request for business trip plan

• Business Idea

50 Business Trip Request Emails To Send Your Boss

• November 17, 2023

Business trip request email to boss: Even the most dedicated , hardworking employee has to take a business trip every once in a while.

And with that comes all the red tape – filling out travel request forms, booking flights and hotels , getting prior approval from your boss… you get the picture.

Not exactly something you want to deal with when you’re already running late for work.

However , if you don’t get all of your ducks in a row before leaving on your trip, things could get even more stressful than they have to be. That said , getting pre-approval for a business trip isn’t as scary or intimidating as it may seem at first glance.

As long as you have firm plans and follow all of your company’s protocols , it’ll be smooth sailing from here on out.

In this blog post , we will show you some best practices for sending an effective business trip request email so that your company knows what to expect from you while also keeping things efficient and organized on their end too .

If you can dream it, you can do it.  You can request publication of your article for publication by sending it to us via our Email below.  [email protected]  or SMS/ WhatsApp ) or call +2347034920650.   Click here to start business now with businesshab.com

[email protected].

If you’re an employee at a company that doesn’t have a strict dress code, it’s probably a great place to work. We know. Unusual office cultures are the best kind of offices. However , there will almost always come a time when your job requires that you travel for business. If this is the case , you might be wondering what steps you need to take in order to secure approval for a business trip and expense reimbursement. The good news is that as long as your company has an accessible HR department and you have the right etiquette , it should be pretty simple! Of course, it never hurts to have some pointers before sending off that request email. So read on and get ready to impress your boss with your business travel request email!

Send a business trip request email

A business trip request email is an essential first step to make sure you have all the required information ready for the person in your company who will be helping you with your business trip request. They will ask for specific information on dates, destinations, and the reason for your travel. Make sure you have all of this information prepared to send off with your request email. Your request email should include the following: – The dates you plan to travel – Make sure to specify the full dates of your travel. If you plan to travel over multiple weekends , make sure to specify this as well. This way you and your company know exactly what dates you will be gone and can plan accordingly. – The destination of your business trip – Make sure to include the location of your business trip as well as the reason for your travel. By including these details in your request email, your company will quickly be able to determine if you are eligible for mileage reimbursement. – The reason for your business travel – Make it clear in your request email exactly why you are traveling for business. This could be attending a conference , visiting a client, or meeting with a prospective employer. Your company will want to understand why you are traveling so they can make sure they are approving the right amount of funds for your business trip.

Confirm your travel dates

Confirming your travel dates is an important step in the business trip request process. You’ll want to double-check the dates you plan to travel and make sure they fit into your company’s parameters for receiving mileage reimbursement. Depending on your company , the date range for mileage reimbursement could be anywhere from 30 days to one year after you travel. Make sure you check your company’s policy to know exactly what dates you’ll need to have confirmed for your business trip request. If you have traveled recently , you may have a specific date range for mileage reimbursement that is still valid and does not need to be adjusted for your new travel dates. If you are unsure about the dates you plan to travel, make sure to include this information in your request email so your company can confirm the correct dates for mileage reimbursement.

Explain why you need to go on a business trip

Explaining why you need to go on a business trip will help your company understand why they should pay for the expenses you incur while traveling. Make sure to clearly state why you are traveling and include any details that would help your company better understand your situation. For example, if you are traveling to see clients or work on a project, be sure to include the name of the business or project you are working on. If you are attending a conference, be sure to include the name of the conference , its location, and why you are attending. This will help your company better understand why they are paying for your expenses and will be more inclined to help you with the necessary funds to cover costs.

Ask for the necessary funds to help cover costs

After you have explained why you need to go on a business trip and confirmed your travel dates, it’s time to ask for the necessary funds to help cover your business trip costs. Make sure you know the amount of money your company generally allows for mileage reimbursement and include this amount in your request email. Be sure to clearly state that this is the amount you are requesting from your company and include the reason why you need that amount. This way your company knows exactly why they should give you that amount and how it will be used. You may also want to include a company policy link in your request email to make it easier for your company to understand the reason behind your request. If you have obtained enough information to request funds to cover your business travel expenses, you can send off a business trip request email to your company’s HR department or supervisor. You may want to ask a coworker if they can go to HR with you if you aren’t comfortable doing so yourself. Once you have sent off your request email, you can sit back and wait for a response.

If you are planning to travel for business , it’s important to know how to request approval from your company. A business trip request email is the best way to kick off the process and make sure you have all the necessary information ready for your company. When you send your request email , make sure to include the dates you plan to travel, the destination of your travel, why you are traveling, and ask for the necessary funds to help cover your costs.

BusinessHAB

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.

You May Also Like

23 tips mastering the art of selling peloton apparel: strategies for success.

• March 16, 2024
• Business Innovation
• Business Plan
• Uncategorized

Fruit/Vegetable Business Processes

• April 11, 2024

Reel Essentials: The Worst Fishing Gear and How to Avoid It

• April 23, 2024

Tips to Buy mdpv Online

• October 13, 2023

8 Tips to Get the Best of Pool Screen Repair Services

• November 21, 2023

9 Guides To Starting A Distribution Business

• February 24, 2024

• Travel Advisory
• Travel Podcasts for Covid Times

Corporate Travel Management Blogs

Creating the perfect travel request approval process.

Sajit Chacko

Unfortunately, a persistent problem facing many with such aspirations is that they often find themselves in situations where the trips become a tiresome burden with exponentially higher costs than expected. 

Why is this, you wonder? Simply put, the chaotic, frustrating, and challenging task of working with outdated spreadsheet-based systems makes business travel nightmarish every step of the way. 

