According to a recent study by Expedia and Egencia, Millennials are the new business jet setters, traveling for work more than any other age set today.

Whether you’re taking your first or fifteenth business trip with your boss, coworker or client, here are four tips to ensure you represent yourself and the company well while you’re cruising the friendly skies:

1. Nix the social media

As much as we love keeping our friends, family and colleagues up-to-date on what’s going on, rethinking the appropriate times to use your cell phone and social media is important when you’re on business travel.

Providing 140-character play-by-plays during a client meeting won’t help you close a deal, and you definitely don’t want your boss to discover you Instagramming your filet mignon at the other end of the dinner table in front of the client.

It’s important to remember you’ve been selected to go on this trip for a reason. (Click here to Tweet this thought.) Use this opportunity to be active in conversations with your colleagues and clients, and respond to text and direct messages during your personal time.

2. Be prepared to overdeliver

You can never be too prepared when it comes to business travel. Not only do you have to pack for yourself, but you may also have to prepare materials for the client meetings or sales presentations.

Ensuring you have the appropriate attire is critical. Be mindful that an all-day client meeting could turn into an evening dinner. Having options for several occasions is ideal.

More often than not, the most junior person traveling is responsible for bringing the appropriate materials — and that junior-level person will probably be you. Show your boss you’re a stickler for details by being thoroughly prepared. It’s wise to always have itineraries, addresses, directions and important phone numbers printed out so you can easily refer to them.

3. Over-communicate

Sometimes travel can be unpredictable, but that doesn’t mean your communication should be unpredictable, too. Staying plugged in with your key point of contact during your business trip is vital.

If your flight is delayed, it’s important to inform someone about the status of your flight and your new expected time of arrival. If you’re traveling separately from the rest of your team or the client, planning a place to meet up once everyone has arrived is key.

Position yourself as the person who’s alert and openly communicates for the duration of the trip, and your boss will want you to accompany her every time.

4. Leave your complaints at home

Business travel isn’t designed to be a leisure vacation, and you have to be ready for the 6:00 a.m. flights, unpredictable weather and late evenings.

Of the many unforeseen circumstances that could — and probably will — occur while you’re jet setting around the world for business, the best thing you can do is not complain. If you see a challenge has emerged, don’t whine or make excuses — think of ways to resolve the problem.

You want your boss to view you as someone who can function well under pressure during travel. More importantly, you want to stay at the top of the consideration list for future business travel opportunities.

Have you ever been on a business trip? What are some other tips for young professional business travelers?

Jaimee Ratliff is a PR professional, freelance writer and a culture enthusiast based in Houston, Texas. Follow her at @WhatJaiSays.

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The post 4 Travel Tips to Make Your Next Business Trip Go Smoothly appeared first on Brazen Life.

They’ll take you under their wing and show you everything you should know and do to successfully navigate your way through your career. But while they’ll show you what you should be doing, you can also learn from what they don’t do. (Click here to Tweet this idea.)

The following things will increase your productivity and establish you as an assertive, forward-thinking professional — just like your awesome boss:

1. Don’t drag out emails

Have you ever sent your boss a long-winded email, only to get a single-word response back? You’re not the only one. Attention spans are shrinking by the day. Everyone experiences content overload and skims through their morning news and weekly reports to get the information they need.

Emails are no different. Deleting excess words and getting right to the point is what managers do and expect. When emails are concise, it’s easier to understand the main objective and interpret exactly what’s being asked of the sender.

2. Don’t be afraid to push back

Your boss probably didn’t get to their current position by being passive. Somewhere throughout their career, they probably had to voice their opinion about the best way to implement a marketing strategy or give their feedback on how to improve inefficiencies.

One day, you may be tasked to complete a routine project you believe can be done differently, more efficiently or just better. It could involve pulling in an additional resource or approaching the project from a new angle. Whatever it may be, tactfully tell your boss what you’re thinking.

3. Don’t take “no” as “never”

Perseverance is as crucial to winning new business as it is to proving why you deserve a raise, promotion or other opportunities. In sales, managers are trained to overcome objections and not give up easily when they’re prospecting new clients. Not needing the product now doesn’t mean the prospect will never need it.

