Your frequent business travel may seem glamorous to acquaintances, but insiders know that it’s actually hard work. We’ve asked frequent travelers for tips on surviving a George Clooney Up in the Air lifestyle and here are their top 21 business travel hacks.

Pro Packing Hacks

1. Keep a packing checklist and a travel-ready toiletries bag stocked so you can quickly put together everything you need and never forget a crucial item.
2. Coordinate outfits in one color scheme using dark or neutral colors. They mix and match well to extend your wardrobe and can be dressed up or down as needed.
3. Roll, don’t fold, to save space and avoid wrinkles. See more pro packing protocol here.
4. Pack a power strip with a surge protector to charge multiple devices at once. Hotel rooms never have enough accessible outlets.
5. Pack an envelope to keep all your expense receipts together.

Optimize Your Time and Money

6. Enroll in TSA Precheck, or if you travel internationally enroll in Global Entry. The expedited security screening is completely worth the low cost. Find out which Trusted Traveler Program is right for you.
7. Avoid checking luggage whenever possible. Carry-on bags won’t go missing and you can skip the wait at the baggage carousel when you arrive.
8. Join loyalty programs and concentrate bookings with your preferred airline, hotel and car companies to accumulate status. Loyalty perks can include free clothing pressings to upgrades.
9. Check your existing credit cards for perks offered, such as car insurance, room upgrades, or airport lounge access. You may have benefits you weren’t aware of.
10. Consolidate all of your expenses on a travel rewards credit card to accumulate maximum points. The best cards earn up to two points per dollar spent to use on future travel.

Be Prepared

11. Use these top travel apps for information at your fingertips.  Be sure to download your airline’s app for real-time flight information.
12. Download podcasts, music, movies (or even work 🙂 ) in advance for offline viewing or listening when you don’t have free Wi-Fi.
13. Mitigate jet lag by moving the hours you eat and sleep toward your destination’s time on the day before travel or even en route. Even one or two hours will help your body adjust quicker.
14. Add a day to your trip to allow follow up with new contacts or sightsee your host city. This combination of business and leisure is a rising trend known as “bleisure.”
15. Know your elevator pitch cold. You never know who you might be standing next to when an opportunity arises.
16. Purchase travel insurance. Unexpected things happen, but you can protect yourself and your company from extra expense by purchasing single trip or annual business travel insurance.

Technology Hacks for Efficient Business Travel

17. Eat and entertain well. Use Yelp or Trip Advisor to find the best local dining venues and Open Table for dining reservations.
18. Use conference apps to network and connect easily. These unique apps offer agenda information, speaker bios and chat rooms for attendees specific to the individual conference.
19. When you travel internationally, buy a local SIM card on arrival so you can use your cell phone and data without incurring roaming charges.
20. Make international calls abroad for free with Skype, Google Hangouts or Facebook Messenger.

The Most Important of all Business Travel Hacks

21. Utilize a Travel Management Company. Covington Travel is a team of professionals with vast resources and connections at our disposal to handle your complete travel needs from beginning to end. We help you stay within travel policy, recommend the most economical and efficient airline routing, and obtain advance seat assignments. We offer last room availability and complimentary upgrades at hundreds of hotels, as well as corporate rates on rental cars. Most importantly for you, the business traveler, our experienced team is available 24/7 and your lifeline during travel disruptions. Covington Travel is your ultimate business travel hack!