planning business travel

Cvent has acquired Splash! Read more.

• Request demo
• Find event venues

25 Business Travel Planning Tips for 2024

As someone who frequently travels for business, you know just how crucial it is to plan for each trip. From booking flights and accommodations to scheduling meetings and events, there are countless factors to consider when it comes to business travel planning. But with the right approach, you can make the process easier, more efficient, and less stressful. 

This blog post will provide an easy guide to business travel planning with tips and strategies to help you stay organized and get the most out of your travels.

Top 25 Business Travel Planning Tips

1. Determine Your Travel Needs

Before you begin making any arrangements for your trip, you'll need to figure out your travel needs. This includes identifying the purpose of your trip, the dates you'll be traveling, and any specific requirements you have.

For example, will you need to rent a car, hire a driver, or take public transportation? Do you need to be in a specific location for a meeting or event at a particular time? Make a list of all your travel needs so you can refer to it as you plan your trip. 

2. Set Your Budget

Once you've identified your travel needs, it's time to set your budget. This will help determine how much you can spend on flights, accommodations, transportation, meals, and other expenses. 

Be sure to account for your company policies or restrictions, such as maximum daily allowances for meals or limits on travel expenses. 

3. Book Flights and Accommodations

You can begin booking flights and accommodations once you know your travel needs and budget for flights; book as early as possible to get the best prices and seat selections. 

You can use online travel booking sites like Expedia, Kayak, or Orbitz to compare prices and find the best deals. Regarding accommodations, consider factors like location, amenities, and price. Sites like Airbnb and Booking.com can help you find many options in your desired location. 

4. Plan Your Schedule

With your flights and accommodations booked, you can start planning your schedule. See if any meetings or events are on your calendar or if you have to schedule them during your trip.

You can use a calendar app like Google Calendar or Outlook to keep track of your schedule and be sure to account for any time differences between your home base and your destination. You can also use travel planning apps like TripIt to consolidate all your travel details in one place. 

5. Pack Efficiently

For many, packing is one of the most stressful parts of business travel planning, but it doesn't have to be. With a bit of planning, you can pack efficiently and avoid overpacking.

Make a packing list that includes all the items you'll need for your trip, and be sure to consider the climate and culture of your destination. Maximize space in your luggage using packing cubes or compression bags, and choose versatile clothing items that can be mixed and matched. 

Here's a business travel checklist to get you started.

6. Manage Expenses

Managing expenses is a critical part of business travel planning. Keep all your receipts and record your expenses as you go. You can use apps like Expensify or Concur to track your expenses and create expense reports which you can directly upload to your company's corporate travel management software . Adhere to all the travel policies of your company or restrictions regarding expenses, and don't hesitate to ask for clarification if you're unsure. 

7. Stay Connected

Staying connected while on a business trip is essential. Please ensure you have all the necessary devices and chargers, and consider using a mobile hotspot or buying a local SIM card for internet access. 

You can also use apps like Skype or Zoom to stay connected with colleagues and clients, and consider using a VPN to access secure company networks while traveling. 

8. Stay Healthy

Staying healthy while on a business trip is also crucial. Get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly. You can also research local health risks and take appropriate precautions, such as vaccinating or using insect repellent. If you're traveling internationally, be sure to bring any necessary medications or prescriptions with you. 

9. Be Prepared for Emergencies

No matter how well you plan, emergencies can still arise during business travel —plan for emergencies, such as lost or stolen luggage, flight cancellations, or medical emergencies. 

Keep important documents like your passport and travel itinerary in a secure location, and make sure you have emergency contact information for your company, travel provider, and local authorities. 

10. Reflect and Learn

After your business trip, take some time to reflect on areas of improvement and what worked well. Did you encounter any unexpected challenges? Were there any areas where you could have been better prepared or more efficient? You can use what you learned to enhance your travel planning process for future trips. 

11. Make the Most of Your Downtime

While business travel primarily focuses on work, making the most of your downtime is essential. Use your free time to explore the local area, try new restaurants, or attend cultural events. It can help you recharge and also make your trip more enjoyable. 

12. Network and Build Relationships

Business travel is also an opportunity to network and build relationships with colleagues, clients, and other professionals. Attend networking events, schedule one-on-one meetings, and engage in informal conversations with others in your field. Building relationships can help you advance your career and make future business trips more productive. 

13. Consider Travel Rewards Programs

If you frequently travel for business, it's worth considering travel rewards programs to help you save money and earn perks. Many airlines, hotels, and car rental companies offer loyalty programs that provide benefits like free upgrades, priority boarding, and discounted rates. Research your options and sign up for programs that align with your travel needs and preferences. 

14. Follow Travel Safety Guidelines

Travel safety is always a top priority, especially after the global pandemic. Follow all relevant travel safety guidelines, such as properly and regularly washing your hands and wearing a mask in areas where air quality or illness are a risk. Stay updated on any travel restrictions at your destination, and be prepared to adjust your plans if necessary. 

15. Use Travel Planning Services

If you need more time or expertise to plan your business trip, consider using business travel solutions or planning services. Many companies offer customized travel planning services to help you with everything from booking flights and accommodations to scheduling meetings and events. It can help you save time and ensure your trip is well-organized and productive. 

16. Take Advantage of Technology

Technology can be a valuable tool for business travel planning. You can use apps like Google Maps or Citymapper to navigate your destination, and consider using translation apps like Google Translate to communicate with locals.

You can also use productivity apps like Trello or Asana to stay on top of your tasks and deadlines and document scanning apps like CamScanner to keep track of important documents. 

17. Be Flexible

Finally, it's essential to be flexible regarding business travel planning. Unexpected changes can arise, such as flight delays or last-minute meetings. Try to remain flexible, and be prepared to adjust your plans as needed. You can have a successful, stress-free business trip by staying open-minded and solution-focused. 

18. Consider Cultural Differences

When traveling to a different country or region, it's crucial to consider cultural differences. This can include language barriers, customs, and social norms. Research the local culture before your trip and try to learn some key phrases in the local language. Awareness of cultural differences can help you avoid misunderstandings and build stronger relationships with locals. 

19. Use Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can provide significant protection in case of unexpected events during your trip. It can include medical emergencies, trip cancellations, or lost luggage. Consider purchasing travel insurance before your trip to ensure protection during unforeseen circumstances. 

20. Stay Productive During Transit

Business travel often involves long transit periods, such as flights or train rides. Use this time to stay productive by catching up on work or reading relevant materials. Consider bringing a laptop or tablet, noise-canceling headphones, and any necessary chargers or adapters to maximize your time and stay on top of your tasks. 

21. Consider Sustainable Travel Practices

Sustainable travel practices can help reduce your environmental impact while traveling for business. This can include using public transportation or carpooling, choosing eco-friendly accommodations, and minimizing plastic waste. Consider incorporating sustainable practices into your travel planning to help promote a healthier planet. 

22. Choose the Right Travel Credit Card

A travel credit card can be valuable for business travel. Look for cards that offer rewards like points or miles that you can redeem for flights, hotels, or other travel-related expenses. You can also benefit from credit cards that cover travel and rental car insurance. Consider different cards' annual fees, interest rates, and rewards programs before choosing. 

23. Consider Time Zone Differences

Time zone differences can be challenging when traveling for business, particularly when scheduling meetings or calls. Use a time zone converter app like Time Zone Converter or World Clock to stay on top of the time differences between your location and destination. Be prepared to adjust your schedule accordingly to ensure you're available during critical times. 

24. Be Mindful of Jet Lag

Jet lag can be a significant challenge when traveling across multiple time zones. Please be aware of the symptoms of jet lag, such as fatigue, headaches, and difficulty sleeping, and take steps to minimize its impact. This can include staying hydrated, getting plenty of rest, and adjusting your sleep schedule before your trip. 

25. Plan for Time Off After Your Trip

Finally, planning for time off after your business trip is important. Returning to work immediately after a long journey can be physically and mentally challenging. Please take a day or two off after your trip to rest and recover before returning to work to ensure you're ready to tackle your next professional challenge.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, business travel planning can be daunting, but you can make it easier and more efficient with the right approach. Determining your travel needs and following these tips can ensure a successful and productive business trip. Happy travels!

Cvent Guest

Cvent is a market-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with more than 4,000 employees, ~21,000 customers, and 200,000 users worldwide.

More Reading

Atlantis bahamas, introducing the seattle southside sports alliance, mazagan beach & golf resort: the most iconic resort in morocco.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Select your preferred language

• Deutsch English English (Australia) English (China) English (India)
• English (United Kingdom) Español (Latinoamérica) Español (España) Français Italiano
• Português (Brasil) Suomi Svenska 中文

Top tips on how to plan a business trip

Follow these 6 steps for an effective business trip:

• Make your travel arrangements well in advance
• Select your accommodation based on both price and convenience
• Create an itinerary

Research your destination

• Remember your electronics, accessories and travel documents
• Prepare for your meeting

In today’s digital world, we can communicate across different time zones at a moment’s notice. However, when it comes to brokering a big deal or fostering a solid and long-lasting business relationship, nothing beats face-to-face interaction.  

Corporate travel is still so important, and it’s equally important for anyone making a business trip to prepare thoroughly. When you arrive at your destination relaxed and well-prepared, you’re better equipped to make a good impression and focus on the purpose of your meeting. Preparation lets your mind focus on the here and now, making sure you stay on the ball in that all-important meeting. If you’d like to fine-tune how you get ready for your next excursion, follow these essential tips to become an effective business trip planner.

Make travel arrangements

Whether it’s your name on the travel documents or you’re a travel manager, planning business travel thoroughly is important. Your first step should always be to familiarize yourself with your company’s corporate travel policy . You’re making travel arrangements for a business trip, not planning a personal or a short break, so being compliant with your company policy is essential.

Next, it’s time to book your travel. This may involve traveling by air, rail, car hire or even boat. Think about the journey door-to-door, balancing travel times against cost and convenience. Visualize the various steps of the trip from A to B. Consider details like how long it will take to move between airport and railway station, the time it takes to fill out paperwork at the vehicle hire company, and whether luggage storage might be useful. Use multiple sources and different comparison sites, researching which companies are offering the best deals. Again, be aware of any budget restraints in your company’s travel policy.

Don’t forget the small details. Does the airplane have Wi-Fi so you can work on the move? Would leaving a day earlier allow you to arrive at your first meeting better rested and prepared? At this stage, the more carefully you prepare, the more confident and relaxed you’ll be when you depart.

Select your accommodation

Preparing business travel is, of course, only half the job. Choosing the best accommodation for your requirements is also essential. If you’ve only got one meeting place to reach, make sure you book a hotel that’s nearby – rather than be swayed by a more luxurious option that might be a stressful 45 minute trip away. Use maps on your smartphone to measure distances from the station or airport to your hotel – and remember the roads and transport networks will be busier at certain times of day.

Check your company’s hotel policies to see if there are any preferred hotels - you might be able to get a good deal too. When considering the cost, make sure you compare rates for similar types of accommodation and make sure you select something that’s fairly priced – some companies even stipulate a cost per day that would limit the choice of hotels.

It’s also a good idea to pay close attention to the amenities at the hotel. Some tourist-focused hotels may serve breakfast too late for your early starts, and as a business traveler you’re likely to want free Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service, plenty of power points for charging your devices. CWT Hotel Intel gives travelers access to trusted peer hotel reviews and can be a handy tool for business trip planners.

Create a detailed itinerary

Your itinerary is your blueprint for a successful business trip. Use it to stay in control of every detail – from transport times and the names of those you’re meeting, to your travel reservations and hotel address. Be sure to allow yourself extra time on your itinerary for relaxing, meetings that have been delayed or overrun, and busy traffic. Consider using a specially designed tool like the myCWT app , which syncs your itinerary with work calendars, and allows travelers to share this with colleagues. This is handy from a communication and efficiency perspective, and as a safety measure if you’re travelling to an unfamiliar destination.

It may be that you’re traveling to a destination you are familiar with and feel comfortable in. Or, you may be entering unchartered territory. If that’s the case, research is essential to avoid unnecessary risk. For example, some cities are well known for pick pockets, so you’ll need to be extra careful when storing important and expensive items like phones in your pockets. Depending on where you’re going, reading up on the current political situation at your destination could also be prudent.

Perhaps you’re traveling to a city or country with a different culture and customs to your own. Avoid looking foolish or, worse, causing offence, by researching the differences in behavior and manners before you arrive. For example, if you’re taking potential clients for a meal, do you know the etiquette on tipping, or when to give people your business cards? Or, if you’re visiting a country where English isn’t the common language, you could even learn a few basic phrases, such as greetings and “thank you”, which could make all the difference when making a good first impression.

Prepare your travel documents

Hours of careful preparation and research will all be wasted if you forget vital travel documents. Traveling between countries requires a current, valid passport, travel tickets and sometimes a visa. It’s key to research whether or not you need a visa as soon as possible, even if you are just transiting through a country, without stepping foot outside the airport. Some embassies can take a number of days or even weeks to issue visas. Even if you’re not traveling to a different country, you may need photo ID to clarify that your name corresponds to the one on the ticket - your passport or driving license are the best options so keep them safe at all times.

Remember your electronic accessories

Stay as productive as possible on your trip by taking a laptop or tablet – it’ll make your travel time really count. Remember to pack the relevant chargers and adapters, too. You can usually pick these up at the airport when you’re passing through, but being prepared is key and will save you time and money in the long run.

Get ready for your meeting

So you’ve followed all the right steps for planning a business trip, but what about your business objectives and the meeting itself? Making a note of what you hope to achieve on the trip can help improve your focus - even if you simply want to reach out to new contacts or gain a general overview of potential new client. Arm yourself with as much information as possible about the people you’ll meet, as well as the places they’ll be. What’s the dress code? If you’re visiting an industrial site, for example, will you need sturdy shoes? If you’re going to be giving a presentation, what format will it take and will your host have the equipment you need? Simply emailing ahead to check if they have suitable screens and cables can ensure you avoid embarrassing delays or confusion that would get your meeting off to an awkward start. That first impression counts so give yourself the best chance of making a good one.

By setting aside the time to prepare, conducting some detailed research and following these business travel tips, you can optimize your chances of a productive and enjoyable trip.

More publications

Contact us today to see just what we could do for your business.

Learn more about our travel management offering.

Travelers: manage your travel here . The below form is for inquiries about our corporate travel management offering.

To reach out to CWT to learn more and also receive communications (email or phone) on our products and services, please complete the form below. You can unsubscribe at any point in the future from our mailing list using the ‘unsubscribe’ link on any of our emails.

Thank you for your interest in CWT, we will contact you soon.

