A Quick Guide To Business Travel Our fifth annual Business Travel Awards...plus, tips you won't want to leave home without.

Business travel is considered exciting and glamorous--but mostlyby those who don't have to travel on business. The reality isthat business travel can be grueling. It's hard on the back,hard on the family, and increasingly hard on the wallets ofentrepreneurs without fat corporate expense accounts to relyon.

In our fifth annual Business Travel Awards, we highlight thebest products and programs offered by travel service suppliers thathave focused on small-business owners whose travel expenses comeright out of their own pockets.

This is not a ranking or a formal survey; it is a recognition ofcompanies that consistently offer value-conscious travelersaffordable options. If it weren't for some of these providers,many small-business owners would be unable to fly across thecountry or find an inexpensive night's sleep in a big city.

The following pages are packed with tips and information to helpyou save money and endure fewer headaches and hassles. So if youwant to get the most from your business travels, read on!

Electronic Avenue

Despite the recent hype over making travel arrangements online,most people are still using the Web primarily as a research tool.The best way to make your reservations generally depends on thetype of traveler you are and the nature of your trip. Bookingonline works well for simple trips to familiar places, butyou'll still need to contact a live human travel agent forcomplicated itineraries or trips with possible last-minute changes,upgrades or cancellations.

There are two main places on the Web to make travelarrangements. First are airline Web sites--almost all now allowtravelers to buy tickets online. As an incentive to try thisoption, many airlines routinely offer frequent flier bonuses toonline bookers. But like a call to an airline's toll-freenumber, when you make reservations on an airline's Web site,you don't have access to other airlines' flight and fareinformation.

The other place to book travel online is at travel agent sites.These sites are full-service travel agencies offering more thanjust flight availability, fare information and booking capabilitiesfor a variety of airlines. They are also replete with destinationinformation, computerized mapping and directions, restaurantreviews, and links to car rental and hotel booking sites. Plus, ifyou run into trouble online, there's usually a toll-free numberlisted so you can speak to someone to untangle your reservation.Some sites to check out include: http://www.thetrip.com, http://www.biztravel.com, http://www.expedia.msn.com,http://www.travelocity.comor http://www.itn.com

Special Agents

Travel agents are people, too--which means some are good andsome aren't. Finding the right one to handle all your travelneeds takes time and effort. First, determine the type of businessservices you require from an agent, as you may not use the same onefor your business travel needs as you do for your vacations. Askbusiness contacts, friends or consultants for referrals.

Once you have a short list of agents to talk to, set up meetingswith each. Interview travel agents the way you would interview jobcandidates: Find out how long they've been in business and howfamiliar they are with your specific travel needs. Above all, youneed to feel comfortable with this person. And like finding a gooddoctor, lawyer or accountant, when you find a good agent, stickwith him or her--it will free you up to concentrate on running yourbusiness.

Baggage Check

Just like a new pair of shoes, the luggage you choose can makeyour travels more comfortable or literally give you blisters. Andlike a good pair of shoes, most durable luggage is not cheap. Sometips when researching luggage:

• Look for bags with heavy-duty stitching, zippers, metalbuckles, and padded handles and shoulder straps. Thick ballisticnylon, leather or a combination of the two are your best bet. Optfor dark colors that don't show scuffs easily.

• Bags with a good set of wheels are one of the best options forgetting around airports quickly. These "roll aboard"suitcases with built-in wheels and an extension handle score highwith most travelers, but beware of the strict carry-on policies nowbeing imposed by most airlines regarding size and number ofpieces.

• To identify your suitcase among the sea of bags on the conveyorbelt, tie a piece of colorful ribbon or yarn to the handle.

Spaced out

These days, airplanes seem to be packed tighter than ever. Allthat uncomfortable togetherness requires a new set of manners. Keepthese tips in mind the next time you board a plane:

• Obey rear-to-front boarding instructions, especially if youhave any unwieldy carry-on bags.

• Use the space above your seat for your carry-on bag; if thatarea is full, stow your bag above the rows ahead of you. Thisprevents you from going against traffic when retrieving your bagwhen the plane has landed.

• Do your best to avoid blocking the aisle when stowing your bagin the overhead bin. If you're having a problem, let otherpassengers get by.

