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Company Travel Policy

A company travel policy is designed to outline a business's travel arrangement procedures and guidelines, stipulating which travel expenses are paid for by the company and how to manage the reimbursement process. A company travel policy should include a purpose statement, scope, authorization and reimbursement section, and travel arrangement processes.

Creating a detailed company travel policy will help ensure all business trips run smoothly, are secured ahead of time, and adhere to all company requirements.

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Company Travel Policy - Free Template

Download this company travel policy template in Microsoft Word format.

Company Travel Policy Template:

Introduction..

When employees travel for company-related purposes, it is [ company name's ] responsibility to provide safe and reliable travel arrangements. This company travel policy serves to clarify the conditions and parameters of a company-paid trip.

The purpose of this company travel policy is to (a) outline the authorization and reimbursement process for travel arrangements and expenses; (b) list the company-paid travel expenses; and (c) establish protocols that oversee the travel arrangement process.

This company travel policy is applicable to all employees under contract at [ company name ], including paid interns, contractors, as well as seasonal, part-time, and full-time employees. [ Company name ] sees traveling out of the city, state, and/or country as a fully-paid business trip, as well as one-day trips that are [ number of hours ] hours away from the office.

Authorization and Reimbursements.

All company travel arrangements must be authorized by senior employees at least [ number of weeks/months ] before the expected travel date, depending on the circumstances and the required travel arrangement time period. Employees are not permitted to authorize their own travel arrangements.

Employees are expected to submit a Travel Expense Report at least [ number of days/weeks ] after the first business day back at work. On the Travel Expense Report, employees must include all company-paid expenses and personal expenses. The finance department is responsible for examining the Travel Expense Report and finalizing reimbursement payments.

Travel Arrangement:

All travel arrangements must be reserved at least [ number of weeks ] weeks before the travel date. The finance department is responsible for the booking and payment of all transportation, accommodation, and travel-related expenses.

Travel Expenses.

[ Company name ] employees are entitled to a company-paid travel ticket for any means of transportation the employee(s) require, including a [ type of class ] return plane, boat, train, and/or coach ticket, [ number of meals ] meals, and [ number of luggage ] luggage. While traveling, employees will be able to use a company-paid taxi service from and to the airport, hotel, and business location. If an employee wishes to travel for personal reasons, they will be financially responsible for the travel fare.

Accommodation.

[ Company name ] employees are permitted to stay in a [ number of stars ][ type of accommodation ] while traveling for company purposes. The finance manager is responsible for securing the [ type of accommodation ] room and paying for an employee's stay.

Other Expenses.

[ Company employees ] will be reimbursed for [ number of meals ] lunch(s) and [ number of meals ] dinner(s) for a maximum of [ $/meal amount ] per meal. If an employee is hosting a client of [ company name ], the entire meal will be reimbursed. In addition, if an employee requires a meeting, boardroom, or conference room while traveling, [ company name ] will book the room and make payment.

Personal Travel.

[ Company name ] will not be financially responsible for any personal expenses and travel arrangements. If an employee chooses to travel with a partner, [ company name ] is not responsible for their partner's accommodation, leisure, and/or travel expenses. An employee is required to submit this information on the Travel Expense Report and produce payslips for their expenses only.

International Travel.

If employees are required to travel out of the country for business, [ company name ] is financially responsible for all travel arrangements, including accommodation, transportation, visas, travel insurance, and medical expenses. International business trips must be authorized at least [ number of months ] months before the expected travel date. The finance department is required to submit a Travel Expense Report before and after the trip. Both reports must be signed off by at least two senior officials before and after the trip.

More Policies:

• Bereavement Leave Policy.
• Cell Phone Policy.
• Company Credit Card Policy.
• Company Travel Policy.
• Company Vehicle Policy.
• Conflict of Interest Policy.
• Cyber Security Policy.
• Dress Code Policy.
• Paid Time Off Policy.
• Social Media Policy.
• Telecommuting Policy.
• Overtime Policy.
• Attendance Policy.
• Expense Reimbursement Policy.
• Sexual Harassment Policy.
• Remote Work Policy.

Company Credit Card Policy

What should be included in a travel policy?

• Introduction .
• Purpose statement .
• Authorization and reimbursements .
• Travel arrangement (both business-related and personal) .

What is corporate travel policy?

A corporate travel policy is a formal document that details the procedures and rules of business-related trips. The policy mainly focuses on the arrangements, expenses, and authorization processes.

How do you write a travel expense policy?

Use our free, customizable company travel policy template in Word format.

What is a travel and expense policy?

A travel and expense policy is an alternative name for a company travel policy, which outlines the travel arrangements and expenses required on a company-paid business trip.

Related Articles:

Employee handbook, expense reimbursement form, conflict of interest policy, code of ethics, professional code of conduct.

Company Travel Policy: The Complete Guide + A Free Template

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Traveling on business has become the norm in our busy, work-oriented society, and so is a company travel policy with this trend.

Despite all the technological advancements, getting a chance to talk to clients face to face or pitch a business project in person still beats sometimes messy communications apps. 

Since travel is neither cheap nor easy, it's best to set clear expectations and rules ahead of time. A company travel policy will outline the procedures for employees on company-paid trips to avoid any issues that might arise in the process.

Our comprehensive guide to company travel policies will give you an idea about the kind of information and provisions the Policy should include. 

We'll also provide you with a free template that you can use to quickly deploy a company travel policy of your own.

What Is Travel Policy?

A company travel policy, also known as a corporate travel policy, is an  internal document that outlines how business-related expenses are handled within the company . 

It covers everything from defining what a business-related expense is and isn't to how to remain safe if traveling alone and everything in between. Most importantly, it makes it clear who's in charge of approving expenses and reimbursements and who takes care of the actual booking.

Among other things, a travel policy can include:

• Booking responsibilities and the choice of company-approved travel agencies
• Total budget (lodging, travel, daily meals, etc.)
• Company-paid and out-of-pocket expenses
• The approval process and the person in charge of it
• The approval of reimbursements
• Preferred company vendors and partners
• Travel debriefing process
• Travel insurance carrier
• Exceptions to rules for any reason

As you can see, a travel policy is about much more than just saying whether an employee can fly business or not.  Instead, a corporate travel policy is about foreseeing all the situations that can arise from business trips and staying on top of them .

Why Do Companies Need a Travel Policy?

Streamlining processes saves companies a lot of time and money in the long run. Be it onboarding new employees, paying out bonuses, or organizing business trips,  having a system in place will make the process more efficient and reliable .

More importantly, rules and  policies protect both parties from unexpected events and expenses  that could arise from misunderstandings.

A travel policy will help employees manage both business and personal expenses more reliably while also giving them the freedom to book and organize trips how they please.