Thank you for your interest in CWT. Unfortunately, CWT cannot offer services in your home country at this time. Your contact request has not been submitted.

With kind regards,

The complete guide to corporate travel planning and management

Transform your corporate travel planning approach with our step-by-step guide. Discover time-saving planning tricks and helpful checklists that make traveling a seamless experience for everyone.

Planning global business travel is a high intensity job, requiring you to think through every single scenario of getting from A to B, not to mention having to make last minute changes to itineraries and schedules. But whether you're planning small or big trips involving one or multiple employees, meticulous preparation is key. This article aims to help you ensure that when you're designing your corporate travel program, you're not only creating a seamless travel experience for those traveling, but that you can enjoy a stress-free time back at the office and focus on the things that need to be ticked off your to-do list. 

Short on time? Download our guide and read it later.

What is corporate travel planning? 

You don't need to have worked in the travel industry, or be a full time travel manager to get the hang of corporate travel planning. It's just about creating smooth and seamless processes and a positive travel experience for those traveling in your company, while also sticking to the company's   travel policy . Good business travel planning and managment makes sure that everyone gets the most out of business travel, but that the company can also save money and resources in the process. There are a few key areas that you'll need to be aware of if you're new to business travel planning and those include:

• Booking transportation - including all flights, trains, rental cars and taxis
• Booking accommodation - finding the right hotels and rates based on budget and distance to meetings or events
• Preparing a detailed itinerary  - compiling all the travel details into an easy-to-use format for the business traveler
• Coordinating meetings and networking events - being part of planning and scheduling business meetings or events
• Handling travel documents - updating passports, or identifying the right visa or any documentation that's needed
• Handling expenses - tracking and monitoring corporate travel expenses
• Complying with the company's travel policy - including safety protocols or other specifications in place

A good travel program can make a huge difference for everyone involved and can make travel an enjoyable experience, both before, during and after the trip. Having a well managed corporate travel planning strategy is also especially important for companies that travel regularly for work, such as consulting firms, tech companies, sales and marketing agencies or businesses operating complex manufacturing and supply chains.

Why is corporate travel planning important?

A 2023 study from the travel industry found that 83% of business travelers see business travel as a positive experience, and 79% of those say that it improves their overall job satisfaction. All the more reason to "get it right" for your employees. But aside from the value it brings your employees, corporate travel planning is important to ensure cost saving, employee productivity, and that you get the most out of the "investment" in the trip itself.

Furthermore, when employees are traveling on behalf of the company, it's your responsibility to keep them safe, so having a robust corporate travel policy in place can help make sure that you've thought of everything and worked through any potential travel emergencies that could arise. 

79% of employees say that business travel improves their job satisfaction

Who should be involved in corporate travel planning.

There are a number of stakeholders involved in managing business travel, both directly and indirectly. Ultimately, the person that has to book flights and manage travel costs, such as the executive assistant, office manager, travel manager, or even employee will carry the final responsibility for the smooth running of the trip, but there are a number of people behind the scenes that monitor how much you've spent, who design the travel policy and ensure that a good framework is in place.

- Office Manager, executive assistant or travel manager: In charge of business travel management, including the relationship with relevant suppliers such as travel agents. 

- Finance: Control travel budgets, expenditure, and "per diems" (the daily amount of money that employees can expense when they're traveling for work)

- Human Resources: Design and implement the travel policy . This includes guidance on how travel should be booked, the approval process, expense reimbursement, risk management, and duty of care.

- The Executive Team: Evaluate the role and cost of travel and its value to the business. 

- IT:  Implement new software or booking systems, and work with HR to roll it out to new users across the organisation.

- Employees:  Sometimes responsible for planning and booking trips themselves with a booking tool. 

Corporate Travel Management - Pre-booking checklist

1. get to know corporate travel preferences.

To understand traveler preferences, look at past business trips and travel data to learn about seat preferences, preferred airlines (so they can earn rewards for their loyalty program), meal requests, or hotels they like and have stayed at before. If you're using an online booking tool like Goodwings , you can save time by accessing all this historical data in one platform, which will save you time planning business travel.  

2. Read the travel policy 

Company travel policies clearly define dos and don'ts for booking business travel, including sustainability efforts to reduce your company's emissions . These policies offer detailed advice on flight and hotel bookings to minimize environmental impact, alongside protocols for emergencies to mitigate travel risks. With online booking tools, these policies are integrated, displaying only the permitted options for booking flights, hotels, and transportation, streamlining the booking process by eliminating the need to sift through unsuitable choices.

  3. Understand your corporate travel budget  

Before booking, familiarize yourself with the budget and any spending limits in your travel program. For client-paid trips, ensure all expenses are transparently documented to justify the chosen options. Remember, while travelers may not focus on costs, the finance department will. Booking frequent trips to the same destinations? Negotiate rates with travel providers for company-wide benefits. Also, connect with the finance team early for guidance on managing expenses, making international payments, and streamlining reimbursements.

4. Get all the right documents in place 

Make sure that you have all the documentation you need to ensure a smooth arrival in the country. This includes an up-to-date passport (with at least 6 months validity), any necessary visa requirements, or vaccinations . Visa requirements can change, so it's worth staying up to date with the latest information or integrating a service like Sherpa i nto your corporate travel management platform, where you can apply for visas in one central place.

When you book with Goodwings , you'll get a reminder on any necessary visa requirements for your business trip

Corporate Travel Planning: Pre-travel checklist

1. prepare a detailed itinerary.

Step into the traveler's shoes and build a detailed itinerary. You're more familiar with the details than the traveler, so you need to transfer all that crucial information from your mind to the itinerary, including the route from office to airport, transportation specifics, check-in procedures, and emergency contacts. Avoid the hassle of digging through emails for travel details. Consider the traveler's preference for receiving this information, whether printed or digitally via a travel app. If using online booking tools or TMS, preload the app on the traveler's phone to consolidate all travel details in one accessible location.

Download your ultimate corporate travel checklist

  2. Optimize time outside of scheduled meetings 

Transform travel downtime into productivity (or leisure!). Find out whether they want to spend time exploring the city, or whether they’d prefer catch up on calls especially during transit or waiting periods. If they're keen to explore, do some research and create a business travel itinerary with some insider's tips for essential activities, foods to try or landmarks to visit. If they want to just keep their head down and do some work, find quiet spots along the way where they can access Wi-Fi, such as in the business lounge.

When you book with Goodwings , you get an AI-inspired business travel itinerary with ideas for places to visit during your business trip.

3. Do some local research 

Give them some guidance on local culture or customs, and some simple phrases that will help them get by. It may seem over the top, but first impressions count and the more information you can give them upfront, the more likely they are nail that networking event. For example, in China and Japan, it is customary to bring a small gift to a business meeting as a sign of respect, gratitude and kindness. Beyond the customs and phrases, provide weather updates so they can pack appropriately, and flag any visas so they’re organised ahead of time.

4. Set a strategy for managing corporate travel expenses 

Streamlining expenses saves time, money and reduces paperwork. Use a travel management system to consolidate expenses in one spot by connecting it with your company's expense software. If you don’t have one in place, align with the finance team on their expectations for submitting expense reports and coordinate with travelers accordingly. Alot of companies are using expense tools nowadays, but you still need to keep track of spending. 

5. Get some local currency 

While credit and debit card payments are accepted at almost every destination now, there are still a lot of countries where cash is king, so make sure the traveler has local currency if it's needed, as well as an idea of the exchange rate and the average cost of a cup of coffee for reference!

6. Check all the details again

No-one needs to tell you to be thorough - it's probably in your DNA.., but it's always worth double checking all the details before the business trip, reconfirming every aspect of the journey to ensure a smooth travel experience all the way. Confirm flight times, hotel bookings, taxi rides and any appointments you've scheduled.

7. Always have a back up plan

Always anticipate potential disruptions, or safety risks with a contingency plan. You can't predict flight cancellations, traffic jams or weather patterns, but you can be on standby with some back up options. Usually when the traveler misses a flight or connection, they'll call you (day or night!), but with new travel management tools and 24/7 support teams, there are now more tools than ever that can help them in those situations, without the need to call you. That's why it's worth investing some time to show those traveling in your team the tools that they have at their disposal, so that you don't get caught in the middle of a situation that could be handled directly in the app, or with someone who can solve the problem there and then.

Corporate Travel Planning: During-travel 

1. stay up to date .

Stay updated with travel updates so you can address any issues before they arise. With a travel management system, you can keep track of travelers with interactive map features. This means that should there be any sudden changes in the country they're visiting (such as social unrest, political situations or emergency weather warnings), you’re prepared and can find a solution. After all, quick solutions contribute to the overall success of the trip and show that you’re dedicated to making it a smooth trip. 

Goodwings ' duty of care feature, which allows you to keep track of employees when they're traveling 

S umming up 

When done properly, corporate travel planning can help streamline your company's travel program, and create a more enjoyable experience for everyone, but there are a number of considerations to take into account during the planning process. Here's a summary! 

Ready to take travel planning to the next level?

Similar posts

How to transform corporate travel planning with trello.

Revamp your travel planning from disorganized post-its and scattered email exchanges into an efficient and organized process with Trello.

What does an Executive Assistant do?

Discover what an Executive Assistant does all day, from calendar management to travel planning, and everything in between...

The best ChatGPT prompts for travel planning in 2024

Learn how to effectively plan and personalize your business travel by mastering the art of ChatGPT prompts, and what to look out for when using...

The AI tools transforming tedious tasks into efficient, streamlined processes

Explore how AI tools are revolutionizing tasks for Executive Assistants, from note-taking to travel management.

Employee Experience

Key steps for successful business travel planning, essential steps for successful business travel planning   .

Business travel planning covers every aspect for an employee's journey when they are on business trips. Planners need to ensure all aspects of each trip comply with company policies, fall within the travel budget, allow employees to achieve the goals of the trip, and account for travelers' safety and well-being. 

As a travel manager oversees this process, you should understand the travel industry, price trends, and other fundamental factors. But the job also involves curating itineraries so that they fit with the goals of the trip and the unique needs of each traveler. This process requires researching destinations, assessing risk, and, sometimes, negotiating with service providers to get corporate rates when booking. 

Here are the steps to take to meet all the requirements of business travel planning. 

How a business travel planner handles cost controls and productivity needs 

Cost control is an important factor in travel planning. Recent surveys about travel have found that companies are taking fewer business trips and creating strict guidelines for travel and spending. 

You also have to balance the requirements of employees with cost-control policies. There is a link between employee engagement and satisfaction with travel plans and arrangements. Employees who feel valued are likely to be more productive on the road. 

This balancing act may require negotiating upgrades with vendors, finding low-cost perks, and learning the standards and preferences of each employee. 

Travelers need access to the tools and systems necessary to remain productive. This can include items like in-room Wi-Fi, cell phone coverage, and transportation options for getting to appointments on time. 

Steps to Streamline the Business Travel Process 

Organizations can streamline the travel process and also make future trip plans easier. 

Steps to consider for organized business travel planning 

• Create a database of employees and include personal details needed to book travel, special requirements, and preferences. You can use these details instead of asking the employee again for each trip. 
• Make a business travel itinerary template and include all necessary details. This form ensures you do not miss any vital details and provide all necessary information about the trip. 
• Establish a system for employee feedback. A survey, post-trip debriefing, or informal meeting gives employees a chance to express needs and lets you know if your planning process and strategies are working. 
• Notify employees of travel policies and announce changes. This step educates employees about expectations for their trip. It also gives them the knowledge and understanding to comply with these policies. 
• Define a procedure for special travel requests. You can give employees specific steps to take to ask for accommodations that are outside of normal travel policies. 
• Build a checklist to assess itineraries for policy and budget compliance. You can compare each itinerary item and booking to ensure it meets travel policies and budget constraints. This step can also help keep standards consistent. 

You can also consider relying on software and applications to plan trips, manage bookings, and track travelers after they leave. 

Apps to help with travel business planning 

These apps can help you organize plans and add helpful details. 

• FLIO is an app that provides information for navigating airports. You can use it to provide details to travelers, such as directions to car rental kiosks and the location of lounges with Wi-Fi access. 
• Clime provides detailed forecasts for destinations. It can help you tell travelers weather details and what to pack for their trip. The app can also notify you about potential weather problems, like hurricanes, in the destination. 
• Google Travel can help with the research phase of travel planning by allowing you to organize all necessary information in one place and bookmark it for easy reference. It's easy to share these insights with travelers, as well. 
• CityMapper can assist with trip planning outside of hotels, airlines, and car rentals. It allows you to decide how to get to different locations around the city and is useful for managing transport and helping travelers find alternatives if necessary. 

You can use these tools alongside SAP Concur, which manages expenses, centralizes booking and reservation data, and serves as the overall backbone of your travel planning process. 

Account for cultural differences while networking 

A business travel planner can help employees prepare for international trips by offering insights into their destination's culture. An understanding of culture and etiquette can help your team feel comfortable on their trip. Of course, many international businesspeople will not expect visitors to understand their cultural practices. However, preparing travelers for the host country's customs can set the stage for success and help them build rapport with local partners during the journey. 

Preparations can include researching the destination's business culture practices and confirming your findings with people in that country or employees who went there before. 

Plan for delays, cancelations, and other unexpected events 

The unexpected can happen during business trips. 1-2% of flights get canceled, and 20-25% are delayed by more than 15 minutes. One such incident could throw off an entire itinerary, leaving the travelers scrambling to get back on schedule. 

Business travel planning involves preparing for these situations. Contingencies can be helpful, and you should also always purchase travel insurance. These policies can include coverage for lost baggage and illnesses, as well. 

Your travel policy should include a set of steps travelers can take if they encounter problems. You should give them information about who to contact, where to go, and resources they can use. 

In almost all cases, a cloud-based travel management platform is invaluable for changing plans, sharing information, and staying in contact during crises. 

Use SAP Concur for travel planning 

As a business travel planner, you have to juggle many different tasks. SAP Concur allows you to put the most important aspects of managing corporate travel, from budgeting to booking to expense tracking, on one platform. You can also look to us to provide valuable insights as you try to plan your management strategies in the evolving travel marketplace. 

Visit us to experience an interactive demo, or connect with us to learn more. 

15 Tips On How To Plan Successful Business Trips

Home » Guide » 15 Tips On How To Plan Successful Business Trips

Successful corporate ventures involve careful planning and execution in all aspects. And business travel is no different. Though it may sound easy, understanding the intricate details of how to plan a successful business trip is a bit difficult. There are numerous variables involved while planning a corporate trip such as dynamic flight fares, flight cancelation, employee unwillingness, emergencies, and many more. Hence, to ensure smooth business travel, let us discuss the basics on how to plan successful business trips.

