There are just so many expenses that go along with business travel. It is not just airfare and hotel. You might want to think about some ways to make wiser travel plans. If company travel is a free for all at your company then there is most likely a lot of financial waste going on. You have to have everyone think things through. Sure it might be cheaper at Hotel X, but Hotel X is not very close to the work space and meeting spots. You and your employees will lose loads of time just trying to get to work. Not to mention more cash spent on cabs, ubers etc. You might want to consider flying all employees at the same time so everyone can ride to the hotel together. Might not seem like much, but if there are multiple people attending a business trip and multiple trips to and from the airport, your fares are sure to get grossly high.If the company has travel rewards, try to stick to those rewards and the whole bunch will save.
Let’s discuss some ways to avoid these hectic money pits of travel and how to save on business travel expenses:
Put One Person In Charge Of Travel
This can be someone in any department. Obviously choose an extremely organized individual who lives to coordinate and plan. This employee will be the one to manage affordable travel for the entire business.
Browse Around
Research, research and research! Price the difference between major hotel chains, Airbnb and even extended- stay hotels. You may feel that the hotel chains offer better rewards, but with a higher nightly rate while something like Airbnb might not be great for business trips.
Bang For Your Buck
Trust me, I have tried to work the system by booking a flight on one site and hotel on another and rental car on even another site. This can cause such a cluster of craziness. Try to track everything and, if possible, take advantage of any and all travel rewards that you have.
Create A Template
This one might sound annoying, but once you get passed that, you’ll dig the idea. Create a template that everyone must follow when traveling with and for the company. Options they can use for flights, hotels and ground transportation. You can also include how you do food expenses. This puts it all in perspective and things will not only run smoothly, but be much less expensive as well!
