Business Travel Is Alive And Paying Off The rise of conference calls and video conferencing systems like Skype and Google Hangouts may seem like the end of face-to-face business encounters, but experts don't agree.

A number of business leaders and industrial psychologists reckon that there's no substitute for meeting someone in person, especially at critical junctures in a business relationship, like introducing yourself or closing a deal.

So how do you make business travel easier and worth your while? Dawn Weir, Head of kulula work, suggests the following:

Maximise the business benefits

Business travel can benefit the individual traveller and their business, whether it's a small enterprise or a multinational conglomerate. kulula work for example, guarantees you the best fares of the day on kulula.com and British Airways (operated by Comair), and you won't pay booking or flight change fees — only the difference in fare and the airport taxes.

You can now also earn and redeem Avios loyalty points whilst flying with kulula.com. Not only will earning more Avios graduate you to higher tiers where you can, for example, get cabin upgrades and access to business lounges, but you can also use the points to, say, take your family on a business and leisure holiday with you.

Go paperless

Get rid of unnecessary paperwork that can weigh you down and store your boarding pass on your smartphone wallet app when you check in 24 hours ahead of departure.

Take a breather

Airport lounges provide a haven from the hubbub of departure lounges, but not all are equal by any means. The best ones have space for some work, fast WiFi, a good selection of food, a decent wine list, and facilities to shower and freshen up. The Slow Lounges at a number of South African airports have these facilities. There's even one at the Radisson Blu Hotel opposite the Sandton Gautrain station, SLOW in the City that provides boardrooms, lounges, and can arrange for quiet areas to do media interviews.

A new lounge called SLOW XS, has also opened at Lanseria International Airport and has, among its many attractions, wine tastings offered by local drinks specialists Winesense.

Add some colour

Many business travellers will go to great lengths to ensure they only travel with cabin luggage, but if you do have to check luggage into the hold, take a moment to familiarise yourself with bag-drop arrangements and any restrictions on the size of cabin luggage. Also, many travellers find it helpful to mark their luggage with a brightly-coloured tag of some sort that makes it readily recognisable on the conveyor.

Stash it all

So, you have your boarding pass on your smartphone and you've stashed keys, wallet and change in your carry-on baggage, to save you time passing through the metal-detectors at the security checkpoint. If you're travelling internationally, you may have opted to wear slip-on shoes and to pack your belt in your carry-on luggage to avoid having to take them off and put them back on again at security. We've all stood behind fellow travellers who arrive at the checkpoint with coins and keys in every pocket, and electronic devices in the bottom of a suitcase. There's not much you can do about that, but you can make your own passage through the metal-detectors easier.

Remember to rest

Many business travellers tend to put in more working hours when away from the office and home. Rather than thinking that every mail in your inbox must be answered immediately, get some work-life balance by taking a walk or a run, or just a nap.

To make sure you are on time — every time — comfortable, refreshed, organised and stress-free when you seal your next deal, use kulula work to take care of your travel arrangements. Our team includes professionals dedicated to your account who will assess your business travel needs so that you have a healthy combination of work and play, on your road to success.

The following is exclusively available when your next business trip is booked via kulula work:

• Best fares of the day on kulula.com and British Airways (operated by Comair)
• Flexible flight changes (only the difference in fare and taxes will apply)
• No booking fees
• Competitive car hire rates with Europcar and Avis
• Great hotel rates with Protea Hotels and City Lodge Hotel Group
• Invoicing and reporting
• Account management
• Access to our qualified Corporate Reservations team. *

For that work-life balance you're after contact kulula work on +27 (0)11 285 3050, email sales@kulula.com or visit www.kulula.com/work.

* Legal stuff applies