How to plan successful business trips

We can divide the planning of a business trip into three sections: Pre-trip planning, during-the-trip plan, and post-trip planning. Let us explore these avenues differently.

I. Pre-trip planning

1. Determine objectives

Every endeavor should have a clear purpose or aim. Corporate can define the outcome of a trip for the employees and brief them about it. It can be meeting new prospects, delivering customer support service, participating in an event, etc. A set guideline will help in evaluating the degree of success or failure of the trip.

2. Establish a budget

As corporate travel makes up the second largest expense of corporate after salaries, budgeting becomes a crucial step of planning. Travel managers should coordinate with partnered TMCs to find the best flights, connections, and accommodations. Further, They should allocate a budget for transportation, meals, and other expenditures.

3. Research destination and make an itinerary

While planning a trip to a foreign land, travel managers and traveling employees need to know about the destination. They should be aware of the local geography, local customs, and business etiquette. Additionally, they should understand the local laws and special considerations of the location. Another important aspect of a business trip is defining a clear itinerary. Travel managers should maintain departure dates, business meetings and events schedules, and other such details and share them with the employee and TMCs.

4. Transportation

Choosing a suitable transport can help travel managers save highly on trips. They should also ensure a good travel experience and minimize connecting flights. Moreover, if trains are possible and the schedule allows for it, travel managers can also use railways, which will cost much lesser than flights.

5. Accommodation

Booking hotels can be a tough job for travel managers. The travel admins should consider budget, location, and amenities while selecting accommodations for their employees. They should make reservations for securing top discounts and ensuring the room’s ready availability.

6. Travel documents

Admins can provide brief guidance about the travel documents required to travel to a particular country. Employees should produce all the necessary documents such as passports, visas, or other documents beforehand. The validity of these documents should be ensured before travel and any discrepancy should be filed for correction if needed.

7. Travel insurance

Travel insurance is essential to protect employees against unforeseen or unfortunate circumstances. Moreover, corporates should ensure that TMCs provide support and look after the travel insurance of the employee. Travel managers should read the terms and conditions of the insurance policy to avoid future hassles and disputes.

8. Contact and schedule meetings

All the involved parties should have each other’s contact information to establish better communication. Sometimes it may be possible that meeting schedules can change on the go; hence, stakeholders should remain in mutual agreement for fulfilling the purpose of travel.

9. Prepare meeting materials

Gathering and providing the right presentations, documents, or contracts to the employee is essential. Employees should remain prepared for the meeting and organize their relevant material to avoid any miscommunication or delay. These documents should provide prompt solutions to any problems raised during or after the meeting.

10. Create a packing checklist

Travel managers should prepare a comprehensive list of essential items to pack. This can include business attire, electronics, adapters, business cards, and any specific materials required for the trip. They can also create and share the packing list as per the location, weather, and culture.

II. During the trip

12. Time management

Employees should understand the importance of the schedule and should strictly adhere to it. They should arrive at the meeting venue earlier than the set time. Maintaining a personally enforced schedule for exercise, lunch, dinner, outings, etc. will help in enhancing the overall experience of the trip.

13. Networking opportunities

On the trip, employees become the ambassadors of the company. Therefore, it is crucial to train the employees with the soft skills required to aptly represent the business. They can build a network of potential clients and contributors while carrying out simple meetings or participating in corporate events.

14. Expense tracking

Employees should record all of the expenses made during the corporate travel and keep the receipts handy with them. Doing this will help them get reimbursements for any out-of-pocket expenses that were necessary during the trip.

III. Post-trip follow-up

15. recap and evaluation.

A business trip report should be shared with the higher management to analyze and evolve with the prior trips. The feedback loop creates the opportunity to know about the personal experiences of the employees and build on a constructive path.

Corporate trips are essential to expand the reach and potential growth of businesses. Therefore, knowing the details about how to plan a successful trip is highly important for ensuring adequate ROI, both tangible and intangible. And planning for the trip and ensuring that the following through of the plan is of optimal importance to ensure the least amount of creases in a Business’s growth trajectory.

How To Plan Successful Business Trips FAQs

What constitutes business travel planning.

Business travel planning constitutes pre-trip planning, during the trip planning and adjustments accordingly to pre-trip plans and creation of a post-trip plan of recapping and objective evaluation.

What is pre-trip planning?

Pre-trip planning involves determining key objectives, budget allocation and itinerary creation. These are to be done well in advance of the trip if timings and internal tasks allow for it and little if not none of the planning must happen last-minute.

What is during the trip planning with respect to business travel?

Not all circumstances are foreseeable and plans rarely go pitch-perfect. Therefore assessment of the current scenario and planning as required during the trip and making necessary adjustments to the plan or adopting contingencies is necessary in most cases.

What constitutes post-trip evaluation in business travel planning?

After the completion of a business trip, the entire picture can finally be seen and studied. All considerations and plans made before and during the trip can be reflected upon, recorded and improvements that are possible should be considered. These constitute post-trip evaluation and it is very integral to do these evaluations whether a corporate is outsourcing its travel management or whether it is dealt with internally. Because efficient expenditure and smooth execution of plans is of extreme importance to running a business.

Pratyush is a traveling enthusiast who always looks for innovations in business travel management. He has 5 years of experience writing content on corporate travel management and working closely with expert business travel facilitators.

Related Posts

8 Best Business Travel Attire Ideas To Leave A Lasting Experience

Personality is an intangible yet crucial asset of every individual. However, it does have a tangible aspect to it which incorporates looks and fashion. Altogether, it boosts an individual’s general aura and helps them stand Read more…

Top 10 Business Travel Management Companies In India

Crafting efficient business trips require a great deal of research and experience. From planning a business trip to executing it for a higher ROI, corporates have to be on the forefront of every moving part Read more…

Car Rental Tips: Planning, Booking, And Returning A Car

Traveling to foreign lands is exciting and yet somewhat distressing at the same time. While one gets the opportunity to explore new locations, uncertainties at every corner are a tough hurdle to deal with. One Read more…

Let's get started!

Thanks for submitting your details.

We'll get back to you shortly.

Planning a business trip 101: Tips for regular business travelers

There’s a lot to consider when planning a business trip. This guide is designed to make sure you’re prepared to get going. Travel for business is easier when you’re prepared.

By Jessica Freedman

July 29, 2024

Planning a business trip is not always fun and games ; there’s a lot to think about. Whether you’re a small business owner, a regular business traveler or a travel manager, it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. You have to deal with searching for the best travel deals, planning the ideal itinerary, and if you’re the one traveling, make a packing list.

Dealing with all that goes into planning business trips for yourself, your boss and your company is no easy task, which is why we’ve created this Business Trip 101 to help you get going. Travel easier and be sure how to plan a business trip after reading this guide. 

Get going, travel easier

The more efficient your planning is, the more productive you can be on your business trips as a regular business traveler because you will have a clear agenda and know where your priorities lie. When it comes to corporate travel there is a lot to keep in mind such as flight and hotel bookings, scheduling, ground transportation, checked baggage vs. hand luggage and everyone’s agendas. The more organized you are, the better yours and your team’s results will be.

How to plan a business trip

Planning a business trip can take a lot of work, and part of that is making sure you can balance the business traveler’s mental health (or if you’re the one planning, you have your own wellbeing in mind) as well as the physical needs with the objectives of the company. This is why it’s so important to start with a goal. This way you can see if your agenda is feasible and whether it helps work towards achieving a goal while also following a rhythm that is feasible for the person doing the traveling. If you can, try to have a master planning list that allows you to optimize the time that goes into planning, and then you can more easily replicate for future trips.

It’s also a good idea to have it clearly established who’s in charge of booking business travel.

1. Start with a goal

If you are looking for how to plan a business trip and stay efficient, we suggest you start with a goal for your business trip . Figure out what you want to accomplish and why you must take a trip to do so. With a goal in place it will be easier to figure out your objectives and then track KPIs related to the trip. KPIs could be the number of new clients onboarded, number of new prospects, number of sales contacts, or goals like designing the Marketing Plan for the following year or simply teambuilding, depending of course on the goal of your business trip.

If you are a regular business traveler traveling for a sales meeting, why not set up several meetings with different potential clients and current clients in the same area to avoid having to travel so frequently? This way you can focus on quality business trips over quantity, which makes them more productive and you will experience less travel fatigue, especially for regular business travelers. 

2. Plan travel once and repeat

Sometimes the biggest part of getting anything done is devising a plan. So start your business trip planning by coming up with a travel plan that is easily replicable for future trips. Start by making a list of everything that you need to do to plan and turn it into a checklist. Business travel like any project needs a roadmap to get anything accomplished.

Need a helping hand to get started? Download our checklist!

3. create a master business trip itinerary.

Creating standard itinerary for a business trip oftentimes will fall in the hands of an administrative or HR professional, but if one isn’t provided for you, there are some important details you must consider jotting down such as transportation times and details, travel reservation and confirmation numbers, addresses, emergency contact information, check in and check out times for the hotel, day-to-day schedule details (such as what time do meetings start, where and how long do they go), as well as contact information for the people you will be meeting with. 

It may seem overwhelming at first but once you have a master business trip itinerary outline it will be easily replicable for your next trip. If you work with a travel management company like GetGoing , you can store all your itineraries and travel documents in one place making managing your business trips as easy as the snap of a finger. 

4. Store all business trip-related documents in one place

As we’ve mentioned, when you work with a travel management company, all of your business and trip-related documents will be stored in one place on the web app, including important contact information for travelers, hotel information, emergency contacts, and a support phone number to call in case of issues. 

If you are booking all your regular business trips on your own without the support of a TMC, then be sure to have a spreadsheet and shared drive dedicated to your travel plans and itineraries. It will be easier to keep track of everything and ensure nothing gets missed. If you have a business travel and expense management solution , you can keep track of receipts, travel itineraries, and so much more all in one place.

Packing and trip lists: lists are your friend

When it comes time to pack for your business trip there is nothing more important than having a list ready with everything you need to start your business travel plans, especially if you’re a regular business traveler. That means having a running list of those elements that you can’t travel without like your passport or ID, your computer, a mouse, a pen and notebook, or your business cards.

Consult our ultimate packing list for more ideas about the travel essentials.

Make a list of all the travel extras

Extras can be things like checking a bag, traveling business class on a flight, purchasing an in-flight meal, having a driver pick you up, and more. The kinds of extras permitted might depend on your company’s travel policy. For example, taking a taxi instead of the bus to the airport may or not be allowed based on the budget per trip your company has in mind, so make sure to check with your travel manager, HR or office manager about what is and is not allowed. 

Search for business travel deals

Finding business travel deals is perhaps the most important and time-consuming task when it comes to making your business travel arrangements. If your company doesn’t already work with a TMC, you may consider urging them to sign up for a corporate travel management solutions company who can help you find the best (and most convenient) travel deals . 

Some other cheap travel hacks for regular business travelers are:

• Be flexible with dates
• Travel in the middle of the week instead of Monday or Friday.
• Consider traveling via a historically cheap destination to get to your final destination
• Go with budget flight options like RyanAir, EasyJet or Vueling

Business travel by flight

Business travel by flight is one of the hardest parts of booking a business trip. How can you find the most convenient and shortest route without having to pay an arm and a leg? There is also a fine balance between the amount of time you dedicate to searching for cheap flights and the amount you pay because after all time is money, so you don’t want to whittle away your time to spend a little less. Find out the top 10 flight apps to book your business trip.

It’s also hard to know, whether hand luggage is enough for you when traveling by air, whether it’s worth-it to book business or first class (and if your company even allows it). One of the most important things is to familiarize yourself with your company’s travel policy so you don’t find surprises when it comes time to having your travel approved. 

Checked or hand luggage only: Is hand luggage enough for you when traveling by air?

So should you go with checked or hand luggage only? Is hand luggage enough for you when traveling by air? Our rule of thumb when is to ask yourself the following questions, which can help you decide whether hand luggage is enough or if you should consider fronting the extra bucks to check a bag:

• Is your meeting formal or informal? If it’s formal you may want to consider checking a bag so you can keep your suit or blouse from wrinkling.
• How many days are you traveling for? 1-4 days of informal business travel can easily be packed into hand luggage only. Beyond 5 days, it’s definitely worth checking a bag or if you have to deal with cold weather or different climates on the different stops in your trip.
• Will you be adding time on for bleisure or blended travel? If you decide to add in extra days either before or after your trip you may consider throwing in a bathing suit to hit the beach or the spa or some extra clothes that don’t necessarily scream “I’m on a business trip.”
• What kind of traveler are you? If you’re the kind of traveler that wants to throw in your rain boots and parka in case it rains when you’re traveling to Spain that has an average of 50 days of rain a year, then you might consider checking a bag. If you’re a “worst case scenario” type of traveler then just a carry-on will most likely never suffice. 

Hotels for business travelers

Choosing the right hotels for regular business travelers is no easy decision. Breakfast or no breakfast? What kind of amenities are non-negotiable? Is it better to be close to the office or downtown? Should you choose a hotel just because they include airport pick-up? There are so many questions to ponder that we’re going to dedicate an exclusive post just to choosing hotels for business travelers. Stay tuned.

Use the right tools for booking hotels for your business trip

Kayak, Skyscanner, Google flights or Hopper are all great tools for your every day trip, but when it comes to business travel, you want a company like GetGoing travel management for businesses that will help optimize and streamline your booking process. The easier trip planning is, the less time you will have to spend planning and the more productive you can be in your daily job. 

And that’s how you plan a business trip

Review and refine the process for planning a business trip . To do so, create a short survey that you can share with your team so you can evaluate how the trip went and assess whether the goals of the meeting were accomplished. This is an important step, especially when deciding whether to travel or not to travel for future trips.  The more often you reach your goals and the more your goals are reliant on a trip to meet them, the more it makes sense to travel. 

related article

Business sustainability management

Go share the news:, sign up now to receive exciting news & updates.

Become A Certified World Class Assistant in 2024

How to Plan Business Travel & Business Travel Planning Checklists

• June 4, 2013

Travel Planning for Executive & Administrative Assistants

When I was an executive assistant planning hundreds of trips for my executive over a 20-year period, I thought I did a good job. Most of the time, my executives were pleased. But I really didn’t understand the intricacies of travel until I became an executive and traveled often. For 22 years, I have been traveling; mostly within the United States. I have had a few trips to Bermuda and the Caribbean but not overseas—this is by choice. So, if I think it is tough being a traveler in the United States, just imagine how difficult it is for the executives who travel great distances often—and have to show up for meetings! Being a road warrior is not glamorous like people think. You spend hours and hours waiting in the airport; dealing with changed scheduled; late flights; bad weather; lost suitcases; rides that don’t show up; uncomfortable beds and noisy hotels. I could go on and on about the difficulties of traveling but I won’t. I hope you get the picture. So anything you can do to make your executive’s life easier when planning travel is outstanding!  I am going to share with you, my tips from experience on both sides of the desk on how to plan business travel . 

