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Will Norquay

Will Norquay is a frequent business traveller who shares his experiences and thoughts writing for Stayz. Stayz is Australia’s #1 holiday rental website.

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5 Business Travel Etiquette Tips

Will Norquay

September 23, 2015


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Establishing and promoting your small business may require you to take quite a number of trips. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that we’re working when our environment has drastically changed. There will be circumstances where you’re travelling around your own country, and circumstances where you’re travelling abroad. The ability to accept any new environment as a business environment will lead you to successful encounters that will allow you to establish a professional reputation and leave a lasting impression of the company you’re representing.

1 – Pack the Right Clothing

If an arrangement doesn’t come to fruition as you planned and you don’t have time to change, would it be acceptable for you to wear what you’re wearing at that moment to a meeting?

Avoid packing street clothes. Instead, opt for business casual attire with a few formal alternatives. Your colleagues need to be able to distinguish you from a common tourist. If you need to take some personal detours, you’re fine to ditch the jacket and the tie, but always have them handy in the event you’ll need to put them back on at a moment’s notice. What you’re wearing at any given moment would need to be appropriate for the office at home.

2 – Use Your Business Manners

There’s nothing wrong with the manners you were taught growing up, provided you don’t use them in a business setting. Chivalrous gestures, or affording women a different politeness than you would afford men with, can be seen as condescending or wildly inappropriate. In a business setting, everyone receives the exact same courtesies.

This also means that you’ll have to take more care to be considerate of others. You may know your colleagues well enough to discretely check your email at the table, and they may not mind. Business connections you are meeting for the first time will see your behavior as being in bad taste. Don’t behave for the benefit of your colleagues. Behave for the benefit of the professionals you’ve come to visit.

3 – Run Early

At home, you know exactly what time you need to leave your house in order to arrive at the office when you need to. In a new area, you haven’t memorized the patterns around you. It helps to double your time estimates to make sure you’re punctual. If you wind up arriving far too early, you can always sit in the car with the air running until it’s an appropriate time to enter. It’s better to wait outside the building for a while than to be stuck in traffic ten miles away from it. 

4 – Know Your Locals

You may logically assume that other countries have unique business customs, but different areas of your own country may have them too. An area’s business customs can vary based on a variety of factors, such as the political climate or prevalence of religion in the area. Some cities employ fast-talking negotiators that want to get down to business, while others prefer to conduct things at a laid back pace.

Researching before you go will help you hit it off. Your ability to fit in will increase others’ inclination to trust you. Sticking out like a sore thumb by being blind to local customs may cause others to view you as rude. Know how they greet and negotiate with each other, and learn to speak their business language.

5 – You’re Not on Vacation

Even if the locale is great and you’re dying to explore, don’t give in to the temptation. You won’t spend every waking hour working, but you don’t have the luxury of taking your business mask off while you’re away. It may feel strange to travel with all of your coworkers. You need to remember the distinct lines between the coworker and friend boundary, and be sure you don’t cross them.

It’s a solid, safe bet not to drink at business dinners unless others are doing the same. If they are and you choose to join them, adhere to a two drink maximum. Anything that occurs outside of the office will impact the way people see you inside the office, and you need to maintain the image that’s working effectively for you at home.


                   



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