This problem is especially true for the archaic travel approval process, which makes trips unmanageable and unfeasible. We are here to tell the readers they don’t need to be.

This article will explore the travel request approval process, the challenges organizations face using older processes, and how creating a clear, automated workflow can help overcome these challenges. By the end of this article, you will understand why creating an ideal travel request approval workflow is essential to succeed in today’s competitive business environment.

What is a travel request approval process?

A travel request approval process is a series of actions that an employee or traveler follows to acquire management consent to implement a trip. 

This process typically begins with the employee filling out a travel request form outlining the trip’s details, including the destination, purpose, dates, and estimated expenses. 

The employee then forwards the request to the assigned administrative authorities and stakeholders through outdated methods of communication, such as email, for review. The review process involves managers and admins checking compliance with travel policies, estimating trip feasibility, verifying budget availability, and obtaining approvals from the other relevant organizational stakeholders. 

Based on such considerations, the request is either sanctioned or denied. Once approved, the employee can purchase flight tickets, reserve accommodations, and perform other necessary tasks to carry out the trip.

Why do you need a travel request approval workflow?

A travel request approval workflow is an excellent way to simplify the outdated, inefficient, and problematic process that most businesses continue to follow even today. A streamlined workflow ensures compliance with the corporate travel policy, improves planning efficiency, regulates costs, enhances communication, and increases security. 

Moreover, implementing one further ensures that travel expenses are quickly approved, transparent, and well-planned. 

Here are some of the real-world problems several businesses face which necessitate a systematic travel request approval workflow.

Limited control over expenses

Proper internal controls make it easier for businesses to track trip expenses, maintain compliance, and impose spending constraints. The main problem behind the manual travel request process is that it fails to establish such controls for employee expenses, causing widespread policy non-compliance and overspending. 

The situation worsens when too many stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process. When this happens, it becomes a challenge to manage or keep track of the approved expenses, often resulting in travelers exceeding their allotted budgets. 

On the other hand, a travel request approval workflow provides travelers with a framework that helps them stay compliant and within their budgetary limitations throughout the travel process. 

The ideal workflow should enhance the business’s expense controls while leaving no room for misinformation or miscommunication. Even when the business trip involves multiple travelers, an excellent workflow allows consistent policy compliance and expense transparency between the travelers and their respective departmental heads, managers, and admins.

Key information doesn’t reach the right people

When using manual systems, employees regularly encounter numerous roadblocks between them and acquiring the necessary travel permissions. This situation is especially true when requests are sent to an unnecessarily large number of stakeholders regardless of their role or relevance in the travel request process. 

There are bound to be information gaps, miscommunication, errors, and delays when this occurs. And critical information sometimes does not reach crucial decision-makers on time, considerably slowing down the process. 

Moreover, manual systems make it nearly impossible for travelers to make quick, time-sensitive decisions that could drive down trip costs. 

Instead, an automated travel request workflow system can guarantee that critical travel proposals and information is sent only to those with the utmost relevance to the nature of the proposal. 

This way, essential stakeholders are routinely kept informed and updated on the decision-making process. Such a level of transparency dramatically improves communication and reduces the risk of misunderstandings. 

By assigning priority levels to requests, you also ensure that administrators get instantly notified and attend to critical requests without delays. 

Manual processes are inefficient

Implementing and managing business trips through manual processes is a tedious task with several redundancies that causes delays and human error. 

Here, the time it takes for the itinerary, travel costs, trip expenses, and relevant justifications to be approved generally takes several days or weeks to get accepted. By this time, trip costs may dramatically escalate. 

On the other hand, an automated travel request approval workflow can significantly reduce the time to process such requests from days to mere minutes. Additionally, since the requests only reach the relevant stakeholders, there will be no misinformation and confusion, ensuring enhanced compliance. 

An added advantage to an automated travel request system is mobile functionality that allows requests to be sent directly to the mobile device of the relevant authority, along with automated expense reports. 

How to create the ideal travel request approval workflow

Let us walk through the steps you must take to create the perfect travel request approval workflow.

1. Understand what you want to achieve 

A good practice before you design a travel request approval workflow is first to analyze your current processes and the challenges you face with them. This analysis helps you identify problematic errors, redundancies, inefficiencies, and other significant issues in your workflow. 

Once you identify these issues, you will better understand what components need to be cut, reworked, excluded, and improved. This way, you can eliminate any problems disrupting your travel implementation process and feasibility. 

When you have ample information on what’s wrong, you can envision how your new travel request approval workflow should be and what it must help you achieve. 

A noteworthy recommendation is to automate, rework, and improve your existing systems rather than a complete system rehaul. Enhancing and automating existing systems facilitates familiarity, resulting in lesser adoption resistance from your employees. 

The ultimate goal should be to plan a workflow that dramatically improves time management, efficiency, transparency, and visibility when filling, submitting, and handling travel requests.

2. Consult all relevant business travel stakeholders

Manual processes generally require the proposal to be approved by administrators, managers, C-suites, finance teams, and the HR department before its implementation. Each of these departments has team members, further expanding the proposal’s organizational exposure. 

The first step to creating a workflow perfect for your unique business requirements is identifying the stakeholders relevant to the travel-decision making process. A good practice is to restrict the number of administrators charged with viewing and scrutinizing the requests and their contents to the lowest number possible. 

Modern automated systems provide stakeholders with excellent internal controls on expenses and approvals while increasing their overall visibility. In such a system, there is no need to involve more than a few stakeholders. 