When employees have strict guidelines, they'll always know what's coming out of their pocket and what expenses the company will incur. 

On the other hand, companies will reduce unnecessary overheads by making it clear what is reimbursable and what isn't. An employee on a business trip with a business card in their wallet can quickly lose sight of the purchases they're making. Your Policy should clearly say what the limit to such expenditures is and draw a line.

A company travel policy will also contribute to fairness and positive company culture as there will be the same set of rules that applies to everyone.

Approving and reimbursing expenses won't be left to the whims of individuals — instead, everyone will abide by the same guidelines.

Another important point needs to be clarified when we're talking about company travel policy. What exactly falls under the category of business travel? We'll address that issue in the section below.

What Counts as Traveling on Business?

Any international or domestic journey that the employee undertakes for the company constitutes traveling on business .

In some cases, companies might try and define what a business trip is depending on the distance that the employee has to travel, but in essence, it should all fall under traveling on business.

It shouldn't matter whether a company is reimbursing its employee for just a bit of gas or a transoceanic flight — if the employee was traveling at the company's behest, all their expenses should be covered.

Of course, this goes only for the expenses mentioned in a company travel policy, which is yet another reason to have such a document in the first place.

How Do You Write a Business Travel Policy?

Now that we've gotten the "what" and "why" out of the way, it's time to address a frequent question:  how do you write a business travel policy?

Writing any Policy can feel daunting since there is a lot to cover and keep in mind. We'll help you write an effective travel policy, step by step. First and most importantly - let's see what you need to include in this document.

What Should Be Included in a Travel Policy?

When you want to create a company travel policy for employees, it's important to include information they really need. For example,  reimbursement is vital for your team , so it should be properly addressed. 

Your employees need to understand what they can get reimbursed for and how to claim those expenses. The reimbursement procedure must be a part of a comprehensive corporate travel policy.

And, of course,  safety is a crucial component  of travel policy for companies. You want this document to have value for your team and to add a layer of protection, so it needs to include travel insurance and emergency procedures too. This is especially important nowadays, given the fact that both Coronavirus and Monkeypox are circulating the globe. 

The list below will give you an idea of the basics that are usually included in the company travel policy for employees:

• The introductory part  that explains what will the travel policy cover and why it is important for the employees
• The travel booking procedure  and business travel booking tool - are both approved by you. This section should also contain exact timeframes for booking and approvals
• Expense categories  include details on what's reimbursable in each one. Your Policy should clearly state whether items like meal expenses are included. 
• Non-reimbursable purchases . This part of the travel policy is important, as it cites what isn't covered and therefore must be paid by the employee if they want it.
• Expense reports and reimbursement requests  - how to submit them
• Travel support and emergency procedures , including travel insurance and duty of care vendors 

These are the essential elements that are usually listed in a corporate travel policy. Still, you are free to expand it or tailor it in any other way, so it suits your business needs.

Pro tip:  Before you make your corporate travel policy official, reach out to one or more frequent travelers for feedback. They'll be able to fill any gaps and assess whether it's clear and to the point.

Avoid Common Company Travel Policy Mistakes

The most frequent mistake companies make when creating their travel policies is making the document  too challenging to understand . This means that the Policy is either too loosely and unprofessionally written or that it's too strict and bureaucratic.

Both of these extremes make understanding travel policies unlikely.

Give your policy structure and decide on a tone of voice you'd like to use throughout the document. Then, try to be as consistent as you possibly can. The tone can be serious and official, but it doesn't have to be robotic. If your employees need a lawyer to make heads or tails of your Policy, you haven't done a good job.

Another common mistake is  not using technology to your full advantage .  Tracking mileage , employee expenses, and  their location  and then aggregating that data can help you manage travel budgets accordingly. Without tech-based solutions, you'll have to record every receipt and every tiny detail of the employee's trip. It's time-consuming, ineffective, and annoying at best.

Read our article on the best GPS employee tracker apps and find out which solution is right for your business.

Get Your Free Company Travel Policy Template Now

Now that you've learned how to create an effective and comprehensive corporate travel policy, we'll provide you with more guidance on the matter:  a sample company travel policy for employees in a PDF format . You can download and print it or use it as a foundation for your internal document.

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What is a travel policy.

A travel policy serves as a comprehensive set of guidelines and rules that govern the travel-related activities of individuals or organizations. It provides a framework to ensure consistency, efficiency, and compliance when it comes to planning, booking, and managing travel arrangements.

Purpose and Usage of a Travel Policy

A travel policy is widely used by companies, government agencies, and organizations to achieve the following objectives:

1. Cost Control

A travel policy helps organizations manage travel expenses effectively by setting limits, enforcing budgetary restrictions, and promoting cost-saving practices. It provides guidelines for allowable expenses, per diem rates, reimbursement procedures, and expense reporting, ultimately controlling costs and optimizing travel budgets.

2. Travel Safety and Security

Travel policies prioritize the safety and security of travelers. They include guidelines for selecting safe accommodations, using reputable transportation providers, and obtaining travel insurance. Additionally, travel policies often outline protocols for emergency situations, ensuring the well-being of employees during travel.

3. Compliance with Regulations and Policies

Travel policies ensure that travelers adhere to relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies. They provide guidance on travel-related regulations, such as export controls, visa requirements, or government-imposed travel restrictions. Internal policies, such as ethical guidelines and codes of conduct, are also integrated into travel policies.

4. Streamlined Processes

By establishing clear guidelines, a travel policy streamlines the travel planning and booking process. It defines approved booking procedures, outlines the required approval processes, and specifies the responsible parties. This streamlining of processes enhances efficiency, reduces administrative burdens, and optimizes overall travel management within the organization.

Benefits of Implementing a Travel Policy

Implementing and enforcing a travel policy yields several benefits, including:

• Cost Control : Travel policies help manage travel expenses, enforce budgetary restrictions, and promote cost-saving practices, ultimately optimizing travel budgets.
• Risk Management : By including safety and security measures, travel policies mitigate risks associated with business travel, ensuring the well-being of employees and reducing the organization's liability.
• Compliance and Governance : Travel policies ensure adherence to relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies, promoting transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct in travel-related activities.
• Streamlined Processes : Clear guidelines provided by travel policies streamline the travel planning and booking process, improving efficiency, reducing administrative burdens, and enhancing overall travel management.

In conclusion, a travel policy plays a vital role in regulating and managing travel-related activities effectively. It establishes guidelines for cost control, travel safety, compliance with regulations, and streamlined processes. By adhering to a travel policy, organizations and individuals benefit from improved travel experiences, increased compliance, and optimized resource allocation.