I often hear executives tell me that they don’t think their executive assistant or administrative assistant is doing the best job of the planning of their travel, even though their assistant has been working with them for years. So this subject is a big deal and one you should pay attention to. Of course, every executive has their preferences when it comes to travel. For me, I always want an aisle seat toward the front of the plane. And I prefer to sit on the left side of the plane, as you enter the plane. Some executives do not want less than a 60-minute layover because they don’t want to run through long concourses. You must know what your executive prefers and cater to that. Also, be warned that their preferences can change. So where I may tell Jasmine don’t let me get into a city later than 5:00 p.m., I may change my mind because it is summer and it will stay lighter later in the day; I have been to this city numerous times and know my way around; I know the client and class and can linger a little longer in the morning before showing up for the class.

I am sharing with you a few things to consider when you plan business travel. There are many more considerations and I will be offering online training on this topic later this year with other pertinent topics to make your life great and make you a more effective assistant. For now, consider some of these points as you arrange for business travel. As you go through my business travel checklist, ask yourself:

• Am I already doing this? If so, are you doing this every time?
• Do I need to do a better job?
• If I’m doing this, why not? How soon can I implement this action? 

Business Travel Itinerary should include:

• Weather report for each day leader will be in the arriving city and other cities he will be visiting during his trip.
• Any issues or events in arriving city that could affect leader’s travel into the city or when he arrives or departs the city.
• Main contact’s cell phone number (for emergencies or in-transit arrival delays or changes).
• At the very top of the first page, have a noticeable box with ALL contacts’ names and telephone numbers. The leader should not have to hunt through the itinerary to locate these if he needs them quickly.
• Frequent Flyer Club Information – locations of clubs at the airport(s).
• Will food be served during the flight? If so, is it a snack or meal?

When traveling for business, a leader should leave the following items home:

• Copy of his/her itinerary (and other important information)
• International trips:  Copy of passport (photo and visa pages) 
• Unneeded credit cards

When booking flights, the assistant needs to consider:

• Layover time—should not be too long but must be long enough for the leader to walk through concourses and make his connection.
• Is this the best time of day for the leader to depart local airport based on when he needs to arrive? 
• Is this the fastest route? Sometimes it is better to wait at the airport for a later flight that is a direct flight then to take an earlier flight with connections and arrive home later than the direct flight.
• Upgraded seating available? When can you check for availability and how many hours before his flight will he be notified—24 hours? 
• What other benefits does leader have with the airlines and his Frequent Flyer status? 

Other business travel preparation tips for an assistant:

• How can I more effectively work with the travel agency to find the most efficient ways to structure leader’s travel given all factors of each trip, i.e., time frames, travel dates, meetings with customers, dinners, time to and from airports, etc. 

o Ask about other options that better suit leader’s requests.

o Do some of your own research about the flight(s) and then speak to the travel agent.

o Tell them to confirm that this is the best, most efficient, most convenient route for leader’s travel.

• Have you thought through the schedule the travel agency gave you? Once the schedule has been identified, think through the entire trip as if you were the traveler—does it make sense? 

What meetings, luncheons, or dinners should be scheduled? (Always think: what, who, when, where)

• Team Dinner

o Who needs to be invited?

o Restaurant, club or other facility?

o Any special communications from you to the team?

• Town Hall Meetings
• Customer Meetings
• Business Colleagues

Restaurant Name: _________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________ Phone: _________________________________________________ Website: ________________________________________________ Dress Code: _____________________________________________ Type of Meal: _____________________________________________ Guests Attending: _________________________________________

• Leader’s notes, folders, files (soft or hard copies)
• Handouts and other documents
• PowerPoint slides (saved to USB?)

Cash for Travel: Make sure leader has cash a few days before he departs. Here is a suggested list. Find out Leader’s preferences. This will depend on the length of his trip and where he is traveling to. An example is

$1.00 (10 bills) $5.00(6 bills) $10.00 (6 bills) $20.00 (6 bills) $50.00 (4 bills) $100.00 (3 bills) Does leader want Traveler’s Cheques? If so, how much and in what dollar amounts?

• Cell phone charger (or Universal charger) 
• Laptop (and carrying case)
• iPad (and carrying case)
• Spare batteries 
• Lighter (for emergency/power outages at hotel due to storms) 
• Plug adapters and voltage converters
• Trench coat 
• Casual attire
• Business attire
• Workout attire (including tennis shoes)
• Business suit or sports jacket
• Toiletries (place in appropriate baggies if taking a carry-on suitcase) 
• Personal items 
• Medical items:

o Prescription medications o Advil o Tylenol o Sinus medicine o Throat lozenges

• Boarding Pass
• Business cards
• Pens and/or special notepads or portfolio for writing

NOTE : Carry-On Baggage Although there is no regulation for common items such as clothing, reading materials, cameras and laptop computers, the TSA regulates the number of liquid items, such as toothpaste, shampoo and bottled water, permitted in carry-on luggage. Travelers must pack their liquid items in a single, clear quart-size bag. Each item in the bag must be in a 3.4-oz. or smaller container. Airline passengers can also take small scissors, those with a 4-inch or shorter blade and tools that are 7 inches or shorter with them on the plane, although larger tools are prohibited.

Departing leader’s home first day of travel: Town car service to the airport and schedule the pickup for the leader when he returns home. – Times (allow sufficient time get to the airport; are certain days busier at departing airport than others, such as Monday?) What times of day are busiest for driving to the airport?

Arriving City: Town car service (driver needs to be there when leader arrives) If yes, where is driver meeting leader? – Bottom of escalators – At baggage claim – Curbside Does leader need to call the driver upon his arrival?

Will the driver be holding a sign with his name on it near baggage or at the baggage carousel? Or will the name card be placed in the car window for the leader to see curbside?

Taxi pick up – Where are they located? Is there a taxi booth or does leader just step outside to the curb?

Will an individual be picking up the leader from the airport? If so, provide all details.

Car rental? If yes, provide all details.

Travel time (not miles) to destination: ________________

Hotel Information: Name: ________________________________________________________________ Phone #: ______________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________ Website: ______________________________________________________________ Confirmation #: ________________________________________________________ Cancellation Policy: _____________________________________________________ Non-smoking room: _____________________________________________________ Room type: King or 2 Queens/2 Doubles ____________________________________ Prefers room be located away from the elevators and very end of hallway Does Leader prefer certain floors (lower vs. higher in case he has to exit for fire) Internet Service – Free – Charge at $ __________ per day (or 24 period) Concierge Floor requested Yes ____ Hours of operation __________________ No ____ Exercise Facility In Hotel – Where in the hotel? – Hours of operations Reciprocal club near hotel? Pool Indoor Outdoor Restaurant(s) in the hotel: Full-service restaurant(s) Café only

Restaurants within walking distance (full-service/fine dining vs. casual)

Nearest Pharmacy Name ________________________________ Phone # ________________________________ Hours ________________________________

Emergency Medical Information for International Travel: provide details

Transportation from Hotel to and from Scheduled Meetings/each day: Date:

Mode of transportation:

Time of departure from hotel:

Who will be meeting leader? Exactly where will they meet leader once he arrives? What time?

Don’t just plan travel— try to imagine that you are taking this trip. You want every detail covered. If you support a female traveler, safety and security will be their #1 concern. Good luck. I hope you feel like you have some good checklists started to help you plan better business travel for your executive now.

Like this article? Share it!

Read similar posts.

• Admin Assistant Training

Company Information

• Office Dynamics International
• 5575 South Durango Dr. Suite 106 Las Vegas, NV 89113
• 800-STAR-139
• 8 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time

Site Navigation

Stay connected.

• Submit a Contact Form
• View Upcoming Assistant Events
• Receive Webinar Updates
• Monday Motivators

RECOMMENDed training

• Conference for Administrative Excellence
• Digital Efficiency for Administrative Excellence
• Executive Support Series™
• Star Achievement Series®
• World Class Assistant™

QUICK FIND ASSISTANT & EXECUTIVE RESOURCES

© office dynamics international 2024.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Privacy Overview

Join our administrative community.

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up

How to Plan Your Business Travel

Last Updated: March 18, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Michael R. Lewis . Michael R. Lewis is a retired corporate executive, entrepreneur, and investment advisor in Texas. He has over 40 years of experience in business and finance, including as a Vice President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. He has a BBA in Industrial Management from the University of Texas at Austin. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 100% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 86,192 times.

Planning a work-related trip can be a stressful endeavor. On top of your usual travel concerns, you also have to keep your mind focused on the business aspect of your trip. Business travel doesn't have to be stressful, though. With a little planning and preparation, you can help ensure your trip runs as smoothly as possible so you can stay focused on your work.

Making Travel Arrangements

• If you're traveling internationally, you may need to secure a visa before you leave. You may also need certain vaccinations, including anti-malarial medication.
• If traveling to a city at an elevation above 4,900 feet (1,500 meters), you may be susceptible to elevation sickness. Try to give yourself a few days to acclimate before doing anything strenuous and start drinking two to three liters of water each day to stay hydrated.
• If you're traveling outside the country, find out if you can safely drink the tap water where you'll be. If not, you'll need to stick to bottled, purified water to stay healthy.

• Start with the date and time you're checking into and out of your hotel, then work your way through everything that you'll be doing while you're away on business.
• Don't forget to keep track of your flight's boarding and departure times so you know when you need to arrive at the airport.
• Highlight any work-related events on your schedule. That way your most important priorities won't get lost in the shuffle.

• When booking your flight, make sure that you use your sky miles account so that you can get points and rewards. You might even have enough sky miles already to cover the cost of your flight!
• When booking your hotel, see if you can use sky miles or get points towards a rewards program. You should also make note of your hotel's policies on check-in, checkout, parking, and number of people per room.
• If you need a rental car, make sure that all the roads you'll be driving will be safe with your rental car. Research if you need two-wheel drive or four-wheel drive. Look around with different rental car companies to see which has the best rate.
• Some credit cards also have rewards plans and perks for traveling. See if your credit card comes with any of these benefits.

Preparing for Your Trip

• Make sure that all your identification is valid and up-to-date well in advance, as it can take several weeks for new documents to be prepared.

• Give yourself at least an extra 15 to 20 minutes if you'll need to print out your ticket upon arrival at the airport.
• If you have a paper ticket, keep it someplace where you won't lose it. You may want to store it with your ID or passport to ensure that you don't misplace any of those documents.
• If you're using a digital ticket, make sure you'll have reception wherever you're flying out of for the return trip. If you can't pull it up on your phone, you'll likely need to print out a paper copy at the airport.

• Try to pack as light as possible. Bring enough dress clothes for the trip and one or two pairs of casual clothes for exploring the town.
• Confirm that your bag will fit in the overhead compartment or under your seat by checking the carry-on bag size restrictions with your chosen airline.
• Check the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website for any updates on prohibited items and packing suggestions to ensure your security check is as quick as possible.

• Read up on the culture and customs of the people you'll be doing business with.
• Talk to other colleagues or friends who have traveled to the country you'll be doing business in. This can help you get a better sense of what's acceptable and what isn't.
• Be respectful at all times. Remember that you're representing your business and possibly your culture, so you'll need to be on your best behavior at all times.

• Keep a backup copy of all your important information on your laptop or a USB flash drive.
• If you really want to cover all your bases, you can also print out hard copies of any important paperwork and keep those papers in a file with your travel documents.

• If possible, give yourself a few days before you leave and start going to sleep and waking up at the times you will be waking/sleeping once you reach your destination.
• Being aware of the time difference has professional implications as well. You'll need to ensure that you don't miss any important meetings or deadlines on your trip.

Taking Precautions to Avoid Jet Lag

• Limit your caffeine and alcohol consumption, as both of these can leave you slightly dehydrated.
• Try to drink two to three liters of water each day, but remember that you'll need more water if you're very active or in a hot environment. [10] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Go to source

• Aim to arrive around dinner time, then plan to stay up until about 10:00 pm in local time.
• When you get to your destination, avoid heavy meals. Instead, choose healthy snacks or a light meal that won't weigh you down. [12] X Research source
• You will most likely be tired after traveling, so by getting in around dinner time and eating a light meal, you'll start to get sleepy in time for a regular night's rest.

• Limit your exposure to bright screens, like laptops and cellphones, for at least a half hour before bed. Bright lights can reset your circadian rhythm, making it harder to sleep.
• Get as much sunlight as you can in the morning and early afternoon. This will help you remain wakeful and energetic during the day.
• Try to get some light to vigorous exercise each day, but be aware of when you work out. Some people find that exercising too close to bedtime affects their ability to sleep. [13] X Research source
• Bring earplugs and a sleep mask to help ensure that you get restful sleep each night, no matter what kinds of distractions present themselves at your hotel.

Expert Q&A

• Consider shipping large presentation materials and other business items that may difficult to carry while traveling. Just make sure that you ship them with enough time to arrive at your destination. If you decide to ship to your hotel, make sure that you contact the hotel and let them know about your shipment. Thanks Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
• Opt for refundable tickets when you arrange your business travel, if at all possible. That way you have the ability to change your plans in case work or personal obligations get in the way of your scheduled flight. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2012/08/27/your-basic-guide-to-business-travel-abroad/#1168ef394f50
• ↑ https://www.huffingtonpost.com/kenny-kline/how-smart-entrepreneurs-prepare-for-business-travel_b_8533712.html
• ↑ https://money.usnews.com/money/careers/slideshows/10-tips-for-efficient-business-travel
• ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236246
• ↑ https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/jet-lag-and-sleep
• ↑ https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/269947
• ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256
• ↑ https://www.sleepfoundation.org/travel-and-sleep/jet-lag
• ↑ https://sleepfoundation.org/excessivesleepiness/sleep-tools-tips/healthy-sleep-tips

About This Article

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Mary Higgins

Jul 31, 2020

Did this article help you?

Sep 28, 2019

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

Get all the best how-tos!

Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter

• FluenDay Language Learning: My Honest Review After Putting It to the Test
• Our Heymondo Review - Why We Always Get Travel Insurance
• Our Favorite 10 Beaches from 20 Years of Travel
• How to Start Teaching Abroad: Tips from Expert Georgie from Teacher's Friend
• Sync.com for Travelers: Our Hands-on Review After 3 Years
• Hiking with Kids: Essential Gear for a Fun and Safe Adventure
• Work With Us

The Ultimate Business Travel Checklist

Over the years, I’ve been on many business trips, and how successful they were almost always came down to how well they were planned.

There’s an awful lot to think about when planning a business trip, from where to stay to what to pack. You also need to prepare for your home and office while you’re absent.

In this article, I cover everything you’ll need to do to set yourself up for a successful business trip, including tips for accommodation, packing, transportation, preparing your home and work space, and purchasing your flight.

While getting to travel on the company’s dime sounds like the Holy Grail of great travel jobs , it can honestly be a lot of work to organize a business trip . Below you’ll find my complete business travel checklist so you’ll be able to plan the best trip possible, and avoid my mistakes!

In this article, you’ll find a:

• Business Travel Checklist , which covers all aspects of getting ready for a trip other than packing.
• Business Trip Packing List , with everything you’ll need for a successful trip. Scroll down for our printable business trip packing list!

Our business travel checklist

Click here to download a printable business trip travel checklist!

Your first steps

First, find out who’s responsible for your travel planning. Some businesses leave all the travel planning and flight booking to their employees, and have you submit your receipts later. Other businesses will handle every last detail of your travel planning (lucky you!) from pickup at the airport, to flights, hotels and accommodation.

Most businesses fall somewhere in between. It can save you a lot of hassle if you find out who’s responsible for what, early on.

Years ago, I had a last minute business trip to Amsterdam where I spent a few hours and a lot of stress trying to find affordable accommodation in the city. It turns out my employer had already arranged a place for me to stay with a colleague. Even if you think you know who’ll plan your trip, ask!

If you’re responsible for booking your flight, and you’re looking to save money, be sure to check out our post on six easy steps for nailing the cheapest flight . o start, we really love getting a quick price comparison on Google Flights (here are a few great tips for using Google Flights ) or Skyscanner .

Check flights on Skyscanner.

If you’re flying regularly for business, be sure to sign up for an airlines loyalty program, and book with them as much as possible. This can translate into some great upgrades and free flights as well as other perks.

Get your work place ready

So you don’t worry about work while you’re away, and to ease your transition back when you return, try to get your affairs in order at your office before you leave.

Make sure you finish the work projects you are currently working on.

Let coworkers and business partners know where you’re going, and how long you’ll be gone.

Set up an out of office email, if necessary.

Prepare the schedule for your business meetings on your trip; you should know exactly where and when each meeting will take place.

Make sure you’ve organized all the important documents for your trip, including the confirmations, copies of your travel documents, presentations and handouts. Print them out, if necessary, and insure they’re saved to a zip drive or on your hard drive. It’s a good idea to back them up to a cloud service (we like Amazon) to ensure that you can access them anywhere in the world.

Prepare your home for when you’ll be gone

Tell your family about your exact itinerary and leave your addresses and contact phone numbers.

Tell a trusted friend about your exact itinerary and ask someone to take care of your family pets and plants while you’re gone.  If you don’t have a friend or family member that can pitch in, consider getting a housesitter. Probably the most well known and largest place to find house and pet sitters is through  Trusted Housesitters .

Check sitters available on Trusted Housesitters here.

Take safety measures, such as locking all doors and windows, turning on the alarm and try to create the illusion that you are at home by turning some lights on or with a radio that has a timer function.

Suspend or redirect routine deliveries such as newspapers or milk, if necessary.

Give the house a quick clean before you leave. Normally, my house is kinda messy and chaotic, but I hate coming home to a dirty, messy house after a trip, so we give it a complete clean before we go. It’s nice to be able to relax a bit when you get back, rather than stress about how messy the house is.

Turn down the thermostat if it’s cold outside or turn it up if it’s really hot. There’s no point warming or cooling an empty house.

Make sure you check with your home insurance to see if you need to have someone check in on your house while you’re gone. Each home insurance policy is different, but many policies won’t cover damages from floods, water leaks, break ins or theft if the house is not regularly attended.

Travel preparations

If you are going abroad, make sure you have all the necessary travel documents.

If you need any vaccinations or medical documents for the country you are going to, take care of that, too.

Get some cash in the local currency. There are ATMs in nearly every airport in the world. however sometimes the lines are long or the machines are down. You don’t need money for your entire trip, just make sure you have enough on hand to pay for the taxi and a bite to eat when you get there.

Look into any specific workplace customs or practices for where you’re traveling. There’s a great article here on business culture in Singapore , and one for Japan here . A quick Google search should help you find others.

World Nomads Travel Insurance

Charge all of your devices the day before you leave on your trip. That way you won’t be caught flat-footed if your plane doesn’t offer outlets or USB charging ports.

Where to Stay

I’ve put these tips near the beginning, because I honestly believe that your accommodation is the most important part of your stay once your dates are set and your transportation is booked.

Start looking for accommodation early. It can be surprising how early accommodation books out. The earlier you start looking, the easier it will be for you to find a good place for a good price.

Look beyond a hotel room. Hotel rooms are often small, impersonal and honestly, overpriced. You’ll probably be surprised at how favorably the price of a fully furnished, serviced apartment compares. Corporate apartments also have the advantage of having essential business amenities like fast WiFi.

For example, corporate serviced apartments are often more comfortable and private than a hotel. Singapore’s well known as being one of the most expensive destinations for business travel in the Asia-Pacific region, making value for your dollar especially important.

Stay close to work. Look for accommodation that is not far from the place where most of your meetings will take place to avoid having to commute in a foreign city. I’m often surprised how bad traffic and subway crowding can be, even during off peak hours.

Make it work friendly. Make sure your accommodation has a work space where you can use your laptop and make phone calls. A small table and chair will work perfectly.

At the airport and in the air

Savvy business travelers suggest signing up for Global Entry and TSA Precheck . Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that pre-qualifies you for faster customs, while TSA Precheck will get you boarded faster, as many US airports have special (and faster!) precheck lines where you can skip needing to remove shoes, laptops, liquids, belts or light jackets.

Double check any baggage requirements.  You never know when the rules will change. The USA has even floated the idea of banning laptops in the cabin for all flights that depart, land, or even touch down in the USA.

Try to travel carry on only. Checked bags have a potential to be lost or delayed, adding to your stress. If you can do with just a carry on you’ll be more flexible if there are problems and out of the airport quicker once you land.

If you do check a bag, be sure to keep essentials like your laptop, any business documents and tech, some underwear, and prescriptions in your carry-on bag in case your checked luggage is lost or delayed.

Get a lightweight, sturdy carry on bag with wheels, and carry a personal item as well. You can find more tips on choosing a carry-on here , and our tips for choosing the best business laptop backpack here .

Get clothing designed for travel. If you’re short on space, consider getting a travel jacket or travel gear with hidden pockets or that is wrinkle resistant. We like the SCOTTeVEST women’s trench coat or the streamlined men’s Revolution jacke t.

Stay hydrated on the plane . It’s amazing how much a flight can dehydrate the body. Drink more liquids than normal, and go easy on the alcohol to stay hydrated.

Go to bed normally. Studies have shown that the best way to reduce jet lag is to get as much sunshine as possible at your destination and to sleep normal hours. Tempted to take a quick power nap? Chances are it will just extend your jet lag.

Packing tips

When you pack, use a list with everything you need (see our handy packing list below). Focus on clothing items, toiletries, personal documents, money and banking cards, chargers and the items you need for your business meetings and give yourself time to add and remove items from the list. Try to limit the items you pack to the ones that you will really need.

Tip: Check out our favorite toiletries bags for travel here!

Don’t forget to take weather into account. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten to check the rain forecast and wished for my handy travel umbrella.

I love packing cubes, because they make organizing my luggage a snap. Check out more in our blog post on how to use packing cubes .

Make sure the liquids in your carry-on luggage (such as your shampoo or your soap) are in bottles that are not larger than 3 oz. (100 ml), otherwise you risk getting them removed by airport control.

Put your shampoo and conditioner, and any other liquids that may leak, in a zip-lock plastic bag. Changes in air pressure on the plane have made liquids come gushing out of bottles more than once on my flights, and the zip-lock bags have saved my clothes from many a spill.

Don’t pack what you don’t need. If you’re certain your hotel will have a hair dryer, shampoo and conditioner, there’s no need to pack these items. If there’s none in your room, ask for one to be brought to you.

Business Trip Packing List

Your business culture will determine exactly what to bring (whether it’s formal business attire like suits or business casual), but these tips should work either way.

Click here to download a printable business trip packing list!

Personal items

Credit cards and bank cards

Any other banking or personal ID you’ll need

Business cards to hand out

Find out what business functions you’ll need to attend (e.g., formal business dinners, or giving a presentation) and include clothes for those.

Bring layers, and make sure all your clothes coordinate by sticking to colors and patterns that all mix together.

Shirt. I recommend one top per day, if possible.

Pants or skirt. I recommend one pair for every two days. If you’ve color co-ordinated your clothing, you can get away with wearing a neutral colored bottom at least two days in a row.

Underwear. I recommend one pair per day, if that’s possible, so you won’t need to bother washing them.

Jacket. Check out our favorite  casual women’s hoodie travel jacket here . For more formal business travel, we like the SCOTTeVEST women’s trench coat, men’s travel blazer, or the streamlined  men’s Jacket .

Outerwear. Depending on the weather, you may need extra gear like sunglasses and a sun hat, or a scarf and gloves.

Footwear. Make sure that you pack at least one pair of comfortable business appropriate shoes, as you never know if you’ll have to walk between offices. If you enjoy working out, make sure you bring some proper footwear for that as well.

Pantyhose. I am NOT a fan of these devices of torture, but if you’re in a very conservative business environment, they may be expected.

Tech and business

WiFi hotspot. Hotel WiFi can be unreliable, so we bring our GLocalMe portable WiFi with us wherever we go. I love having internet at our fingertips across the globe, and it saves us a fortune in roaming charges.  Check out our review of GlocalMe mobile WiFi here.

Tip! Too much gear? We understand. Read our article on how to travel lighter with electronics .

Laptop or tablet

Cell phone charger. Consider both a wall plug charger and a portable external battery charger.

Bring noise cancelling headphones. They’re not only fantastic for shutting out the chatty seatmate next to you when you’re trying to work, but they also do a wonderful job in loud hotel rooms, cafes, and new workplaces.

Tip! If you’re looking for a place to work while you’re away, check out our article on how to find the best places to work while traveling .

Plug converter. Depending on the country you’re in, you might need a different electrical plug. To make life easier, make sure all your chargers and devices are usable with 110-240 volts.

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Earplugs. You’ll thank me for this one, whether it’s for the plane or the hotel room. These affordable  Flents Contour Ear Plugs  get great reviews.

See prices and reviews.

Prescription and non-prescription drugs

Skincare products

Electric razor or disposable razor

Spare contact lenses, a case and contact lens solution if required

Prescription for eyeglasses

For women only

Bring your own tampons and pads, or use a menstrual cup like the Diva cup. In some countries, tampons can be especially hard to find, and brands can be quite a bit different away from home. Trust me, as a female traveler, the last thing you want is to overestimate the absorbency of a new product.

Optional extras

If you have the room and want to take along a few extras that’s fine. Here are a few examples.

Wide scarf in your carry on. This can double as a blanket during flight, and a fashion accessory later.

A small first aid bag with items you think you’ll need like pain relievers, band aids and cough drops. It’s never a bad idea to pack Pepto Bismol and Ex-Lax (or, as we call it, the stop and go duo).

Birth control

Voltage converters. We like this  Universal World Wide Travel Charger Adapter .

See prices now.

Tip! Check out our article on How Not to Fry Your Electronics overseas for more tips.

Travel clothes steamer or travel iron

Tide stain remover pen

Lint roller

Small compression bag for laundry

Breath mints. Avoid gum, as it’s considered rude in many countries.

Travel pillow and or blanket

Baby wipes or facial wipes. We always travel with a small pack of these, as they’re wonderful for freshening up before leaving the plane.

Snacks. We often carry small packets of trail mix or protein bars in our carry on. They’re fantastic if airplane food service is sketchy, or if our hotel doesn’t have an affordable minibar.

Was this list helpful? What do you pack on a business trip? Let us know in the comments below!

Need some more packing list tips?

Check out our  beach packing list and our road trip packing lists!

I suggest to check your wallet. Nothing is more evanescent than the title “best travel credit card.” The competitive balance is always shifting and just this month Chase seized the high ground with two of the first Visa Infinite cards issued in the United States

Thanks for the perfect checklist, Ms Micki Kosman. I use to travel often, but do not know that there is such a huge mandatory checklist to be noted. One tip “earplugs” are some useful tips for a traveller. Your tips on “easy tips for nailing the cheapest flight” were really very useful. Also, the travel Preparation tips were very useful.

You shared very important information and I read it carefully and gain amazing knowledge. Thanks and keep it up.

If I were to go on a business trip, I would make sure to find the right limousine since this will provide convenience. Well, I also agree with you that it would be a great idea to hire a person that will plan the travel. Thank you for sharing here as well the importance of talking to a family member who will take care of my house whilst I’m gone.

This is an awesome blog on travel checklist, very helpful and full of resources that will save you time and money when you travel.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

The comeback of corporate travel: How should companies be planning?

It seems that, finally, the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is in sight—at least in some parts of the world. In 2020, total global business travel expenses contracted by 52 percent, while managed corporate-travel spending in the United States plummeted 71 percent, or $94 billion. Last year, when we reported  on the impact of COVID-19 on corporate travel, we projected that the road to recovery would be a long and uneven one.

Much has changed since then, thanks largely to progress on the vaccination front. Even though there’s much debate  surrounding the timing of herd immunity in the United States, it’s indisputable that vaccination rates are on the rise across the country. At the time of writing, more than 40 percent of the US population has been fully vaccinated , with more than 50 percent having received at least one dose. Companies are starting to bring employees back to offices. Corporate executives are planning in-person meetings and gatherings with customers and colleagues.

In light of new developments, to what extent will videoconferencing replace business trips? How should corporations prepare for the next phase of business travel? While our insights from last year still hold, we’ve sharpened our understanding of how business leaders could be thinking about the postpandemic role of corporate travel. In this article, we identify four categories of business travelers—the “never left,” the “never returning,” the “fear of missing out” (FOMO), and the “wait and see” segments—and provide recommendations for how key players in the corporate-travel ecosystem can make effective plans in this context.