The number of administrators entirely depends on the organization’s size. Smaller organizations may need lesser administrators and decision-makers involved in the travel request approval process. On the other hand, larger organizations generally have more travelers than SMEs and a higher volume of requests and expenses that require administrative attention. 

Factor in these considerations and decide the optimal number of stakeholders to review trip requests. Remember, the number should be manageable for the administrator or manager.

3. Map out the travel request approval workflow

The next stage is automating and mapping the proposals’ flow for your new travel request approval workflow. Ideally, this should involve requests to flow through stakeholders relevant to trip planning and with expertise in improving the trip’s productivity. 

This map should specify each member’s role in the newly automated process.

4. Setup a single management tool for easy access

The first thing you should do for your new workflow is to restructure your processes to eliminate redundancies from the previous systems, including redundant communication channels or any other aspect that may confuse stakeholders. 

Once you have centralized and organized your business travel approval process, you must increase the corporate travel policy’s visibility to reach all stakeholders. Doing so ensures that all employees are completely aware of the policies, procedures, rules, and limitations. 

The goal of this stage is to ensure that there are no more delays or back-and-forth communications between travel and non-travel stakeholders. A centralized travel management tool such as Tripeur can help businesses effectively achieve this quickly. 

5. Choose which line items to include

Carefully planning and detailing the workflow’s line items allows you to specify to your employees what travel details require mentioning and what is irrelevant. Such a practice guarantees uniformity between all travelers filling out and submitting requests. Everyone involved in trip planning provides managers and administrators with all the relevant details. 

Typical line items to consider in your travel request approval workflow include the trip’s purpose, assignment details, location, duration, and list of participating team members. It is also good practice to detail a breakdown of the estimated costs, including airfare, accommodations, ground transport, meals, and the overall total. 

How detailed you want these forms depend entirely on the level of granular supervision you wish to maintain. 

Specifying that your employees upload receipts online after a transaction is also essential to automate expense reconciliation. This practice eliminates needing to maintain, carry, store, and submit physical receipts. 

An automated system enables businesses to achieve this with ease. Such systems also allow companies to finetune the workflow by adding and removing fields to suit a business’s unique requirements.

6. Communicate the travel request approval process with your employees

For your new travel request approval process to work, it must first be communicated transparently to your stakeholders. Maintain a single uniform communication channel and make it the primary mode of inter-office communications. 

By doing so, you guarantee that your new travel request approval process promptly reaches all relevant parties detailing what is expected of them at every stage of the refined process.

7. Implement a travel request approval workflow and continuously tweak it

Your first attempt at creating a travel request approval workflow may not yield the best results. This is normal, as it is an iterative process with plenty of room for improvement. Perfecting your new approval process requires periodic performance reviews to spot redundancies, missing items, and other erroneous processes to improve your workflow routinely. 

Once you do this, place internal controls for stakeholders and clearly define their access levels. The goal here is to allow access to only the relevant stakeholders for every travel step of the travel process. Also, restrict access to information from stakeholders irrelevant to the approval process.

Once the controls are in place, test the approval process to identify and mitigate any lingering issues. Carefully test and monitor the new approval process for a predefined trial period till you iron out all the kinks. A good recommendation is to automate the system, which is an excellent way to increase your new system’s efficiency and speed tremendously. 

In conclusion, you should be ready to create your travel request approval workflow to improve compliance, control costs, increase efficiency & accuracy, streamline communication, and enhance security. If you need clarification on how to do this, don’t worry. 

You can consult a professional service provider that can do it for you at a fraction of what you would have to spend to implement one in-house. 

Simplify and implement the travel request approval workflow with Tripeur

Think of Tripeur’s platform as the swiss army knife of corporate travel, where every tool you need for corporate travel management is available to you within one platform. Sometimes, no amount of workforce or capital can improve an outdated and broken travel approval system. 

Instead, Tripeur and its expense module helps keeps the finance department in the loop by sending stakeholders automated expenditure alerts and reports through all stages of the travel booking experience. Our travel request approval process will ensure it keeps all relevant stakeholders informed and involved in the decision-making process, improving communication and reducing the risk of misunderstandings.

Better yet, our system supports e-receipts and automated reconciliation to help you create a seamless experience for travelers and other stakeholders. We provide you with all the tools necessary to develop a standardized process for examining if travel expenses align with its policies and regulatory requirements. 

With such a granular level of control, you will only authorize travel requests that comply with your organizational policies.

Our user-friendly software can tremendously simplify and improve your travel proposals system, where every approval will be instantaneously sent to the mobile devices of the right stakeholders. We can help you perpetually fix your corporate travel inefficiencies and simplify and implement travel request approval workflow while significantly lowering costs. 

For CFOs Consistent YoY savings by changing user behavior

For Travelers Superior experience for travelers with a virtual travel assistant

About Us Passionate about bringing the much needed change in Business Travel

It’s three-in-a-box corporate travel experience solution . Check it out

How to write a business trip proposal.

Learn how to write a business trip proposal that will get approved quickly so you can organize and confirm company-related travel.

There are many reasons to take business trips. You can attend conferences, visit other company locations, or just go on a team-building retreat. Of course, you won’t be going anywhere without your company’s approval. That’s where learning how to write a business trip proposal comes in.

What’s a business trip proposal?

A business trip proposal is a document designed to convince management to let employees leave the office for work-related travel and to cover all (or at least most) of the travel expenses.

This proposal is essential because it opens the door for an opportunity to network with new and old clients and potentially reach new markets. The business travel proposal sets clear expectations for management and all who are traveling to set the trip off on the right foot and ensure everyone is on the same page.