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Building a better travel and expense (T&E) policy: step by step 

A travel and expense policy (T&E) is a dynamic set of rules regulating how employees book travel. From setting budgets on flights and accommodations to standardizing the process for expense reports, your T&E should answer any (and all) questions about company travel, so you don’t have to. 

But whatever the scope of your policy, its main purpose is to control spending. Defining specific guidelines makes it much easier to predict how much individual travelers will spend – and determine if you need to get that number down.  

Plus, with a corporate travel expense policy in place, there’s no room for ambiguity. An expense is either authorized, or it’s not. Say bye-bye fraud. 

What happens without a T&E policy? 

Let’s just say, what can go wrong, will probably go wrong.  

At the end of the day, a travel and expenses policy aims to streamline business processes, save costs, and eliminate fraud. If these factors go unaddressed, you leave yourself vulnerable to:  

• Overspending due to hidden costs if expenses are not under constant supervision. 
• Expense reports arriving late or without essential information if employees are unaware or unsure of specific guidelines. 
• A rise in fraudulent expense claims in the form of duplicate, exaggerated, and misreported business expense claims. 
• Without guidelines, fraudulent behavior cannot be controlled or addressed, and, therefore, encouraged further. 
• Without a fixed way of recording and storing expense data, you’re left with no insights into spending trends and patterns.    

T&E is not one-size-fits-all 

No two companies are the same, so naturally, not every company’s travel and expense policy is going to look the same. For example, some companies will need to reimburse incidentals, but that won’t really apply for others. Some provide per diem allowances while others only reimburse actual expenses. You get the picture. 

The key to creating an effective and dynamic travel expense policy is to first figure out your organization’s specific needs from a control and spend perspective. And to figure out what you need, you’ll need to analyze your current expenses. Here’s some key factors to consider:  

• How much does an average business trip cost? 
• What percentage of your employee’s travel? 
• How often do they travel? To where? 
• What is your return-on-investment (ROI)? This can be easy or difficult to measure depending on the nature of the trips.  

(Pssst! All that data sound like a daunting task? Don’t worry – travel management software   can make this process so much easier. 

Defining the scope of your T&E policy 

Now that you know what you need, it’s time to set your guidelines.  

Keep in mind: T&E policies are meant to manage and regulate the process for submitting an expense report. As you create it, here are a few expense categories to keep in mind:   

1) Transportation 

Transportation expenses can include airfare, train or bus tickets, car rentals, and taxi or ride-sharing services. A comprehensive travel and expense policy should clearly state which modes of transportation are allowed and what limits are in place for each. 

For example, team members may be allowed to rent a car for up to a certain cost per-day or only use a ride-sharing service for trips under a certain distance. Are your employees flying first or business class? The policy should clearly state which class of flight bookings will be applicable for reimbursements.  

2) Lodging 

Accommodations are another important aspect of business travel. The policy should state the hotels or hotel chains your employees are allowed to stay and what the maximum per-night rate is – and be sure to consider the discounted rates your travel management company  can offer you. 

If hotels aren’t being booked through your travel booking software or dedicated travel consultant, make sure you drive travelers to your preferred booking solution. This way you can define capping amounts for hotel bookings and are not overpaying for hotels or other accommodations. 

3) Meals and Per Diems 

When defining a corporate travel expense policy, remember not to overlook meals and incidentals. The per diem – also known as a subsistence allowance – should cover these expenses, including meals, snacks, incidentals (such as laundry or tips), and even entertainment expenses. It should also provide guidance on what types of meals are covered and what limits are in place. 

For example, employees may be allowed to expense a certain amount for lunch and dinner, but not breakfast or alcoholic beverages. Most importantly, set clear boundaries not to mingle personal and business expenses. So even though your policy does cover a few drinks with clients during a sales pitch, team members shouldn’t use it as an excuse to turn up at happy hour on the company dime. 

4) Corporate credit card expenses 

These cards are typically issued to employees who frequently travel for business, allowing them to charge expenses directly to your company. Not every organization implements corporate credit cards for travel, but if you’re one of the companies that do, you’ll need to lay some ground rules.  

The expense policy should outline what types of expenses are allowed to be charged to the card (like airfare, hotel rooms, and meals), who can use one, and what limits are in place. Just as with per diems, discourage employees from using this card for non-business purposes by emphasizing the consequences for violating policy.   

Creating an effective T&E policy 

Every organization requires rules and regulations to perform its day-to-day operations smoothly. As such, you’ll need to think beyond the basics and deeply consider the current state of your travel expenses. 

A well-written and well-communicated travel and expense policy streamlines travel expense management for the company and simplifies the employee process. 

And trust us: you don’t want to get stuck scrambling for receipts when employees return from a training event or leave them in the dark while waiting for expense reimbursements (talk about a hit to employee morale). 

But the work doesn’t end after successfully writing your first draft. Like any operation, an efficient T&E policy is enforced and consistently refined.  

Communicate your policy to your employees. And if they try to claim excess reimbursement? Stand by your policy. Afterall, it’s there for a reason. 

If your policy says it won’t pay for extra luggage fees, don’t pay them. If it sets a maximum mileage rate, don’t pay above that. The easier you make it to comply, the more your employees will guide themselves. 

Phew – that was a lot. If the thought of building a business travel expense policy for your organization from scratch has you running for the nearest exit, don’t fret. Check out our travel policy  template  to guide the first draft of your policy.  

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7 corporate travel policy templates to help you define.

Sajit Chacko Co-Founder

A corporate travel policy template can be a valuable tool to help companies define their policies and ensure that all employees are compliant with the company’s expectations. With a template, companies can quickly create a customized document that will ensure their travel policy meets all legal requirements as well as any other specific needs of the business.

For a business to implement a trip, it must first select and purchase the most economically viable choices for flights and accommodations. Apart from flight tickets and stay, incidental expenses commonly include trip aspects such as food, gifts to customers, newspapers, laundry services, value-added hotel services, dining charges, events tickets, local commutes, room service, and long-distance calls. 

By 2022, global corporate travel spending was expected to amount to over US $930 billion, emphasizing how expensive it can be to secure these expenses and successfully conduct a feasible business trip. 

Additionally, it is worth noting that planning and implementing these trips through traditional expense management systems makes it more expensive, tedious, and time-consuming than it needs to be. Due to the lack of transparency and restrictions of these systems, it is often a challenge for companies to track these non-budgeted expenses until post-trip reconciliation. 

By this time, it’s too late, and the employee already charges the costs to the enterprise. For a company to maintain a trip’s economic feasibility, it is crucial to establish the appropriate cost-cutting measures well before the trip’s planning phase takes place.

A well-written company travel policy can be instrumental in achieving this by providing businesses and travel stakeholders the means to reduce, streamline and curb associated corporate travel costs.

