From The Straits Times    |
Best business travel tips

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Sometimes, work might take you to faraway places for a few weeks at a time, and it can be hard to part from the comforts of your own home. In fact, most business travellers share a few common gripes; packing is a pain and accommodations can be less than stellar. To make business trips more fuss-free, consider these trusty tricks to take your travels to the next level.
 

1. Rack up miles

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Miles, or frequent flyer points, can be lifesavers when it comes to cutting costs; when you accumulate enough miles by flying or spending with a credit card, you can exchange it for a free flight.

You can earn miles by buying air tickets, but take it a notch higher and gain more miles with your regular spending. There are airlines-affiliated credit cards that reward higher amounts of miles per dollar, which you can use to accumulate miles by dining at a restaurant that participates in your chosen frequent flyer programme. You can also use shopping portals on frequent-flyer websites to purchase from participating merchants and earn points with your purchases.

Bonus tip: consider airline partnerships when you sign up for a frequent flyer programme. Many airlines are linked by partnerships, so by signing up for one airline’s frequent flyer programme, you can earn miles from the other airlines partnered to it. That way, you get to rack up miles while maintaining a variety of airlines to travel with.

 

2. Travel light – and with style

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Many first-time business travellers make the mistake of packing whole sets of outfits for each day of the trip, but that just adds unnecessary weight and takes up precious luggage space.

A clever trick to packing light without sacrificing style is to colour coordinate your outfits – if all your clothes match, you can mix and match them, reducing the articles of clothes you have to lug around.

Light colours and neutrals tend to match easily and are business-appropriate, but avoid white if possible because it can stain easily. The key is to pack versatile items that can pair well so you can wear the same article of clothing several times.

 

3. Look sharp

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Wrinkles are the bane of corporate travellers – it’s just so difficult to ensure that your clothes fit nicely into your luggage while not crinkling up and making you look sloppy, but believe it or not, there are ways to prevent your clothes from wrinkling.

Try rolling softer fabrics and denim as they are less likely to wrinkle, but fold stiffer fabrics like dress pants, blazers and skirts. Pro tip: you can fold blazers inside out to prevent wrinkles from creasing the fabric.

If your clothes are already wrinkled, there is still hope yet; many travellers swear by de-wrinkling clothes with steam from their showers – and for good reason. It’s convenient – just hang your wrinkled garments up in the bathroom and crank up the heater high as you shower. It works in a pinch if you don’t have an iron or clothes steamer at your disposal.

 

4. Keep a duplicate set of travel essentials

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There are things that you can leave at home, like your fluffy bath towels and trusty hairdryer, but some things are absolutely indispensable, like your chargers, adaptors and medicine. If you travel regularly, you might find yourself packing and unpacking these frequently-used items a lot.

Rather than risk forgetting something you can’t travel without, assemble a duplicate set of everything you must bring with you on your travels, and never have to unpack them again. Gone are the days of triple-checking to ensure your travel essentials are packed, and welcome to fuss-free packing.

 

5. Ditch hotels for serviced apartments

Photo: Oakwood Studios Singapore

Essentially, a serviced apartment is your home away from home – think bigger spaces to live and work as compared to a hotel, a kitchen that is big enough to cook homemade meals in, and the ease of doing your laundry. When you travel regularly for business, these little comforts go a long way in making your trip less stressful. With services and facilities comparable to hotels – and then some, serviced apartments are more than viable accommodation options for your next business trip.

If you’re staying abroad for a week or longer, you could give award-winning serviced apartment operator Oakwood a shot. You can find Oakwood property in convenient locations all over the world, some situated right in the heart of city life and others in quieter spots. In Singapore, Oakwood Studios apartments are located near shopping paradise Orchard Road, and Oakwood Premier OUE apartments can be found in the bustling Central Business District (CBD).

Photo: Oakwood Studios Singapore

Choose from dynamic Oakwood Studios and luxurious Oakwood Premier OUE apartments in Singapore. Catering to all needs, Oakwood Studios offers Studio, one-bedroom Superior or Deluxe apartments, and two-bedroom Deluxe or Family Deluxe apartments.

At Oakwood Studios Singapore, each room has a balcony so you can unwind in the open space, and for further relaxation, there are weekly cocktails at Curated Conversations on every Wednesday where you may enjoy free drinks while networking with other Oakwood guests.

Busy business travelers will be glad to hear that Oakwood Studios Singapore provides a complimentary wash-dry-fold service on weekdays so you don’t have to do your own laundry – a perk that thoughtfully takes a load off busy guests. For visitors in Singapore, they also offer a complimentary ‘Wheels’ shuttle bus service that brings guests to Dhoby Ghaut and Plaza Singapura on weekdays.

Photo: Oakwood Studios Singapore

Our final tip for you is to book your stays earlier, because Oakwood Studios Singapore is offering the ‘Such a Steal’ promo which offers 25 per cent off best available rates with extra incentives if you book at least 60 days in advance, from October 1- December 31, 2019 so if you’re interested in staying in service apartments, now’s your chance.

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