As a first-time business traveler, it can be a chore. One of the hardest things to learn about traveling internationally is that less is more. You don’t want to be hauling a personal item, carry-on, and a second carry-on you should have checked at the ticket counter.

With all that being said, the heaviest weight you will carry while you travel is stress. To reduce stress is to improve travel. The worst state you can be in while you travel is a stressful one. There’s no worse feeling than when you have to rush to the airport, sprint to your gate, hustle to your seat and then realize you left your business proposal on the counter at work.

It’s in your best interest to be prepared, precise, and prompt when you travel internationally. In most countries, this is an expectation, and it’s best to get used to this type of travel beforehand. In fact, in this article, Sapphire will be sharing six tips to help you reduce stress on your first international business trip — and one of the tips is to use an international WiFi device to connect to the internet in over 100 countries. Read on to learn more.

Six Tips For First-Time Business Travelers

Tip #1 — Pack Light

As you may have gleaned from the opening of this article, Sapphire suggests that you pack light. A personal item and a small-to-medium sized carry-on that glides is the best combination any international business traveler can utilize. Whether you’re on the move for 24 hours or a few days, this combination will serve you well over the years.

Also, packing light means you can maneuver more easily when plans change — and trust us they will. You will be sitting in an international airport ready to head home when your boss or a potential client will call, and you have to switch flights to another country. Having a checked bag makes it almost impossible to travel comfortably, whether it’s a multi country trip or a single round trip for a few days. Make sure to pack light.

Tip #2 — Know Where You’re Going

One of the harshest experiences an international business traveler can have is that they cannot make it into the country where they need to meet their client. Visas, passports, and more all play into the ability to travel from one country to the next. Make sure you know where you’re traveling so that you don’t arrive at the airport and discover you’re not going to make that meeting tomorrow on the other side of the world. A great way to manage this is to hire a travel manager.

Tip #3 – Get Travel Insurance

24 hours doesn’t seem like that much time when you’re traveling internationally. However, a lot can happen in a day that you wouldn’t expect, whether positive or negative. In one moment, you can be on top of the world because you just closed the biggest deal of your life, and in another moment, you could be in the back of a foreign emergency services vehicle on your way to the hospital. In either moment, it’s best to be covered with travel insurance.

Granted, you may not be going off the grid to meet your clients, but you still need to prepare for the worst — for those that do go off-grid, travel insurance is just as important, if not more important for you.

Tip #4 — Lounge At The Airport

Instead of spending extra time at the office waiting to the airport, get to the airport early and take advantage of the lounge amenities. The ability to be at the airport, ready for your flight is much better than watching your ride show up ten minutes late to pick up, which puts you barely making it onto your flight, if the security line isn’t that long.

Airport lounges offer amenities like food, drinks, and comfortable seating. In some lounges, you will find private beds for sleeping. It’s an often missed feature of international airports that first time travelers need to take advantage of.

Tip #5 — Stretch Between Flights

Don’t worry. No one is going to care that you’ve found an open spot on the floor near your gate to sit and stretch. In fact, regular stretching helps keep your muscles long, lean, and flexible. It also helps increase blood flow. This simple exercise between flights will help you feel good and improve your overall state of mind.

Tip #6 — Use An International Hotspot Device

You can use international SIM cards, country-based data plans, or the Sapphire MiFi device to connect to the internet while you travel. Having the internet in your pocket at local rates is powerful, and it saves you money. Also, it saves you time when you need the internet the most.

Ready to stay connected to the internet? Shop for the Sapphire MiFi device online now!