Studying the approaches leading organizations have taken to address their corporate travel and employee needs is an excellent way for aspiring businesses to devise their corporate travel strategies. 

Make sure to emphasize the perks of following your policy for travelers, like keeping them safe and providing support, so they understand why it’s important.

This article aims to provide businesses with seven market-tested robust templates that they may leverage as inspiration to create a winning corporate travel policy. 

Before you begin, it is essential to understand what a business travel policy is and what it can help your business achieve.

What is a corporate travel policy?

A business’s travel policy is a set of regulations and parameters set by business leaders to effectively manage travel bookings and expenditures when employees travel to visit partners, sites, prospects, clients, colleagues, and conferences. 

This crucial document contains information on the extent of expense coverage and considerations that travelers must follow when making flights, accommodation bookings, and incidental expenses during all travel phases. 

For an employee to secure timely T&E reimbursements, it is an absolute must to abide by the rules and guidelines this policy sets.

Best Corporate Travel Policy Templates

To help you understand these policies better, let us take a look at seven well-established organizations and their take on corporate travel:

Netflix, the world-renowned streaming platform’s travel policy, is a reflection of its organizational work culture and merely states, ‘Act in Netflix’s best interest .’ These five worded simplistic travel policies provide employees an elevated level of freedom, control, and responsibility over planning and implementing their corporate travel than most other companies. 

Instead of restricting employees with a stringent corporate travel policy, Netflix enables its employees to make their own travel decisions how they see fit as long as they conduct themselves in the company’s best interest and continue to drive value to the organization. Employees are free to take vacations without restrictions on the number of days a year. 

The goal here is to give employees the freedom to use their best judgment and make wise decisions by understanding the context of what management considers appropriate and inappropriate without imposing strict guidelines. 

This policy is enforced by a lead-by-example approach where Netflix’s leadership takes vacations that are also productive for the company.  

Although this famous policy may not be suitable for all organizational types, it is still worth studying to gauge if any aspects of it may benefit you.

While Basecamp’s policy follows a similar approach to Netflix’s, it is not nearly as simple. Basecamp instead takes it one step further by providing all employees with an American Express card that they can use without restrictions or approvals. 

The only criterion this highly trust-based approach expects from its employees is to be reasonable regarding the expenses they charge to the company account. It is a tricky system for businesses to implement as it requires high transparency of documented transactions for finance departments to ensure that expenses are justifiable. 

Basecamp additionally offers its employees perks such as monthly capital allowances for recreational and fitness activities such as massages, yoga, and gyms. 

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) follows a traditional travel policy that provides its employees with informative and simplistic documentation of its policy coverage. This travel policy provides guidelines on all travel categories and transparent information on what expenses qualify for reimbursements. 

Being a sustainable corporate travel policy, it encourages employees to prioritize public transport, preferably rail, to reduce the company’s environmental impact. The expense policy also dictates using communication tools such as Telepresence, Skype, and other video conferencing options as an alternative means to conduct business to travel whenever possible. 

When air travel is unavoidable, the expense policy asks employees to make all flight bookings through BBC Travel & Delivery. The policy also requires travelers to obtain formal pre-approvals from the Divisional Finance Director for all bookings. 

If group bookings exceed ten travelers, the tickets must be procured well in advance with the BBC’s preferred suppliers and vendors. The company allows personal travel to be combined with business travel only if it reduces the cost of travel to the company.

Employees must book the lowest-priced economy-class tickets regardless of the airline. Travelers may book premium economy tickets if their flight duration exceeds six hours and are expected to work immediately upon arrival. 

Business-class tickets are reserved only for employees that have to travel over eight hours and are required to work immediately upon arrival. First-class tickets are entirely out of the question for employees and not covered under the company’s travel policy without any exceptions. 

The company vigorously enforces these rules and carefully monitors upgraded tickets. Employees are encouraged to stay in private accommodations, for which they can claim £20 per day, including food. Employees can claim reimbursement of incidental expenses such as personal calls and basic laundry when their official stay duration exceeds seven nights.

The expense policy for meals states that employees may claim up to a contribution of £6 per meal inclusive of taxes within working hours and £16 for any meals for work conducted after 8 pm. Employees must produce receipts for every meal and detail them individually in the Concur claim form. 

The BBC also allows employees to visit theatres and other cultural locations, provided they can assess talent and generate potentially lucrative ideas for the company. 

In such instances, the employee may purchase a single ticket reserved for themselves. They must also provide appropriate reasoning for their visit in the claims form to get reimbursed. 

For local commutes, the BBC’s corporate travel dictates that the usage of cabs is permissible only for business purposes if it is the cheapest available mode of transport. When such a requirement arises, the ride cost should not exceed £100, including all waiting time, booking fees, trip costs, and miscellaneous costs, unless it is the cheapest transportation option available. 

Employees traveling by cab must prove that they are commuting for work by filling out a passenger declaration form. When a cab ride for official work exceeds a distance of forty miles, the company will deduct it from the employee’s salary.

If it is the cheapest option, employees may engage in personal commuting for official business purposes. Their travel policy allows employees to acquire reimbursements for any fuel consumed during the commute, provided the traveler submits the appropriate receipts to the company detailing the business purpose of the journey. 

The BBC also allows employees to submit claims for car parking and toll costs as long as they are reasonable and if they occurred while conducting official business.

Federal Express, a global air freight network, provides reliable, prompt, time-definite delivery to over 200 countries and territories around the globe. As an international company that conducts its operations in numerous geographical locations, it formulated an iron-clad corporate travel and expense policy template that leaves no room for doubt for its employees on its coverage. 

All business travel ticketing, including airline tickets, rail tickets, hotels, and rental cars, must be booked through FedEx’s authorized travel agency or tools. Traveling employees are permitted to use only economy class, although travelers are allowed to use Business-class if the total travel time exceeds six hours. 

Flying First-class is reserved only for the company’s President and Vice Presidents.

FedEx Corporation has a preapproved list of hotels offering discounted corporate rates for their traveling employees across the globe. Employees may book a stay at a non-preferred hotel only when preferred hotels are busy or unavailable.

The corporate policy dictates that all employees must use the least expensive transportation option available such as public transportation, free shuttles, or personal vehicles, with the use of rental cars reserved only when it is cheaper than public transport and economically viable. 

Upon using a rental car, travelers must utilize it optimally with other team members to reduce the overall transportation cost to the company. Upon trip completion, the original receipts and rental agreements must be submitted to the finance team at FedEx for approval. 

Its corporate policy requires employees to carefully retain all receipts and submit expense reports trip-wise or weekly basis. FedEx remains clear that non-adherence to its corporate policy can lead to employee termination, depending on the circumstance. 

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College’s corporate policy template is a comprehensive document that clearly defines all allowed and disallowed expenses to keep employees clear on their expense limitations. 

