Keeping Business Travel Costs within Budget

With the weak economy, businesses are going crazy trying to keep their overhead costs down. One of the things that most companies cut back on is business travels, mainly because of the increases in ticket prices and other travel-related expenses. Of course, cutting back on business trips can greatly affect your company’s productivity. So instead of canceling travels, you should just make sure that you stay within your budget.

  1. Book and buy ahead. As the oldest tip in the book, you should make sure that you purchase plane tickets weeks, if not, months in advance, to enjoy the lowest rates. If needed, shop and compare prices so that you can be sure that you are getting the most reasonably-priced tickets.
  2. Travel lightly. Another helpful tip that could save you considerable savings is checking in as few travel bags as possible. If possible, just bring a carry-on. This will not only save you money in surcharges but will also prevent you from suffering from the inconvenience of lost luggage.
  3. Coordinate transportation and hotel accommodation. If several of your employees are traveling, make sure that they travel on the same flight, ride the same rental car or taxi and stay at the same room. You will surely stay within your budget if you choose to go with practical options like this.
  4. Pick the right season. For company outings or meetings, you should make sure that you go to your destination of choice during its off peak season. If not, you will have to accept the super high rates of both irfare and hotel rooms as well as the large crowds.
  5. Confirm travel plans before booking. Most airlines charge up to $150 if you want to change your flight. You should make sure that your travel plans are set in stone in order to avoid wasting money.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 5:00 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Keeping Business Travel Costs within Budget”

  1. Mark Walker Says:
    November 3rd, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    One way to save on business travel is to use an off-airport parking facility that offers discounts and freebies to frequent travelers- i.e. business travelers. In Denver, we offer 25% off our already low rates, for signing up your company and (all) your business travelers. In our case, we offer both covered and uncovered parking, door-to-door shuttles every five minutes and assistance with inflating tires/jumping dead batteries. Check us out if you are based in Colorado, or run a Google search for your local providers. Good luck!