Common travel expense pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

What do you need to know to avoid travel expense pitfalls? The answers are inside!

Corporate travel management Managing business expenses

By Jeremy Bos

•

November 20, 2025

Woman's hands counting money in front of suitcase

Companies will encounter many travel expense pitfalls as they do their best to optimize travel budgets and keep on the winning track to success. Because, after all, small mistakes can lead to big budget overruns and issues with reimbursements, leading to budget leakages and unhappy executives.

In this article we’ll look at common travel expense pitfalls and some tips on how to avoid them. Plus, we’ll give you some special bonus tips.

Keep reading to learn more.

Unplanned spending

One of the biggest pitfalls is winging the budget for your travel program, and not having a clear idea of how much you’ll spend or what resources you need to make the most of your budget. Handling the budget without a clear plan can lead to overspending and underestimating costs which ultimately eats into your company’s bottom line.

How to avoid it: Use budgeting tools or an all-in-one travel and expense management platform like GetGoing to make the most of your travel budget and keep track of your spending.

Booking last minute

Booking last minute, whether it be flights or hotels, can have its surprises (both good and bad). If you’re lucky you might get a good last-minute deal, but if you’re booking last minute during high season, chances are you will pay premium prices. With higher prices, and often stricter cancellation policies, it’s a good idea to avoid this if possible.

How to avoid it: Plan ahead and if your dates are flexible use price alerts to book during the most convenient time.

Not having a travel and expense policy set up

Probably the biggest pitfall when it comes to managing travel for a SME or any corporation is not having a travel and expense policy set up. If you’re using a travel and expense management platform like GetGoing, you can set up and automate your travel policy easily on the platform. But, first it’s a good idea to have a general policy written out, which can help avoid inconsistent spending. Without clear guidelines, employees may book what they think is best, which might not necessarily be best for the company.

A travel policy will also help avoid reimbursement confusion because policies are clearly laid out beforehand. It also avoids wasted time for finance teams who have to chase receipts, clarify expenses and correct errors. Without having a preferred booking tool, your company will also likely miss out on special negotiated rates or discounts for booking high volume.

How to avoid it: Set up a travel policy with clear rules on reimbursable items like meals, transportation and lodging. Create spending limits by category or traveler role. Choose your preferred travel management platform, and set up approval flows.

Not keeping receipts or documentation

When travel policies aren’t clear, employees don’t know what to do with their receipts and documentation, making it so they often don’t attribute the due diligence to keeping track of expenses and receipts. This can make reimbursements and tax deductions difficult.

How to avoid it: Use digital travel expense tools to keep track of receipts digitally. GetGoing has an AI scanning tool that makes it easy to store and organize receipts, and easily submit expense reports on the go.

Roaming charges and unplanned connectivity costs

Roaming charges for mobile data can be expensive and easily get out of your company’s control. As Wi-Fi and connectivity are crucial for a business trip, it’s important for companies to have this factored into their travel policy so that employees know what is and isn’t allowed. Do you prefer they use roaming data or that they buy a local SIM. This also might depend on how long the trip is.

How to avoid it: Work local SIM or international plans into your travel policy, making sure that employees set up their work phones before they go, and know the best practices around getting plugged in. Make sure when booking a hotel, there is fast and reliable Wi-Fi to avoid using too much data once inside the hotel.

Overpacking and paying for extra luggage

Checking bags can add up quickly in terms of costs. That’s why it’s a good idea to consider if a checked bag vs. carry-on is right for your corporate trip or whether you can get away with just a carry-on. This can help you avoid extra fees at the airport for not planning accordingly.

How to avoid it: If you’re traveling for a short time, forgo a checked bag in favor of carry-on luggage. Not only will this save time when you get to your destination, you’ll also avoid the potential hassle of a lost bag.

Bonus tip

Avoid overpacking by consulting our packing list for corporate travelers.

More bonus tips to avoid travel expense mistakes

Use a travel and expense management platform like GetGoing to better manage your travel expenses.
Review your expenses post-trip and keep track of where your spending is going to optimize your travel spend.
Create a reliable travel and expense policy to ensure compliance, productivity and transparency across the organization.
Promote awareness across your company about travel and expense management by setting up regular training sessions aimed at keeping employees informed about new policies and ways to better optimize their business trips.
Create a travel expense checklist so that everyone is on the same page.
Regular review expense insights in your travel and expense management platform to keep tweaking and improving your T&E management.

Mitigating travel expense pitfalls

The most important thing you can do is to create awareness in your company around budget dos and don’ts and the importance of properly planning. Be proactive and tech-savvy to avoid these common travel expense pitfalls. If you don’t already have a travel and expense policy, download our guide and you will for sure stay on track.

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