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Road-Tested Tips For The Business Traveler Sleep Soundly. Road warriors are familiar with jetlag and poor sleep nights in strange hotel rooms. To maximize your sleep time, use eye shields and ear plugs. The wax type are better than the little foam ear plugs. Pillowsoft, non-irritating silicone ear plugs work best for me. They mute noise in hotel rooms and help you sleep despite annoying chatty airline neighbors. Invest in a blow up pillow to sleep soundly on planes. Ladies: they also prevent your hair from being flattened as you sleep. Dress for the day. If you need to be dressed in business attire for a meeting the same day you travel, wear it on the plane. Then if your luggage is lost or delayed, you are not in the awkward and expensive position of buying new clothes, if you can find them, on the way to your first meeting. Select Dark Clothing. It won't show spots or dirt and works for most situations. Always carry valuables in your carry-on bag because electronic equipment, cameras, lap tops, jewelry, business documents, and money fall outside airlines' liability. Hotel wake up calls and the digital alarm clocks on the bedside table are often unreliable. Pack an inexpensive sports watch with an alarm or a small alarm clock and you'll be sure to make your morning meeting or flight. Travel with a small, high-powered flashlight. Keep it in your briefcase when you're out, and on your bedside table at night for emergencies. If you need to read a map in the rental car after dark, your flashlight will be invaluable. In your hotel, if the fire alarm awakens you in the night and the electricity is off, your trusty flashlight will help you find your clothes, your valuables and your way to the exit. Carry Substantial Snacks. Don't count on the airlines to feed you and you may not have the time to stand in a long line to buy a snack prior to your flight. If your flight is delayed or has mechanical problems you may spend hours on the runway or circling in the air, while the airline offers little more than the tiny, salty rations of peanuts or pretzels. Toss a few nutritious and filling health bars, an apple, a bottle of mineral water and two aspirin in your briefcase. When you break out your snacks on the plane, you'll be the envy of other frazzled, hungry travelers. Use laminated business cards as luggage tags. Anyone checking the address (who knows you're away from home) will not know your personal address and telephone number. A name tag on the outside of your luggage may get torn off in baggage handling. If you will be traveling to numerous locations, leave your business card and trip itinerary inside your luggage so you can be located more easily. Consider making a personal inventory, including photographs, of valuables you may travel with, such as jewelry, cameras, and the serial numbers of expensive items. Lost luggage? What can you expect for reimbursement from the airline? In the United States, reimbursement is $1,250 per person, no matter how many bags were lost. The airlines' luggage liability on international flights is limited to about US $9.07 per pound. You may be reimbursed less than US $300 for a thirty pound suitcase. Examine your luggage carefully for damage as soon as it comes off the baggage carousel. Once you leave the airport, it is too late to make a claim for damaged luggage.
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