What to do in your down time on a short business trip

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Business travel doesn't have to be all about grey suits and room service. With a little creative thinking you can have a good time and still get the job done. Here are a few ideas for putting some pleasure into business travel, even when you're stretched for time.

Instead of putting in time in the gym, a walk around a park or a jogging track in the locale is much more interesting. Many cities now have bike-hire schemes from public racks. All you need is a credit card in most cases, and an hour in the saddle early in the morning is food for the mind as well as a fitness enhancer.

Choose a hotel a few blocks away from wherever your meetings or conference will take place and walk, taking a different route each time. Getting to know a small slice of a city or area will enhance your experience, and a morning coffee between your hotel and your first appointment is a great start to the day.

Ask your secretary or PA to research your destination with the focus on the area where you'll be staying. They're probably familiar with your tastes in dining and entertainment, whether it's a classical concert or a Michelin-star dining experience. The websites of Lonely Planet and TripAdvisor are worthy starting points.

If you're not too far from home and can finish your business on a Friday, rather than flying back home, get your partner to join you for the weekend. If you're further away, why not meet halfway? Alternatively stay the weekend alone and head to somewhere where leisure takes a front seat. In a weekend you can get to Bintan Island or Pulau Tioman if business has brought you to Singapore, or take in a Thai resort island on the way back from China.

Room service is the tempting option particularly when you're on the road alone, but eating outside your hotel is always going to give you a more interesting time. Ask your concierge for recommendations in the local area.

The ATO allows you to make a reasonable claim for expenses to cover meals and incidentals for each day of business travel and you don't need to show receipts. The daily limit varies according to where you are and your income and you might as well take advantage of the taxman's rare largesse.

Got any friends or associates living at or near your destination? They're another great resource for finding out what to do and places to see, and the opportunity to meet up with associates or reconnect with old friends will enhance the fun factor in your business trip.

There's nothing that beats insider knowledge. Ask whoever you're meeting with for their recommendations. They might even offer to take you out, with the chance to establish a closer and more personal connection with your business contacts. In North America it's not uncommon to be invited to a business associate's home for a family meal, and a visitor from Australia has novelty value.

If it's an overseas trip, find out what your contacts might do with their downtime. Express curiosity about baseball or sumo wrestling to your Japanese hosts, or the food of the region if it's China, and you might well get yourself invited to a night out with them. Wherever your travels have taken you, an interest in sampling authentic local food is likely to strike a chord with your hosts.

Your hotel's concierge is a great asset. One of their specialties is an in-depth knowledge of local restaurants, bars and attractions and they're accustomed to coming up with suggestions that will work for business travellers. They can often find you a place in a hard-to-book restaurant, and just as handy for getting hold of tickets if you want to take in a popular sporting event or show.

Try and travel with an airline and a hotel chain you're familiar with. Those points and status credits help identify you as a valued customer, and that helps smooth your travels with extra perks and privileges. You'll also be familiar with the way they operate and what sort of treatment you can expect to receive. When you're recognised and welcomed by name as you approach the check-in desk, or by the cabin crew as you board, it feels almost as good as coming home.

Instead of arriving late in the day and diving straight into meetings or a conference the next morning, arrive a day in advance – chances are you can work just as productively in your hotel room as you can in your office, and possibly with fewer interruptions. Build some time out into that day, regard it as a day for relaxation as well as work.

Unless it's a destination you know well, pre-book your transport between airport and hotel, and vice versa. It's a big stress saver to have someone waiting to pick you up and not having to deal with taxi queues and fret about local currency for the fare.