I begin my collaboration with Travel for business by sharing my (alas) many years of experience as a business traveler with practical advice especially for young people who are about to embark on an export manager career.
My business trips are never simple “return” to one destination, but always include at least 3 or 4 locations, often secondary cities, in different countries (16 days, 4 countries, 8 planes, 28,677 km flown , these are the numbers of my last trip, in the return from which I write to you).
With current digital tools it is far preferable and more convenient to organize yourself, and therefore be able to manage changes and contingencies independently, rather than contacting a travel agency from which they must then depend (perhaps closed due to the time zone). in time of need).
How to choose and buy air flights
After an initial survey with contacts to meet, I set the travel time limits and proceed to buy international tickets. Choose the company / network that best covers your area of interest to benefit from the advantages of frequent traveler status . For my part, I have spent many years with the excellent Star Alliance network , while for some years I have been flying only Emirates, which is undoubtedly the best choice for the Asia-Pacific area, in terms of destinations served and frequency, of service and also price.
Traveling is stressful anyway, and all intensive travelers develop delusions and idiosyncrasies, it’s normal;
always use the same airline and always the same airport, knowing where everything is located helps you travel more relaxed.
Tip : different entry / exit ports can vary fares greatly; the prices on some destinations are more competitive (over time you will learn which ones), so do some simulation before deciding the planning (the tests must be done with the browser in “private browsing”, otherwise the site will recognize your subsequent search by increasing the rate). Real example March 2017 (same company, same dates):
first hypothesis, Bologna-Shanghai trip with Jakarta-Bologna return = 100;
second attempt Bologna-Bangkok and return Jakarta-Bologna = 58.
It is not always so and / or you cannot always change the trip but it is worth checking, especially if you travel in business the difference can be substantial.
The choice of internal flights
After defining the individual appointments and commitments, I go on to buy the “internal” flights where, on the other hand, I am flexible and choose firstly based on timetables and prices but always avoiding, if possible, airlines that are too cheap; it is one thing to travel with Ryanair (which I often use in Europe) another with an unknown low-cost far east … be safe!
Generally I can cover all trips with Thai Airways and Air China (both Star Alliance); Vietnam Airlines is not bad, the planes are new.
By separating the intercontinental section from the single movements in the area, one has the advantage that, in the event of unforeseen changes, at most one ticket is lost, limiting the economic impact.