What’s changed: Increased vaccination is expanding flexible work arrangements

The most significant change shaping our thinking about the return of corporate travel is the rising vaccination rates in the United States and Europe. We project that the United States and the United Kingdom will slowly transition toward normalcy in mid-2021, with the rest of the European Union following shortly after (Exhibit 1).

Notwithstanding the risks presented by new virus strains and limited visibility into the duration of vaccine immunity, rising vaccination rates are ameliorating some of the travel anxiety. Many organizations are now proactively figuring out the future of work —which includes the role of business travel.

For many companies, COVID-19 has proven that more workplace flexibility is possible . Around 70 percent of executives said their companies will employ more temporary workers than before the pandemic, and 72 percent of executives report that their companies have started to adopt permanent remote-working arrangements for a subset of their employees. Nearly 40 percent of the workforce in the United States has the potential to work from anywhere. These signals and others suggest that many organizations are reevaluating working and organizational arrangements , including when, why, and how their employees should hit the road.

There’s no consensus, however, among business leaders about what to do with this newfound flexibility, and many organizations have not yet clearly communicated a vision for postpandemic work: around 30 percent of executives in a recent survey  say they have not heard about specific plans for corporate travel after the pandemic, while another 28 percent described their companies’ plans as vague.

Four key segments in the return of corporate travel

Breaking down corporate trips into different segments can help travel planners and suppliers plan for the return of corporate travel. We’ve identified four different business-travel profiles, each sitting at a different point on the travel-resilience spectrum. Three indicators were used to define each archetype and determine its position on the spectrum: sector, travel purpose, and whether the trip was domestic or international. For travel purpose, if in-person interactions remain critical for a company, then the more resilient such business trips are. Some assumptions were made on how likely it was that some forms of corporate travel would recover rather than be substituted by videoconference technology.

The profile mix varies from company to company, and it’s possible for all four to coexist within the same organization, although some might feature more prominently in some companies and less in others.

• The “never left” segment. On one end of the spectrum, employees for whom travel is deemed essential for conducting business resumed their trips as soon as lockdowns eased. This category accounted for around 15 percent of all corporate travel expenses in 2019 and includes managers in manufacturing companies with a wide distribution of factories and plants and field-operation workers. Those who were reluctant to fly opted for rail and private cars instead.
• The “never returning” segment . On the other end, business travelers that contributed to one-fifth of business travel spending in 2019 present an enticing opportunity for corporations to permanently slash their corporate-travel budgets. Digital adopters who are able to maintain high levels of effectiveness while working remotely may never return to corporate travel. Furthermore, advances made in digital technologies that enhance oversight of outposts have paved the way for corporate travel to be further reduced. For instance, many chain restaurants found ways to minimize corporate travel by replacing in-person visits with virtual alternatives, as well as establishing more local oversight systems. They are likely to want to keep these significant cost savings; although a certain number of business trips will continue after the pandemic even in this segment, they will do so at much lower levels than before.
• The “fear of missing out” (FOMO) segment. The bulk of business travel (60 percent of business-travel expenditure in 2019)—which will likely drive the rebound of corporate travel—will be fueled by the FOMO segment: those traveling to cultivate important client relationships. Small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) will likely increase corporate travel at much faster rates, as they are not subject to the heightened approval process that large enterprises have to follow. SMEs are likely to trigger a domino effect where one company’s resumption of business trips will catalyze its rivals’ return to work-related travel. Faced with intense competition, different players in the company (leadership, management, staff) coalesce to reinstate corporate travel at scale to seize a first-mover advantage over rival businesses. An April Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) member survey reported that more than 50 percent of respondents are developing or plan to develop a timeline for resuming travel, updated travel policies, or new safety resources and information for travelers.
• The “wait and see” segment. This segment consists of workers in relatively noncompetitive industries and roles; it contributed 5 percent of total business-travel spending in 2019. These corporate travelers tend to come from the public sector, professional associations, and nonprofits. During the pandemic, many professional associations were able to hold virtual events to replace in-person conferences and will likely be more cautious in their return to travel.

Taken together, the trajectories of the four travel categories confirm our earlier projection of an uneven recovery for corporate travel. Overall, we can expect a 20 percent reduction in corporate travel spending by 2023.

In addition, it’s worth noting that even within these segments, business-travel recovery will vary depending on the purpose and distance of the business trips (Exhibit 2). For instance, even for firms in the “never left” segment, overseas travel to attend international conferences has not returned because of government-imposed restrictions due to public-health concerns. Furthermore, given the uneven rollout of COVID-19 vaccines internationally, the return of international travel may be further suspended in regions with limited or delayed access to vaccines due to sustained public-health restrictions and/or disease outbreaks. On the flip side, “never returning” business travelers may still make exceptions for key events that are held regionally.

In the United States, a comparison of a multinational conglomerate’s internal and external travel spend and that of a private health insurer provides an example of how the recovery trajectory may differ from business to business (Exhibit 3). Internal travel encompasses trips taken for intracompany purposes, where employees participate in activities such as training, team building, or inspection of field operations. External travel, on the other hand, refers to trips employees take for engagements outside the company, including in-person meetings with clients and suppliers, trade conferences, and customer sales calls.

The multinational conglomerate we examined, a manufacturer of building products, had a total travel spend in 2019 of around $80 million. As a customer-driven business, the company spends the majority of its travel expenses on external travel. Much of this falls into the FOMO segment, which is already recovering at a faster pace this year relative to internal travel even though the overall travel expenditure remains depressed. The bulk of its internal travel was for the purposes of internal collaboration in 2019, a third of which is expected to be permanently eliminated, while the rest should gradually return over the rest of this year and 2022.

A McKinsey Live event on 'Returning to corporate travel: How do we get it right?'

Approaching the future of corporate travel: Four steps

Charting a safe and effective road map for future corporate travel requires all players to collaborate. Key players in the ecosystem—suppliers (including airlines, hotels, car-rental and rideshare companies), corporate-travel planners, travel intermediaries such as online travel agencies (OTAs), global-distribution-system (GDS) providers, and travelers themselves—need to master four critical skills: leveraging real-time data, planning with agility, aiming for comfort and safety, and communicating with clarity.

Leverage real-time data

Planning for the future can feel like flying through a fog of uncertainty, which makes it even more important for players to leverage real-time data to inform their decision making. Organizations could invest in data capabilities to identify and monitor the first signs of an acceleration in business travel.

Planning for the future can feel like flying through a fog of uncertainty, which makes it even more important for players to leverage real-time data to inform their decision making.

OTAs and GDS providers may be worth exploring as new data sources. Travel intermediaries such as these are uniquely situated to provide aggregate data for each industry. For instance, they can inform a corporate-travel planner how many seats are being booked by the rest of the company’s sector, signaling whether the company is ahead of or behind the curve. Many corporate-travel planners are also concerned about the fluctuations in the cost and availability of tickets, given the volatility of flight schedules during this time. Intermediaries can provide data that suggest which flights are more likely to stay on an airline’s schedule, helping clients build more agility into their decision making. Intermediaries may be able to create a new revenue stream from these data.

Would you like to learn more about our Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure Practice ?

Real-time data also help suppliers of corporate travel, such as air carriers and hotels, become more agile. As corporate travel returns, these suppliers will need to deploy the right resources in real time to match demand, which may shift abruptly. For example, one airline made a costly mistake by being unprepared for the sudden spike in demand for leisure flights over the recent Easter holiday. As recovery will likely be uneven, airlines will have to figure out how to have aircraft, pilots, and crew on standby so they can increase capacity quickly whenever there’s a need. Organizations can meet regularly to discuss data-driven insights and align on next steps.

Embed agility into planning

It pays to have a detailed plan and strategy for different recovery scenarios in place. When demand picks up, many firms may find that they don’t have the time to pause and think through their strategies.

When it comes to organizing business trips for employees, corporate-travel planners will need to take into account four considerations:

• First, the factors that affect whether corporate travel should increase: for example, local and regional infection levels, customer demand, and competitive actions.
• Second, the relevant data sources used to evaluate these factors: these could include public-health indicators, customer surveys, data from travel partners on industry trends and competitor behavior, and real-time pricing from GDSs consistent with typical corporate agreements, even as airline-fare classes go through realignments.
• Third, company policies on business travel: What distance-based policies should staff adhere to? Should they use rental cars, rideshares, taxis, or flights? When should they wear masks or engage in group gatherings? How (and should) companies distinguish between what activities vaccinated and unvaccinated employees can participate in?
• Fourth, information needed by travelers: this includes websites, travel help desks, and messaging.

A US health-products wholesaler and manufacturer provides an example of how these considerations work together. Currently, the company’s factories are open, while corporate offices remain closed and corporate travel is at a standstill. The company recently decided to stage-gate the resumption of corporate travel, starting with executives. Critical sales meetings and conferences will be in the next wave of business trips, followed by general sales and internal corporate activities, and finally, internal training and events. The level of corporate travel varies by state, based on local infection and vaccination rates. The company also set up tracking codes in its customer-relationship-management system to monitor when sales are won or lost due to competitive travel, which involved working with its corporate travel agent to get data on corporate-travel bookings.

The company instituted different policies for each level, including when masks must be worn, the permitted group size for indoor gatherings, and what lodging choices should be made (for example, home shares are avoided for safety and sanitation reasons). The company is developing internal brochures and a communications plan to keep its employees informed.

Personalize experiences based on safety and comfort

Safety and comfort are crucial elements in the travel experience, and they can sometimes pull in opposite directions. More can be done to bridge this gap. Both employers and travel companies could find ways to give passengers peace of mind and improve comfort and convenience. The guiding principle here is giving the traveler greater control over decisions that affect their sense of comfort and security.

For instance, airlines can personalize flight experiences by improving the functionality of their mobile apps to allow passengers to preorder their meals and snacks or make special requests. Hotels may let guests decide on the frequency and timing of housekeeping. They might consider offering initiatives that improve guests’ physical and mental well-being, for example, by offering virtual trainers to guide meditation or fitness practices. Suppliers could also consider offering radically transparent flexibility policies and allow customers a greater range of options with different associated fees for cancellations and changes.

Communicate with clarity

Even the most seasoned travelers have to accept that traveling has changed. Masks have become ubiquitous, and border restrictions, boarding procedures, and hygiene requirements seem to be ever changing. It’s critical that organizations communicate clearly what their corporate-travel policies are at any given moment in time, for every stage of the journey—from pre- to post-trip.

It helps for organizations to be extra proactive in communicating any type of change, whether regarding company-wide strategic policies or more granular details such as the company’s preferred rideshare or car-rental options for corporate travel. When changes in operations are made, companies can take special care to ensure the availability of amenities. Leadership can play a prominent role in modeling how to travel in this new reality by clearly reiterating company policies. Information websites, travel help desks, and easily digestible infographics could all be used to get the message across. Keep channels of communication open and allow employees to give feedback and raise concerns as and when they arise.

Employees, too, will go through an adjustment period as they resume their business trips. Leadership can communicate that it’s OK for them to take it slowly and that they should raise concerns if they ever feel unsafe.

Some corporate travelers will find they have to adapt quickly to the many changes in business travel, while others will have the luxury of easing themselves in over a longer period. Unpredictability will continue to be a fact of life, but one thing is certain: if everyone plays their part well (and smartly, by leveraging the technologies and processes at our disposal), the resumption of corporate travel is possible.

Jenna Benefield is a consultant in McKinsey’s Philadelphia office, Vik Krishnan is a partner in the San Francisco office, Esteban Ramirez is the capabilities and insights team leader in the San Jose office, and Matthew Straus is an associate partner in the Chicago office.

The authors wish to thank Guenter Fuchs, Jennifer Heller, and Jillian Tellez for their contributions to this article.

This article was edited by Jason Li, a senior editor in the Shanghai office.

Explore a career with us

Related articles.

The travel industry turned upside down: Insights, analysis, and actions for travel executives

For corporate travel, a long recovery ahead

Corporate travel: The long road to recovery

10 excellent business travel management tools for 2024

Published on July 4, 2024

Business travel is back! The 2008 financial crisis left companies short on cash, and industry was slow to rebound. Once the industry finally stabilized, the pandemic hit and brought all travel to a screeching halt...literally!

But the tide has turned, and companies are sending staff out on the road again . And that means that more and more team members are coming to grips with the difficult travel booking process.

Because one thing hasn't changed: it’s still a pain to book trips . At least, it is for companies doing things the classic way. If you're asking staff to navigate a complex travel policy, find budget-appropriate flights and accommodation, book it all themselves (with their own money or the company card ), and then provide valid proofs of purchase when they get back...you're stuck in the past.

Luckily, all you need to do to catch up is use a handy tool (or two). Modern technology is so much better at these manual tasks than we humans are.

These are the best tools to help you automate, centralize, and manage travel bookings for your company.

More travel management tips, tools and strategy:

The complete guide to corporate travel management

10 travel & expense policy samples, templates & resources

Travel and expense policy best practices: 8 tips

Business travel booking tools

For most of your team, issues with travel start with the booking process. They know where they’re going and for how long, but they don’t necessarily know how to book the big trip.

Which gives you a few options:

You have a company travel buyer, or a member of the administration or finance teams make the booking; or

You let them book the trip, but with very clear travel policies and instructions.

We think the second option is best. Nearly half of business travelers want the opportunity to book for themselves.

But you don’t want to have to hold their hands throughout, and you absolutely need to keep clear records of all travel.

Here are a few good options to make the corporate travel booking more palatable.

1. TravelPerk

Booking business travel can be a significant challenge for staff. They bounce around from site to site, trying to find the most convenient and comfortable flights and accommodation to fit within company spending limits.

Most of the time, we’re happy to have such a huge range of options. But too much choice becomes counterproductive, and you end up wasting time and becoming frustrated.

TravelPerk tackles this challenge by putting the world’s largest travel inventory in one place . Just like the sites you use in your personal life, TravelPerk brings different airlines, hotels, trains and more into its dashboard and mobile app, so your team only needs to visit one platform.

And it gets much more interesting for finance teams. If your whole company books travel in one place, then tracking bookings and producing reports becomes incredibly simple .

Unlike the sites you use in your private life, TravelPerk is built for businesses. So they know what records you need to keep. And you’ll be able to easily see who booked which trip, when, and what for.

And now, there's an exciting TravelPerk and Spendesk integration ! The benefits of this integration include:

Automation: invoices are automatically synchronized

Approval flows: avoid duplicates

Accounting tools: export separate journal entries into your accounting tools.

Finance teams can give their colleagues autonomy to book trips, and still have control and visibility over what was booked .

2.  AirBnb for Work

You may never have even heard of AirBnb for Work . It’s not too different from the consumer version - you can book a wide range of accommodation types for your travelling team.