It details the penalties one might face when one fails to abide by the policy. It may not be a simple playbook, but it was designed specifically for the educational institution and its employees. 

Dartmouth College recommends that all traveling employees who travel at least once a year obtain a corporate card for their travel expenses. Its policy dictates that employees book airway tickets through the Dartmouth travel portal. 

Employees not possessing a corporate card may acquire advances to cover incidental costs for a maximum daily limit of US$50 as long as they provide a valid justification for it accompanied by proper receipts. These advances must be requested at least ten business days from the travel date and under no circumstances should be used to cover personal expenses or activities. 

Non-compliance or abusing the Dartmouth travel policy will result in the Dartmouth Controller’s Office revoking the traveler’s advance privileges.

The educational institution’s policy requires employees to choose the least expensive flight tickets, factoring in reasonable comfort and convenience requirements. It also encourages employees to leverage Dartmouth College’s contract with Travel Leaders to ensure they book the lowest fares. 

A significant employee benefit of the T&E policy is that travelers can personally retain the frequent flier points they accumulate through the corporate travels they can redeem for personal benefit. These benefits do not include any membership fees the employee may pay to join the frequent flier club. 

Employees are allowed to book business class tickets when the travel time exceeds five consecutive hours in duration or during exceptional circumstances subject to the approval of the Dean, President, Vice President, Board of Trustees, or Provost. 

Value-add-ons such as preferred seat selection and baggage fees are deemed acceptable per the policy, provided they are reasonable.

This company has a simple, transparent, and easily adaptable policy template that businesses can use as a starting point for writing their corporate travel policy. Businesses must download the customizable policy template from Workable’s company website and alter it based on their unique organizational travel requirements. 

The policy requires employees to contact the office manager, HR generalist, or finance manager for travel-related bookings. The robust approach requires employees to utilize their best judgment while on their trips and submit all travel-related invoices post-trip completion.

In their policy, a ‘business trip’ is any trip whereby an employee travels to a city different from where they typically work to conduct official business. The policy recognizes employee travel for client meetings, lectures, presentations, events, conferences, off-site company locations, and research trips as reimbursable. 

In such instances, all car, bus, or train commutes employees take that exceed an hour in travel time are also considered reimbursable business trip expenses. The policy does not consider daily work commutes of employees as a business trip regardless of how far they have to travel to get to the office.

It dictates that traveling employees are eligible to book a premium economy ticket, while Executives can book business class. Employees who utilize alternative means of air transport, such as boats, coaches, and trains, are eligible to reserve premium seats to and from their destination. 

Although, Workable’s travel policy does not cover any value-added services or extra baggage. The policy mandates that employees seek written approvals from their respective managers and book travel tickets and accommodation at least two weeks before the travel date. 

However, the policy facilitates flexibility for unforeseeable circumstances where the need for travel is unexpected. 

Traveling employees are allowed to travel by their personal vehicles or taxis for their business trips. In the case of the former, fuel and toll bills, and for the latter, the cab fares, are reimbursable provided the employee provides the appropriate receipts. A rental car is a third option per the policy for trips permissible when employees travel to multiple destinations to conduct official business. 

In such instances, the employee must book a basic two-four-door, compact, automatic transmission and petrol-powered automobile.

Employees are entitled to stay in three-star hotels or the best available accommodation available in the area, which will be paid for by the company. They are further encouraged to leverage business partnerships with hotels for discounted rates. 

Pending approval from the manager, employees can upgrade rooms or stay at higher prices if they pay the price difference. The policy stipulates that the company will not pay for upgrades or value-added services. 

Employees are also permitted to travel with a friend, partner, or family member if the extra member does not increase the travel cost to the company. In such cases, the policy requires the employee to pay in full for all additional expenses incurred that may arise due to the non-employee. 

Workable’s policy allows employees to claim up to US$20 for meals, including lunch and dinner, during business trips. Client dinners also come under the policy’s coverage for up to US$150. 

The traveling employee must acquire approval from Workable’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO) if the bill exceeds that amount. 

Corporate Traveler

Although it’s not a readily usable travel policy template, it serves as a guide for businesses to deploy their T&E policy . It dictates the steps and important considerations when devising a robust policy for unique business travel demands. It focuses on streamlining the corporate travel process to reduce costs and keep travelers safe. 

Employees are encouraged to use preferred suppliers and always opt for travel insurance. It motivates employees to avoid using business class or premium economy unless the flight time exceeds 10 hours. 

Additionally, the policy encourages businesses to outline clearly and precisely to employees on all reimbursable and non-reimbursable expenses, including meals, per diems, and ground transport, amongst others. 

Create and enforce your travel policy with Tripeur

Tripeur is a state-of-the-art travel management platform that simplifies the burden and responsibility of creating, updating, and enforcing your corporate travel policy. 

Once you write your policy, our system eliminates compliance issues by logging all business travel expenditures in real-time. These logs actively give employees T&E visibility to inform them precisely on what travel expenses they are entitled to and their limitations. 

Tripeur’s platform aims to help businesses overcome compliance issues by providing managers with the functionality of delivering WhatsApp and email approvals accompanied by automated expense reports. Through our system, management can instantly identify and mitigate any non-compliance in real time and enforce preventive measures to prevent future occurrences. 

Our innovative and user-friendly product could be the solution to create a robust travel policy that can effectively handle the re-emergence of international corporate travel. Every tool you need to maintain compliance is readily available within Tripeur’s powerful platform.  

Trying to figure out how to get better compliance with corporate travel policies? When you get Tripeur to book your business trips, it’ll link in with your travel policy. This makes it easier to spot when something isn’t following the rules and enables employees to make smarter decisions quickly.

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The How-To Guide For Building A Business Travel Policy

Free business travel policy guide.

Ensuring you have a comprehensive business travel policy in place is now more crucial than ever. As you prepare to get your travelers back on the road post COVID-19, a business travel policy is necessary to support the needs of your organization and your corporate travelers.

Don’t be daunted at the thought of updating or creating your policies for travel post COVID-19. We’re here to help. We’ve created a comprehensive business travel policy guide that tells you everything you need to build a travel policy to support the needs of your organization and your corporate travelers.

The travel policy guide also highlights areas where you can introduce cost-saving measures and support risk management. This guide will help you with:

• Understanding the importance of a travel policy
• Booking travel and expense processes
• Air and rail policies
• Lodging policy
• Car rental policy

“Before at NTTS, there were a lot of policies practiced within the company, so no one could hope to know them by heart. But with  Egencia, you don’t need to memorise anything. The policy is right there  in the platform.”

—  Tricia Lim, executive VP of the corporate planning division, NTT Singapore 

Don’t miss a trick when redesigning your travel policy. Download the business travel guide to make sure you’ve covered all angles.

