SOUTHLAKE, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 6, 2005–With the holidays in full swing, Travelocity Business(SM) offers some suggestions to help business travelers better navigate the busy season to maximize both business and personal travel.
“More and more travelers are combining business and leisure activities within the same trip,” said Amy Ziff, Travelocity’s editor-at-large. “The holidays provide an opportunity for travelers to not only wrap up end-of-year business obligations, but to also visit loved ones or just enjoy some holiday fun at the same time.”
Tips you may want to consider when preparing for a business trip around the holidays include:
-- Treat yourself. When traveling for business to major cities,
add a vacation day and go holiday shopping in a festive city
atmosphere. A recent survey indicated that more than half of
surveyed business travelers took at least one combined
business/leisure trip last year, and 70 percent brought a
friend or family member along.(a)
-- Buy business gifts on the run. Bring back a
destination-specific gift to your office Secret Santa - such
as wine from Napa, steak from Dallas, or a blues CD from
Chicago. Or buy show tickets or museum tickets at
www.Travelocity.com and give them to customers, partners or
friends planning to visit key holiday destinations. When
giving business gifts, you may want to check with customers
first to understand their corporate gift policies.
-- Combine business with pleasure. If your company has satellite
offices or customers located near family or friends you plan
to see over the holidays, add a day to your trip for a
business visit and work out the expenses with your company.
-- Plan ahead. Travelocity recently conducted a survey indicating
the most popular cities to visit during the holidays this
year. Remember to add the time it will take to get to meetings
in these downtown locations, arrange restaurant reservations
well in advance, or schedule business trips to these locations
following the holidays! According to the survey, the top 10
domestic holiday destinations this year are:
1. New York City 6. Los Angeles
2. Orlando 7. Denver
3. Washington 8. San Francisco Bay Area
4. South Florida 9. Dallas/Forth Worth Area
5. Chicago 10. Las Vegas
-- Stay informed. Christmas and New Year's Eve both fall on a
Sunday this year, so be prepared for heavy travel activity
around these days. If you are cutting it close due to business
obligations and can be flexible with your holiday
celebrations, Christmas Day and New Year's Day are excellent
days to travel! For the latest on airport conditions and
airline schedule delays nationwide, access Travelocity
Business' Eye on the Sky, Rally Caparas, at
www.travelocitybusiness.com/eos. Caparas also provides a full
report, available toll free via telephone, at 1-877-FLYTIPS,
(1-877-439-0280).
-- Stay connected. Before your departure, obtain a list of
Internet and wireless cafes near your holiday destination in
the event that you need a convenient venue to connect to the
office. Ask your IT department about remote access to email
through easy-to-use applications such as web mail.
-- Travel light. When taking combined business and holiday trips,
bring clothes that can be mixed and matched to work in either
environment. Bring pants and shoes that work well with both
business blazers or casual sweaters. This will leave more room
in your suitcase for all of those gifts you hope to get!
-- Stay healthy. Colder climates combined with re-circulated air
in airplanes cause dehydration and are a recipe for colds and
flu. Staying hydrated will keep you alert during those long
end-of-year business planning meetings. Limiting food portions
and alcohol levels at holiday parties will also take less of a
toll on your system when traveling.
About Travelocity Business
Travelocity Business is a full-service corporate travel agency that helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers. Travelocity Business combines the savings and convenience of online with the full service of dedicated agents available 24/7 who typically answer the phone in 20 seconds, and within 60 seconds guaranteed (see site for guarantee details). Companies can cut travel costs through flight deals, Web fares, hotel discounts and reduced service fees — with average business airfare savings of 35%(b) or $185(b) per trip and service fees starting as low as $5 per trip.
Sabre Holdings Corporation (NYSE:TSG) is a world leader in travel commerce, retailing travel products and providing distribution and technology solutions for the travel industry. More information about Sabre Holdings is available at http://www.sabre-holdings.com.
Travelocity Business combines the expertise, service and travel choices of Travelocity(R) with corporate experience gained from serving more than half of the Fortune 200 companies. For more information, companies can visit www.travelocitybusiness.com.
(a) Travel, Hospitality and Leisure survey commissioned by
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP, July, 2005.
(b) For Q1 2005, the average ticket price for Travelocity Business
travelers was $347 compared to the industry available average
airfare of $532 (NBTA "Changes in USA Network Airlines'
Domestic Fares" -- February, 2005). Both the Travelocity
Business study and the NBTA study compared U.S. domestic
business roundtrip airfares in identical top business city
pairs.
CONTACT: VOLLMER PR
Mary Kate Smither, 972-488-4790
marykate@vollmerpr.com
or
Travelocity Business
Noel Bilodeau, 415-932-1292
noel.bilodeau@travelocity.com
SOURCE: Travelocity Business
