expense of the trip’s core purpose: your
company’s business goals. “Under no
circumstances should you sit in your
hotel room; explore and try things.
But always remember that you are on
a business trip and exploring a city or
partying into the early hours should in no
way impact your work the following day.”
She adds: “And if you do let loose,
remember that you represent yourself,
your company and your country as a
brand – after hours, too.”
Sure Maritime Travel business manager
Rachael Penaluna agrees that the key
to successful business travel is setting
boundaries, both in how you travel and
how you conduct yourself. “Be mindful
of country etiquette before you travel
and your colleagues’ preferences. Show
initiative in all situations. Make sure
you are always on time, be mindful of
meetings and schedules”.
Another big mistake that rookie
business travellers make, she says, is “not
dressing professionally at all times”.
Paul Abrahams learnt this the hard way
on his first business trip in his new job
with an international shipping company.
Thinking it was okay to get comfortable
on the long flight from Johannesburg
to Zurich, Abrahams showed up at the
airport in a tracksuit. His colleague and
his boss were both wearing suits. “I was
mortified,” he recalls.
THE UGLY
Penaluna warns against drinking too much
or being “anti-social”, as well as giving away
confidential company information during a
moment of overly relaxed chit-chat. “Also,
share some personal information about
yourself – but not too much.”
Qvist adds that gossiping about
colleagues back home is equally
foolish, and has a warning of her
own: “Remember the world is a small,
networked place. What happens in Vegas
now gets home before you do – on
Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.”
Finally, there’s the cardinal rule of
business trips: never put yourself in the
position of having to do a walk of shame
from a colleague’s hotel room. It can lead
to some awkward situations, as Melanie
Commeignes experienced:
“At a conference in Egypt I got up early
after a big dinner function to go on a
sunrise tour. On the way down I bumped
into my manager stumbling out of a
colleague’s room, still dressed in her
dinner clothes. It was an uncomfortable
moment for us both and definitely put
a strain on our working relationship
after that.”
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 1 7