Travel safety tips for business travellers
With air travel opening up a world of opportunities, business travel can take us across the globe. Whilst this is a positive move forward for companies, amidst meeting preparation and presentations, business travel safety can often be overlooked.
How to stay safe when travelling for business
From lockable luggage to cyber security, we’ve summarised how to stay safe when travelling for business in this article. Before you set off, it’s worth booking airport parking for your business trip. Easy, secure, and close to the airport, this will remove the need to walk far with your business documents and other important items. Read on for more tips on how to stay safe when travelling for business.
Invest in lockable luggage
If there’s one accessory to pack for business travel, it’s lockable luggage. Carrying important documents and expensive equipment can put you and your company’s information at risk, so investing in lockable luggage will help to keep your belongings safe and give you peace of mind whilst travelling for business.
You’re likely to be carrying a laptop, so it’s important to buy lockable luggage that features a hard, protective case to guard your equipment against knocks and bumps.
During your flight, it’s best to keep your work equipment and documents in your hand luggage so you can be confident they will make any connecting flights on time. This is also handy for doing some meeting preparation if you’re on a long haul flight.
Don’t forget, your lockable airport luggage will need to meet airport safety regulations, so have a look at the airline’s luggage weight and size criteria before you travel. The guidelines can vary between airlines so always be sure to check.
Choose lockable luggage that makes it easy to organise your business items. Remember you’ll need to put your laptop and other electrical equipment in a plastic tray through airport security, so make sure you store the key to your lockable luggage in a safe place that’s easy to access.
Familiarise yourself with the destination
Every country has different customs and business etiquette that you’ll need to be aware of before attending a business meeting at your destination.
For example, a business meeting in China sees attendees entering the room in order of their hierarchy, with the most senior member entering first. A business meeting in Japan usually begins with attendees bowing to each other as a sign of respect; business cards are handed out with both hands and this exchange is usually accompanied with a bow, too.
It’s important to be aware of business meeting etiquette in each country you travel to for a business meeting, to make sure you don’t risk violating any best practices or offending any clients.
If you’re travelling to a business meeting where the attendees speak a different language, make sure you’ve polished up your knowledge of the key greetings and phrases.
Think about cyber security in public places
For business travellers, cyber security needs to be taken seriously. You should always use a virtual private network (VPN) when travelling for business, to keep your company’s information secure.
Connecting to open networks in public places heightens the threat of your laptop being hacked and your company’s sensitive information being put at risk. A VPN will allow you to securely connect to a WiFi network.
The laws that govern cyber security can vary across the world, so connecting via a protected network during your business travels is a must.
It’s also worth limiting Bluetooth connectivity whilst travelling for business. Leaving Bluetooth switched on will leave your devices vulnerable to hacking from nearby devices. Try to keep your Bluetooth disabled as much as possible to ensure the highest level of cyber security in public places.
Research the security at your accommodation
Make sure your business travel accommodation offers high levels of security. A security desk that operates 24 hours a day is always a positive sign.
It’s a good idea to make sure your hotel room will have a secure safe available. Make sure you lock any important items or sensitive documents away before leaving the room and display the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign whilst you’re out and about. This is a handy business travel trick to suggest you’re still in the room and help deter any unwelcome visitors!
Check travel safety guidelines at your destination
When travelling for business or pleasure, it’s always wise to check the government’s travel safety guidelines before you go. The guidelines provide all the travel safety information you’ll need to know, including for example, any known terrorist threats, natural disasters or coronavirus restrictions.
Of course, it’s always a good idea to keep family, friends and colleagues back home updated with your travel plans, so they can check in on you if needed whilst you’re travelling for business.
