By Land and SeaIn-person conferences have returned and plenty of people have already started attending them again! If you are aspiring to travel more, this may be the ticket for you. Extensive travel is a dream for many. We all know, traveling can be an extremely expensive hobby. Like most people, we are always looking for ways to explore a little more and spend a little less.
There are so many ways people maximize their funds for travel. While we always work to keep our expenses down, while traveling as much as possIble. Our lifestyle and professIons occasionally offer something else that allows us to add some additional traveling to our rotation at little or no cost to us. Attending a work conference is a great option to travel on your employer’s dime!
The Benefit
This option is one of many tips we offer for those who want to travel more with a full time job. We realize not everyone is employed in a manner which offers the ability to attend a work conference. But, there are many perks for those who can swing this in their jobs. While in-person work conferences have been on pause for awhile, they are starting to make a resurgence. Consider the possibility as an option to expand your future travels.
The Locale
By taking advantage of a work conference or other training, we’ve traveled many places in the U.S. without having to foot the entirety of the bill ourselves. In most cases, we’ve paid for the meals and flight for whichever of us isn’t on company expenses, an extra day or two of accommodation, and then our own personal spending money on activities.
Conferences are huge money makers for host communities. Many places vie for the chance to secure these large contracts. There are multiple offerings in a variety of industries throughout the country. If you need further proof, here are some of the places we’ve been able to travel for work conferences over the years.
- Denver, CO
- Waco, TX
- Washington, D.C.
- Boston, MA
- Portland, OR
- Dallas, TX
- Las Vegas, NV
- Topeka, KS
- Newport Beach, CA
- Nashville, TN
- Buffalo, WY
- Anaheim, CA
Being able to travel for work conferences has led to great opportunities to see new U.S. cities or return to some old favorites. Depending on your company policies, there are many other benefits to being able to go to a work conference, including:
- All (or nearly all) expenses are paid by your company
- Chance to earn valuable frequent flyer miles and loyalty points on someone else’s dime
- Great hotel accommodations
- No vacation time used
Plus, you “should” be able to return to the office re-energized and full of new ideas for your job! If you think about it, that’s pretty cool!
Making the most of your time free at a work conference
Yes, conferences can be exhausting and generally run the course of a typical 8 hour work day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still explore the city you’re visiting.
Plan an early arriving flight
You will want to plan a flight that arrives at your destination early enough on the day before your conference starts. There are two benefits to this. First of all, if you plan your flights to occur during the same time you’d normally be at work, you’re still traveling on paid time, not your own. Again, you’re traveling for work, so why not travel on work time.
Additionally, most conferences start around 8:00 am. So, arriving early the day before allows plenty of time that first evening to go out! We recommend finding places near your hotel. You can drop your bags, freshen up, and go for dinner or an evening sightseeing stroll.
Skip the work conference networking receptions
Personally, I don’t enjoy the evening networking receptions at conferences. Forced small talk with vendors is not my thing. These usually occur at least one or two evenings during the conference period. I would much rather enjoy my night out, so I skip these. This can add additional time to really get out there and enjoy.
Plenty of major cities offer great evening tours that start around 6:00 pm so be sure to look into these if you want something organized to do. Otherwise, check and see what else is going on at night. Concerts and sporting events are some other options of things to do at the end of the day.
Extend if you can!
Some employers will allow you to extend your trip a few days. If you can, why not! There might be a minimal expense to you, but it still won’t be much compared to paying for the entire trip yourself. If you can’t extend, select the latest possible departing flight after the conference has wrapped up. It’s a great way to grab a drink at that cute corner wine bar or do a little last minute exploring before your journey back home.
Invite a travel buddy if policy allows!
What better way to maximize your work trip than sharing it with a friend or loved one. My hubby and I have had some great times together by accompanying one another during work conferences. Just meet up during lunch and after the daily wrap-ups, and enjoy the everything your host community has to offer.
See if your conference host is offering any activities to participants!
Sometimes the provider works with local businesses to coordinate great activities for people to do at either reduced cost or free. A conference I attended at Boston planned early morning 3-5 mile runs through the city center. This may sound a bit odd, but I probably wouldn’t have gone running through the streets of Boston by myself. I was glad to join in and get out there. Another conference in Las Vegas offered free shuttle service for people wanting to head to the Strip for the night or a nearby shopping center. I appreciated being able to participate in both of these things without having to pay out of pocket. Little perks like these are great add-ons for your work trip.