What to include in a business travel proposal.

If a business is going to pay for an employee’s trip, there needs to be a good reason. That’s why it’s important to include all the trip details (plus a little persuasion) so the company can determine if it’s worth the investment.

Be sure to include at least the following information in your business trip proposal:

• Reasons for attending
• Destination and dates
• Names of company attendees
• Detailed itinerary
• Expenses, including hotel, airfare, rental cars, meals, and more

If you make a strong enough case, management will sign off on the business trip proposal so that you can finalize travel plans for yourself and your colleagues.

3 steps to writing a business trip proposal.

To create a business trip proposal, you need to take the following steps — choose potential business travel accommodations, create a business trip itinerary, and finally write your proposal.

1. Choose potential business travel accommodations.

When choosing accommodations, you should consider the price and convenience of the location. You should prioritize accommodations that are close to where your travel destination is rather than a deluxe resort stay. Keep in mind local events, holidays, and other occurrences that may increase traffic during your stay.

2. Create a business trip itinerary.

Include as much detail as possible to help plans run smoothly and ensure that you are in control of your schedule. Any dates, times, transportation details, addresses of the accommodations, and reservations should be included. Leave time for potential traffic delays, traveling, and general breaks in between events.

3. Keep your business travel proposal short.

When creating your business travel proposal, you should include plenty of details while keeping information concise. Business leaders are booked with meetings and tasks all day, so use a simple format with a font that is easy to read. Support your proposal about why this trip is essential to business success with examples and stats, if possible.

Make your business trip proposal approval ready.

To make sure there aren’t any miscommunications down the road, you should aim to get a signature on any business trip proposal. Once signed, it means you have the approval needed to not just propose the trip but also confirm the details.

To make it easy to approve business trip proposals, use e-signature software like Adobe Acrobat. Your manager can add their legal signature with the click of a button right from their computer or nearly any mobile device.

Explore what more you can do with Acrobat to make creating and approving business trip proposals fast and easy.

Select your preferred language

• Deutsch English English (Australia) English (China) English (India)
• English (United Kingdom) Español (Latinoamérica) Español (España) Français Italiano
• Português (Brasil) Suomi Svenska 中文

Top tips on how to plan a business trip

Follow these 6 steps for an effective business trip:

• Make your travel arrangements well in advance
• Select your accommodation based on both price and convenience
• Create an itinerary

Research your destination

• Remember your electronics, accessories and travel documents
• Prepare for your meeting

In today’s digital world, we can communicate across different time zones at a moment’s notice. However, when it comes to brokering a big deal or fostering a solid and long-lasting business relationship, nothing beats face-to-face interaction.  

Corporate travel is still so important, and it’s equally important for anyone making a business trip to prepare thoroughly. When you arrive at your destination relaxed and well-prepared, you’re better equipped to make a good impression and focus on the purpose of your meeting. Preparation lets your mind focus on the here and now, making sure you stay on the ball in that all-important meeting. If you’d like to fine-tune how you get ready for your next excursion, follow these essential tips to become an effective business trip planner.

Make travel arrangements

Whether it’s your name on the travel documents or you’re a travel manager, planning business travel thoroughly is important. Your first step should always be to familiarize yourself with your company’s corporate travel policy . You’re making travel arrangements for a business trip, not planning a personal or a short break, so being compliant with your company policy is essential.

Next, it’s time to book your travel. This may involve traveling by air, rail, car hire or even boat. Think about the journey door-to-door, balancing travel times against cost and convenience. Visualize the various steps of the trip from A to B. Consider details like how long it will take to move between airport and railway station, the time it takes to fill out paperwork at the vehicle hire company, and whether luggage storage might be useful. Use multiple sources and different comparison sites, researching which companies are offering the best deals. Again, be aware of any budget restraints in your company’s travel policy.

Don’t forget the small details. Does the airplane have Wi-Fi so you can work on the move? Would leaving a day earlier allow you to arrive at your first meeting better rested and prepared? At this stage, the more carefully you prepare, the more confident and relaxed you’ll be when you depart.

Select your accommodation

Preparing business travel is, of course, only half the job. Choosing the best accommodation for your requirements is also essential. If you’ve only got one meeting place to reach, make sure you book a hotel that’s nearby – rather than be swayed by a more luxurious option that might be a stressful 45 minute trip away. Use maps on your smartphone to measure distances from the station or airport to your hotel – and remember the roads and transport networks will be busier at certain times of day.

Check your company’s hotel policies to see if there are any preferred hotels - you might be able to get a good deal too. When considering the cost, make sure you compare rates for similar types of accommodation and make sure you select something that’s fairly priced – some companies even stipulate a cost per day that would limit the choice of hotels.

It’s also a good idea to pay close attention to the amenities at the hotel. Some tourist-focused hotels may serve breakfast too late for your early starts, and as a business traveler you’re likely to want free Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service, plenty of power points for charging your devices. CWT Hotel Intel gives travelers access to trusted peer hotel reviews and can be a handy tool for business trip planners.

Create a detailed itinerary

Your itinerary is your blueprint for a successful business trip. Use it to stay in control of every detail – from transport times and the names of those you’re meeting, to your travel reservations and hotel address. Be sure to allow yourself extra time on your itinerary for relaxing, meetings that have been delayed or overrun, and busy traffic. Consider using a specially designed tool like the myCWT app , which syncs your itinerary with work calendars, and allows travelers to share this with colleagues. This is handy from a communication and efficiency perspective, and as a safety measure if you’re travelling to an unfamiliar destination.

