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7 minutes readContents
- Planning your route for a business road trip
- Tips for selecting a proper road trip vehicle
- Packing tips for a business road trip
- Organize your next business road trip with Roundtrip’s stress-free transfers
Planning your route for a business road trip
Whether you’re a travel manager coordinating travel for your colleagues or in charge of your own travel plans, don’t forget to consider employee wellness during business travel. Taking the time to plan your itinerary and bring structure to a business road trip can make it less stressful and more productive.
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It’s crucial to consider logistics. Depending on the regional area your trip is covering, you may be able to do most of it with a hired car. If you’re covering a larger distance, a combination of flights and transfers may be your best option. The goal should always be to maximize your productivity and minimize unnecessary travel time, like waiting around in an airport or constantly switching rental cars.
Here are our top tips for planning a business road trip:
Research your route and stops
Consider how many destinations you want to visit in the same trip and start researching the most logical route. Apps like Google Maps can give you an estimate of potential travel times between locations, including routes to avoid traffic. If you have a long travel time between destinations, mark out potential rest stops. It’s recommended that you take a 45-minute break after driving for over 4 hours.
Research each destination, including the area around your accommodation. Ideally, your accommodation should be close to public transport or your relevant business district to make it easy to meet clients or visit your local office. Use Google Maps to identify potential meeting locations or nearby amenities, including convenience stores and restaurants.
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Check your vehicle
Nothing will ruin a road trip faster than vehicle problems. If you’re renting a car, check to ensure it’s had a recent maintenance check and that it’s running properly before leaving the car hire location. Always check that your vehicle suits your business travel needs, including having enough luggage space.
If you’re traveling as a group, you may need to request a larger transfer vehicle to fit everything.
Create a travel itinerary
It’s easy to lose track of things while traveling, especially on a road trip. Creating a travel itinerary can ensure you stay on track with your journey, which is important if you’re road-tripping or driving. Think ahead and stay flexible, including adding buffer times into your route planning to account for potential traffic delays.
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Having a travel itinerary can help you make the most of your time. Rest-stops can double as opportunities for virtual calls or catching up on e-mails.
Your business travel itinerary should include:
- Transfer/initial departure time from your home/office.
- Any flight information, including departure and estimated arrival time.
- Accommodation information, including check-in and check-out times.
- Conference, event, or meeting information, including venue and contact information.
- Airport transfer or car hire information.
Making an itinerary before going on your road trip gives structure to your travel. It’s a good idea to share a copy of your itinerary with your office, so they’ll know where you’ll be at any given time.
Maximize business opportunities
When you’re creating your business travel itinerary, consider whether there are opportunities to explore other business ventures or connect with contacts. Planning your rest stop at a co-working space could present an opportunity to network or you might have connections in the area that you want to touch base in person.
Pre-booking your accommodation is always the best option when road-tripping. Do your research on the local area and choose an accommodation option close to business hubs.
Consider bleisure travel
Bleisure travel is one of 2025’s biggest travel trends with employees maximizing their paid time off (PTO) and making vacationing more affordable by combining work and personal travel. Add the personal portion of your travel to the start or end of your itinerary. Make sure to keep your expenses separate and follow your company’s travel policies.
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Tips for selecting a proper road trip vehicle
Whether you’re hiring a rental car and driving yourself or booking a transfer, you want to choose the right vehicle for your road trip. If you’re traveling for more than an hour, you’ll want a vehicle that feels comfortable and suits your needs. Most transfer vehicles will have ample storage, from holding your luggage to providing space for business items, like banners and merchandise.
If you’re splitting the driving responsibilities with another colleague, consider whether your vehicle has space to facilitate remote working. Packing an extra cushion or foldable table may make it easier to work on your laptop or create a remote workstation.
If you’re renting a hire car for your business road trip, take the time to check the brakes, fluid levels, and tires before starting your journey.
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Packing tips for a business road trip
We’re rounding up some of the highlights from our ultimate packing list for business travelers to help you pack for your road trip. Packing smart will ensure you have everything you need without taking unnecessary luggage.
Most business travelers only use a carry-on and personal item, so prioritize packing multi-purpose items. Writing a packing list can help maximize your luggage space and make your business road trip more enjoyable.
Don’t forget your tech
Your phone charger, external hard drive, and headphones are all things you’re likely to leave behind. Instead of having to splurge on replacements, put all your tech into the same pouch or bag. Go through your usual workflow and ensure you have any additional accessories you’ll need. It’s a good idea to pack at least one power bank with a backup phone charger or USB-C lead.
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Use packing cubes
Anyone who travels regularly will know the benefits of using packing cubes. They’re an easy way to organize your belongings, including clothes, to keep them neat within your luggage. You can easily re-pack if you’re staying in multiple locations by placing your packing cubes directly into your closet or drawer space.
Organize your documents
Plan ahead for your meetings and events by organizing your documents, whether it’s paperwork or presentations. You’ll be busy during your road trip and pre-planning can make it easier to stay on top of your daily to-do list and work. Digitalize as much of your paperwork as possible.
Pack entertainment
It’s easy to get bored on a business road trip. Think ahead and pack some home comforts and entertainment. Load your devices with audiobooks, podcasts, or movies. Downloading entertainment is a good idea if you expect to be without internet access or want to relax in the evenings.
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Don’t forget emergency supplies
Emergencies happen and a little pre-planning can make you feel more prepared. If you’re hiring a rental car, invest in a basic tool kit or an emergency breakdown kit. It’s always a good idea to pack a fire aid kit and keep any medication in your personal bag. If you take a daily medication, bring a few extra days’ worth of supplies in the event of any travel delays.
Are you tagging personal travel onto your business road trip? Check out our 9 packing tips for a successful bleisure trip to find the right balance between personal and business packing.
Organize your next business road trip with Roundtrip’s stress-free transfers
A business road trip may be the best way to optimize your productivity when planning meetings, events, and conferences out of town. Planning a multi-stop road trip requires planning, creating an itinerary, and identifying ways to maximize potential business opportunities.
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At Roundtrip, we’re here to streamline your business road trips with stress-free transfers. We offer transfers for business travelers in over 149 countries and in 1,100 cities and towns with a multi-lingual 24/7 helpline for added peace of mind. Book your next business transfer with Roundtrip and take the stress out of corporate travel.
Cover: Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash
