Travelocity Business shares holiday travel advice

December 07, 2005 |

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With the holidays in full swing, Travelocity Business offers some suggestions to help business travelers better navigate the busy season to maximize both business and personal travel.

With the holidays in full swing, Travelocity Business offers some suggestions to help business travelers better navigate the busy season to maximize both business and personal travel.

"More and more travelers are combining business and leisure activities within the same trip," said Amy Ziff, Travelocity's editor-at-large. "The holidays provide an opportunity for travelers to not only wrap up end-of-year business obligations, but to also visit loved ones or just enjoy some holiday fun at the same time."

Tips you may want to consider when preparing for a business trip around the holidays include:

- Treat yourself. When traveling for business to major cities, add a vacation day and go holiday shopping in a festive city atmosphere. A recent survey indicated that more than half of surveyed business travelers took at least one combined business/leisure trip last year, and 70 percent brought a friend or family member along.(a)

- Buy business gifts on the run. Bring back a destination-specific gift to your office Secret Santa - such as wine from Napa, steak from Dallas, or a blues CD from Chicago. Or buy show tickets or museum tickets at Travelocity.com and give them to customers, partners or friends planning to visit key holiday destinations. When giving business gifts, you may want to check with customers first to understand their corporate gift policies.

- Combine business with pleasure. If your company has satellite offices or customers located near family or friends you plan to see over the holidays, add a day to your trip for a business visit and work out the expenses with your company.

- Plan ahead. Travelocity recently conducted a survey indicating the most popular cities to visit during the holidays this year. Remember to add the time it will take to get to meetings in these downtown locations, arrange restaurant reservations well in advance, or schedule business trips to these locations following the holidays! According to the survey, the top 10 domestic holiday destinations this year are:

1. New York City
2. Orlando
3. Washington
4. South Florida
5. Chicago
6. Los Angeles
7. Denver
8. San Francisco Bay Area
9. Dallas/Forth Worth Area
10. Las Vegas

- Stay informed. Christmas and New Year's Eve both fall on a Sunday this year, so be prepared for heavy travel activity around these days. If you are cutting it close due to business obligations and can be flexible with your holiday celebrations, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are excellent days to travel! For the latest on airport conditions and airline schedule delays nationwide, access Travelocity Business' Eye on the Sky, Rally Caparas, at travelocitybusiness.com/eos . Caparas also provides a full report, available toll free via telephone, at 1-877-FLYTIPS, (1-877-439-0280).

- Stay connected. Before your departure, obtain a list of Internet and wireless cafes near your holiday destination in the event that you need a convenient venue to connect to the office. Ask your IT department about remote access to email through easy-to-use applications such as web mail.

- Travel light. When taking combined business and holiday trips, bring clothes that can be mixed and matched to work in either environment. Bring pants and shoes that work well with both business blazers or casual sweaters. This will leave more room in your suitcase for all of those gifts you hope to get!

- Stay healthy. Colder climates combined with re-circulated air in airplanes cause dehydration and are a recipe for colds and flu. Staying hydrated will keep you alert during those long end-of-year business planning meetings. Limiting food portions and alcohol levels at holiday parties will also take less of a toll on your system when traveling.