Travel with your business
We recently took a two week trip to visit family in Georgia and Iowa. We spent a total of 6 days in the car driving. Now first of all, any small business owner knows that he can’t leave his business for 2 weeks and expect to find it running at full capacity or sometimes even running. Second, small business owners know they can’t sit in a car for 6 days and not work. What a waste of precious time! Here are some tips I picked up along the way that will help make your trip go smoother:
Call ahead and check internet capabilities. When making your reservations, look for a hotel that has high-speed Internet access. Most hotels now have these capabilities. If you have a laptop, make sure your room has the capacity to support your computer. This is important, as I went to a hotel in Nashville, TN and was told they don’t have internet in all rooms, but they would hold me in a business room. Upon arrival they told me that they did not have any of those rooms available. I had to go down to the lobby late at night to check my email, and of course I couldn’t do my work because I needed to be able to download files to my computer. Make sure they WILL GUARANTEE that your room will have internet access. Call and find out if you will need any special hardware to help you use your Internet. If you don’t have a laptop, don’t worry. Most hotels have a business center where they provide internet access and a computer. Find out what they have for your use and make sure it will suffice.
Make a list. Decide what you want to work on. Make a “to do” list. Then off your “to do” list, make sure you pack everything you’ll need to bring to complete your list. If necessary, make a “To Pack” list to make sure you have everything you need. There’s nothing worse than driving 200 miles from home and realizing you left an essential client folder at home and now you can’t complete your work.
Make sure you have all the necessary hardware. Here are some things to think about taking:
laptop
All the accessories for the laptop, including its transport bag. (If you don’t have a laptop bag, I picked up a nice cheap black leather one at Sam’s Club.)
A power adapter. Unless your laptop has a long battery life, you’ll need an adapter. I have a 300 watt power inverter at Radio Shack. It handles my laptop beautifully. If you’re not sure what you’ll need, go in and ask the guys at your computer store or call your computer manufacturer and ask what the requirements are.
Something to set up your workstation. I bought a cheap 10 dollar TV tray at Wal-Mart that works wonderfully. It holds my laptop, keyboard and mouse and is comparable to having a small desktop. It folds up when I’m not using it so it doesn’t take up too much space. (This one is for those of you who drive.)
Wireless PC Card, if you have one. Some hotels will allow you to connect wirelessly in their hotels.
Make everything accessible. When you pack your car, make sure everything you need is within reach. Make sure you don’t pack any necessary files in the trunk, if in doubt, put them away! If you’re going to fly, don’t check your job bank.
Use the time to catch up on “servant” work. Sometimes I find that I am so busy with my clients that I don’t have time to do my work. It just accumulates. I spent several hours of my trip doing minor things like organizing my Outlook, my computer files, sorting through old files, etc. Use this time in the car or on the plane to your benefit!
Have fun! Remember it’s vacation. Don’t spend all your time working! Work while you’re in travel mode, but when you arrive at your destination, enjoy your time. If you’re driving, be sure to take in the scenery around you while you’re working so you can enjoy yourself. Be sure to enjoy your family and friends on the go!
Have wonderful and safe trips!