You’ve just come back from the best trip of your life, it wasn’t the Azores islands nor was it a hop over to Jamaica, it was Brunswick in Germany and it secured a deal for your business that will secure the future of you and your employees.
This is a great feeling and should stay that way so what has made it feel remorseful, the usual expenses sheet, the amount you output seems to almost diminish what you went for in the first place, common place for business travel so next time slash that business travel by using some of the following,
- Timed travel, the meeting is definitely happening with the potential client and it is one of the most important ones you could have however they have introduced the idea of assessing everything over a couple of weeks and they need you with them to do this, this will cost a lot so instead suggest a series of online meetings beforehand to minimise the length of stay and maximise the people time whilst you are there.
- Claim it, systematically go through your travel expenses and see where you can claim it back, whether it be the mileage on a car that you use only for business(Slap the name of your company on the side and you can claim even more) or it be the fact that entertainment expenses can’t be claimed but late night meals abroad can be. Claiming back can keep your running costs at a manageable level and also make your travelling employees happier.
- Approval needed, you should trust your staff because they are great at running the company with you however their own management of travel expensing, as it can be confused with personal travel or holiday spending, may leave a lot to be desired. If there is an approval process in place then you will minimise spending or at least minimise shock.
- Good job, reward yourself, your employees and the trusted companies that you travel with by having incentives both in and out of house. A number of airlines have reward systems for corporate travellers, hotel chains and restaurants have these too so take advantage. Staff member will be rewarded with the special feeling they get on the other side of the world with their discounts.
- On the ground, getting to and from airports can be the largest cost of the whole trip so when looking at this either use the same taxi company to get your employees to and from, express train and bus services or if it is an absolute necessity to hire a car use a comparison site like Enjoy Car Hire to guarantee your best rate at your approved destination.
