9 Benefits Of Hiring A Virtual Travel Assistant

If you often travel for work, it’s helpful to implement methods of planning and organizing to ensure each trip goes smoothly. Professionals traveling for business might benefit from a travel assistant’s help and coordination. Learning how working with a virtual travel assistant can positively impact your business travel experience can help you choose the right kind of service for your needs. In this article, we list nine benefits of hiring a virtual travel assistant.

What is a virtual travel assistant?

A virtual travel assistant is a professional who plans and arranges a trip and performs basic administrative tasks from a remote location. Business people might hire virtual travel assistants on an hourly or short-term basis to perform duties such as:

• Creating itineraries

• Finding the best prices for flights and hotels

• Making hotel and dining reservations

• Locating airline and train tickets

• Renting cars and other forms of transportation

• Booking tours

• Answering phone calls and emails

• Exchanging currencies

• Scheduling meetings

• Sending reminders about travel plans

Related: 9 BENEFITS OF EMPOWERING EMPLOYEES

9 benefits of hiring a virtual travel assistant

Nine essential benefits of hiring a virtual travel assistant include:

1. Saving time

A virtual travel assistant typically completes time-consuming tasks such as researching flights, booking accommodations, and organizing itineraries. To help an assistant perform this effectively, provide them with your travel dates, meeting schedules, and activities you want to engage in, such as taking a walking tour of a city. Then the travel assistant can plan everything and give you a detailed daily schedule of all your obligations. This may include hotel, restaurant, and convention center contact information, flight times, airport terminal names, and options for sightseeing. This can help you use your time more effectively by completing projects for work.

Virtual travel assistants also gather and make copies of all your important travel documents and plans. Then, if you have a question about your schedule or local attractions, you can simply ask your assistant rather than spending time searching for that information yourself. This can ensure you have time to focus on finishing work assignments effectively and enjoying the trip during your free time.

2. Following a specific budget

Virtual travel assistants often know where to search to find cost-effective prices on flights, hotel rooms, and transportation. You can give them your budget and a list of your preferences, such as hotel amenities you like or your favorite seat on flights. Then the virtual travel assistant can find and book the best options that meet your budget and your needs.

Additionally, most virtual travel assistants work by the hour, which means it’s only necessary to pay for the time you use their services. Since they work remotely, they may charge lower fees than full-time or in-person assistants. This can help you and the company you work for adhere to a specific budget and save money while accessing the skills and knowledge of a trained professional.

3. Reducing stress

Going on business trips with many events and details to manage can be stressful. A virtual travel assistant can reduce the stress of travel and allow you to focus on your work. Ask your assistant to send you a travel packing list before departing so you have what you need for every meeting, dinner, or fun outing.

If an unexpected event occurs, such as a canceled flight or an itinerary change, you can relax knowing your assistant is managing it. Virtual travel assistants can also help if you lose your wallet, identification, or money. They can send you electronic copies of your ID, communicate with your credit card company, or transfer money to your account.

4. Ensuring prompt arrivals and departures

Virtual travel assistants are responsible for organizing trips to help you arrive at meetings and other important events on time. They may schedule transportation and create alternate plans that you can use if a driver or cab is late. A virtual travel assistant often has experience with a variety of travel companies, so they may have an in-depth understanding of which ones provide prompt, reliable service. These professionals may also provide you with a morning call service, scheduled alarm, or other notification to ensure you wake up and get to meetings on time.

5. Booking accommodation in a convenient location

When traveling to a new city or country, you might not know what to expect or where to stay. To help you choose your accommodations, a virtual travel assistant performs research to ensure you’re staying in a safe and convenient area. They also make reservations based on your priorities. For example, if you have an early morning flight, an assistant might book you a hotel near the airport. If you’re entertaining clients, they might book you a hotel room and make restaurant reservations in a popular downtown district.

6. Increasing productivity

Virtual travel assistants can improve your productivity when you travel by helping you manage your travel plans, expenses, and paperwork. This provides you with more time to focus on important tasks like creating presentations or attending conferences.

Some virtual travel assistants perform administrative duties while you’re traveling. For example, an assistant might monitor your calls and emails, set up automatic replies, respond to customer or client inquiries, and perform basic bookkeeping and invoicing. A virtual travel assistant may also manage your email by filtering messages into categories or folders based on importance. If your job requires posting on a blog or social media, an assistant may post for you at scheduled times to maintain the company’s audience engagement.

7. Customizing your trip

Virtual travel assistants can plan a trip that meets all your needs. For example, if you’re interested in combining a work trip and a vacation, a virtual travel assistant may design a practical itinerary that fulfills your business and leisure goals. An assistant can also make arrangements for a group of people with varying budgets and preferences, which is useful if you’re traveling with a group of colleagues. Additionally, a virtual travel assistant can create daily itineraries based on your work schedule and personal interests, allowing you to enjoy traveling to a new place while working.

8. Providing expert advice

Virtual travel assistants have experience choosing popular places to stay, eat, and explore in major cities. They may also have local connections and advanced research skills, which can help them find events, exclusive restaurants, and local attractions to visit while traveling for work. Virtual travel assistants typically provide reliable advice about the area where you’re planning to travel, which means you can spend less time researching a location and more time enjoying your visit.

I hope you find this article helpful.