• When stowing a large or heavy bag in the overhead bin, removeany soft items, such as coats or jackets, already placed there.Then replace them, neatly folded, on top or alongside yourbag.

• Place heavy, breakable or possibly leaky items under the seatin front of you, not in the overhead bin.

• Help short or weak passengers stow their bags.

• If you need assistance, politely ask the flight attendant andbe patient, especially during boarding.

• Remember, under-seat storage means under the seat in front ofyou--not under your own seat. Bulkhead seats (facing the wall)don't have any under-seat storage space.

• If you've been dragging a wheeled bag over dirty or wetfloors, try not to place it near pillows, blankets or oats storedin overhead bins.

Instant Delay

Face it: There will be times when Mother Nature just won'tcooperate with your travel plans. So when a storm is either loomingor in full force, here are a few travel tips:

• If the weather looks pretty fierce before you leave for theairport, call and find out the status of your flight. Don'tcall the airline's toll-free numbers for updates--you'll beput on hold for too long. Call your travel agent or theairline's automated flight arrival and departure lines, or logon to the airline's Web site, most of which broadcast real-timeflight arrival and departure information.

• If bad weather is likely, you might not want to check out ofyour hotel or leave home until you've found out the status ofyour flight. Keep your eye on the Weather Channel (on television orthe Web site at http://www.weather.com) to determineif a storm is brewing in your area or the area where you'reheaded.

• If you're already at the airport and departure looksunlikely, try to make a reservation at a nearby hotel that offersfree shuttle service. Don't wait too long because airporthotels book up fast when flights are canceled.

• If you simply can't miss an out-of-town meeting orpresentation, consider leaving the night before, particularlyduring bad weather months.

• If bad weather looms, bring along a snack. Many airports caughtoff-guard have been known to run out of food during prolongedweather delays. Dried fruit and nuts are nutritious, don't takeup a lot of space and don't spoil.

• If your flight has been delayed or canceled, don't wait inline with everyone else to rebook. Instead, go directly to a payphone and call the airline's toll-free line to rebook. Usingthe same computer system, agents on the phone can do almosteverything that gate agents can do.

• If your flight is going to be delayed a few hours, buy a daypass to one of the airline clubs (usually $25 to $50). Agentsinside the clubs can assist you with reticketing or rerouting.

• Unexpected cancellations that may force you to use anothercarrier could present problems if you have an electronic orticketless reservation. You must first obtain a paper ticket fromthe original carrier before making arrangements with anotherairline.

There's A Place

Looking for a comfortable hotel that won't blow yourbusiness travel budget? If you want to spend less than $100 a night(and still get a decent room), you'll have to sacrifice primedowntown or central locations and opt for a hotel that's on theperimeter of the city. It's not a total sacrifice, however,because some of the newer budget hotels in the suburbs easilyoutperform their city competitors--for about half the price! Thesehotels generally offer only limited service, which means nolate-night snacks from room service or in-hotel restaurants. Mostare located next to or very near a reliable family-style restaurantchain, however.

When looking for a good but inexpensive room, ask about businesstraveler rooms and rates. Many of the budget hotels now offer largedesks, desktop power outlets, ergonomic chairs, speakerphones withdata ports, free copies, incoming faxes and access to meetingrooms, as well as in-room coffee makers and a free continentalbreakfast.

Some well-known inexpensive chains include Fairfield Inn byMarriott, Holiday Inn Express, Budgetel (changing all itsproperties' names to Baymont by November), Microtel, Red RoofInn and Sleep Inn. Most are relatively new and offer rooms in the$40 to $70 per night range.

If you're looking for a hotel with a few more perks, tryCourtyard by Marriott, Hampton Inn, La Quinta Inn or Wingate Inn.Rooms run in the $58 to $100 range and offer conveniences likebusiness centers, meeting space, free local calls, free breakfast,large in-room work areas and modern phone systems.