Download the guide

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Table of Contents

Policy template bundle, 5 steps to write a corporate travel policy, 10+ corporate travel policy templates, 1. basic corporate travel policy, 2. corporate travel policy layout, 3. standard travel policy template, 4. corporate travel policy sample, 5. editable corporate travel policy, 6. simple travel policy example, 7. corporate travel & expense policy layout, 8. printable corporate travel policy, 9. corporate travel policy sample, 10. business travel policy sample, 11. modern corporate travel policy, policy templates.

Every Company has a travel policy to manage the travel expenses of its employees while ensuring that they have enough options for travel, and they travel safely. These policies should be effectively conveyed to all the employees of the company so that they are aware of the travel policy and which people they can contact in times of emergency.

• Google Docs

Step 1: Set Travel Booking Standards

Step 2: frame accommodation guidelines, step 3: define reimbursement policies, step 4: be specific about safety procedures, step 5: mention reimbursement and post trip policies.

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Free Corporate Travel Policy Template

Looking to implement a travel policy? Don’t know where to start? Download our free travel policy template in Word format for easy editing or keep reading to learn more about what to include.

If you’re looking for a Sustainable Travel Policy , you can download one here .

Fill out the form below to receive the Corporate Travel Policy Template:

What is a travel policy.

A travel policy is your company’s rules and procedures that outline how your employees should book, approve and includes expense travel for business purposes. Corporate travel policies are usually created by the Finance team and detail criteria such as if an employee can fly business class, normally determined by the length of the flight, how many weeks in advance they should book their trips, or if there are any precautions employees must take when travelling alone.

A comprehensive travel policy should have information about the following:

• Booking process
• Allowable cost of booking hotels and flights
• Any exceptions or rules
• Preferred company vendors
• Approval process for trips that exceed typical limitations
• Reimbursement process
• Permitted and not permitted expenses i.e. Alcohol with the evening meal
• Travel insurance provider
• What to do in an emergency

Your travel policy template should include guidelines that apply to all employees, explaining the benefits to them as well as stating your general policies such as…

Employees are expected to apply good judgement regarding the need to travel, the method and the timing of each trip with minimum impact on the business and the total cost. 

Wherever possible, the need to travel must be based on a clear benefit to the company. The use of video or audio-conferencing facilities should always be considered.

You need to ensure your staff knows the procedure for booking travel including:

• How to contact your travel management company (TMC)
• The approval process, especially if the trip falls outside your travel policy
•  What expenses will be paid

Key Travel Policy Guidelines

This is where you set out your key corporate travel policy and answer questions such as:

• Airline preference?
• Short Haul – Economy
• Long Haul (Flight time: 5- 9 hours)  – Premium Economy
• Long Haul (Flight time: over 9 hours)  – Business Class
• Should rail travel be booked by the employee or the TMC?
• What is the per-night room price limit?

General Travel Policy Guidelines

General Travel Policy Guidelines apply to all aspects of travel and could include:

• Rewards Programmes
• Internet access
• Phone usage
• Public Transport (Bus/Tube etc.)
• Car mileage
• Travel Insurance
• Out of hours travel changes
• Personal travel – as part of business trip
• Entertainment
• Exchange Rates
• Use of company credit cards

This states how your employees should contact your TMC. This could include a dedicated email address and phone number and make sure your staff know the out of hours phone number in case of emergencies:

• [email protected]
• From UK +44 (0) 844 736 3663
• From outside UK and Mobile +44 (0)116 264 5270
• 24hr Emergency Service: +44 (0)1730 820 990

A basic diagram to outline the process flow for completing a booking. Forward planning and adherence to the travel policy will speed the time taken to complete the booking.

This is most commonly done via an online booking tool but it’s always good to have this information when booking your travel through your TMC.

• Name as shown on Passport
• Travel Dates
• Locations To/From
• Preferred hotels

Don’t forget to leave enough time for approval, flights are normally only held for 24 hours and you will need to rebook if not approved in time!

Personal Travel Profile

After you’ve appointed your TMC, they will require travel profiles for your staff to ensure they can book flights, hotels, etc with ease. The travel profile usually includes:

• Last Name (as on passport)
• First Name (as on passport)
• Middle Name
• Title (Mr / Mrs / Miss etc.)
• Position / Job Title
• Home Address
• Emergency Contact (Name)
• Emergency Contact (Phone No)
• Email address
• Air Travel preferences
• Airline memberships / numbers
• Car Rental memberships/numbers
• Hotel chain memberships/ numbers
• Dietary requirements
• Seating preference
• Passport number
• Place of issue
• Date of Birth
• Expiry date
• Date of issue

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10 travel & expense policy samples, templates & resources

Published on January 14, 2023

So it's time to write your company's expense policy. And either you have no idea where to start, or you've done this before and you just want to make sure that you hit all the important points.

Either way, we've got you covered. We've pulled together a handful of useful templates that you can copy directly. And perhaps more useful are the seven real-world expense policies from companies and institutions you've heard of.

See how each approaches its travel and expense requirements differently, and what they each expect from employees. Then use these insights to write a successful policy that team members actually use .

Let’s begin with a collection of ready-to-copy templates to help you create your company expense policy.

Disclaimer : The real expense policy examples below were easily found online and not provided by the businesses themselves. They are to be used for the purposes of comparison and inspiration, and Spendesk will happily remove them from this post if requested.

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Real travel & expense policy samples.

We’ll share hands-on, ready-to-use policy templates shortly. But perhaps more valuable is to see the real travel and expense policies successful companies use .

We’ve pulled out the most noteworthy aspects of each below, and you can click the links to see them in full. Read through a few and decide which company’s approach best matches your own philosophy . It’s always nice to know that there are thriving, famous institutions that think the same way you do.

You don’t need a link to see the full Netflix expense policy - it only contains five words:

“ Act in Netflix’s best interests. ”

For obvious reasons, this has become famous. And it matches Netflix’s overall culture code, which includes a full section on Freedom and responsibility . It’s a fascinating document, including a few highlights:

Our vacation policy is “take vacation .” We don’t have any rules or forms around how many weeks per year. Our leaders make sure they set good examples by taking vacations, often coming back with fresh ideas, and encourage the rest of the team to do the same.

Our parental leave policy is: “ take care of your baby and yourself .” New parents generally take 4-8 months.

Each employee chooses each year how much of their compensation they want in salary versus stock options . You can choose all cash, all options, or whatever combination suits you.

If that sounds like the kind of company you’re building - and you’re willing to back it up - then perhaps the Netflix approach is right for you.

Basecamp’s expense policy is not quite as simple as Netflix’s, but displays a similar ethic. We don’t have the full policy itself, but rather a set of key benefits given to Basecamp employees. These were shared by CEO Jason Fried in a 2016 blog post.

