16 Unprofessional Things You Should Never Do While on a Business Trip

Traveling for work might take you out of the office, but it doesn’t mean you’re off the clock. There are certain things you should never do on a business trip if you want to maintain your professionalism and protect your career. These seemingly little missteps can send the wrong message and even put your job at risk. Remember, while you might be away from home, you’re still representing your company. Stay sharp, professional, and on your A-game the whole trip so that you can go back to the office with your head held high.

Drink And Party Too Much

Yes, we all want to be the life of a party. No, a business trip is not the best place to show off how many shots of Jager you can do before you puke. Few things will look as bad as partying too hard or drinking to the point of blacking out. Besides, drinking can make some colleagues feel uncomfortable. Skip it if you can’t stick to a single beer.

Miss Your Plane

A single airline ticket can cost thousands of dollars. That’s not including accommodations like your hotel, your taxi, or your food. If you miss your plane, it’s safe to say that your boss will be livid. That’s a lot of money wasted and it will look unbelievably unprofessional to everyone involved.

When in doubt, set your alarm clock early, or don’t go to sleep.

Forget Your Tech

The entire point of most work trips is to get work done while you’re on the road. In today’s age, you are not going to have it easy without your laptop and phone. Make sure to pack your laptop, phone, and tablet, plus all of their chargers. Otherwise, you might be in the hot seat with your higher-ups.

Flirt

It doesn’t matter that you’re working together in Paris or a similarly romantic area. If you are on a work trip, you should not flirt with your colleagues or your clients. It’s a great way to get banned from work trips, fired, or even sued for harassment. If you must get your jollies off, hit up Tinder for a local one-night stand.

Ignore Travel Policies

Companies often have travel policies and rules in place. Some, for example, don’t allow workers to travel solo away from the group without permission. If you ignore your company’s rules, you might think it’s not a big idea. However, your higher-ups might beg to differ.

Ignore Common Etiquette

When you are on a work trip, you are a representative of your company. How you act is a reflection on the company you work for. Your colleagues will notice if you’re rude, condescending, or just downright ignorant to locals on the trip. If you’re really boorish, your colleagues might alert HR about your alarming behavior.

Overshare

Traveling can be a great bonding experience with colleagues and coworkers, especially if you’re friends outside of work. However, you should not forget that there are limits to how much you can bond with a coworker. Your coworkers are not your therapists.

They are also not going to forget if you spill the tea on every little secret you know about everyone else. This is a great way to sabotage your relationships with them after your travels are done.

Being Data Foolhardy

It’s so easy to forget that other people might want to get the scoop on your company’s secrets while you travel abroad. This can lead to you blurting out secrets, connecting to insecure “guest” networks, or saving passwords on strange computers. In most cases, this won’t cause a problem.

In rare situations, it can destroy your company’s security and lose them thousands of dollars. Keep things secure when you’re using your tech in public.

Forgetting Professionalism

It’s oh, so easy to forget that you’re not on vacation while you’re on a business trip. If you start slipping up and act like you’re on vacation, you’ll undermine your credibility as a professional. Dress sharp, stay professional in your language, and don’t act like you’re mooching off the company’s dime.

Not Keeping On Time

This can be difficult when you don’t know the terrain, but you need to research traffic and travel times ahead of time when you’re on a business trip. If you don’t, you’ll arrive late to major events, putting you in a bad light with your colleagues and clients alike. A good rule of thumb: If you’re early, you’re on time.

Complain (About Almost Anything)

Business trips are a lot of work, even if they do feature fun and exotic backdrops. While you might not like being stuck in an office while others are taking tours of local sights, you can’t moan about it. An upbeat demeanor makes you a better travel coworker and also is a must for professionalism’s sake.

Seriously. Just grin and bear it.

Forgetting Your Medicines

There are a few travel no-nos that can ruin a career, like forgetting your medicines at home. In some cases, this can spark a medical emergency at the worst possible time. If you have mental health issues that involve medication, skipping your meds can lead to reckless or even dangerous behavior while you’re on the job.

To make matters worse, you don’t know whether or not those medications will be available at your destination. Please double-check your meds before you go!

Forgetting You Are Travelling

When going on business trips, we often forget that we are traveling. Someone booked our plane ticket, accommodation, and transfers, meaning we tend to be fairly relaxed. However, you are still in a different city or country, so you should pay extra attention to your surroundings. Regarding safety, approach your trip as if it were a personal one. For instance, keep your money and documents divided among two pieces of luggage so that in case one gets stolen or lost, you can still rely on the other.

Wear Inappropriate Clothes

Just because you are on a trip doesn’t mean you are on holiday! While you may bring more casual clothes for the time you share with your colleagues outside of working hours, you should remain professional. Don’t wear too revealing clothes, and remember that even though you are not working, this is still time spent with your team, not your friends and relatives.

Overspending

Many people can cover most of their business trip expenses through company reimbursement. The job will pay for nearly every aspect of the trip. However, that doesn’t mean you should start booking first-class tickets on airplanes and going out to eat at 5-star restaurants with expensive bottles of wine. All of the expenses that you ask to be reimbursed will be assessed. If it is clear that you were overspending and taking advantage of the company credit card, you may have to face some serious repercussions.

Ignore Your Work

While you are traveling for work, you can’t forget about your other projects that may still be going on in your office at home. You need to keep up with your work emails, complete your tasks on time, and still make sure to check in with the boss, even if you are currently away. While you may be on a work trip, you likely still have other work obligations that cannot be pushed aside. You need to stay on top of it all!