Turn 5 minutes today into stress-free corporate travel in 2025
The holiday glow is fading, and your inbox is filling up with meeting requests. Before you dive headfirst into another year of business trips and corporate travel, take a quick breather. These few minutes could save you from those mid-trip moments that make your stomach drop.
Get your passport ready, sign up for loyalty programmes, and learn a few local phrases for a smoother journey.
First up - your passport
Nothing kills a business trip faster than passport drama. Take a quick peek at yours now. You need:
• Six months validity after you land back home
• Two empty pages for stamps
Stuck with an expiring passport? Skip the Home Affairs headache. The major banks (Absa, FNB, Nedbank, Discovery Bank, Standard Bank) now handle renewals. No more camping out in queues.
Sort your travel rewards
Still not signed up for those loyalty programmes? We know, we know. More admin. But this is the good kind. You're missing out on rewards.
Picture skipping the check-in queue when you're running late for your flight. Or keeping your hotel room until your afternoon meeting wraps up. Even better - walking straight to your rental car while everyone else is still filling in forms.
Most loyalty programmes also offer fast-track security clearance, lounge access when flights are delayed, and priority waitlisting for fully booked flights. Those rewards can be lifesavers during peak business travel seasons.
Drop your customer membership numbers with us to add to your profile, and we'll make sure every corporate travel trip counts with rewards you'll love.
A little language goes far
If Lagos or Luanda are in your 2025 plans, learning a few local phrases can turn a frosty reception into a warm welcome.
No need for perfect grammar - just nail the basics. Good morning. Thank you. The essentials like "Where's the boardroom?" or "Is there decent coffee nearby?" Your morning coffee queue is the perfect time to practice.
It's not just hospitable, it's good etiquette.
Treat yourself to proper headphones
Sometimes you just need to shut out the world. Whether it's the chatty couple on your red-eye or the construction crew outside your hotel at dawn. Quality noise-cancelling headphones are worth every cent.
Look for ones with good battery life and a comfortable fit for long-haul flights. Bonus points if they're compact enough to fit in your laptop bag. And make sure they work both wireless and wired - there's nothing worse than dead batteries when you need them most
Work smarter with public holidays
Why not turn that Cape Town meeting into a long weekend? Or that Joburg conference into a Kruger getaway? 2025's calendar has some sweet spots of public holidays for corporate travel:
March 21st (Human Rights Day)
April's double holiday (18th and 21st)
June 16th (Youth Day) falls on a Monday
September 24th (Heritage Day)
Book these dates early - you're not the only one eyeing these calendar tricks. Hotels and airline flights around these dates tend to fill up fast, especially in business destinations popular for corporate travel and events.
Want to plan ahead? We've mapped out all of 2025's opportunities in one handy calendar, including peak booking periods, public holidays and quiet zones perfect for important meetings.
