The opportunity to travel abroad for work might sound glamorous on paper, in practice, however, it can be a stressful time for both employees and employers. Everything from logistics to expenses to the dreaded jet lag can quickly derail a work trip. Unless that is, your business has a bulletproof system in place.
Whether you’re a scaling UK business or looking to whip your existing work travel processes into shape, we’ve put together 10 of the best business travel tips to make organising that conference or retreat seamless. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Establish good communication
It sounds obvious, but establishing open lines of communication is a must when you’re growing your business. More clients, an ever-expanding team and an increase in international travel mean comms should be seamless at all times, ensuring deadlines and flights are never missed. This also extends into how you document your communication policies and processes; growth comes from consistency, so make sure these are always up to date.
If you’re already using spaces in Google chat or have some Slack channels set up, you might find it useful to create a designated thread for business travel, which will keep everyone in the loop.
As with any travel, there’s really no fun in leaving things to the last minute, and you’ll often end up paying more for flights and accommodation.
Stay organised with a clear calendar of scheduled meetings, conferences and retreats that are taking place overseas. You can then set reminders (or delegate) for when each trip should ideally be booked, who will be booking it and if there is a preferred travel vendor to book through.
Important reminder: ensure that you’re allocated enough time if you or your employees are travelling between meetings. Here you should also consider pre-booking transport for smooth transits.
Once everything is locked in, create an itinerary that is easy to follow and realistic for everyone to adhere to.
3. Keep track of expenses
Expenses are possibly the biggest element of business travel that you’ll want a clear system for. Get it right, and your company can continue to scale up – without unexpected costs coming back to bite you.
There’s plenty of software out there to make tracking expenses a breeze, including the likes of Rydoo, Zoho and Xero. However you decide to track things, make sure your employees are clear on what can and can’t be expensed, as well as the process for submitting their expenses.
4. Create a travel policy
Another big one when it comes to the best business travel tips is to make sure you have a dedicated travel policy document.
From booking processes and safety procedures to best practices for tracking expenses, your policy will essentially be the bible of business travel, allowing employees to access everything, all in one place.
It’s something that’ll likely get updated over time, so if you’ve set up a message thread (as per tip number one), you can let your workforce know whenever a change has been made that might affect how they travel.
5. Know when to upgrade flights
As your business grows, so too might the frequency of long-haul travel. From a financial standpoint, standard economy flights are probably going to be your preference most of the time. And let’s be honest, business class doesn’t come cheap.
However, you might want to add something in your policy that allows for the occasional upgrade to business class. For instance, if the flight time is over eight hours.
This can be beneficial for your business, as not only is it a treat that’ll boost morale, but your employees will be able to put their best foot forward with high-profile clients. After all, there’s nothing worse than turning up to an international meeting exhausted and bleary-eyed.
6. Buy the right travel insurance policy
Regular travel insurance doesn’t tend to cover things like cancellations, emergencies and lost belongings if you’re travelling for work, so it’s an absolute must to take out a business travel insurance policy. It’s the best way to protect your company and every travelling employee, giving you complete peace of mind.
At battleface, we have an annual, comprehensive business travel insurance policy to keep you covered, should anything go wrong. We cover business trips for organisations across all sectors, with policy benefits including everything from lost business equipment to medical emergencies.
It’s all priced according to the size of your business and the amount of trips you’ll be making each year, so get in touch today for your personalised business travel plan quote.
All work and no play? We think not. It’s often a case of stepping off the plane, going straight to the meeting, bedding down for the night and then travelling back home. Which can obviously start to get really monotonous.
Your employees are there to get a job done of course, but it’s important to factor in some leisure time as well. Whether that’s organising some activities with clients for bond building, or allocating some solo time to see some sights, find the best coffee and sample the local culture.
Actively planning some fun things during the trip can be invaluable for team-building both internally and with client partners. It’ll boost productivity in the long run and ultimately ensure that you’re fostering a tight-knit and motivated workforce.
Plus, how can you have a conference in France and not venture out on a baguette run?
8. Prioritise wellbeing
Travelling for work can be exciting, but the physical and mental stressors can take their toll. Yes, we’re looking at you, jet lag and disrupted routines. No-one wants to see their business thriving but their people suffering, so make sure you have some measures in place to protect the well-being of every travelling employee.
Ensure that meetings are scheduled in a way that allows a bit of breathing space after touching down on international soil. The same goes for when your team arrives back in the UK. There’s nothing like being instantly bombarded with emails when you’re still on Pacific Daylight Time, so create a culture where your employees know they can take some time to adjust and catch up on sleep.
9. Take advantage of benefits
From hotel loyalty programmes to frequent flyer rewards, there are some benefits to take advantage of if you travel for work.
You’ll want to establish in your business travel policy whether your employees will be able to earn flyer miles personally or if it’ll be something the business claims.
Many scaling companies offer frequent flyer miles to staff, allowing them to redeem them for future travel rewards and discounts. Perks of the job!
10. Speed up border control
We know. Talking about documents and visas is up there with pulling out your own teeth. But alas, it’s the kind of admin that’s rather important when it comes to air travel. And if you put all the relevant info in your travel policy document, it’ll streamline the process and ensure that everyone stays on top of what forms are required, and where.
If your work is going to take you to the USA frequently, you can also apply for faster entry through a Global Entry membership, which will get you through border control faster at some airports.
That’s it. You’re ready to travel like a business pro.
Wherever your work travel takes you, we’re dedicated to making life as simple as possible with our straightforward business travel insurance. Your team is even covered for leisure travel and pre-existing medical conditions, so get started with an instant quote today.
