Common Business Travel Mistakes to Avoid in Your Organization

Now that things are starting to open up more and more, travel-wise, after the impacts of the global pandemic, many entrepreneurs need to take work trips away, as do their employees.

While doing this has many benefits, such travels cost businesses a lot of money and don’t always bring the return on investment that one would hope.

This is particularly the case if you make some of the most common business travel mistakes. Here’s what you need to know to avoid committing common errors in this arena.

Leaving Bookings Until the Last Minute

While there will always be some situations where you need to make last-minute travel bookings, try not to make this the norm. When you have to take the last flights or hotel options available, among other things, you end up paying more than you would if you had planned trips in advance and been able to take advantage of early-bird savings or other special offers.

To avoid making this mistake, get your team into the habit of letting you, your internal travel organizers, or others who handle bookings know about planned trips as soon as possible. In turn, time can be spent searching out the best deals, and you’ll save significant funds over the long term.

Not Having Clear Travel and Expense Policies for Your Staff to Follow

Another mistake to steer clear of is not creating clear procedures around travel and related expenses. It’s crucial for all employees to know what they can and can’t put on the company credit card or create an invoice for. Plus, set out guidelines around how much people can spend on hotels or other accommodation, the type of flights they can book, and if they should take taxis, hire cars, public transport, or Uber or other share lifts.

Your procedure information should cover meal allowances and other business costs while away from the office, as well as in what timeframe staff members should submit expense reports after they return from their trips.

Making Errors When Booking

Human error accounts for many of the mistakes in travel bookings, whether done by individuals or corporations. To avoid this mistake costing your venture too much money every year in change or cancellation fees or missed flights, etc., talk to your team members about double-checking every booking before they make it.

You may even want to put in place a procedure whereby everyone has to get someone else, such as their manager, to review and sign off on a booking before it’s finalized. Alternatively, you could hire a corporate travel manager to take care of all trip requirements for you externally. That way, if any errors occur on their end, the onus isn’t on you to cover the cost of sorting out replacement bookings.

Failing to Take All the Small Costs into Account or Setting a Budget

Some business owners and managers get stressed about travel costs in their organization because they fail to consider all the small costs that can add up when they or their workers are away. To avoid making this error and reduce stress and cash flow worries, take note of all the little things you or your employees have had to purchase or book on past trips. For example, consider fees for insurance, transport, parking, meals, and accessing the internet and business centers.

Plus, set budgets for travel so that you and your staff can be more mindful of spending less. It pays to use enterprise expense management tools to help you create budgets and track and analyze spending over time.

Not Getting Enough Sleep and Burning Out

Many people find that they return from corporate trips away feeling exhausted yet then must launch back into work, often resulting in a feeling of burnout. You don’t want yourself or your employees to end up this way, so try not to overschedule trips and book in so much each day that there’s no opportunity for proper rest.

Not Scheduling Enough

On the other hand, don’t schedule too little for each trip. Make good use of your or your workers’ time by setting up meetings in advance, so you get to see all the vital people or places on your list. Plus, look for ways to make the best use of your days by optimizing travel around or between different areas.

As you can see, there are plenty of common business travel mistakes that you can work to avoid in your organization. Be proactive in this way, and you’ll save yourself and your venture time, energy, and money over the years.