IEEE Spectrum February, 2008 - 14

Block out your calendar to avoid meetings when you get back
so you can take care of the work that piles up while you're
gone; better yet, tell nobody the exact day of your return

careers
Travel Tips

Get more out of
business trips by
applying projectmanagement skills

B

JLImages/aLamy

usiness travel
often comes as feast or
famine, leaving some
wanting less and others,
more. All of us, however,
need ways to make the travel
itself rewarding, and the best
approach is by giving it the
same detailed attention you'd
devote to one of your technical assignments.
If you want to travel
more-to win business, forge
connections with far-flung
parts of your organization,
or just see the world-you
can wangle trips to conferences. One way is to get
involved in professional
societies and industry committees, many of which
hold their regular meetings
at conferences; another
is to respond to requests
for abstracts for conference
papers. Your company will
be happy to send you.
You can also target places
that will promote business,
an approach that led me to
the best business trip of my
career. After Pan Am went
bankrupt in 1991, I marketed
its Kennedy Airport maintenance facility, in New York
City. I spotted an aircraftmaintenance conference in
Germany in connection with
the International Paris Air
Show and proposed a trip
to both. To my surprise, the
trip was approved. The many
business contacts I made

www.spectrum.ieee.orG

helped me to get ahead.
Getting permission to
travel is one thing; succeeding on the trip is another.
Here are some tips:
Plan out the entire trip.

At the outset, determine
the end dates, the rough
itinerary, key meetings
and appointments, air
transportation, hotels, and
car rentals. I do it all on my
Microsoft Outlook Calendar
software, creating the trip as
a recurring "appointment"
and entering my itinerary in
the "notes" area. It all syncs
with my PalmOne personal
digital assistant, but even
so, I print a copy so I'll have
a form on which to record
my expenses. I also enter
key phone numbers in my
cellphone's address book.
Reserve your hotel
early, even before you get

approved to go, to lock in the
discounted conference rate.
Program your calendar to
remind you to cancel the reservation within 24 hours, in
case you end up not going.
Plan for craziness before
and after the trip. Block out

your calendar to avoid meetings when you get back so
you can take care of the work
that piles up while you're
gone; better yet, tell nobody
the exact day of your return.
Pack light, because you can

always buy the odd thing
you may need. Keep up on
the latest security guidelines on what can and cannot go in carry-on luggage.

Avoid peak travel times.

For example, savvy travelers
connect through Chicago's
busy O'Hare International
Airport according to the
season-in summertime
you connect early in the
day to avoid afternoon
thunderstorms; in winter
months you connect later
to give the previous night's
snow a chance to melt.
Keep your cool. Resolve

not to get angry if things go
wrong, as they often will. I
once had to spend a day at
a gate at Houston's Bush
International Airport, but I
got a lot of work done and
read most of a book. It wasn't
fun, but it wasn't worth
stressing about, either.
Plan for the return trip.

Ask how often the airport

shuttle runs and at what
time you'll need to get to the
airport, then confirm the
time with the airline. Once
I missed a return flight
from Hamburg, Germany,
after both the hotel and
the taxi driver had assured
me I had plenty of time
to make it. However, the
plane boarded extra early
to ensure it would get a
slot at London's Heathrow
Airport. Whose fault was
this? Mine, because I hadn't
checked with the airline!
Besides teaching you
patience and flexibility, travel
gives you far more usable
experience than you'd gain
by sitting in your office. Still,
while the most important
part of business travel is
the business part, don't forget to enjoy the travel part.
Bon voyage! -Carl Selinger

February 2008 * Ieee Spectrum * Na

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Spectrum February, 2008