The most important aspect shared is the company’s “no-red-tape business account.” Every employee gets their own American Express card. There’s no need to ask for approval for transactions - just be reasonable.

Which is clearly a highly trusting approach to managing spending. But if you plan to replicate this, you’ll still need to ensure you have a clear process for documenting transactions - otherwise your finance team will be forever in the dark.

Because this post is full of fascinating nuggets, we’d better share a few more:

Employees receive a $100/month massage allowance.

They also receive $100/month towards their gym, yoga studio, or fitness pursuit of choice.

Employees can work from anywhere in the world. “Move cities, keep your job.”

There’s plenty more to read in there. It may not be the exact expense policy that employees use when spending, but it’s fascinating just the same.

In a word: classic. The document is comprehensive and contains all the main expense categories and key pieces of information you’d expect to find. It’s a good example of a more prescriptive (but still easy to follow) policy .

Here are a few highlights:

The BBC has a written sustainable travel policy , and explicitly requires staff to use public transport where possible.

There are specific rules governing “ late night/early morning transport ” (LNEMT), which makes sense given the operating hours of its radio and television channels.

Employees may claim interest incurred on personal credit cards if reimbursement from the BBC was late and this was the reason for the interest.

There are a huge range of incredibly specific rules in this document. Which makes for a very interesting read.

Allowances for things like food, accommodation, and mileage follow HMRC’s recommendations, as you’d expect. Read our detailed explanation of HMRC’s travel expense rules .

Note : This is an older document - last updated in 2015. So it’s possible that it’s no longer 100% up to date. But nonetheless, it’s worth looking through it to see what inspiration you can draw.

As an enormous international company, it’s probably not surprising that FedEd’s policy reads like a legal document more than a set of guidelines . The company likely feels that can’t afford to be unclear about its rules, and has been quite exhaustive in stating what’s permitted.

It’s up to you whether this matches your own philosophy. At Spendesk, we prefer overarching guidelines to prescriptive rulebooks. This suits us better.

Here are some noteworthy sections of FedEx’s travel and expense policy:

The first page of the policy explicitly states that “termination” is a possibility if employees don’t follow the policy . Which makes sense, but isn't always spelled out in a simple policy document.

Expense reports should be submitted on a weekly or per-trip basis . The latter is quite standard, but submitting reports weekly can easily put a huge burden on both travelling employees and finance teams.

Team members are expected to keep all of their receipts for 12 months . This has likely been updated with more companies using e-receipts these days. If not, that’s quite a tall order.

Vice Presidents and above are permitted to travel first class , while other employees are expected to fly coach (economy). For flights longer than six hours, business class may be allowed.

Because this travel policy is so detailed, there’s plenty more of interest to explore.

Bank of England

Similar to FedEx’s, Bank of England’s policy and long and detailed. Similar to the BBC, Bank of England is a public entity and therefore takes fiscal responsibility seriously.

The policy begins by setting out two clear operating principles :

The value-for-money principle : because the bank is accountable to Parliament and the public, it needs to take good care of spending.

The integrity principle : “we should not be influenced by the prospect of personal advantage or gain. We must use the Bank’s resources responsibly for the public good, not to profit personally.”

While quite exhaustive, this policy does read as though written by those with the best interests of both employees and the institution at heart. The language is clear and easy to understand , and many of the ideas are based on what’s good for the individual.

For example, “wellbeing is also important. Travelling long distances and being away from family and friends has a cost. The Bank wants staff to be able to perform at their best when travelling for work.”

This shows that, even if long and quite technical, a good expense policy can also show the care with which a company treats its team .

Dartmouth College

Dartmouth’s travel and expense policy is one of the more legal and technical policies we’ll see. It’s written more like a piece of legislation than a “clear and simple” playbook . Whether that suits your business is your own call, but it probably makes it more difficult to follow for employees.

On the other hand, it’s very comprehensive . And we might imagine that Dartmouth employees are naturally more used to technical and academic writing than the average company employee.

Similar to others we’ve seen above, the document sets out a list of non-allowable expenses, which is important if you want your policy to be exhaustive. It also states clearly the likely penalties if the policy isn’t followed properly.

It’s also worth examining the procurement section near the beginning of the policy . If your business handles lots of high-value purchases, you may be interested in the rules set out by Dartmouth.

Victoria University of Wellington

We can compare Dartmouth’s policy with another academic institute: Victoria University. Similarly, this policy is formulated like a legal document, setting out very clearly what’s permitted and what isn’t.

Despite this, it’s fairly easy to understand and is only 9 real pages of text . Which compared with some others isn’t too daunting.

A few things worth noting:

All University travel should be economy class , with a few narrow exceptions. These exceptions are not related to job description.

For meals, mileage, parking fees, and other on-the-road travel expenses, the University doesn’t state a fixed amount covered . Instead, it will cover “all ordinary, necessary and reasonable expenses required for the individual to undertake approved University travel.”

The second page sets out the ethical framework upon which the whole document was written .

Expense policy templates

Putting an expense policy together is often a long, drawn out process. You need buy-in from different teams, managers, and executive leadership, to ensure you’ve covered all your bases.

And even then, there’s no guarantee that everyone will read and appreciate your hard work. Expense policies are regularly overlooked or ignored , and many employees prefer to do things their own way.

Which is frustrating, of course.

Given this, it doesn’t make sense to devote hours and hours to writing it from scratch. Instead, take one of these templates and tailor it to your own company’s needs .

This is a very clear and easy to understand expense policy , written in plain English (which is always important). It can be downloaded in DOC format, with spaces for you to fill in managers’ names, points-of-contact, and any other important information.

You know, a template.

And a very good one at that. If you simply want a plug-and-play expense policy that you can get live in a hurry, this is the perfect place to start.

Corporate Traveller

This PDF from Corporate Traveller isn’t exactly a copy/paste template like the two above. But it includes the firm’s recommended top 10 elements to include in your own policy.

Some of these don’t feature in our other listed templates, but may be good ideas. For example, “traveller profile forms” which ask frequent travellers for information to the company which might help in an emergency. This isn’t rocket science, but it’s the sort of thing that you might easily forget.

This template is specifically for employee expense reimbursements . We always advise you avoid expense claims , but since most companies still rely on them on some form, it’s a good idea to make sure the rules are clearly stipulated.

Further resources

If all the above isn’t enough information and inspiration to draft a winning expense policy, here are two more excellent resources that give you principles and foundations to build upon.

Expense policy 101: understanding the basics

Company expense policy: a guide for modern businesses

Spend management guide for growing businesses

Create the perfect T&E policy with help from others

As we've seen, there's plenty of inspiration available for finance leaders and managers to craft a winning travel and expense policy. It doesn't have to be a chore.

