Beauty Business Travel
What Cosmetologists Need to Know For Booking
Beauty pros who travel for work–this one is for you. Whether you’re a traveling stylist who’s always on the go, hopping on a plane to go to the latest convention (to learn all the newest things, of course), or you’ve got some sort of beauty business planned that requires you to drive, fly, or stay elsewhere, then you’re gonna want to read this post.
The good news about beauty business travel? It can be just as fun as traveling for vacation (especially if you love your job)–but you can reap a whole lot more benefits if you do things the right way.
This blog is all about teaching you some must-know, the fundamental ins and outs of traveling for your beauty biz.
We’re not planning on getting into the nitty gritty of it all–that’s up to you!–but for broad and overall tips that we think every beauty pro should know, this is the perfect starting point.
The Top 6 Things to Know About Booking Travel for Beauty Business
Charge for Your Time, Travel, & Efforts
First things first, beauty pros, you better be charging appropriately. We won’t go too deep into this rant (but we could) because we’ve got lots of insight on pricing and charging on the site (check out our post on that before you go any further!), but we do want to offer this reminder.
Your time is worth money. Your ability to travel is worth money. And the fact that someone is paying you to work outside of your normal scope is worth money. That being said, make sure your travel prices reflect that!
You Can (Almost Always) Expense Beauty Biz-Related Travel
We’re not tax pros (though we do have a pretty sweet tax eBook we highly recommend you take a peek at), but we do know a thing or two about beauty pro taxes in how they relate to travel. It’s highly likely that lots of your expenses for travel (hotels, transport, food, etc.) can be expensed or written off on your taxes.
Do a little research and make sure you know what’s what before you get to the “writing things off” thing, but don’t forget to track and keep your records (and receipts) on point for tax time!
Carry On Your Must-Have Tools
When it comes time to book flights, think hard about the tools you’ll need to get the job done. Now, think about how you’re planning to pack those things.
The best rule of thumb is to carry on the tools you absolutely need so that you’re never separated from them. Imagine hopping on a flight, checking your bag full of tools, and then finding out the airline lost your luggage.
What would you do? How would you get the job done? To avoid that kind of scramble, keep the tools you’re allowed to keep with you in your carry on–then book your travel with the amount of carryons necessary to do so.
Book Hotels & Stays That Make Work Easier & More Efficient for You
Sure, you might save a couple of bucks staying an hour or so away from where your beauty biz is going down, but unless you have a specific reason for doing so, we highly encourage you to drop a little extra cash on the convenient location.
Why? Because if you’re in a closer spot, you’ll give yourself the gift of time–that’s less time to trek to your job, less time to stress, and less time for things to go wrong (because stuff does happen).
Credit Cards, Points, & Mileage Benefits Are Must-Checks
Before you book anything, check with all your rewards opportunities. Maybe you have credit cards that get you mileage points, perhaps you can book hotels through rewards via other programs. This strategy–called travel hacking–can save you tons of cash and help you earn rewards for your biz.
Whatever you do, don’t book until you’ve exhausted options that could give your business rewards or save your business money.
Remember EBS Benefits for Traveling Beauty Pros
The best beauty business travel hack of them all? Partnering with EBS, of course. Our members get exclusive member benefits that include lodging, travel, and transport discounts and rewards points.
For example, EBS members can svae up to 60% over publicly available rates on over 200,000 hotels worldwide through Hotel Engine and can even get up to $500 cash back from BonusDrive for vehicle leases. Check out our member’s benefit page for more info!
So, beauty pros–what do you think? Are you feelin’ ready to book your beauty biz travel the right way? We bet you are.
If you’ve got travel tips for the rest of the beauty community, share them with us ASAP in the comment section. In the meantime, feel free to check out our EBS membership to see how you can pair the best liability insurance coverage with amazing travel benefits.
