Consultant Challenges – Tips & Tricks

A Collection of Challenges and Insights from Lessons Learned

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Common Travel Challenges (Clients are asking more of us to come back into the office)

• • Flight Delays & Cancellations
    Weather, crew availability, and aircraft issues can derail tight client schedules and create cascading disruptions.

    • Lessons: Build buffer time into itineraries, favor earlier flights, and pre-identify backup routing options. The earlier flights are best as you’ll have more options, late nights…you are going back to the hotel.

  • Last-Minute Rebooking Stress
    Same-day changes often mean limited seat availability, higher costs, and suboptimal routing.

    • Lessons: Maintain airline status where possible and use the airline’s app to stay updated on seat availability. Decline “upgrades” to potential middle seats proactively. That is not an upgrade Delta! (just sayin’)

  • REAL ID Compliance Confusion
    New ID requirements catch travelers off guard, especially infrequent flyers or new consultants.

    • Lessons: Bring your passport…you really do not need REAL ID!

  • Tight Connection Windows
    Aggressive itineraries increase the risk of missed connections and lost productivity.

    • Lessons: Prioritize your required arrival time, but consider potential delays, and long distances between gates…especially at hub airports.

  • Hotel Availability Near Client Sites
    Conferences, peak travel seasons, or limited inventory can force long commutes or premium pricing.

    • Lessons: Book hotels as soon as travel is known and maintain preferred hotel lists near key client locations. Book as many weeks in advance as you can.

  • Expense Policy Friction
    Navigating allowable expenses, caps, and reimbursement rules adds administrative overhead.

    • Lessons: See the several blogs I have on this subject. Best immediate action is to separate your expenses from your regular checking account and pay the bills as you are reimbursed.

  • Lost, Delayed, or Gate-Checked Baggage
    Creates wardrobe gaps, meeting readiness issues, and additional unplanned expenses.

    • Lessons: Carry-on when possible, you do not need 4 different shoes! Remember socks…yep, see my article on that one.

  • Travel Fatigue & Burnout
    Early flights, late returns, and frequent time zone changes impact performance and well-being.

    • Lessons: Normalize remote days after heavy travel and avoid red-eyes unless truly necessary. Getting up at 4:30am stinks, but red-eyes will kill you.

  • Irregular Operations During Peak Travel
    Holidays and major events amplify delays, overcrowding, and service disruptions.

    • Lessons: Adjust travel expectations during peak periods and consider alternative airports or travel days. OR ask to work remotely.

  • Technology & App Dependence
    Boarding passes, hotel keys, and itineraries tied to apps can fail due to battery, connectivity, or system outages.

    • Lessons: Download offline backups, carry portable chargers, and keep critical details accessible.

  • Loyalty Program Fragmentation
    Flying multiple airlines and staying across hotel brands limits status benefits and upgrades.

    • Lessons: Align preferred vendors at the firm level to concentrate loyalty benefits.

Contact me directly at Dherr22@gmail.com about these or other opportunities.

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