It may be that you’re traveling to a destination you are familiar with and feel comfortable in. Or, you may be entering unchartered territory. If that’s the case, research is essential to avoid unnecessary risk. For example, some cities are well known for pick pockets, so you’ll need to be extra careful when storing important and expensive items like phones in your pockets. Depending on where you’re going, reading up on the current political situation at your destination could also be prudent.

Perhaps you’re traveling to a city or country with a different culture and customs to your own. Avoid looking foolish or, worse, causing offence, by researching the differences in behavior and manners before you arrive. For example, if you’re taking potential clients for a meal, do you know the etiquette on tipping, or when to give people your business cards? Or, if you’re visiting a country where English isn’t the common language, you could even learn a few basic phrases, such as greetings and “thank you”, which could make all the difference when making a good first impression.

Prepare your travel documents

Hours of careful preparation and research will all be wasted if you forget vital travel documents. Traveling between countries requires a current, valid passport, travel tickets and sometimes a visa. It’s key to research whether or not you need a visa as soon as possible, even if you are just transiting through a country, without stepping foot outside the airport. Some embassies can take a number of days or even weeks to issue visas. Even if you’re not traveling to a different country, you may need photo ID to clarify that your name corresponds to the one on the ticket - your passport or driving license are the best options so keep them safe at all times.

Remember your electronic accessories

Stay as productive as possible on your trip by taking a laptop or tablet – it’ll make your travel time really count. Remember to pack the relevant chargers and adapters, too. You can usually pick these up at the airport when you’re passing through, but being prepared is key and will save you time and money in the long run.

Get ready for your meeting

So you’ve followed all the right steps for planning a business trip, but what about your business objectives and the meeting itself? Making a note of what you hope to achieve on the trip can help improve your focus - even if you simply want to reach out to new contacts or gain a general overview of potential new client. Arm yourself with as much information as possible about the people you’ll meet, as well as the places they’ll be. What’s the dress code? If you’re visiting an industrial site, for example, will you need sturdy shoes? If you’re going to be giving a presentation, what format will it take and will your host have the equipment you need? Simply emailing ahead to check if they have suitable screens and cables can ensure you avoid embarrassing delays or confusion that would get your meeting off to an awkward start. That first impression counts so give yourself the best chance of making a good one.

By setting aside the time to prepare, conducting some detailed research and following these business travel tips, you can optimize your chances of a productive and enjoyable trip.

More publications

Contact us today to see just what we could do for your business.

Traveler help

Help me manage my travel

Careers at CWT

Explore career opportunities

Careers @ CWT

Learn more about travel management

Contact CWT

Learn more about our travel management offering

Travelers: manage your travel here . The below form is for inquiries about our corporate travel management offering.

To reach out to CWT to learn more and also receive communications (email or phone) on our products and services, please complete the form below. You can unsubscribe at any point in the future from our mailing list using the ‘unsubscribe’ link on any of our emails.

Thank you for your interest in CWT, we will contact you soon.

Thank you for your interest in CWT. Unfortunately, CWT cannot offer services in your home country at this time. Your contact request has not been submitted.

With kind regards,

See how Cvent can solve your biggest event challenges. Watch a 30-minute demo.

25 Business Travel Planning Tips for 2024

As someone who frequently travels for business, you know just how crucial it is to plan for each trip. From booking flights and accommodations to scheduling meetings and events, there are countless factors to consider when it comes to business travel planning. But with the right approach, you can make the process easier, more efficient, and less stressful. 

This blog post will provide an easy guide to business travel planning with tips and strategies to help you stay organized and get the most out of your travels.

Top 25 Business Travel Planning Tips

1. Determine Your Travel Needs

Before you begin making any arrangements for your trip, you'll need to figure out your travel needs. This includes identifying the purpose of your trip, the dates you'll be traveling, and any specific requirements you have.

For example, will you need to rent a car, hire a driver, or take public transportation? Do you need to be in a specific location for a meeting or event at a particular time? Make a list of all your travel needs so you can refer to it as you plan your trip. 

2. Set Your Budget

Once you've identified your travel needs, it's time to set your budget. This will help determine how much you can spend on flights, accommodations, transportation, meals, and other expenses. 

Be sure to account for your company policies or restrictions, such as maximum daily allowances for meals or limits on travel expenses. 

3. Book Flights and Accommodations

You can begin booking flights and accommodations once you know your travel needs and budget for flights; book as early as possible to get the best prices and seat selections. 

You can use online travel booking sites like Expedia, Kayak, or Orbitz to compare prices and find the best deals. Regarding accommodations, consider factors like location, amenities, and price. Sites like Airbnb and Booking.com can help you find many options in your desired location. 

4. Plan Your Schedule

With your flights and accommodations booked, you can start planning your schedule. See if any meetings or events are on your calendar or if you have to schedule them during your trip.

You can use a calendar app like Google Calendar or Outlook to keep track of your schedule and be sure to account for any time differences between your home base and your destination. You can also use travel planning apps like TripIt to consolidate all your travel details in one place. 

5. Pack Efficiently

For many, packing is one of the most stressful parts of business travel planning, but it doesn't have to be. With a bit of planning, you can pack efficiently and avoid overpacking.

Make a packing list that includes all the items you'll need for your trip, and be sure to consider the climate and culture of your destination. Maximize space in your luggage using packing cubes or compression bags, and choose versatile clothing items that can be mixed and matched. 

Here's a business travel checklist to get you started.

6. Manage Expenses

Managing expenses is a critical part of business travel planning. Keep all your receipts and record your expenses as you go. You can use apps like Expensify or Concur to track your expenses and create expense reports which you can directly upload to your company's corporate travel management software . Adhere to all the travel policies of your company or restrictions regarding expenses, and don't hesitate to ask for clarification if you're unsure. 

