1. Get up and move on long trips.

It’s commonly known as “Economy Class Syndrome”, but it happens to travelers in business and first class as well. Its technical name is deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot that develops in the legs and can travel to the lungs or the brain. Doctors believe that a combination of conditions contribute to the syndrome, including sitting in cramped conditions for 10 or more hours, low cabin pressure, low humidity and dehydration. You are especially at risk if you smoke, have high blood pressure, or have a history of cardiovascular problems.

Get up and walk up and down the aisle at least every two hours, and be sure to remain hydrated. Remember, coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages actually contribute to dehydration. Drink water and fruit juices instead. The best way to give you an extra advantage is to book an aisle seat with extra leg room.

2. Keep your eye on airline fees.

Save your company a bit of extra money by being aware of hidden airline fees. Shop around for the best rates and package deals if you need to rent a car or are traveling to multiple destinations. While boarding an airplane, keep your bags below 50 pounds.

3. Take full advantage of what your hotel offers.

When you are away from home you do not have your usual connections, your hotel can help you. Perhaps you need a printer at 2 am, or reservations for a business dinner at an appropriate restaurants. At home, you would know exactly where to go, but when you are traveling, you need answers from a reliable source. A business class hotel can provide these answers and more.

Most business travelers know whether their hotel offers high spend internet and wifi connections, but hotels that deal with business travelers often take those services to a far higher level. The front desk clerk or concierge will often go above and beyond to be sure that you have everything you need for your stay, from a replacing a cell phone charger to arranging pickup and delivery of important papers.

4. Make the most of layovers.

Your best case scenario may not include any layovers, but that’s not always possible. If you find yourself in a foreign airport with time to kill, make the most of it. Many airports around the world feature special lounges and amenities for frequent and business class flyers. You can take advantage of a hot shower, a massage or a nap; plug in to recharge your laptop and cell phone batteries; put your feet up in a massage recliner. Working out may not be an option, but a brisk walk between terminals can serve the same purpose – and get your blood flowing and your brain working again.

Not traveling business or first class? Many airports offer “pay per visit” access to the business/first class lounge that will still allow you access to all the amenities offered to business and first class travelers.

5. Pack smart for safety and comfort.

Spend as much time thinking about your safety as you do about packing the right tie or blouse. Keep a “go bag” ready to go with your current prescriptions, over the counter medications that you use frequently, your health insurance information and an abbreviated medical history. Pack your own amenities kit for the plane trip, too. Bring travel socks, eye shades, an inflatable pillow and mints, as well as travel size moisturizer, toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash.

Five Additional Quick Business Travel Tips:

1. If you travel to the same city frequently or for extended periods, look into corporate housing instead of hotel stays. The savings could add up in just a few trips.

2. When using a pay phone at the airport, avoid isolated or poorly lighted locations, and face outward while you’re on the phone.

3. Check to see if your credit card or personal insurance covers you while driving a rented car and save the expense of rental insurance.

4. Ask at airport check-in if there are exit row or bulkhead seats available. They’re usually the last ones assigned and there’s a good chance you’ll get a better seat without the cost of requesting a specific seat.

5. Be sure to keep a photocopy of your passport and ID back at the hotel. It will make things immensely easier in case of loss or theft.

Watch the video related to business travel safety tips

SDBTA is committed to enhancing the travel profession by sponsoring educational and informational programs for its members, and by providing top-rated speakers to address travel-related issues, concerns and current “hot topic” items. SDBTA is an excellent venue for the sharing of travel-related information and professional expertise, and is an organization focused on perfecting the science of business travel management. National Business Travel Association SDBTA is an affiliation of the National Business Travel Association (NBTA), whose members represent major corporations and travel suppliers throughout the United States. Along with SDBTA, the national organization provides members with information on the latest technical and service advantages within the industry, as well as current legislative issues involving travel costs and safety matters affecting business travel.

