When you are travelling for business purposes, it’s only natural that you want to save as much money as possible. There is certain action you can take to ensure that your trip costs you as little as possible, without having to downgrade your experience in any way. Follow these top tips and see how you can save for your business.
Always Book Your Trip Early
Although this may seem like an obvious move to make, many leave their reservations for flights and accommodation to the very last minute and end of paying extortionate prices as a result. If at all possible, book ahead, and you can end up saving your company a lot of money. Airlines will always sell their cheapest seats first, so if you book late, you’ll end up with no choice but to buy the more expensive seats. Avoid higher rates, and enjoy the same journey, without the added expense.
Search for Flexibility
The day of the week is also a key factor to consider when flying. Often, flights just a day before can make a huge difference to the flight you wish tot take, in some cases even allowing you to save half of what you would have paid. If your clients are flexible, it may well be worth querying as to whether they would agree on another date or day of the week. Flights are often most expensive on Fridays and Saturdays, so moving that meeting to a Wednesday may well just do you a lot of favours in the long term.
Loyalty Schemes
Corporate travel management should go hands in hand with loyalty schemes. Loyalty schemes, such as airline points can prove to be an invaluable means of conserving cash. Set up your travellers on all relevant loyalty schemes not only with airlines, but also hotel accommodation. Taking advantage of loyalty points such as these can allow you to utilise benefits such as free upgrades, flights discounts, and many more perks such as these.
Advocate the Use of Public Transport
On arrival, one travel spend that is often neglected is driving in large cities. Encourage employees to take public transport rather than driving, paying extortionate parking fees or taking taxis. When employees are making their way to an event or to a meeting or conference, this can save a lot of money.
Spend Time Researching Accommodation Options
There are so many different accommodation options available in this day and age. Your organisation may be comfortable with certain hotel chains which is all well and good, but why pay more when you can pay less? Branch out, consider the different options available and don’t settle for accommodation simply because you are comfortable with it. Options such as Airbnb can be far more cost-effective, and even has the capacity to provide a better travel experience for your employees. By adhering to these accessible rules, you can save your business a lot of money in the long run, without having to hinder your client’s or employee’s quality of life, home or away.