We’re continuing with our “On An Entrepreneur Budget” series. We previously discussed, Beauty Treatments On A Budget, Shopping On A Budget, and now we are adventuring into “Travel On An Entrepreneur Budget”. Traveling as a small business owner can be extremely expensive, but here is how you can save yourself and your business money.
Plan A Head
This is a general rule of thumb when planning trips especially if you are traveling via airlines. Most people will say 4 weeks for nationwide and 6 weeks for international flights. When wanting to travel aboard I generally suggest making sure you know what is going on in that country around that time. A friend had booked her trip to Brazil around their yearly carnival not realizing it. She was really trying to figure out why everything was so expensive. Another great tip is travel in off seasons for better rates. Do you really need to go when everyone else is going? Probably not, try the off-season to save hundreds of additional dollars.
Coupons and Deals
As mentioned in another series we did, we love a good coupon or special sales deal. This is a great way to save money to travel the world. You have probably signed up for Groupon Getaways, Travel Advisor Deals, and so much more. However, it’s a good idea to not only check out the deals they have listed under their getaways but to also peruse through the actual deals. Recently, Living Social ran a $25 for $75 credit deal with Virgin Airlines. This is a deal I purchased before with Groupon. A $75 off plane ticket comes in handy. That extra cash can go to other areas of your trip.
Travel Blogs
You read beauty blogs to learn more about beauty. You read business blogs to learn more about business. So naturally reading travel blogs should be on your radar. Especially if you want to travel more. These websites are chalked full of information from where to stay, eat, how to pack, where to go and the hacks you need to know. Traveling to Europe soon? Getting international power adapters should be on your list? Wanting to keep in contact with your friends without running a high text message bill. Turn off SMS and only use iMessage on your iPhone. These are things you will learn reading these sites. Two of my favorites are Travel Noire & Conde Nast Travel.
Membership Has Its Benefits
Are you a frequent flier or belong to a hotel loyalty program? If no, its time to join one and be loyal to it. I was a frequent flier of Continental for several years until they were acquired. Then my loyalty switched over to American Airlines. Being apart of their program has saved me on flights, upgrades and more. Yes, there are times that Delta or one of their competitors are cheaper but loyalty really has paid off for me. Recently, when I went to Portland I was upgraded on both flights. The lady basically said when I was booking that I had been with them for a long time and wanted to thank me!
Travel On Their Dime
One of the best tips for a person wanting to travel more for their small business is to book meetings in those cities. A great way to off set all travel expenses is have a client pay for your trip. If you don’t have clients in that city put up a posting on social media you will be there. You can collect small consultation fees and that helps.
How do you travel on a budget while running a business?