But there are a few key differences:

Bookings are linked to the company profile . So a team member can book the property they like, and the finance team will be able to get the details and invoice later without having to chase people.

It’s not just overnight accommodation . There are spaces to rent for meetings and conferences, and even temporary office space to rent.

AirBnb Experiences also help you find good team-building activities if you’re taking a group with you on the road.

“With the dashboard, we can view where all of our employees are traveling and where they are staying, as well as the average rate that we are spending and the cost savings that we have every year,” said Ashley Schmitz, Regional Lead Executive Assistant for Campari America.

If you like using AirBnb for your personal travel, AirBnb for Work gives you all the same options, but lets the company track bookings more easily.

3.  TravelBank

TravelBank is similar to TravelPerk (above). It’s a centralized tool to let team members book all their travel in one place.

That means you can find, book, and track trips from beginning to end. And as we’ve said, giving your team members one central location to book and pay is always a big benefit.

But most users love it just as much for its expense reports functions. Like some of the tools below, the user can screenshot receipts for flights or ground transport, and these are matched to charges on the company card .

This helps to automate the expense report process - maybe the worst aspect of work travel both for employees and the finance team.

Another interesting feature is the ability for individual travelers to earn rewards through TravelBank. Instead of maxing out their travel budget, users get personal rewards for bringing the company a discount . That’s a nice way to incentivize responsible spending.

4.  Flightfox

If you’re not ready to completely say goodbye to travel agents, Flightfox may be a great option for you. It uses a network of travel experts to help travelers book the perfect experience every time.

And rather than having to go into a travel agent’s office, you just enter a few details online.

Their manifesto states:

"At Flightfox, we are solving business travel complexity by being transparent with fees. We focus purely on becoming genuine experts in travel and maximizing the value we deliver to you."

And the reviews are good. Users are genuinely surprised and happy with the service they receive.

Most of these flights and hotel deals are available easily online. But most are only available briefly, and you have little chance of finding and reserving them yourself. Flightfox keeps an eye out for you, and can offer deals you'd otherwise surely miss.

This is one of the reasons that travel agents were so successful for so many years. And Flightfox puts a team of them at your disposal wherever you are.

Tools to manage travel spending

Monitoring and controlling travel spending is no easy task. You have a mixture of payments with company cards, invoices and wire transfers for large purchases, and employees using their own money and claiming reimbursements.

You need to track every one of these payments, assign them to the right people and teams, and keep a lid on budgets .

Without a little help, you don’t stand a chance.

These tools make it that little bit simpler to know who’s spending what, where, and when.

5.  Spendesk

How do your teams pay for travel? Whether it’s booking flights online, paying for hotels on arrival, or buying a coffee on the way to a conference, this should all be logged as travel spending for a single event.

But that gets tricky. If a traveler buys the flights with the company card (from the office), then pays for the rest with their own money weeks later, it’s not always easy to match these up to the same user (and the same budget).

Spendesk changes that. It gives you different payment methods, but always linked to the same user . They pay online with a virtual credit card , then take their prepaid expense card with them on the road. Both are in their name, so you always know who’s spending - unlike with the company card.

And if they do need to spend their own money, they can automatically generate expense reports and then link these to their same user profile. So again, this spending matches up with the rest.

Because all of this spending is logged in real time, it also lets your finance team track spending as it happens . That’s not the case with classic expense reports, which most teams file at the end of the month.

To put it in a nutshell, if you care about safe, secure travel spending , Spendesk is a great option.

6.  Spendee

If you’re not ready for a dedicated business expense management tool , Spendee is a nice workaround. It’s an app that tracks what you spend in real time and lets you attach receipts.

While it’s not actually built for business users, your traveling team members can easily use this great little app to track their spending as they go. It will help ensure that they record every payment - big or small.

Plus, they can add managers or finance team members to their account, so you’ll have visibility over these purchases.

A few interesting extras

Booking trips and managing payments are usually the two biggest hurdles to overcome. But there are still helpful tools and services that take some of the pain out of travelling for work.

Here are a few of our favorites.

TripIt’s a handy tool that helps users build an itinerary from their bookings. Just forward every confirmation email to TripIt, and you have an itinerary you can access from your phone or computer, wherever you are.

It even provides maps to help you get from place to place in your itinerary. And TripIt Pro has added features like a Seat Tracker to help you choose the best seats on your flight.

And there’s a free version, so you really don’t have a reason not to try it.

8.  Google Travel

What was previously known as Google Trips has evolved into Google Travel.

At its core, Google Travel helps you plan trips and display all of your travel information easily.

Google Travel does what Google does best: aggregates all the most helpful information in one place. So you don't have to switch between a million sites, online brochures and forum threads to find flights, hotels, activities, maps, weather, and then compare all the deals. Google Travel does it all for you in a single (and helpful) step.

All the information is saved in your Google account, stored in one single spot. Confirmations sent to your Gmail get automatically added to your itinerary.

Google Travel also displays Covid-19 information specific to your destination, which is a must these days.

It’s not strictly for business users. But anyone who needs to plan a trip and keep their plans in one place will love Google Travel.

9.  Airhelp

What do you do when things go wrong? More importantly, when a team member has a flight rerouted or cancelled, will they know what to do next?

Airhelp tells travelers their rights . If flights are cancelled or delayed significantly, Airhelp tells you whether you’re eligible for compensation, and what to do next.

This is something that most business travelers don’t even think about. They just assume everything will work out fine, and if not, the company has to pay anyway.

But they may be missing out on immediate help. And they can also assist the company to recoup costs , which helps their budget and your bottom line.

If your teams are armed with Airhelp, they’ll at least know the options available to them.

10. PackPoint

Forgetting to pack an item on your personal vacation isn't the end of the world. But forgetting to pack something for a work trip? That could spell disaster.

Use Pack Point to make a list and check off important items while packing for business trips. Ensure that you have your laptop, charger, portfolio, special files, and any other make-or-break items.

The app helps you determine your packing list with crucial details such as weather at your destination and length of stay. Input your activities and the app will guide you through the packing process.

Sit back, enjoy your flight, and bask in the peace of mind that comes with knowing you've got everything you need in your bag.

Take a few travel tools for a test drive

So there were 10 helpful tools to help manage your business travel. The only thing left for you to do is try them out and see which ones suit you best.

As you do, have a few key things in mind. You want to:

Give your travelers more flexibility and choice

Track and manage spending in real time

Keep control in the hands of the finance team

Save as much time as possible in the process

If the tool you're trying out can't do one or more of these things, it's probably not a good fit.

Happy traveling!

More reads on Business travel spend

HMRC advisory fuel rates for UK businesses (as of January 2024)

Expense policy 101: understanding the basics

60+ fascinating business travel statistics for 2022

Get started with spendesk.

Close the books 4x faster , collect over 95% of receipts on time , and get 100% visibility over company spending.

Essential Business Travel Itinerary Templates for Successful Trips

Planning travel itineraries is one important aspect of an Executive Assistant’s work. Executives usually travel to meet key business partners, pursue game-changing deals, and attend high-profile conferences and meetings. The success of these mission-critical travel plans rests in the hands of smart, capable Executive Assistants (EAs).

To help EAs ace every trip, we’ve created business travel itinerary templates that steamline the travel planning process and establish a consistent standard itinerary that executives will love receiving again and again.

Many of these templates came straight from our Facebook groups for Executive Assistants ! See what nuggets of wisdom our community has to offer and jump into the conversation.   

Conference Travel Itinerary

To have the most successful conference experience possible, executives must follow a military-precise schedule. Conferences demand careful planning over spontaneity; if an attendee wants to network with certain people and attend certain sessions, then they have to follow a carefully engineered itinerary that heavily focuses on logistics.

Must-have details for a conference travel itinerary:

• The trip’s overall arrival and departure times and essential transportation details. When does the executive need to leave home to make it to the airport? Will she provide her own transportation or has that been pre-arranged? Consider all the little questions you subconsciously ask as you plan your own trips, and include the answers as itinerary details.
• Travel confirmation/reservation numbers, (These are good to have on hand to make trip details easy for customer service representatives at different transportation hubs to look up if there are questions or issues with the executive’s plans.
• Parking details, including restrictions, costs, and physical addresses for parking lots and garages, at all destinations. (A tricky parking situation could equal missed meetings or conference sessions.)
• Seat numbers. (It’s always helpful for a traveler to memorize these.)
• Addresses of the relevant transportation hubs, such as the airport, car rental office, and train station.
• Screenshots or printed copies of confirmation emails and tickets.
• Terminal details. (This is especially important for large airports or train stations where terminals or gates can be miles apart and require travelers to take shuttles to and from.)
• Printed maps (downloaded from online tools) to use as a backup for cell-phone GPS in areas without reliable internet.
• Check-in and check-out times and dates and also addresses for all the trip’s lodging.
• Lodging amenities. Is there an on-site gym, a spa, or maybe laundry facilities? Knowing these key details lets executives better plan trips. For example, a traveler might decide to wake up two hours early every day to hit the on-site gym before the conference starts.
• Transportation tips. Make it easy for the executive to navigate to and from the hotel. Make notes about restaurants or places of interest within walking distance to the executive’s home away from home. You could also flag hotels that offer shuttle services and hotels near reliable public transportation hubs.
• Screenshots or printed copies of relevant lodging confirmation emails.
• Meeting and conference session times and locations.
• Meal times and snack times. (No one wants to network while hangry on an empty stomach)
• Work windows. Highlight relatively open time frames when executives can plan to do follow-ups immediately after important meetings and conference sessions. Executives can also use these windows to check in on regular work and associates at the home office.
• What to wear. You might provide dressing tips based on the executive’s schedule for the day. For example, you might advise the executive to dress casually for a morning breakfast meeting, but tell them to pack a blazer to dress up the outfit if they won’t have time to change before an afternoon meeting.
• Break times and lengths. Highlight when the executive will have down time to do some work, go to the gym, or just grab coffee. Earn extra brownie points by incorporating elements, such as meditation or family phone calls, important to the executive’s daily routine.
• Recommended wake up and bed times.
• Weather forecast and packing suggestions.
• Places to eat. (Do your Yelp research to avoid leading your executive astray!)
• Travel pro tips. Outline crowded or touristy areas, high-traffic roads, and other factors influential to the travel experience.
• Contact information for people attending the executive’s scheduled meetings

Conference travel itinerary template

Media tour itinerary.

Unlike conference itineraries, media tour itineraries rely on flexibility and leeway. Plan an itinerary with plenty of breathing room in between media meetings to accommodate and even encourage the possibility that meetings will run over time. In the world of the media tour, a long-running meeting might simply mean an executive is building solid relationships with media professionals.

Must-have details for a media tour itinerary:

• Include the trip’s overall arrival and departure times and essential transportation details, plus arrival times, departure times, and addresses for each meeting of each day. During a media tour, an executive will bounce from location to location, so it’s essential to have all the travel logistics outlined.
• Last-minute transportation options. (Help executives avoid missed meetings by making sure they have backup options in case the planned transportation choice falls through.)
• Lodging amenities.
• Transportation tips.
• Screenshots or printed copies of confirmation emails.
• Meeting times and locations.
• Dockets on the media professionals and their publications. This will help executives prepare for successful meetings.
• Work windows. Highlight relatively open time frames when executives can plan to do follow ups immediately after important meetings.
• Places of interest/recommended stops around each meeting location. The busy media tour schedule doesn’t allow executives to do much exploring. Help them get a little taste of the city by calling out easy-access pit stops.  

Media tour itinerary template

International travel itinerary.

The success of an international travel itinerary hinges on preparation designed to give travelers the tools they need to understand the basics of communicating and navigating through different countries.

Must-have details for an international travel itinerary:

• Include the trip’s overall arrival and departure times and essential transportation details. Plan for the executive to arrive early enough to the airport to avoid any travel snafus, and be sure to include arrival and departure details for any connecting flights.
• Included relevant details on the primary mode of transportation the executive will use to navigate the other country. For example, if an American businessman is taking a trip to London, he’d likely want to have all the London Underground basics down, including what kind of pass the system requires, how to plan routes, and how to understand schedules.
• Call out relevant international travel applications that could help the executive easily get around.
• Parking details.
• Seat numbers and international in-flight meal and drink details.
• Addresses of the relevant transportation hubs.
• Details for all terminals. (This is especially important for large international airports or train stations where terminals or gates can be miles apart.)
• Lodging amenities. Does the hotel have necessary appliance adaptors? Do they offer complimentary Wi-Fi?
• Transportation tips. Recommend the best ways to navigate the unfamiliar city to make executives feel as comfortable as possible during the trip.
• Meal times and snack times.
• Work windows.
• Pull out some frequently used words in the destination’s native language, especially if most people from the destination speak a language the executive doesn’t know.
• Include key points from travel guides. Offer some takeaways about local culture, especially cultural norms that impact business interactions. These norms might include things like standard greetings, tipping practices, meeting and eating etiquette, and communication styles.
• What to wear to avoid looking like an outsider.
• Recommended wake up and bedtimes to mitigate the effects of jet lag.
• Weather forecast and packing suggestions, especially if the destination will be in the middle of a season different from the season at home.
• Places to eat. (You might also include some popular dishes and food “vocabulary” words to help executives navigate menus.)
• Travel pro tips.

International travel itinerary template

Sales roadshow travel itinerary.

Don’t ever hit the road without a well-planned sales roadshow itinerary.

Must-have details for a sales roadshow itinerary:

• Include the trip’s overall arrival and departure times and essential transportation details for all roadshow stops.
• Include relevant details on the primary mode of transportation the executive or executive team will use to get from event to event. Is this an international roadshow, a cross-country roadshow, or simply an intrastate roadshow?
• Include check in and check out times, dates, and also addresses for all the trip’s lodging.
• Roadshow times and locations.
• Weather forecast and packing suggestions for each roadshow location.
• Places to eat along the road. (Do your Yelp research!)
• Places to stop along the road. A few quick stops at fun landmarks will help keep executives and salespeople refreshed and ready for the rest of the roadshow.  

Sales roadshow itinerary template

Personal vacation travel itinerary.

Even relaxed personal vacations can benefit from structured itineraries.

