Ways to reduce Business Travel Expenses for Small Businesses

Business Travel Management CompanyHave you noticed that your business travel expenses keep on increasing? Don’t blame your employees. The fact is that the cost of corporate travel continues to increase, with flights, hotels and rental cars all costing more in 2017. Finding more money to fund that travel can be a headache, but don’t despair, there are ways to reduce business travel expenses for small businesses:

Use Help to Book Travel

Booking in advance is the best way for individuals to save money, but that doesn’t always work in business travel. Frequently, business travelers may only have a few days notice. So how can you get good rates? If you use a travel consultant to help you get tickets for airlines and hotels, you have the advantage of:

  • Best prices for last-minute travel.
  • Better flight deals than are offered online to the general public.
  • More opportunities to change plans without penalty.
  • Help in re-scheduling flights and keeping change fees low.
  • Assistance in emergencies 24/7.

Give Support to International Business Travelers

International business travelers have the challenges of keeping track of currencies and finding safe but inexpensive in-country transportation. With a global network of support worldwide, GTI corporate travel agents can help travelers make good decisions ahead of time, or provide help on the go for things like:

  • Exchange rates.
  • Where to get local currency.
  • How to get something they forgot to bring.
  • How to mail packages.
  • Locating safe places to eat and stay.
  • Knowing when and how much to tip.

Don’t Assume the Unexpected Won’t Happen

The truth is that the biggest expenses often come from the unexpected changes of plans or the need to book a hotel in a busy period. Here is the unexpected that you should expect:

  • Lost luggage.
  • Plane delays.
  • Accident with a rental car.
  • No hotel rooms available.
  • Medical emergency.

Using an experienced travel consultant company for all your booking needs means that you aren’t forced to pay a premium for those changes and emergencies and you don’t have to book ahead to get good deals. With GTI, your business traveler will be able to access a live person to help them at any hour of the day or night, no matter how small or large their problem may be.

Use Travel Management Services

Does your company have a travel management plan? Do you have a system that tracks employee compliance and adjusts the plan to make it more efficient? If not, you may be wasting money. GTI small business travel travel management services can help you by:

  • Helping you evaluate and set effective travel management policies.
  • Assisting you in setting up a system to analyze employee compliance.
  • Setting up a way to evaluate and adjust your policies.

Don’t Cut Down on Travel

Remember that even though the cost of business travel is going up, research shows that each $1.00 spent on business travel results in a $2.90 profit increase for companies. Moreover, that same $1.00 increases revenue by a whopping $9.50. So cutting back is not the solution, spending smarter is. Let GTI Corporate travel agents make sure you get the most from your business travel dollars.