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Not all travel executive planning is created equal; getting your executive to their destination requires plenty of foresight and preparation, not to mention patience.
Want to learn how the experts do it? We called on three EAs and spoke to regional travel experts Webjet, to get their insights and, more importantly, their tips and tricks! We began by asking them to define executive travel planning, before listing the skills they felt were necessary along with the main challenges of the task. Finally, they shared their pearls of wisdom and key tools to keep on top of it all.
How would you define executive travel planning?
Executive travel planning is getting your boss from A to B with the least amount of fuss so that they don’t have to worry about anything. You need to think about flights, ground transportation to and from the airport, hotel accommodation, dining reservations, meetings and event details so it can be a complex itinerary.
What are the top five traits or skills needed by EAs to do this part of the job successfully?
The top five skills are:
What are the challenges with this aspect of the role? How do you overcome them?
Always check whether a visa is required or a vaccination. As well, if your boss has an APEC card (providing entry to some countries without needing a visa), make sure it is not expiring. The same goes for their passport and if a new passport has been issued, make sure APEC are advised of the new number.
What’s one insider tip or pearl of wisdom you would be willing to share with other EAs around executive travel planning?
Always triple check your typed itinerary (especially ensuring you have flight times correct). I like to start typing this a week before my boss leaves on a trip as sometimes it is a movable feast and needs to be updated at the last minute. You can then just go into the itinerary you have typed and change it as you go, until you are ready to print out the final version.
Is there a particular tool you like to use for your travel planning that you’d consider indispensable?
Book a limo company that has an Australia-wide network to save having to organise different limo companies in each state. It saves so much time to put all the interstate bookings into one booking.
Planning start to finish travel for your executive team incorporating the travel and potentially also planning the meetings. Ensuring the travel is hassle free for your boss and pre-empting potential problems.
Some of the challenges I have faced with executive travel have included people missing flights, flights cancelled, hotels in the area all being booked out, lost luggage and phones left in limos. It is important to have initiative to resolve issues, communicate with your travel provider and research other options available. The last thing you want to do is to let your boss down.
Take the time to read about the latest flights/hotels around Australia and overseas. Executive travel is not just booking actual travel for your boss, it’s about being knowledgeable about the travel industry so you can be one step ahead with the latest and greatest information.
I use the WeChat app with my executives so we have instant messaging and document sharing when they’re travelling.
To me executive travel planning is being across every detail of your executive’s trip, whether it be domestic or international. The more you know about where they are going, the different time zones, any customs issues they need to know about, where they need to be for meetings and so on, the better prepared you are to ensure a seamless trip.
The constant last minute changes. This can take a bit of getting used to. I’ve always found that the more I know about my executive’s needs for each individual trip the more I can troubleshoot things before they become a problem. Managers often think there is no work involved looking after travel, especially when you use a travel agent. Little do they know how much administrative work is still involved and how much liaising you need to do with the travel agent to cover everything off.
I actually have two pieces of information for this question:
This is so basic, but one of the tools that I use frequently is www.timeanddate.com. I convert the timings of my executive’s international flights so that I know exactly when he is in the air and when he is available for calls or will be checking and responding to emails.
I used to use TripCase years ago when it first came out, but in the end found it took up to much time with all the changes or the manual additions I had to make, so I went back to the old fashioned word document template.
Everything from understanding the purpose of the trip to comparing travel options to getting the best value deal.
Arranging trips last minute! Being able to compare all available deals, with Webjet’s 30 minute booking price guarantee takes the pressure off. As well, having a list of the top three hotels for frequently visited destinations can save time when booking itineraries at the 11th hour.
What’s some insider tips or pearls of wisdom you would be willing to share with other EAs around executive travel planning?
Webjet have a host of features that make the task of executive travel planning that much easier. The ability to compare all major airlines and travel times at a glance. Plus, with RouteHappy now available, bookers can see flight scores and imagery to be confident they are booking the best deal to suit their travel needs.
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Executive travel planning requires specific skills sets and has its own unique challenges. We spoke to top EAs and travel experts Webjet, to get their responses to a few key questions. They cover the skills and traits needs to do this part of the EA job well, the challenges of the task, insider tips and specific tools they use to get the job done well.
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