role in the success of any business trip!
- Choose a hotel that has a good business center and meeting room with basic facilities where you can access emails, take out printouts, etc.
- Choose a hotel with free and unlimited Wi-Fi
- Sign up for online travel portals, and you have better chances of finding good hotels in Kolkata
- While you should look for hotels near your business meeting venue, be cognizant of your neighborhood. Usually, people don’t live in financial districts, which can leave the streets empty after you call it a day
4. Go sightseeing
Though it is your business trip, take out some time from your schedule to see the place you’re visiting. After all, what is the use of traveling, if you can’t see the world beyond your hotel room?
- Try local cuisine of the place you are visiting
- If time is a constraint, ask your hotel manager for the best places to see and then choose accordingly
Believe me, even the smallest detail can make a big difference. Though my mom’s official trips are restricted to Kolkata only, she meticulously plans her trip, especially when it comes to choosing the hotel in Kolkata and prefers to use online travel websites like Yatra to ease her travel. I am happy as she still manages to come back with some local goodies.
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