7. Stay Connected

Staying connected while on a business trip is essential. Please ensure you have all the necessary devices and chargers, and consider using a mobile hotspot or buying a local SIM card for internet access. 

You can also use apps like Skype or Zoom to stay connected with colleagues and clients, and consider using a VPN to access secure company networks while traveling. 

8. Stay Healthy

Staying healthy while on a business trip is also crucial. Get plenty of rest, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly. You can also research local health risks and take appropriate precautions, such as vaccinating or using insect repellent. If you're traveling internationally, be sure to bring any necessary medications or prescriptions with you. 

9. Be Prepared for Emergencies

No matter how well you plan, emergencies can still arise during business travel —plan for emergencies, such as lost or stolen luggage, flight cancellations, or medical emergencies. 

Keep important documents like your passport and travel itinerary in a secure location, and make sure you have emergency contact information for your company, travel provider, and local authorities. 

10. Reflect and Learn

After your business trip, take some time to reflect on areas of improvement and what worked well. Did you encounter any unexpected challenges? Were there any areas where you could have been better prepared or more efficient? You can use what you learned to enhance your travel planning process for future trips. 

11. Make the Most of Your Downtime

While business travel primarily focuses on work, making the most of your downtime is essential. Use your free time to explore the local area, try new restaurants, or attend cultural events. It can help you recharge and also make your trip more enjoyable. 

12. Network and Build Relationships

Business travel is also an opportunity to network and build relationships with colleagues, clients, and other professionals. Attend networking events, schedule one-on-one meetings, and engage in informal conversations with others in your field. Building relationships can help you advance your career and make future business trips more productive. 

13. Consider Travel Rewards Programs

If you frequently travel for business, it's worth considering travel rewards programs to help you save money and earn perks. Many airlines, hotels, and car rental companies offer loyalty programs that provide benefits like free upgrades, priority boarding, and discounted rates. Research your options and sign up for programs that align with your travel needs and preferences. 

14. Follow Travel Safety Guidelines

Travel safety is always a top priority, especially after the global pandemic. Follow all relevant travel safety guidelines, such as properly and regularly washing your hands and wearing a mask in areas where air quality or illness are a risk. Stay updated on any travel restrictions at your destination, and be prepared to adjust your plans if necessary. 

15. Use Travel Planning Services

If you need more time or expertise to plan your business trip, consider using business travel solutions or planning services. Many companies offer customized travel planning services to help you with everything from booking flights and accommodations to scheduling meetings and events. It can help you save time and ensure your trip is well-organized and productive. 

16. Take Advantage of Technology

Technology can be a valuable tool for business travel planning. You can use apps like Google Maps or Citymapper to navigate your destination, and consider using translation apps like Google Translate to communicate with locals.

You can also use productivity apps like Trello or Asana to stay on top of your tasks and deadlines and document scanning apps like CamScanner to keep track of important documents. 

17. Be Flexible

Finally, it's essential to be flexible regarding business travel planning. Unexpected changes can arise, such as flight delays or last-minute meetings. Try to remain flexible, and be prepared to adjust your plans as needed. You can have a successful, stress-free business trip by staying open-minded and solution-focused. 

18. Consider Cultural Differences

When traveling to a different country or region, it's crucial to consider cultural differences. This can include language barriers, customs, and social norms. Research the local culture before your trip and try to learn some key phrases in the local language. Awareness of cultural differences can help you avoid misunderstandings and build stronger relationships with locals. 

19. Use Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can provide significant protection in case of unexpected events during your trip. It can include medical emergencies, trip cancellations, or lost luggage. Consider purchasing travel insurance before your trip to ensure protection during unforeseen circumstances. 

20. Stay Productive During Transit

Business travel often involves long transit periods, such as flights or train rides. Use this time to stay productive by catching up on work or reading relevant materials. Consider bringing a laptop or tablet, noise-canceling headphones, and any necessary chargers or adapters to maximize your time and stay on top of your tasks. 

21. Consider Sustainable Travel Practices

Sustainable travel practices can help reduce your environmental impact while traveling for business. This can include using public transportation or carpooling, choosing eco-friendly accommodations, and minimizing plastic waste. Consider incorporating sustainable practices into your travel planning to help promote a healthier planet. 

22. Choose the Right Travel Credit Card

A travel credit card can be valuable for business travel. Look for cards that offer rewards like points or miles that you can redeem for flights, hotels, or other travel-related expenses. You can also benefit from credit cards that cover travel and rental car insurance. Consider different cards' annual fees, interest rates, and rewards programs before choosing. 

23. Consider Time Zone Differences

Time zone differences can be challenging when traveling for business, particularly when scheduling meetings or calls. Use a time zone converter app like Time Zone Converter or World Clock to stay on top of the time differences between your location and destination. Be prepared to adjust your schedule accordingly to ensure you're available during critical times. 

24. Be Mindful of Jet Lag

Jet lag can be a significant challenge when traveling across multiple time zones. Please be aware of the symptoms of jet lag, such as fatigue, headaches, and difficulty sleeping, and take steps to minimize its impact. This can include staying hydrated, getting plenty of rest, and adjusting your sleep schedule before your trip. 

25. Plan for Time Off After Your Trip

Finally, planning for time off after your business trip is important. Returning to work immediately after a long journey can be physically and mentally challenging. Please take a day or two off after your trip to rest and recover before returning to work to ensure you're ready to tackle your next professional challenge.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, business travel planning can be daunting, but you can make it easier and more efficient with the right approach. Determining your travel needs and following these tips can ensure a successful and productive business trip. Happy travels!

