Most business owners find themselves traveling for business upon occasion. Some entrepreneurs travel quite frequently, while others do so only infrequently. No matter how often you “hit the road” or “take to the skies”, it’s important to take steps to make sure that your trips go as smoothly as possible. Traveling for business doesn’t have to be stressful, exhausting, or even too expensive. Follow these top business travel tips and you’ll be on your way to enjoying a much more pleasant experience the next time you travel for work.

1. Build an Effective Travel Wardrobe
If you travel frequently, start building a travel friendly wardrobe. Select clothing appropriate for the types of business activities that require you to take to the road made from fabrics that travel well. Choose items that mix and match with each other so you can reduce the number of pieces necessary for each trip. Avoid materials that wrinkle excessively to reduce packing and ironing problems.

2. Cultivate a Relationship with a Travel Agent
The prospect of finding a hotel in a strange city or making airline reservations can be overwhelming. If you don’t want to spend your time searching the Internet or making telephone calls looking for modes of transportation and places to stay, it’s in your best interest to develop a relationship with a travel agent you can trust to take care of travel details for you.

3. Avoid Last Minute Travel
While some last minute trips are inevitable, much business travel can easily be planned in advance. For example, if you’ll be attending a conference or trade show, you’ll be aware of the event well ahead of time. Don’t put off making your travel plans until the last minute. Doing so puts you in a situation that’s unnecessarily stressful and reduces the chances that you’ll be able to get the most favorable travel options available.

4. Open Frequent Traveler Programs
It’s surprising how frequently frequent traveler rewards programs can add up and translate into free hotel stays, merchandise, or cash back rewards. If you fly, be sure to open a frequent flyer mileage account with the airlines you use. Open rewards accounts for the hotels where you stay as well. Try to stay with the same airline or hotel chain as much as possible, so your points will accrue more frequently.

5. Get to Know Airline Restrictions
Don’t show up at the airport with luggage that violates airline policy. Doing so results in a serious inconvenience for you, other travelers, airport employees, and Transportation Security Administration screeners. Keep in mind that policies change frequently, so check your airline’s website for luggage restriction information just before you start packing for your next trip.