Do You Often Travel For Business?

In the present day and age, travel plays an extremely important role in most businesses’ operations. There is a limitless number of reasons why companies may travel abroad and it proves to be a great way of expanding and growing. Nevertheless, there is one major downfall, and this is the fact that it can be a significant company expense. However, the truth is, it doesn’t have to be! Read on to discover the top five expense management tips for corporate travel, no matter whether you manage yourself or the travel of many people…

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1. Pre-Paid Cards – Instead of sending your employees away and getting them to give you a massive bill when they come back, you should send them off with a pre-paid card instead. You can fill it with the amount your employee is allowed to spend on the company whilst away, and then if they use it they have to fund the rest themselves. You can also negotiate certain costs as part of the trip, such as paying for their food, lodgings, or perhaps even entertainment. It’s also important to consider some extraneous costs, such as understanding the importance of tipping via this article in conversation with Anne and Carl Deane. This way, your employee (or anyone representing your business) is crystal-clear about the choices they need to make.

2. Re-Booking Options – Unfortunately there are many instances where travel plans have to be re-organized because a meeting is re-scheduled or a client can’t make it and so on and so forth. Make sure you select an airline and accommodation that allows you to easily and cheaply re-book. You don’t want to have to pay for your trip twice. 

3. Flexibility – If you can be flexible in relation to when you fly, then do so. Flying at awkward hours can be much cheaper. You may need to give your employee a day off work when they get back to recover, so work out what option is going to be the most efficient. 

4. Travel Management Software – There are lots of excellent travel management companies available nowadays. Their service is extremely beneficial. They have links with airlines and accommodation providers and thus they will be able to give you exclusive deals that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. 

5. Convenience - When booking a hotel, consider the convenience factor. For example, let’s say you need a hotel in Schaumburg, IL for a conference. How close is the hotel to the conference venue? How much will have to be spent getting there?

6. See The Full Picture – Last but not least, one of the reasons companies spend an excessive amount when travelling is because they fail to look at the full picture. For instance, when you are looking for the cheapest flights you should take into account the price of baggage and such like. Moreover, when it comes to accommodation, assess whether you have to pay for Wi-Fi and how much it will cost you to get to the conference centers and so on and so forth.