Cvent Guest

Cvent is a market-leading meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider with more than 4,000 employees, ~21,000 customers, and 200,000 users worldwide.

More Reading

5 reasons agency partners can't miss cvent connect, why you can't miss cvent connect in san antonio: a love letter to corporate event rockstars, how to become an event organizer: your roadmap to success.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Employee Experience

Key steps for successful business travel planning, essential steps for successful business travel planning   .

Business travel planning covers every aspect for an employee's journey when they are on business trips. Planners need to ensure all aspects of each trip comply with company policies, fall within the travel budget, allow employees to achieve the goals of the trip, and account for travelers' safety and well-being. 

As a travel manager oversees this process, you should understand the travel industry, price trends, and other fundamental factors. But the job also involves curating itineraries so that they fit with the goals of the trip and the unique needs of each traveler. This process requires researching destinations, assessing risk, and, sometimes, negotiating with service providers to get corporate rates when booking. 

Here are the steps to take to meet all the requirements of business travel planning. 

How a business travel planner handles cost controls and productivity needs 

Cost control is an important factor in travel planning. Recent surveys about travel have found that companies are taking fewer business trips and creating strict guidelines for travel and spending. 

You also have to balance the requirements of employees with cost-control policies. There is a link between employee engagement and satisfaction with travel plans and arrangements. Employees who feel valued are likely to be more productive on the road. 

This balancing act may require negotiating upgrades with vendors, finding low-cost perks, and learning the standards and preferences of each employee. 

Travelers need access to the tools and systems necessary to remain productive. This can include items like in-room Wi-Fi, cell phone coverage, and transportation options for getting to appointments on time. 

Steps to Streamline the Business Travel Process 

Organizations can streamline the travel process and also make future trip plans easier. 

Steps to consider for organized business travel planning 

• Create a database of employees and include personal details needed to book travel, special requirements, and preferences. You can use these details instead of asking the employee again for each trip. 
• Make a business travel itinerary template and include all necessary details. This form ensures you do not miss any vital details and provide all necessary information about the trip. 
• Establish a system for employee feedback. A survey, post-trip debriefing, or informal meeting gives employees a chance to express needs and lets you know if your planning process and strategies are working. 
• Notify employees of travel policies and announce changes. This step educates employees about expectations for their trip. It also gives them the knowledge and understanding to comply with these policies. 
• Define a procedure for special travel requests. You can give employees specific steps to take to ask for accommodations that are outside of normal travel policies. 
• Build a checklist to assess itineraries for policy and budget compliance. You can compare each itinerary item and booking to ensure it meets travel policies and budget constraints. This step can also help keep standards consistent. 

You can also consider relying on software and applications to plan trips, manage bookings, and track travelers after they leave. 

Apps to help with travel business planning 

These apps can help you organize plans and add helpful details. 

• FLIO is an app that provides information for navigating airports. You can use it to provide details to travelers, such as directions to car rental kiosks and the location of lounges with Wi-Fi access. 
• Clime provides detailed forecasts for destinations. It can help you tell travelers weather details and what to pack for their trip. The app can also notify you about potential weather problems, like hurricanes, in the destination. 
• Google Travel can help with the research phase of travel planning by allowing you to organize all necessary information in one place and bookmark it for easy reference. It's easy to share these insights with travelers, as well. 
• CityMapper can assist with trip planning outside of hotels, airlines, and car rentals. It allows you to decide how to get to different locations around the city and is useful for managing transport and helping travelers find alternatives if necessary. 

You can use these tools alongside SAP Concur, which manages expenses, centralizes booking and reservation data, and serves as the overall backbone of your travel planning process. 

Account for cultural differences while networking 

A business travel planner can help employees prepare for international trips by offering insights into their destination's culture. An understanding of culture and etiquette can help your team feel comfortable on their trip. Of course, many international businesspeople will not expect visitors to understand their cultural practices. However, preparing travelers for the host country's customs can set the stage for success and help them build rapport with local partners during the journey. 

Preparations can include researching the destination's business culture practices and confirming your findings with people in that country or employees who went there before. 

Plan for delays, cancelations, and other unexpected events 

The unexpected can happen during business trips. 1-2% of flights get canceled, and 20-25% are delayed by more than 15 minutes. One such incident could throw off an entire itinerary, leaving the travelers scrambling to get back on schedule. 

Business travel planning involves preparing for these situations. Contingencies can be helpful, and you should also always purchase travel insurance. These policies can include coverage for lost baggage and illnesses, as well. 

Your travel policy should include a set of steps travelers can take if they encounter problems. You should give them information about who to contact, where to go, and resources they can use. 

In almost all cases, a cloud-based travel management platform is invaluable for changing plans, sharing information, and staying in contact during crises. 

Use SAP Concur for travel planning 

As a business travel planner, you have to juggle many different tasks. SAP Concur allows you to put the most important aspects of managing corporate travel, from budgeting to booking to expense tracking, on one platform. You can also look to us to provide valuable insights as you try to plan your management strategies in the evolving travel marketplace. 

Visit us to experience an interactive demo, or connect with us to learn more. 

Published In: Forms

Travel Request Forms and Templates

Travel request forms are forms filled by an employee who is bound to travel for business purposes. The purpose of a travel request letter is for a company to carter for the expenses during the entire travel period. This depends on the agreement of the employee and his or her employer. This article discusses the uses, purpose, and contents of a travel request form. Templates are also provided.

