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Whether you are someone who has little planning experience or a PA who has plenty, there’s always room to improve your travel itinerary skills. Here are some insider tips and tricks that can enhance one of the most important documents for your principal.
At the top of an itinerary, state the dates of travel and route i.e. London – Berlin – Moscow. When you are providing names of places, it is recommended that write it in both English and the local language.
Inform your principal as to which passport (if they have numerous) they should take. Ensure the passport number is clearly specified. Embolden any text that is important while also making use of underlining and italics, where necessary.
When organising the itinerary, make sure that any times stated are written in local time – if they are in London, GMT or if they are in Washington, EST etc. It may be worth including the time zone differences, to save an unexpected call at 2am!
If you are booking taxis, whether it is to the airport, hotel or point of meeting, ensure that your principal have the taxi company name, booking reference and information of where they are travelling to and from.
If taking a flight, ensure that they know which airport they are leaving from, where they are flying to, the departure and gate closing time, terminal number, airline name, flight number and give them the booking reference for their flight. Make them aware if their boarding pass it either enclosed or NOT enclosed.
Inform your principal what time they are due to arrive at their destination in local time. If they do not have a taxi booked, instruct them to hail a taxi and provide them with the necessary information of their next destination.
If taking a train or other mode of transport, ensure they have information on how to purchase their tickets and details for their next journey’s end. If tickets are pre-booked, provide them with the reference number, destination details and inform them, like with the airline tickets, if they are enclosed of NOT enclosed.
If they are staying in a hotel, give them the address of the hotel, their reference number and how many nights they will be staying. It’s always a nice touch to note the hotel website so they can take a look if they please.
When they are going to a meeting, ensure they have all contact information for who they are meeting, where and at what time. The contact information must include email, phone numbers and meeting address.
At the bottom of the itinerary, make a list of all the contact information they need. This should include:
• Taxi numbers (booked: Taxi company, contact name and number. Not booked: Local taxi companies and numbers)
• Hotel (address, contact name and number)
• Your contact details (number and email)
• Any contact details of who they will be meeting (name, company, email and number)
• Contact details for any meeting places (location name, address and number)
Other useful information that might prove useful includes weather forecasts (do they need an umbrella?) and also any restaurant suggestions. If you are giving them some ideas of where to eat, ensure that it is in a reasonable distance to where they are staying or have a meeting. Unique destination information including traditions and customs could also prove to be beneficial.
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