And on top of the excellent examples we've shared, get help from the people around you. A good expense policy isn't simply a top-down affair. If other team members have input - not just your finance team - you can be confident that your policy will reflect what's best for the whole company.

In the end, it's about writing something that people will actually follow . More often than not, that means a simple, clear, and concise travel and expense policy.

And even better, it might mean a policy that's built into the tools your teams use every day. That's how it works here at Spendesk, and we'd love to help you achieve the same outcome:

More reads on Expense management

The complete guide to company travel & expense management

VAT recovery: how to automate this tedious process

Business expense categories: a list for growing businesses

Get started with spendesk.

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

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Travel policy template.

Guidelines for Effective Business Travel Management

Business travel is on the rise, and while there are a few new norms and the same old challenges (as well as residuals from the pandemic paradigm shift), there are some silver linings. 

Sustainability has become an operational imperative for companies, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is gaining momentum.  

Risk management now includes an all-important focus on employee health and wellbeing.  

Travel and expense programs are becoming more flexible, as employee demands force changes to policies and processes.  

And in all this, the changing travel management mindset cannot be underscored. The challenges of the last few years have opened into clear, new opportunities to improve and future proof your travel and expense programs – adding greater strategic value to your company and increasing employee satisfaction.  

While most companies have travel and expense guidelines, they may be informal – especially at smaller firms – or not always strictly enforced. And even if you do have formalized travel procedures, the underlying policies behind them may need a refresh. 

Whether you’re making updates to your travel policy, or starting from scratch, Download this template  for tips on writing travel policy.  

A Sustainability Policy Template for Your Travel Program

Free Invoice Policy Template and 7 Tips for Getting Started

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Free travel policy template

Easily set up your own business travel policy with our free all-in-one guide & template.

Why do you need a travel policy template? Creating a travel policy for your company can be one hell of a task! That’s why GetGoing now offers you a FREE travel policy template to get started with – including all of the necessary instructions and a handy checklist. 

Learn how a business travel policy can help you guide travelers and let them make smart choices for your company’s travel budget. Setting up your own company’s travel policy has never been easier.

Download your free copy

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The How-To Guide For Building A Business Travel Policy

Free business travel policy guide.

Ensuring you have a comprehensive business travel policy in place is now more crucial than ever. As you prepare to get your travellers back on the road post COVID-19, a business travel policy is necessary to support the needs of both your organisation and your corporate travellers.

Don’t be daunted at the thought of updating, or creating, your policies for travel post COVID-19. We’re here to help. We’ve created a comprehensive business travel policy guide that tells you everything you need to build a travel policy to support the needs of your organisation and your corporate travellers.

The travel policy guide also highlights areas where you can introduce cost-saving measures and support risk management. This guide will help you with:

• Understanding the importance of a travel policy
• Booking travel and expense processes
• Air and rail policies
• Lodging policy
• Car rental policy

“Before at NTTS, there were a lot of policies practiced within the company, so no one could hope to know them by heart. But with  Egencia, you don’t need to memorise anything. The policy is right there  in the platform.”

—  Tricia Lim, executive VP of the corporate planning division, NTT Singapore 

Don’t miss a trick when redesigning your travel policy. Download the business travel guide to check that you’ve covered all angles.

Download the guide

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The complete guide to corporate travel policies

How to write a travel policy.

See how to reach 100% travel policy compliance

How to build a travel policy for employees (so they really follow it).

• Include information that employees need (like reimbursement and safety) – If employees need to refer to your policy, then they’re more likely to become familiar with it. Include your travel and expense policy so they know what they can get reimbursed for, and include the reimbursement procedure. Coordinate that with your finance department to guarantee alignment with all stakeholders. Also, include travel insurance and emergency procedures, especially in post-pandemic times.
• Clearly state the approved travel booking tool with built-in policies – You shouldn’t expect that employees will remember the allowed rate per night in 100 different cities for all their travel arrangements. Use your travel policy to remind employees what the approved travel booking tool is. This platform should include built-in policies with budgets by rate and route, as well as approval processes so if something is out of policy, a request gets sent to the right manager. Don't forget to include information regarding air travel, personal travel, and things like your company's business class policy.

How to write a travel policy step by step

Review your current policy or practices, set goals and priorities.

• Make booking business trips more efficient
• Reduce confusion for travelers
• Reduce manual work for the admin and human resources teams
• Improve travel policy compliance
• Reduce unnecessary costs
• Improve duty of care and traveler safety
• Improve financial tracking of travel spend
• Increase traveler satisfaction

Involve stakeholders

• Travel manager – Brings insight into traveler behavior, goals for the policy, and all the details on travel vendors, negotiated rates for international and domestic travel, and so much more.
• Office manager – Brings insight into issues with the travel booking process and travel support, and helps set goals for improving the policy and procedures
• CEO – Brings business-related insight into goals for compliance and cost savings. Will also have ideas for streamlining expense reporting procedures
• COO – Helps set goals for streamlining processes and saving time, as well as improving duty of care and compliance
• Frequent travelers – Knows what works and what doesn’t with the current travel policy, and can also act as the voice for fellow travelers
• HR – Understands employee demands and expectations, and also has a different set of goals for travel (hiring, as opposed to sales or marketing)

Start writing your own corporate travel policy with our comprehensive template

Choose a travel management style and level of strictness.

• Travel management style – Will travelers book for themselves using your corporate travel software ? Or will an administrator/manager still handle booking? How much freedom and autonomy do you want to offer your travelers? Will they be able to mix official travel with trips for personal reasons?
• Level of strictness – If you do allow travelers to book for themselves, how strict do you want your built-in policy to be in the booking tool? Do you want it to allow out-of-policy travel and simply send a notification to the manager? Or do you want it to require approval? Or do you want travelers to be able to select the trip details they want and then request approval for all trips?

Decide what to include in your policy

• An introduction with an overview of why the policy is important for employees to review and what they will find inside
• Your approved travel booking procedure and your approved business travel booking tool, including timeframes for booking and approvals.
• Allowable expense categories, with details on what’s reimbursable in each category.  Make sure you clearly cover things like meal expenses, and whether that is included in the policy or not.
• Non-reimbursable purchases (so travelers know what they must pay for themselves if they want something that isn’t covered). Things like paying for dry cleaning (and other personal use services) usually aren't covered by your company travel policy!
• Your policy regarding airfare and ground transportation (car rentals, rail travel etc.)
• How to submit expense reports, expense claims, and reimbursement requests
• How to contact travel support, travel insurance, and duty of care vendors, as well as your emergency procedures

Draft your policy and get approval from stakeholders

Set up an automated travel policy that works during the booking process.

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