What to Do When You Get Back

Business travel doesn’t end the moment you get back. There are still loose ends to tie up, and it can be difficult to notice them all since you’ve been out of your environment. If you prepared properly before you left, though, these guidelines will help you get acclimated again with no trouble.

File away all your receipts. You’ll have accumulated lots of receipts for meals and travel expenses, and you don’t want to lose a single one if you intend to use them for tax deductions.

Check your messages. Don’t answer them straight away, but catch up on what you’ve missed so you’ll have an idea of what you’ve got ahead of you. The downtime you spend on your return is a great chance to prioritize the tasks that have cropped up in your absence.

Update your contacts. If you met anyone on your trip, don’t let those names and numbers rest on business cards and cocktail napkins. Add them to your address book immediately.

Prepare a report. Type it up if you’re required to file an official report, but even if a report isn’t required, it’s still going to be expected—and even if you answer to no one, it’s a valuable way to evaluate the worth of the trip and delineate what you gained from it.

Answer your messages. Let everyone know you’re back, and set up whatever meetings and business you need to take care of. If you’re idle, you may as well have stayed gone.

Follow up on your contacts. If you made plans, however informal they were, with anyone you met on your trip, you should get in touch soon. It’s easy to turn your back on the fruits of a trip after it’s over, but you shouldn’t let anyone opportunity slip by you just because you’re back home and have put it all behind you.

Again, every trip has different demands just as every job has different demands, but the steps above are a great framework for the transition back to your routine. Business travel should be productive, not inhibiting!