Must-have details for a personal vacation itinerary:

• Include the trip’s overall arrival and departure times and essential transportation details.
• Screenshots or printed copies of confirmation emails and tickets
• Include check in and check out times, dates, and addresses for all the trip’s lodging.
• Lodging amenities. Does the hotel or rental house have a kitchen, home theater, swanky basement bar, pool, or ping-pong table? Travelers can better plan their trips when they know what they’ll have access to at their home away from home.
• Places to eat near the hotel or rental.
• Travel pro tips.  Customize the tips you include according to who the executive is traveling with. Include romantic spots for couples trips, kid-friendly attractions for family trips, and more.
• Outline times and details for each day’s main entertainment/event.
• Leave plenty of time for relaxing meals.
• Plan extras.  The executive will likely provide the day’s main events, but you can look up quick stops on the way to those events and the traveler can pick and choose some spontaneous stops.

Personal vacation itinerary template

Which itinerary would help you? Let us know in the comment section below!

P.S. Many of these templates came straight from our  Facebook groups for Executive Assistants ! See what nuggets of wisdom our community has to offer and jump into the conversation. 

About SnackNation

SnackNation is a healthy office snack delivery service that makes healthy snacking fun, life more productive, and workplaces awesome. We provide a monthly, curated selection of healthy snacks from the hottest, most innovative natural food brands in the industry, giving our members a hassle-free experience and delivering joy to their offices.

Popular Posts

Want to become a better professional in just 5 minutes?

You May Also Like

🏅 55 Best Client & Customer Appreciation Gifts To Build Authentic Connections That Show You Care In 2024

What a great idea.

This is a great resource, thank you!

Great concepts here. Great from those who do a lot of corporate traveling!

My husband travels often for his work here in Cardiff, and he asked me to find him tips on how to help with his executive travel. We love how you talked about having all the times and details on hand and making sure that you are easily able to skim and find crucial information. We will keep these tips in mind in addition to getting a professional who can help my husband as he travels.

Thanks Vivian! These tips should definitely help him while he travels.

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

SnackNation About Careers Blog Tech Blog Contact Us Privacy Policy Online Accessibility Statement

Pricing How It Works Member Reviews Take the Quiz Guides and Resources FAQ Terms and Conditions Website Accessibility Policy

Exciting Employee Engagement Ideas Employee Wellness Program Ideas Thoughtful Employee Appreciation Ideas Best ATS Software Fun Office Games & Activities for Employees Best Employee Engagement Software Platforms For High Performing Teams [HR Approved] Insanely Fun Team Building Activities for Work

Fun Virtual Team Building Activities The Best Employee Recognition Software Platforms Seriously Awesome Gifts For Coworkers Company Swag Ideas Employees Really Want Unique Gifts For Employees Corporate Gift Ideas Your Clients and Customers Will Love

© 2024 SnackNation. Handcrafted in Los Angeles

• Recipient Choice Gifts
• Free Work Personality Assessment
• Happy Hour & Lunches
• Group eCards
• Office Snacks
• Employee Recognition Software
• Join Our Newsletter
• SnackNation Blog
• Employee Template Directory
• Gifts For Remote Employees
• ATS Software Guide
• Best Swag Vendors
• Top HR Tools
• Ways To Reward Employees
• Employee Appreciation Gift Guide
• More Networks

• Privacy Overview
• Strictly Necessary Cookies
• 3rd Party Cookies

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!

• English (CA)
• English (UK)
• Deutsch (DE)
• Deutsch (CH)

How to Create a Business Travel Itinerary + Free Template

• Flight numbers and flight itinerary
• Travel schedule
• Departure times
• Arrival times
• Travel agency information
• Airline and reservation information
• Emergency contact information
• Other important travel details
• Car rental pricing and details
• Pick-up locations
• Hotel booking check-ins
• Hotel information
• Reservation details
• Check-out time
• Meeting schedule
• Trip planner with daily itinerary
• Event or conference information
• Plus any trip-specific extra info.!

Download your business travel itinerary template now

Make business travel simpler. Forever.

• See our platform in action . Trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, TravelPerk makes business travel simpler to manage with more flexibility, full control of spending with easy reporting, and options to offset your carbon footprint.
• Find hundreds of resources on all things business travel, from tips on traveling more sustainably, to advice on setting up a business travel policy, and managing your expenses. Our latest e-books and blog posts have you covered.
• Never miss another update. Stay in touch with us on social for the latest product releases, upcoming events, and articles fresh off the press.

Top 10 business travel challenges (and how to overcome them)

How to make a business travel report + free template for 2024

5 inefficient processes affecting your business and how to fix them

• Business Travel Management
• Offset Carbon Footprint
• Flexible travel
• Corporate Travel Resources
• Corporate Travel Glossary
• For Travel Managers
• For Finance Teams
• For Travelers
• Careers Hiring
• User Reviews
• Integrations
• Trust Center
• Help Center
• Privacy Policy
• Cookies Policy
• Modern Slavery Act | Statement
• Supplier Code of Conduct

• Share full article

Looking for a New Way to See Iceland? Bring Your Knitting Needles.

In a country with more sheep than people, a D.I.Y. wool journey — from sheep farms to yarn shops — makes perfect sense. Our writer brushes up on her knitting on a driving trip from Reykjavik.

Sheep graze near the Ring Road in west Iceland. With about 10 times more sheep than people, Iceland is drawing tourists interested in one of the country’s most popular crafts: knitting. Credit... Sigga Ella for The New York Times

Supported by

By Lisa Abend

• Sept. 16, 2024

I spent my second day in Iceland in a hotel on the outskirts of Reykjavik, trying resolutely to knit. Gathered around a coffee table with me were Ragga Sjofu Jóhannsdóttir, my instructor, and my friend Lindis Sloan, both experienced knitters who fluidly worked the yarn with barely a glance at their hands.

And then there was me, gripping the needles as I struggled to maintain the proper tension that would allow me to transform two skeins of local wool into something resembling a headband. My progress was excruciatingly slow, but a couple of hours in, a red ring of textile with pink diamonds was beginning to emerge.

Then Ragga noticed a mistake I had made in a previous row. Taking the needles, she began ripping out my hard-earned stitches. “If you can’t unravel,” she said with a jolly laugh, “you can’t knit.”

It was a counterintuitive way of spending a vacation in Iceland. Most people travel to the island nation for steamy soaks in the milky waters of the Blue Lagoon or nighttime treks to see the northern lights. But in a country with a deeply ingrained craft tradition, a climate conducive to sweaters, and about 10 times more sheep than people, knitting tourism is on the rise.

Hélène Magnusson is largely responsible for the development. Half-French, half-Icelandic, Ms. Magnussen is a pattern designer known for work that blends traditional Icelandic and modern styles. She also organizes tours that take a deep dive into Icelandic wool culture, including visits to sheep farms, spinning factories and dyeing studios. And because she is both a former hiking guide and a designer inspired by nature, her tours include an outdoor element like hiking or horse riding.

“Why would you come to Iceland and not move?” she said.

But at the core of the tours is the time set aside to sit somewhere cozy and knit. “Three or four hours a day together, knitting, you make some good friends,” Ms. Magnusson said.

A knitting paradise

Ms. Magnusson wasn’t offering tours when I was in Iceland, but she talked me through her itineraries so I could put together a D.I.Y. version. I invited Lindis, who is from Norway, another country that takes wool seriously.

Just how seriously Icelanders take it quickly became clear in Reykjavik, where at least one 24-hour grocery store stocks shelves of yarn for 2 a.m. knitting emergencies. A knit-goods paradise, the capital has plentiful yarn stores and outlets selling finished garments — from contemporary designers to secondhand stores where legions of ungrateful Icelanders consign the Christmas gifts their grandmothers have painstakingly crafted for them.

But the mecca for classic Icelandic sweaters is the Handknitting Association’s shop . With its floor-to-ceiling shelves crammed with fuzzy cardigans and pullovers, it is the embodiment of options paralysis, so I was grateful when Marta Makuchowska, who works there, helped me navigate it.

Ms. Makuchowska, who is from Poland, moved to Iceland to go to university, and ended up not only writing her thesis on the knitters’ cooperatives, but learning to knit “lopepeysa” — the typical Icelandic sweater made from thick, unspun yarn called lopi and knit with an intricate circular pattern at the yoke. “It was a good way to fit into Icelandic culture,” she explained.

A true Icelandic sweater must be handmade, and cooperatives like the Handknitting Association act as a guarantor of quality. Founded in the 1970s to increase the bargaining power of women supplementing the family income, the association requires potential members to audition (with a sweater) and ensures that their work meets strict criteria: It must be made with wool from Icelandic sheep, conform to approved patterns, and be knit in Iceland.

Learning the craft

Based on Ms. Magnusson’s advice, Lindis and I devised a plan: Drive north along the coast to Blönduós, home to the country’s main wool-washing facility and its only textile museum, then cut inland and return south, where there are a handful of wool-related cottage industries.

First, however, I had to learn to knit.

Which is where Ms. Sjofu Jóhannsdóttir came in. A retired schoolteacher, she holds four-day workshops for experienced knitters and shorter sessions for beginners. I was not a novice, but my technique is terrible, and I’m intimidated by anything more complicated than a purl stitch. I was counting on my Icelandic wool journey to help me overcome those obstacles.

Ms. Sjofu Jóhannsdóttir had firm ideas about technique but a warm pedagogic style gleaned from decades of teaching math and crafts (Icelandic children learn to knit in school). Starting me on that headband, she showed me how to cast on stitches, and how to unite them on round needles so that, in the typical Icelandic style, the finished garment would have no seams.

I found the work painstaking, and it was difficult to imagine that I would ever achieve the grace with which both she and Lindis were rapidly assembling sweaters. But I managed to reknit a row or two before the end of the workshop, and after a restorative lunch of Icelandic smoothie bowls, I promised my teacher I would keep trying.

Going north

The following day, Lindis and I headed north. In Bogarnes, we stopped at Ljómalind , a cooperative where brightly colored sweaters shared shelf space with jars of rhubarb jam, earrings carved from ram horns and a freezer full of lamb parts.

Later, near the white clapboard church of Hvanneyri, we found the Ullarselid cooperative . Inside, Hugrún Jóhannsdóttir, an avid knitter and Viking re-enactor (with the Runic tattoos to prove it), explained that the cooperative had been founded in 1992 to teach wool-working at the agricultural school, and “to prize women’s work.”

Inside, sweaters are shelved depending on whether the yarn is dyed or “sheep-colored.” Lindis gravitated to the yarn section, where I found her petting a skein of handspun longingly. “I get it,” Ms. Jóhannsdóttir said. “There’s a kind of witchcraft to textiles.”

When we reached Blönduós a couple of hours later, I found myself wondering if the hands that would have fit into the antique mittens on display at the Textile Museum didn’t suffer from another kind of bewitchment: They each had two thumbs. But no, explained the docent, these were Nordic fishermen’s mittens. If the palm got wet, the wearer could simply turn the mitten around and wear it from the other side.

Because shearing season was over, the Istex wool-washing facility, which cleans much of the country’s raw fleece, was closed. With nothing to do until dinner, we retired to the hotel bar, where we ordered wine and watched the steel-colored sea outside the windows for passing whales. When Lindis pulled out her needles, I surprised myself by doing the same. Suddenly, the notion of traveling halfway around the world to sit in a room and knit made a lot more sense.

Coaxing dyes from plants

We returned to the south the next day, and headed toward Selfoss. Our first stop was Hespa , a one-woman dyeing studio in Gudrún Bjarnadóttir’s home. We walked into her kitchen, where a not entirely pleasant aroma wafted from pots overflowing with yarn being steeped in various hues.

Ms. Bjarnadóttir, who also offers workshops, obtains her dyes from nature. As a graduate student researching the historic applications of wild plants in Iceland, she learned they were used to produce colors. “At that point,” she said, “I completely lost control.”

Today, that loss of control manifests itself in the astonishing array of shades she coaxes from plants, many indigenous. The lupine that carpets the countryside in summer yields a strong yellow. Lichen, which Ms. Bjarnadóttir has a permit to forage from a location she keeps secret, produces a range of browns. Green requires extra intervention: The dyer must add copper — a penny or a bit of wire — to get moss’s colors to stay. The excess onion skins the local supermarket saves for her produces yellows and rust. “I dye with the same process as people did in the old days, but with better equipment,” Ms. Bjarnedottir said.

Better, and less stinky. To get the ammonia needed to fix colors, Icelanders traditionally used aged cow urine. “You would need 40 gallons at a time, so they used to tickle the cows to get them to pee,” she said. “Then you had to let it age for three weeks.”

A slow process

The theme of time kept popping up. Wool-working might be a cornerstone of Icelandic culture, and handcrafted textiles might remain an important export, but the vast amount of time required to produce a handmade knit means that the people — mostly women — who produce the work cannot earn enough to ever have it be more than a hobby.

At the Thingborg cooperative, an adult lopi sweater, handmade by one of its 65 knitters, sells for around $250, of which the knitter gets 60 percent. It will have taken her anywhere from 14 to 25 hours to create, and she must buy her own yarn.

“You could knit all day long and would earn wages that are not even close to being legal,” Magret Jonsdottir, who runs Thingborg, said. Some cooperatives have petitioned the Icelandic government to exempt handcrafted textiles from the value-added tax.

You start with the sheep

We had one more stop. At Uppspuni , Hulda Brynjólfsdóttir and her husband, Tyrfingur Sveinsson, process wool from their own sheep into yarn. It is the sheep, Ms. Brynjólfsdóttir explained, that make Icelandic wool so special. The short-legged breed has a double coat, with coarse outer strands that repel water, and a fluffy inner fleece that makes it especially warm. “We always say that the production of our yarn starts when we decide which ewe to breed with which ram,” she said.

From the knitters to the dyers to the millers to the sheep: At each stop it felt as if we were pulling out one layer of Icelandic tradition to reveal the next. By this point in our journey, Lindis had finished her own lopapeysa, knocked out a pair of baby booties and was a third of the way through a navy pullover. I still hadn’t quite finished my slightly lumpy headband.

But when Ms. Brynjólfsdóttir led us upstairs to the small shop where Uppspuni sells its yarns, I decided it was time to commit. I bought a pattern, needles and several skeins of sheep-colored yarn. I might not be a skilled knitter yet, I told myself, but I knew how to unravel.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Lima, Peru : The city, with its decade-long dining boom , now holds three places on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, as many chefs embrace Indigenous Andean and Amazonian ingredients in the seafood.

Kyoto, Japan :  The Japanese city is famous for its temples and gardens, but it is laced with waterways  that can offer a different, and no less enchanting, view.

Marseille, France :  Get the full flavor of France’s second-largest city through its favorite street food — pizza  — whether it’s topped with raw garlic, sweet Corsican sausage, Emmental cheese or anchovies.

Rafting in Montana :  On a family trip in Montana, a father shares a tradition with his two sons  even as climate change threatens the certainty of the rivers he grew up running.

Advertisement