For companies just beginning to formalize business travel, there’s a lot to manage. The essentials aren’t just items, but rather systems and tools that can help turn business travel from a nice idea into a reality. Things like a travel and expense policy, having the right approval process in place, working with one all-in-one travel and expense management platform so that you can track expenses; mobile expense management, duty of care and real-time travel reporting should all be a part of your business travel starter pack.
Business travel essential #1: Corporate travel and expense policy
A corporate travel and expense policy is an in-depth document that will help shape and inform your travel program, which is why we named it the #1 business travel essential. Everything starts from there. Without it, your company will be lost, because processes won’t be clear, approvals will be messy and travelers won’t know what they can and cannot do, and what to expect for their trip.
A travel and expense policy turns travel data into actionable insights. By tracking spend, monitoring policy compliance, and identifying savings opportunities, organizations gain greater control over travel budgets while reducing administrative effort. With clear, real-time reporting, businesses can make smarter decisions and continuously optimize their travel program.
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Essential #2: An approval process
An approval process directly relates to the travel policy because if you first set up your travel policy, then you can also set the rules for approvals, and hence in this way automate the process. You can set who is qualified as an approver, set different rules for different roles, long distance vs. short distance flights, upgrades and seat assignments.
For example, if someone is trying to reserve a flight that costs €350 and the travel policy for a short distance flight only allows for a €150 flight, you could set up an approval flow that asks for approval when flights are over a certain amount, otherwise they are automatically approved.
Essential #3: Centralized bookings
Centralized booking is another must for your business travel starter pack. There’s nothing more hectic or unmanageable than having to track bookings across platforms and having everyone in your team (no matter how small it is) book in a different place. Centralized booking helps keep approvals, itineraries, expenses and everything all in one place for a more streamlined travel experience.
Essential #4: Expense tracking and mobile expense management
Expense tracking & mobile expense management is essential for growing businesses in order to track where is your money going and to make better financial predictions for the future. Expense tracking can also help streamline expense reports. Travelers can track and upload expenses from their mobile devices and then submit reports even before they get home, ensuring no lost receipts along the way. Approvers and finance teams can approve expense reports from their phones ensuring quick reconciliation, which helps boost employee satisfaction.
Essential #5: Duty of care
Duty of care is another travel essential because it helps keep travelers safe, informed and supported throughout their trip. Whether it’s providing them with emergency assistance, real-time updates to access support when plans change, duty of care is about providing travelers with peace of mind and companies, reducing risk. It’s the essential safety framework that allows travelers to focus on their business objectives with confidence.
Essential #6: Real-time reporting
Real-time travel reporting is an essential part of any business travel starter pack because it gives companies visibility into travel activity, spending and policy compliance. By having this information available in real-time, travel managers and finance teams can track bookings, expenses and traveler locations as they happen. This helps companies stay in control, make decisions and optimize on-the-go, while also responding quickly to disruptions and making smarter decisions throughout the journey.
Business travel starter pack summary
We’ve discussed the six essentials for any business travel starter pack. For growing companies, having these six pillars in mind when designing a corporate travel program is essential for its success. If you don’t already have a business travel program in place, GetGoing can help you set it up. Book a demo to get started.
Resources
And here are some more business travel resources available:
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