Being told “no” doesn’t always mean “end of story; get back to work” — and it shouldn’t be interpreted that way. Sometimes it means you’ve got to go back to the drawing board and re-strategize how to prove why you deserve to take the lead on that next big project.

4. Don’t forget about the competition

As technology and human behavior evolves, managers must think of ways to help companies keep up with the changing times and stay a step ahead of the competition.

Identifying ways to enhance your own skill set will continue to position you as a top candidate when new opportunities emerge. Whether that means creating your own blog to showcase your writing and creativity, or suggesting your company offer a workshop on public speaking, you’ve got to have a competitive advantage in today’s workforce.

What are some other things your boss doesn’t do that you can apply to your own career development?

Jaimee Ratliff is a PR Consultant and a culture enthusiast based in Houston, TX. She also likes to write about all things Generation Y. Follow her at @WhatJaiSays.

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The post 4 Things Your Boss Doesn’t Do — And You Shouldn’t, Either appeared first on Brazen Life.

The ambitious gear needs to be in overdrive to get to the next rung on the ladder, but before you go accelerating, know that there are some speed limits.

Despite what you’ve heard about the surefire ways that’ll get you to the top sooner, some habits can actually end up labeling you as a doormat—and doormats are not fun.

Here are six habits you should nix early in your career to ensure you aren’t being counterproductive in your pursuit of success:

1. Not taking your lunch break

You want to show your manager you understand meeting deadlines is crucial, and sometimes it means skipping your lunch to get that report done by noon—but every day shouldn’t look like this.

On days you don’t have tight deadlines, take a break to replenish your mind and body. The company isn’t going to plummet in stock if you take 30 minutes to eat your sub sandwich. Eat your lunch and enjoy every bite. Take some time to step away from your desk, go chat up another coworker and enjoy the break.

2. Answering emails after hours

Your personal time is just that—personal. It’s your time to spend doing what you love to do, whether that’s hiking or lounging by the pool playing Candy Crush. And what you love to do probably doesn’t include monitoring your work email like your life depends on it.

Relax. Work-life balance is a must. There are times when you’ll need to be on-call for a project that’s extended itself after hours. Other than those times, toss your work phone aside and make a point not to look at it until the next business day. Your boss emailing you pictures of her vacation to Mykonos doesn’t warrant an immediate reply.

3. Not using your paid time off

One of the best parts of the benefits package is the vacation time! But what’s fun about it if you never use what you’ve earned? You can and you should use your vacation time. All of it.

The constant workload will often make you feel there will never be a perfect time to break away and go surfing in Maui, but the truth is there’s never a perfect time to do anything in life. The work will always be there. Set aside some time with your manager early on to discuss your vacation plans and all the projects that need to be completed before your trip. Simple.

4. Over-explaining yourself

You need to go to the doctor because you’ve been experiencing an annoying pain in your leg. Does your manager need to know why you have to leave early to go to the doctor? Absolutely not.

Sometimes we over-explain our situation to our employers to prove why we need the time off. A 12-minute synopsis is unnecessary. Things that happen in your personal life are your business. Providing a doctor’s note is the best way to show you’re being honest.

5. Not speaking up in meetings

Maybe you’re the newbie at the company or you just got promoted to a new division, but it’s not an excuse for not speaking up at every opportunity when you’re invited to a meeting.

Never underestimate the importance of what you have to contribute. Your creative idea could help launch a viral social media campaign. More often than not, someone else will say the exact thing you were terrified to say, and everyone will end up loving the idea. Don’t let this happen; own your ideas and speak confidently about them.

6. Taking on more work than you can handle

You’re only one person. You can’t do all the work by yourself. You shouldn’t have to, either. Sure, you want to impress your manager and other colleagues by showing them you know how to work efficiently and can handle your workload, but never compromise the quality of your work because you have too many other tasks to complete.

It’s okay to speak up and let your manager know when you’ve reached your capacity on the tasks you’ve been assigned. Speaking up, expressing concern about your workload and prioritizing your tasks will make you look responsible rather than incompetent.

What are some habits you feel can actually hinder your success rather than help it?

Jaimee Ratliff is a PR Consultant and a culture enthusiast based in Houston, Texas. She also likes to write about all things Generation Y . Follow her at @WhatJaiSays.

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The post 6 Soul-Crushing Career Habits You Should Break Right Now appeared first on Brazen Life.