I have an office job. I am grateful that I can earn a living. But doing work for a company means I cannot travel full time. I guess that is the reality for most employees living in this day and age. But that doesn’t mean travel is completely out of the equation.

Occasionally, and fortunately, I get to go to places because of what I do. For some locations, I would never reach them on my own – either having to pay for them myself is too costly, and/or the logistics are trickier to arrange by myself.  

Here are 5 ways I make business travel work for my travel goals:

1. Accumulate all the points

When I say ALL, I mean everything – from flights, to accommodations, to credit card charges. Most companies are reasonable and let those benefits accrue to the employee. If you can, stick to one provider (airline, hotel chain, and financial institutions).

The benefits increase significantly. I got my airline privileges just from traveling for work. That’s been helpful in my personal travels (not having to pay for luggages and better seats, skipping lines at check-in, lounge access for relaxation and food).

I’ve also recently gotten an upgrade in one of my hotel status as well. There are perks like late checkout, extra points, and lounge access.

The most significant in my eye is a free flight or a free stay. I’ve traveled to Oman and I didn’t have to pay for my accommodations.

Don’t get lazy! Register everything. You never know when you’ll end up using the same provider again. Trust me. Claiming everything retroactively is tiresome and does not always payoff.

2. Travel on work days

I know this isn’t always an option. If I can’t, I make sure to offset the hours (or the day) at the very least.

When my employer asks me to go somewhere, I am being asked to work. There is no reason I should invest/sacrifice my own vacation days, holidays or weekends. I never have enough time to go around the world. It’d be crazy to give up even a fraction of it.

Even if you enjoy the travel, frame the issue as a burden on your well-being. That is technically true. I do hope the strategy doesn’t backfire.

3. Understand the allowances

Businesses provide leeway for employees to spend on food, accommodations, incidentals, etc. To the extent allowable (and conscionable), take advantage of the limits and the perks.

Had it not been for these allowances, there are travel experiences I cannot or would not have availed of. It might be as simple as a restaurant I would not pay for myself. Or a visit to an attraction that’s given as a reward for the long time spent away from home. 

4. Extend and/or make it overlap with weekends

Especially when journeys are intercontinental, the toll it takes on my body is huge. Generally, these flights are also more expensive to pay out of my own pocket.

So… if I can take advantage of a trip hitting weekends, or extending with a holiday after, I do so. As long as I can prove the cost would be the same, generally no one has a problem with it. Well… unless I am the problem and I have better plans or I have no more vacation days.

5. Remember that new places don’t mean new work hours

If I work a 9 to 5 job, that doesn’t change just because I am in a different location. If my limit is 8 hours, and I need personal time at night, I’m not afraid to demand it.

The days are long during summer. Even winters have great offerings in the evening. I suggest not missing out on activities at night in a foreign city.

Nesting is another way of traveling. Being at work is the best way to do it. Locals, even when they work, have routines. And finding one is a great way to experience what regular life in a place is about.