Entrepreneur's 1998 Business Travel Awards

Best Domestic Low-Fare Airline: AirTran Airlines

While other low-fare carriers are going out of business, feistyAirTran continues to grow by adding destinations and reducing faresthroughout the eastern half of the country. AirTran serves bothmajor metropolitan areas and small towns (38 total) from its hubsin Atlanta and Orlando, Florida. Last March, it announced afrequent-flier program that offers free trips on AirTran or 14other U.S. carriers. That's in addition to offeringbusiness-class seats at the front of the plane that are nodifferent from first-class seats on any other airline for just $25more than its low walk-up fare. While the airline's fleetprimarily consists of older DC-9's, it has purchased 50 newBoeing 717s that will be delivered starting next summer. ValuJet,which merged with AirTran last year, won Entrepreneur's awardfor Best Domestic Low-Fare Airline in 1996. For more information orreservations, call (800) AIR-TRAN or visit http://www.airtran.com

Best Trans-Atlantic Business Class: ContinentalBusinessFirst

A trip across the Atlantic can be as grueling as it is exciting,especially when you're traveling on business. And whenyou're shelling out more than $3,000 for a business-class seat,it had better be worth it. Once again, Continental Airlines haswhat it takes to provide true value. Several years ago whenContinental was mired in bankruptcy, it had a vision: Despite thecost, it installed the roomiest and most comfortable business-classseats available on its airplanes. And the investment paid off. Forthe past five years, Continental's BusinessFirst cabin has beenrecognized by Entrepreneur and others for giving businesstravelers exactly what they want: a wide, cozy, electronicallycontrolled seat; a good entertainment system; ample meals; a placeto work; and award miles in a valuable frequent-flier program. Andnow that business is heating up south of the border, Continentaloffers BusinessFirst on flights to Bogotá, Colombia; Lima,Peru; Quito, Ecuador; Santiago, Chile; and Rio de Janeiro andSão Paulo, Brazil. For more information, call (800) 231-0856or visit http://www.flycontinental.com

Best Trans-Pacific Coach Class: EVA Airways

Like Virgin Atlantic, Taiwan-based EVA Airways knows that atransoceanic flight can wreak havoc on a business traveler. Andsince business travelers typically pay more than vacationers, EVAhas come up with an additional class of service called EvergreenDeluxe Class. For slightly more than the cost of an economy ticket,EVA gives Evergreen Deluxe passengers a wider, softer seat with legrests, extra legroom, and an individual seat-back-mounted videosystem with six channels--handy on those 10- to 12-hourtrans-Pacific odysseys. All flights stop in EVA's Taipei hubfor connections to many other Asian capitals. EVA'syounger-than-average jets touch down in Los Angeles, San Francisco,Seattle, New York City and Honolulu. For more information, call(800) 695-1188.

Best Midpriced Hotel Chain: Hampton Inn

What's best about Hampton Inn? Consistency. At the more than750 Hampton Inn hotels in North America, Chile, Costa Rica andThailand, you can always expect a good night's rest at areasonable rate. The hotels are located in high-traffic areas nearfull-service restaurants. All offer a free breakfast served dailyin the hotel lobby, meeting space, free newspapers, pools andexercise rooms; all rooms include phones with data ports, coffeemakers, irons and ironing boards. Since 1989, Hampton Inn hasoffered a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee. In terms of value fordollars spent (on average, $65), a Hampton Inn is about as good asit gets. For more information, call (800) HAMPTON or visithttp://www.hampton-inn.com

Best Trans-Atlantic Coach Class: Virgin Atlantic PremiumEconomy

Virgin Atlantic continues to grab our attention because it seemsto be the only airline flying across the pond that is focused onmaking the long, cramped coach-class journey as painless aspossible. Other airlines have given up on providing even a modicumof comfort and seem more focused on filling up the cabin thanmaking it hospitable.

Virgin's most laudable effort is its Premium Economysection, which separates business travelers (those on higherfull-coach fares) from backpackers and families. It's amazingwhat a little seat-shifting can do.

Virgin's Premium Economy offers a few more inches of leg andhip room and various goodies passed out by attentive and fun flightattendants who obviously love their jobs. For more information,call (800) 862-8621 or visit http://www.fly.virgin.com

Best Low-Priced Hotel Chain: La Quinta Inn

One of the most important features to look for in a budget hotelis the age of the property--or the date of its last majorrenovation. At the 270-plus La Quinta Inns, you'll find aless-than-3-years-old $120 million revamp of all 33,000 rooms. Thatmeans new bathrooms, drapes and carpet, phones with data ports, andbrighter lighting.