Treat Yourself
If you don’t feel like going out on the town after a long day of learning, that’s okay too. Travel (especially when its travel for work) can be about relaxing at the end of the day too! Because conferences are generally always hosted at very nice, large hotels, take advantage of the amenities they offer. This might include scheduling a massage, soaking in the hot tub, or lounging by the pool. Some hotels even offer fun things like fire pits or walking paths!
Packing Recommendations
You will notice a variety of attire at your conference, especially depending on the industry. Most people dress in business casual style with a few variations here and there. Generally, there is no set dress code.
The ballrooms and spaces where conferences are held are generally kept pretty cold. So, even if your conference is in the heat of summer, I recommend packing some warm things to wear during the daily sessions. This includes pants, long-sleeved shirts, jackets and dress socks. I also pack a change of clothes to wear out a night as I transition from business casual to casual attire!
I like to take a reusable coffee mug when I go to conferences. It is so nice to have unlimited access to coffee and tea during the sessions, but generally the cups provided are so small. So, if you don’t want to get up every 15 minutes and work your way through rows of fellow participants, bring your own reusable mug. Even better, think of how much more sustainable this is. If every conference attendee used reusable mugs instead of dozens of small coffee cups per day, that would have huge impacts!
Also, be sure to bring an envelope with you. This is any easy way to keep all of your receipts organized. When it comes time to submit your expenses upon return, everything is in a handy place.
Conference Swag
Just be sure to leave enough space in your bag for a few goodies. Conferences are also a great place to pick up some free swag! I’m always on the prowl for free stuff I can use in future travels. Here are a few great things you might be able to score from vendors:
- Reusable water bottles
- Hand sanitizer
- Drawstring tote bags
- Tissue packs
- Chapstick
- USB drives
- Power banks
How to attend a conference
Again, so much of this is dependent on your workplace and its policies. The first step would be to familiarize yourself with the conference travel and travel for work policies. Be sure to research things like what expenses are covered, can you extend or bring a travel partner with you, is earning frequent flyer miles acceptable, etc.
Once you have that information, start researching conferences. It is important to find those which relate directly to your field or job duties. You want to make sure that the information obtained will be a major benefit to you and your employer. Personally, I like to look for exciting session descriptions with innovative and cost-effective ideas that, once obtained, will give the company a competitive edge against our competition.
Did you catch all those justification-based buzz words? Use them! You will need to make sure the value of what you will learn outweighs the cost!
When you find some that are of interest, start researching costs. You’ll want to find:
- Conference Fees
- Airfare (if flying)
- Accommodation Rates
Research anything else that might be pertinent (think rental cars, parking costs, etc.) in terms of expenses. The more information you can have about the costs, the better. Be warned – conferences are generally very expensive. This is part of why many employers have always had generous travel for work budgets. If you are interested in attending a work conference, it is best to let your employer know this when they are planning their annual department budgets. Doing so allows them to factor in this line item.
Armed with all the information and justification, it is time to approach your supervisor. Keep your fingers crossed that they say ‘yes’ and get that free trip booked!
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There were so many great ideas for combining travel and work conferences. I’m thinking there are ways to work this strategy into my professional life!
Great ideas for mixing work conferences with travel, especially now that more of these are in person again.
I used to have more business / conference travel opportunities, particularly in my region where regulators and stakeholders value in-person face time. But nowadays, there’s almost no budget allocated – we’re even having to explain trips when the regulator called the meeting, which used to be self-explanatory.
Nonetheless, I advocate for side trips on such meetings especially if it’s in another market, because the *business* benefits at *your expense*. (Though it’s amazing how many boomer managers fail to grasp this.) On your extra personal days, you learn things about the country and market, meet regular people that you will never meet as your professional self and certainly they won’t interact with you the same way, travel in local ways, sense the local daily routines – which 99% of business travellers never learn, who masochistically never leave their hotels, travel in and travel immediately out, and yet think themselves qualified to advise the country, despite only having seen the inside of hotel rooms and conference halls!
I actually just spend a week in Las Vegas, adding a couple days before a conference, as part of a work event. It was a great way to find a reason to travel, fly in over the weekend and use my own time without any vacation days required, and of course have my flights paid for. I did what you said and skipped one of the networking parties and instead planned my own activity. Great way to explore more and on a budget. I don’t get many opportunities to go to conferences but I typically do take advantage of travelling when I can.
Many conferences start on a Monday or end on a Friday. This means you can add on a mini-vacation before or after the event on your own personal time. You can also argue that you are saving your company money by traveling on a Sunday when airfare prices are reduced.
These are fantastic suggestions for combining work conferences with travel, especially now that in-person events are making a strong comeback. It’s a smart way to make the most of your time in a new city—balancing professional commitments with exploration and cultural experiences. Thanks for the helpful and timely tips!