There may come a time when you are responsible for arranging all the ins and outs of your boss’s next trip. This can be a bit nerve-wracking considering the fact that if anything goes wrong, it’s your tail on the line.
But, nevertheless, you can’t decline the task, so you must confront it. Here are seven tips you can use to make travel arrangements for your boss that will result in an airtight itinerary and pleasant experience:
1. Ask the Right Questions
It might be easy to plan a trip based on what you would like but it’s a different story when you are trying to guess what someone else would like. There’s an easy fix to that. Don’t guess, just ask.
Before you even begin to look into making travel arrangements, you need to be sure that you have all the information you need to make this trip tailored to your boss’s liking. To do this, you need to ask the right questions. If you are booking a flight, ask your boss if they have any seating preferences. Would they like the aisle or the window better?
Or do they prefer to have a rental car at the airport or get a shuttle to their hotel and use cabs thereafter? Would they like to have some extra time before or after their meeting or just get in and out as quickly as possible?
Do they have proclivities or habits for which you need to make concessions? Your boss would very much appreciate taking these things into consideration.
2. Understand the Purpose of the Trip
When you know the goal or purpose of your boss traveling to their destination, you can tailor the trip to make that goal easier to attain.
Understanding who your boss will be meeting and what activities will be taking place can help you to anticipate the needs of your boss during the trip.
For example, you could make reservations at one of the best restaurants the night of a big meeting for your boss and a few extra guests to allow them to do a little post-meeting schmoozing.
3. Stay Within Budget
Most companies will have a budget available for executives that need to travel for business. Anytime that you can help the company save money, they will appreciate the effort. If you fail to stay within the company policy budget, not only will you look bad, but your boss might take some heat as well.
Of course, you don’t want to go super cheap either, arranging a trip for your boss with the lowest of amenities. You need to find a balance between bargain and luxury. Find the best deal for the highest quality in travel.
This will take a little research on your part. Use the booking sites available to you to find the best price on tickets, hotels, and car rentals. It may be possible to bundle all travel needs to save money.
The company may also have business accounts with certain airlines or car rental companies that give them discounted rates. If they don’t yet have one, ask if they can open one.
There are lots more ways to save money on business travel. Read about them here.
4. Work with a Booking Company
Speaking of saving money, working with a lodging company such as Hotel Engine can save you tons of money on hotel stays for your boss’s next trip. These booking companies can also help you to find the perfect hotel. All you need to do is tell them where and when and they do all the work for you.
They have exclusive access to hotels around the country and can get you the best deals for corporate hotel bookings with all the amenities your boss could possibly need.
If your boss is going to a conference, it would be best if you could book a room in the hotel that is hosting the conference. This can be difficult if you don’t book in time. Booking companies may already have an in.
5. Create an Itinerary
Every business trip should have a detailed itinerary to follow. Most corporate trips will have definite events on the list of to-do’s but there may be some free time between these.
You should have a written out detailed itinerary to organize and prepare your boss with a timeline to follow. This can be done with either a printed calendar of events or a digital app.
Be sure to include all the necessary information your boss will need in order to follow the itinerary including the ticket numbers and any reservation codes.
6. Update Your Boss
Before finalizing the trip, go over all the details with your boss. This is the last step before making the purchases.
This allows your boss to ask for any adjustments to be made or give the final ok for you to go ahead book tickets and reservations.
7. Iron Out the Fine Details
After your boss signs off on the details, you need to go through all the details one more time. If you can, find a way to make the travel arrangements just that much better. This can include finding tiny little luxuries that your boss will appreciate.
Use what you know about your boss to add some fine details that are special to them. Your attention to detail can go a long way towards a raise!
Conclusion
It can be frustrating trying to make travel arrangements without constant reassurance but keeping good communication with your boss throughout the process can certainly help.
The above tips will also help you to successfully plan a hassle-free trip for your boss.