La Quinta offers a free breakfast, free local calls, anoversized desk, a recliner, a swimming pool, space for smallmeetings and an adjacent restaurant--all for an average price of$58 per night. Like many other hotel chains, La Quinta offers a 100percent customer satisfaction guarantee: If you're not happywith your stay, you don't pay. For more information, call (800)NU-ROOMS or visit http://www.laquinta.com

Best Hotel Value, New York City: Apple Core Hotels

These days, finding a value-priced hotel in New York City isalmost impossible. Fortunately, a small chain of hotels iscapitalizing on the cost-conscious mind-set of entrepreneurs. AppleCore Hotels renovated five centrally located, older boutique-stylehotels and offers rooms at outstanding prices. All rooms featurecable television, phones with data ports, voice mail, coffeemakers, irons and ironing boards. The average rate of $79 to $199should appeal to value seekers. For more information, call(800) 567-7720 or visit http://www.applecorehotels.com

Best Hotel Value, San Francisco: Joie de Vivre Hotels

For the ideal combination of low rates and personality, try theoffbeat but upscale 12-property Joie de Vivre chain. If, like manybusiness travelers, you've grown weary of the tour bus andconvention crowds that dominate the ever-popular City by the Bay, astay at one of these small boutique-style hotels is like finding anoasis in the desert. While the properties have a whimsical stylemore befitting a weekend getaway than a business trip, most offeramenities that will help you get the job done during the week (somesupply in-room laptops with Internet connections, printers andvoice mail). The hotels offer all this at rates that start at$79--very inexpensive by San Francisco standards. And Joie de Vivreeven offers corporate rates to repeat guests from small companies.For more information, call (800) 738-7477.

Best Hotel Value, Chicago: Hotel Allegro Chicago

Go ahead and indulge a little on your next trip to the WindyCity. The upscale--but not uptight--Hotel Allegro is just the placeto do it. Managed by the San Francisco-based Kimpton Group (winnerof Entrepreneur's Business Travel Award for Best HotelValue, San Francisco, in March 1996), the new Hotel Allegro Chicagooffers 483 bright and funky rooms complete with CD players, honorbars, two-line speakerphones, hair dryers, irons and ironingboards. The hotel boasts "312 Chicago," a full-servicebar and restaurant; an on-site fitness center; and plenty ofmeeting space. Rates start at $125--not bad for a new upscale hotelinside the Loop. For more information, call(800) 643-1500.

Best Car Rental service: Thrifty Car Rental

Once again, Thrifty Car Rental wins our praise as the car rentalcompany most focused on small-business owners. Its combination oflow rates, frequent-flier program tie-ins, multiple locations andefficient customer service comes without all the unnecessary bellsand whistles offered by the major car rental companies. After fiveyears of Thrifty winning this award, we can only find two faults:Thrifty agents seem overly zealous in trying to sell usuallyunnecessary collision insurance, and the company has recentlyimposed a few rate-expanding fees (like additional driver fees)that catch mostly happy repeat customers by surprise. Still,Thrifty is highly recommended. For more information, call(800) FOR-CARS or visit http://www.thrifty.com

Low-Fare Hotels

• Budgetel (Baymont) (800) 428-3438

• Courtyard by Marriott (800) 321-2211

• Fairfield Inn by Marriott (800) 228-2800

• Hampton Inn (800) 426 7866

• Holiday Inn Express (800) 465 4329

• La Quinta Inn (800) 687-6667

• Microtel (888) 771-7171

• Red Roof Inn (800) 843-7663

• Sleep Inn (800) 627-5337

• Wingate Inn (800) 228-1000

Major Airline Web Sites

Alaska: http://www.alaska-air.com

America West: http://www.americawest.com

American: http://www.aa.com

Continental: http://www.flycontinental.com

Delta: http://www.delta-air.com

Northwest: http://www.nwa.com

Southwest: http://www.iflyswa.com

TWA: http://www.twa.com

United: http://www.ual.com

US Airways: http://www.usairways.com