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Craig Elliott -
About the Author:

Craig Elliott is a freelance writer who writes about topics concerning travel and vacation planning including Discount Travel | Air Travel

You could use one of the big Internet booking agencies. Those can help you get pretty good deals. It’s worthwhile to check two or three of them to see how they rate different hotels, so you’ll get what you want. Whenever you’re looking at hotels and bed-and-breakfasts on the Internet, remember, any place can look good with some creative photography.

We recommend avoiding the companies that don’t tell you the name of the hotel until after you make your reservation. Also remember that when hotels are tied to booking agencies, they lose a cut to that agency. You might be just as well off booking directly with the hotel.

It pays to find a good budget travel guide. If you like their philosophy, you will probably like the hotels they recommend. You can call the hotel directly. Chances are you will be able to talk to someone who speaks English. You can contact almost all of them over the Internet these days, either by e-mail or by contacting them through their own web site.

Although budget travel tips are on top of the agenda, you need to take so many other points into consideration to avoid a disappointing vacation, so make a note of the following guidelines…

If you e-mail the hotel directly, tell them the number of rooms you want and how many people per room. They will need to know the date of your arrival and the date of your departure… so the number of nights you will be staying.

Remember that in most places in the world, dates are written with the day/month/year, not with the month/day/year as it is in the U.S. To avoid confusion on any continent, we write the month out rather than using numbers.

Once you hear back from them, if they have a room at the price you want, accept the reservation. You may have to send your credit card number. We’re reluctant to send our credit card number in e-mail. You can call and give them your credit card number.

If you have used the hotel’s own site to contact them, make sure it is a secure site before you send your credit card number to them that way.

Be sure to read the hotel cancellation policies carefully before you make a reservation.

If you make hotel reservations with one of the big travel booking sites or with the hotel itself, beware of non-refundable reservations.

When you make your hotel reservations, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. Print it, and take it with you. Don’t delete the original e-mail until you have completed your trip, and you know you have been billed correctly.

If your travel dates are firm, you’ll find that to get into the most popular and best value hotels, it’s worthwhile to make those hotel reservations ahead.

For example, you should explore charter flights and last minute deals, etc. to get the cheapest possible airfare. Once you arrive in a foreign country, you should meet some locals and establish where the cheap places to eat and stay are. Discount travel involves a lot of small things that when applied together result in big savings, and allow even those on moderate budgets to travel more and more enjoyably.

An important discount travel idea to use if you want your money to last while you are in a foreign country is that of bargaining. In most foreign countries, and especially those of the third world, bargaining plays a big part in everyday life and you will find yourself continually overspending if you don’t participate in it.

Most North Americans are terrible at bargaining, which is not at all their fault. Bargaining simply does not play much of a role in our everyday transactions except for large purchases like buying a car, and maybe to a lesser extent a house. Most of us aren’t used to it and we certainly aren’t used to haggling over small everyday items.

The first thing to understand – and a great discount travel idea – is that in the third world, everything is negotiable, and usually very heavily negotiable. When you start to bargain, you’ll soon see that the type of bargaining that goes on in other parts of the world is very different from the North American style. People often start with figures that are double or more their desired amount.

The first step in bargaining is to not be in any kind of rush to get in a taxi, or in a hotel room, or to purchase your item. Take the time to ask around, and if you can, find some locals who will (hopefully) give you an idea of a good price. The second thing to keep in mind is you have to be willing to walk away, or at least good at pretending that you’re willing to walk away. Oftentimes you’ll find that by simply showing a lack of interest and willingness to avoid the transaction the price will be lowered, without any need for specific bargaining on your part.

Once you get the hang of bargaining you’ll find it rather easy, and in some cases fun. The main thing to keep in mind when you’re in a foreign land is that your status as a North American will usually label you as rich to locals, even if it doesn’t seem that way to you. If you don’t want to get charged double – or more – for every single thing you do while traveling you’ll have to get used to the idea of bargaining. This is a key idea in the overall strategy of discount travel.