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Traveling seems easy enough, you buy a ticket, book a room and go. But if you’re trying to do it on the cheap while still keeping that professional image or are planning to be on the go for weeks or months at a time it can become a drag. Here are some tips we have gathered from international Australian businesses like mobile marketing company QMcodes that will help make your travel through the US smoother.

• Use Craigslist to find a place to stay: Although Craigslist isn’t very popular in Australia, it’s extremely popular in the US. If you need to be in a city just long enough to make it too expensive to stay in a hotel or not quite long enough to warrant taking out a lease on a flat (you should say apartment there, btw) Craigslist should be your first stop. Especially with the downturn of the economy, many people rent out rooms in their homes or entire flats while they are away so you can get a great price on a place for a week or more, complete with kitchen, linens and possibly a few new local friends. Other useful sites for finding cheap accommodations include Hotwire.com, priceline.com, couchsurfing.com and airbandb.com

• Get a Boingo account: America is quickly changing from a patchwork of wireless to a tightly woven blanket and Boingo allows you to hop from spot to spot using cheap wireless around the US. Boingo accounts work at McDonalds, Starbucks (the only place you might find a decent American coffee anyhow), Marriotts and Sheratons among hundreds of other locations. For under $10 you can get a month’s worth of internet from Boingo and the account is good regardless of what state you’re in, so it’s ideal if you are planning a trip that takes you to multiple states. Download the Boingo app to help you find Boingo locations near you.

• Figure out how to get power on your flights: If you are using flight time to get work done and your laptop battery is flat, or you are going to be on a long enough flight that you know it will go flat, you have a few option. Most First Class seats have a power outlet you can jack into (though naturally you will need to have a US power adapter) but if you are trying to save a bit and you have a friendly smile, you can stay in the economy class and kindly ask a stewardess to charge it for you.

• Get web while you’re in the air: If you are doing a cross country flight, it’s a shame to lose all those hours and not be able to get work done. More and more American airlines are adding in-flight wireless. Currently you can find it on some Delta, American and Virgin airlines through GoGo Wireless.

• Drop your bags: If you’re traveling around doing a mixture of couch surfing, hotels and apartments, there are going to be times where your stuff lugging your bags around not knowing where you will be next. Many hotels, whether you are staying there or not, will let you coat check your luggage. This is also useful if you just need to drop your laptop to go out for drinks with friends.

• Power adapters: You will inevitably walk away with your power adapter still plugged in the wall somewhere. They aren’t as easy to find in the US, where it’s a less international population. One of the best and cheapest places to find adapters in cities like New York and San Francisco are the cheap, cluttered, shady looking electronics stores you will see lining the major districts and areas like Chinatown. They generally will be able to pull out a shoe box of various adapters they can sell you for about $2. If you are doing a lot of international travel, it might be worth investing in an iGo adapter. These have multiple international plugs as well as the type that fits a car’s cigarette lighter.

• Don’t get ripped off by money changers: Whether you are at the airport or downtown Manhattan, currency exchange businesses will rip you off with a bad exchange rate and a high flat fee. Check beforehand to find out who your bank’s US partner is, for Westpac it’s Bank of America, then use this local ATM to withdrawl money. You will be charged an international fee, but you will get a better rate from your own bank and you won’t be paying for some person to be sitting in a glass box counting out bills.

• Be prepared to drive: The US doesn’t have nearly as good public transportation as cities like Melbourne or Sydney. If you are in cities like New York, San Francisco or Seattle you will probably be comfortable on the rail and bus system, but in places like Los Angeles and Austin, you will need to rent a car or be prepared for sweaty bus rides crammed full of passengers on a slow schedule. Your Australian drivers license will work in the states, just make sure you have a credit card as well.

• Check regional airlines for cheaper flights: There are a number of small regional airlines that operate around the US than can offer you cheaper flights than the big boys. But even if you use some of the flight searching sites like priceline.com, you may not see these flights show up. For example, if you need to travel in areas like New Mexico, Texas, California or Florida Southwest Airlines and Viva Aerobus are good options.

• A temporary office: There are varying options you have for working space while you are abroad. If you just need a place to have an afternoon meeting, a coffee shop is acceptable, but if you need real desks or conference rooms then it’s good to do some research beforehand on what your local state offers abroad. Austrade and many of the state governments offer office space in major cities, for example Victoria offers space in San Francisco (not to mention cities like Hong Kong and Shangai).

• Be prepared to tip: It’s a small but very pronounced difference between Australia and the US and you need to make sure you budget it in when you figure the cost of your trip. You tip your waitress, your cabbie, your hairstylist, your bell boy, your bartender and pretty much anyone else in a service industry. The minimum is 15% and it’s usually 20%. Generally you can pay by card and add your tip there, or hand them cash or leave it on your table. This isn’t just a being nice thing either…waiters and waitresses in the US aren’t paid at the same minimum wage as everyone else, they are generally paid at about $2 to $4 and hour and the rest is expected to come from tips.

Do you have any of your own travel tips you have learned from doing business travel in the US? Share them in the comments.