Rhonda Abrams The Passionate Entrepreneur

But you don't want to spend more money than you have to. So here are a few money-saving business-travel tips I've picked up:

• Use alternate airports.

Going to Washington, D.C., Miami, or San Francisco? Check prices to Baltimore, Ft. Lauderdale, or Oakland. Low-cost airlines land in these "secondary" airports, driving prices down for all carriers. Of course, make sure that extra ground transportation costs don't eat up your savings.



• Check low-cost airlines.

Nowadays, every airline is a "no frills" airline -- no food, no leg room, fully packed flights. You might as well shop for the lowest price. Also, low-cost airlines are usually cheaper for one-way and last-minute flights. And the individual TV screens on JetBlue are cool.



• Shop prices on the Internet, but also call hotels directly.

Often, the lowest rate -- especially last-minute -- can be obtained by calling a hotel directly. Ask for discount rates, such as AAA or AARP (you don't need to be a senior to join). And ask a manager if there are corporate rates; why shouldn't they apply for small businesses, too?



• Check the airlines' own web sites.

You can often find greater seat availability on the airlines' web sites, and some low-cost airlines aren't even included in searches on the major travel sites.



• Try moderately priced, business-oriented hotels.

Many hotel chains are aimed at road warriors, including entrepreneurs, salespeople, and consultants. These hotels provide free local phone calls, high-speed Internet, breakfast, parking, and sometimes even free appetizers and drinks at dinner. Ask about these before making reservations.



• Never -- and I mean never -- pick up the hotel phone before you know the charges.

A local call can be as much as $2, and many hotels routinely charge "operator-assisted daytime rates" for long distance -- a stratospheric rate that no one in this universe pays except at a hotel. I was once billed $30 for a 10-minute domestic long-distance phone call. Yikes! I now only use my cell phone in hotel rooms.



• Rent a car in a sprawling urban area, but use taxis and public transportation in a city center.

It's often less expensive to rent a car for a day than to take one taxi ride in a city like Houston or Los Angeles, but it's more expensive to park your car at a hotel than take a number of cab rides will cost in a city like New York or Chicago.



• Use your frequent-flyer miles for expensive business trips rather than inexpensive leisure travel.

It costs much more to fly cross-country midweek on short notice than it does to book a flight to Disney World months in advance.

Have a successful -- and inexpensive -- business trip. Bon voyage!