Arranging business travel

ALTHOUGH TECHNOLOGY is providing opportunities for meetings to be held via electronic media, there still will be occasions when travel is necessary in order to conduct a company’s business.

One of the many duties you may be asked to do in the office is to make travel arrangements, especially if you are employed as an assistant administrator. This needs to be done accurately, with the objective of having everything done on time, correctly and efficiently.

The traveller should be able to concentrate on the purpose of the trip and to create a positive image of the organisation without worry.

MAKING ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRAVEL 1. RESERVATIONS

All the necessary travel information should be on hand before the reservation is made, including:

■ Name of traveller

■ Private and business addresses and telephone numbers

■ Purpose of travel

■ Type of carrier

■ Places to be visited

■ Dates of departure and return

■ Times of travel

■ Overnight accommodation

■ How accounts are to be paid

■ Transportation (if required), locally and overseas.

Reservations should be made through a travel agency by giving accurate information. Preparations for reservations made without the help of travel agencies are usually complex. The agency will provide confirmation, giving the check-in time, travel time and arrival time.

DETERMINING TIME ACCORDING TO LOCATION

International flights are usually shown by the 24-hour clock. It is therefore important for you to be familiar with the way in which time is recorded, and be able to convert either way.

Examples: 1700 hours would convert to 5 p.m. 11:20 p.m. would convert to 2320 hours.

Hotel reservations should be made as soon as possible. These are normally made by telephone and confirmed in writing. When making hotel reservations, the name, address and telephone number of the guest should be given, and the name of the caller provided as reference.

2. PREPARING THE ITINERARY

A travel itinerary must be prepared, especially when several destinations are to be covered in the same trip. The information should be organised so that the purpose of the trip is clear. The itinerary should give the route to be taken, where the individual is staying, and should also give a brief description of the specific activities with times, dates and locations.

Departure and arrival times should be detailed, hotels listed, and confirmed reservations indicated. An itinerary should be logically and neatly arranged.

Here is an example of an itinerary.

ITINERARY FOR MRS B. BLAKE, TUESDAY, JAN 28

0900 hours Depart head office by car

0945 hours Arrive Norman Manley Airport for check-in

1055 hours Depart Norman Manley

1540 hours Arrive Amsterdam – Met by Mr Harris and driven to Ritz Hotel, Dam Place

1630 hours Dinner at Ritz with Dutch Exporters Overnight at Ritz Hotel

WEDNESDAY, JAN 29

1000 hours Meeting at Ritz with Dutch agents

1300 hours Luncheon at Den Haag Restaurant with Amsterdam Chamber of Commerce

1515 hours Check in at Schiphol Airport

1550 hours Depart Schiphol Airport 2040 hours Arrive Norman Manley

3. PREPARING THE TRAVEL FOLDER

It is important that the items chosen for the travel folder be appropriate for the specific situation. These include:

■ Tickets, itinerary maps, confirmation of letters for accommodation, relevant documents, for example – speeches and handouts.

■ Names, addresses, telephone numbers, job designations and business names of all persons with whom appointments have been made, confirmation of rental cars, emergency numbers, travellers’ cheques, foreign currency, passport, visa, tax clearance certificate, expense sheets.

4. DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR TRAVEL

These include: passport, visa, entry permit, health certificate (if required), tax clearance certificate (where necessary).

I will define for you two of the required documents.

■ Passport – A passport is an official identification document issued by the government after the appropriate documents have been submitted. Passports are necessary for immigration purposes.

■ Visa – This is a special document required by some countries prior to entry. Visas are usually obtained from the embassy of that country, prior to embarkation. These countries will not allow a traveller to enter the country unless a passport and visa are proffered as identification.

Continue to study hard, and have a good week.