Personal travel allows people to visit friends and family, explore other places and cultures and experience freedom and personal growth. While some business travel also provides some of the same experiences, the motivation for the business traveler is primary attending a business event rather than touring. Here are some other ways business travel is different from personal travel:
Corporate Needs Determine Travel
When you travel for pleasure, you can create your own itinerary and interests in traveling. Business traveling, on the other hand, is determined by company guidelines about whether the trip is revenue-generating. If the outcomes of the trip can be achieved by other means, the company may decide the travel isn’t necessary. Travel management companies can help a corporation evaluate their company guidelines about travel to determine whether they are effectively using travel to increase business.
Business Travelers Must Follow Company Travel Policies
While some companies allow business travelers to book their own flights and accommodations as they would for personal travel, business travelers still need to follow company policies about travel. Corporate travel agents can ensure that company travel policy dictates are followed correctly and eliminate the need for travelers to spend additional time at the end of a trip filing extensive business expense reports.
Business Travel is More Complicated
Because a business traveler often has a short trip with specific deadlines of when they need to arrive at destinations ready to work, planning business travel is more involved. Business travel agents are more experienced at planning this sort of travel than the individual who usually plans only leisure trips or goes with a tour group. In addition, business travel agents can save your corporation money because:
- They have access to a network of travel providers and discounts that are not available to individuals.
- A professional travel management company can ensure that a business has thoroughly reviewed their travel policies for efficiency and cost-savings.
Company Responsible for Business Traveler Safety
A leisure traveler is responsible for their own safety, but companies are responsible for the safety of their business travelers. Corporations need to consider the possibility that:
- Trip interruptions can cause travelers to miss business meetings.
- Flight delays can leave travelers stranded.
- Businesses will need to find assistance for their travelers when they lose luggage or have problems with accommodations.
Help in Planning Travel is Cost Effective
You might save money planning your own personal travel but getting help from a travel management company like GTI Travel is cost effective for companies because they:
- Offer 24/7 personal assistance to travelers needing help.
- Arrange new flight when one is canceled.
- Have offices around the world.
- Provide supplies to a traveler whose luggage is lost or delayed.
- Make sure accommodations are safe and within easy travel distance from business meetings.
- Arrange for help in medical emergencies.
Corporate travel may also be something that the traveler enjoys but can also cause a lot of stress. Choosing to have a corporate travel agent arrange the travel can create a better travel experience for the traveler as well as making travel expenses more profitable for the company.
