I often need to travel within the country for meetings with and pitching to clients. While I do that, I end up blogging for my travel portal as well – and while I do that, I end up doing what I am most passionate about – travelling – and while I am at it, I end up doing something I am even more passionate about – writing poetry!
So, the next time you have a client meeting, you could throw in a few extra clothes in the suitcase and double up your trip as a business cum leisure one. I show you ways how you can get the most out of your business travel and make your work trips interesting:
(1) Always pack a few sets of extra clothes: Even if you are just going to be in a new city for two days and your meetings will not go beyond the two days, it does not hurt to pack a few extra clothes and extend your trip by just one or two days to explore the famous monuments of the city.
(2) Plan meetings in the second half of the week: If you can be flexible with your meetings, plan the meetings with your client or associate for the second half of the week (Thursday or Friday) so you could automatically get the Saturday and Sunday free for excursions and you could head back by Sunday evening.
(3) Make the most of the evenings: Well, many places and monuments of interest around the world are worth visiting at night because of their lighting, which brightens up their facade only at night – example the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, the Mysore Palace in Mysore, the Somnath Temple in Gujarat, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai, the Opera House at Sydney, and so on. You could sweat it out in the office during the day, finish your client meetings, and take the evenings off to explore these illuminated landmarks. Does that sound exciting?
(4) Explore the neighbourhood – on foot! That’s a brilliant alternative to hitting the gym of your five-star hotel. It is much better to hit the road on foot, explore your neighbourhood, which will be full of many nice attractions, as a little bit of research would show you. After you are done with the important meetings, it would make sense to explore the closeby places and just hop around the corner to see the famous landmarks. For instance, if you are staying near the River Thames, you could just walk to see the London Eye or Big Ben.
(5) Ask your client out for lunch: You have been reading about this new restaurant that has come in Kolkata and it is your first time in Kolkata but you are pressed for time with all the meetings that are lined up – just ask the client out to lunch. Your outing is taken care of – while you devour the delicacies of ‘Shonar Bangla’, you could convince your business associate of your business proposition. Do you still think it is taboo to mix business with pleasure?
