One of the benefits of living and working in the 21st Century is that you are no longer limited to a local marketplace in business. Not only do you have the internet at your disposal but the abundance of transcontinental air flights makes it possible to quickly board a plane from London bound for New York City. In fact, sometimes it’s only necessary to be gone for a few days, which makes it easy to get back to continue on to the next project or the next client. However, to make that happen quickly and efficiently, there are some tips to keep in mind. Here are a few to help frequent business flyers from London to NYC make efficient use of their time and resources.
1. Don’t Let Your Passport Lapse
Although you no longer need a visa to enter the United States (as of 2010), you will need a visa waiver under the VWP, Visa Waiver Program. However, unless you have a valid UK passport, you will not be eligible for a waiver. Once you have your visa, the VWP requires you to file online for an ESTA USA. ESTA stands for Electronic System Travel Authorisation and it is good for a period of two years.
2. Stay Within the Guidelines of the ESTA
Nothing will hinder you from returning to New York City faster than not adhering to the stipulations on your ESTA. While it is good for a period of two years and can be used as many times as necessary during that interval, you cannot overstay the allotted 90 days on any one trip. You can, however, stay an amount of time up to the limit, return home and fly back to the States on another business trip as required during that two year period. It is advisable to print out a hard copy and keep it on you in case you are ever questioned by Homeland Security. As a reminder, make sure you keep your British passport current or your ESTA will become null and void.
3. Try to Schedule Several Meetings for the Same Trip
While you know that airfares can go through the roof if you schedule extra trips, that isn’t the only reason to be efficient when scheduling business meetings in New York City. One of the things Homeland Security looks for is the occasional person trying to live in the United States without applying for residency. If you keep staying close to the 90-day limit and returning quickly from the UK, it may appear that you are trying to slip through the cracks. By grouping together as many appointments and meetings as you can, you will be able to return less frequently and will not raise any red flags. This is an absolute must for the business professional who relies on doing business in the USA.
4. Use Those Frequent Flyer Miles and Travel Packages!
Although you will be trying to reduce the number of trips made annually, you will still be doing plenty of travelling. For example, just because you are making the trip to New York City with carry-on luggage to conduct business there it doesn’t mean that you may not also need to fly to the West Coast during the same trip. Whenever possible, book air flights with the same carrier so that you can collect as many frequent flyer miles as possible. The same holds true for hotels you choose to stay at. It may always be best to book accommodations in national chains, so that you may be eligible for rewards and incentives. These operate on much the same principle as frequent flyer miles but they are more often called hotel loyalty rewards. In any case, why not be just as efficient with your expense account as you are with efficient scheduling of meetings?
5. Fly Above the Clouds While Working in the Cloud
If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to check out cloud-based platforms so that you don’t need to struggle to send files home at every turn of the road. So many business professionals find that the time it takes to organise and send data home could be better spent networking or on other sales-related tasks. Why waste your time with bookkeeping when you could be entering data once with the home team having access to any files stored in the cloud? From video conferencing to accounting, you can do everything in the cloud, and it is accessible from wherever you happen to be at any given moment in time.
Always remember that time is money and the more efficient you are the more time you save. If you frequently travel back and forth from London to New York City, keep all your travel documents in order and current. Group your meetings in clusters and keep your work in an easily accessible space. These tips are just the beginning but by following them you will be a whole lot more productive, and that’s the key to success in any business undertaking – productivity.