Business travel: it’s time to reinvent your strategy

Flexibility is key

It is important to stay flexible when planning business travel, because rules and situations can change rapidly. For example, if you have planned a trip abroad
but have not yet obtained the necessary visa, you may need to make last-minute changes to your itinerary or cancel entirely. Similarly, if you are planning on driving from one country into another and the border crossing becomes closed due to political unrest or bad weather conditions, you may need to find alternate routes or rebook flights to your final destination. Make sure you check for possible interfering factors ahead of time, keep an eye on the news, and share any relevant news with all people involved.

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Travelling less and keeping it sustainable

The business travel industry has been long criticized for its environmental impact and its negative effect on local communities. The disruption caused by the pandemic led many companies to reassess both this aspect of their business travel policy and its overall carbon footprint. It turns out sustainability and budget cuts can work extremely well as a combination. For instance, you could reduce the number of trips you make by planning ahead and booking meetings and conferences at a convenient location for everyone involved. You can also use video conferencing tools like Skype or Google Hangouts to avoid having to travel altogether. When travelling, however, it is advisable to choose sustainable transport. If you do have to travel by plane or train, consider flying with an airline that uses “green” fuel or choosing train routes with fewer stops. If you drive, rent a hybrid or electric car when possible.

Set parameters and goals for your trips

Set definite goals for each trip: how many clients will you meet? How many products will you sell? How many people will need training? For example, if you want to reduce expenses by 20 percent, then determine how much you need to save on each trip and make adjustments accordingly.

You should plan your travel budget in advance

Plan your business travel budget at the beginning of the year. This way, when booking flights, hotels and other travel-related services, you’ll have a clear idea of how much you can spend on each item. This will help you create efficient budgets for each trip and avoid over-budgeting any one area. Use a spreadsheet to keep track of expenses for each trip. This helps you keep track of all your receipts and helps ensure that all expenses are accounted for at tax time. You can also use this spreadsheet as a way to determine whether or not certain activities help increase productivity or improve employee morale during trips — information that might help you decide if they’re worth doing in future years.

Conclusions

In sum, the future is definitely afoot and travel organizations should stay informed about the latest trends in corporate travel. Making informed decisions today will help put organizations on track to increased profit potential and lower cost tomorrow.

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