What is Travel Request Form?

This document incorporates all the details needed by a traveler to forward for approval from the management before commencing travel. The contents of a travel request form include destinations, travel dates, mode of transport, meals, accommodation, among others. The travel request form also shows a traveling place as well as the expenses incurred. This document can fulfill several purposes: securing permissions for travel or seeking approval from companies on behalf of the traveling employees.

Importance of Using Travel Request Forms

Just like any other business document, a travel request form carries significant importance.

These documents ensure that travels within the company are:

• Feasible: Sometimes, the resources and funds within a company can be limited. This makes it essential to ensure that every available resource is put into good use. By doing so, the company’s finances will be stabilized.
• Authorized: It is very important for travel requests to go through proper departments and channels before it gets authorized in a business.
• Organized: These forms can also be kept and stored for future reference. Given that there is a form for every purpose, you need to ensure that these forms are organized to prevent confusion and clutter. It also allows easier access to documents when one needs them for reference.

Steps to Write a Travel Request Form

In order to write a travel request form efficiently, you simply need to follow two steps in a detailed manner.

These two steps are as follows:

Provide the details of the traveler

In the travel request form, including details of the traveler. This information includes the full names, contact information, designation employee id, email id, and fax number. Besides, don’t forget to mention why you are going on the trip. This should be indicated in the transfer request form.

Provide information regarding the trip

You must provide information relating to the trip. This includes the date and time of departure as well as the arrival time. Other things to write include the travel schedule, mode of transport, accommodation, travel itinerary, and meals.

Information to be Included in a Travel Request Form

For your travel request form to be composed in the most efficient manner, you must include the following information in it:

Personal information

This is the information belonging to the traveling employee. The Information needed to be filled in this document includes the individual’s name, contact information, job position, and respective department.

Travel request information

This is the information regarding the actual trip. It includes the date of travel, the purpose of travel, the duration of travel, destination, and estimated cost of travel. It is important to ensure that all these details are indicated in the letter. 

Indicate travel expenses and information regarding sponsorship

A travel request form should indicate the trip’s estimated expenses, including costs of meals and accommodation, transportation expenses, travel expenses, and car rentals, among others. If the trip is being sponsored, remember to include the contact information and details of the sponsors.

Mention the names of all the authorized persons

You cannot forward a travel request form unless a higher authority approves it. This is why you should mention all the names of authorized individuals, leaving a space for their signatures.

Ensure you incorporate all terms and conditions

To ensure that everything is working properly and meets all the transparency standards, incorporate all the terms and conditions. They should be clearly described in your form to avoid any inconveniences.

Put Accurate Information in a Travel Request Form

You must provide accurate information in your travel request form.

Here are some of the reasons why it is essential to do so:

Accurate information is crucial in a travel request form. In a company, you might not be the only individual asking for a travel request. To avoid mix up, you should indicate the details in your form. Make sure that the name is written, your destination, and other crucial details.

Furthermore, accurate information increases trustworthiness. When it comes to finances, don’t indicate inaccurate figures. Some people get tempted to indicate higher figures so that they can pocket the extra cash. For example, don’t allocate an inaccurate accommodation fee so that you can pocket the extra money. You should always provide honest and accurate information in your travel request form.

Download Templates

You can download our free travel request form templates. These templates can also be customized to fit your preferences.

Companies require receipts for employee expenses for two reasons: to confirm that employees are spending money how and when they claim and to back up deductions listed on the business’s tax return.

The comment section of a travel request form should include remarks on the importance of the trip. If you are applying, back your application up by giving reasons why the trip is important.

It depends on the policies of the company. In some companies, once the funds have been availed, it is impossible to cancel the request. In most companies, however, you can cancel the request even after it has been approved.

Travel request forms play an important role in organizations. For the best outcome, you can use our prepared available templates. They are easy to use and can be customized.

Related Documents

• English (CA)
• Deutsch (DE)
• Deutsch (CH)

Managing the business travel approval process: five things to keep in mind

1. consult all relevant business travel stakeholders.

• Administrators: an office travel manager or executive assistant in charge of booking business travel
• Line managers: the manager of the person going on the business trip
• Executives: additional managers at the director or C-suite level
• Finance: a representative from the finance department who handles business travel (from the perspective of travel costs)
• HR: a representative from the HR department who handles business travel (from the engagement or compliance perspective)

Learn how to write a comprehensive business travel policy with our ebook.

2. create an organized business travel approval process.

• Who’s in charge of booking business travel? Employees, managers, an administrative assistant?
• Do travelers need to fill out a request form?
• What "approvers" need to be consulted for corporate travel approval?
• How does spending work when on a business trip? Who sets and controls the budget?
• How much advance notice is needed to approve a business trip?
• What happens if there’s a last-minute business travel request?
• Are only certain types of hotels, flights, etc. approved for travel booking? For example, can a traveler book a three-star or four-star hotel?
• Is there a certain cabin class allowed for flights (first, business, economy?)

Here's how travel policies are seamlessly integrated in TravelPerk

3. manage things all in one place during the approval process, 4. communicate the business travel approval process to people in your company, 5. automate your business travel approval process where possible, bonus: using travelperk for your business travel approval process, did you find this article useful.

Make business travel simpler. Forever.

• See our platform in action . Trusted by thousands of companies worldwide, TravelPerk makes business travel simpler to manage with more flexibility, full control of spending with easy reporting, and options to offset your carbon footprint.
• Find hundreds of resources on all things business travel, from tips on traveling more sustainably, to advice on setting up a business travel policy, and managing your expenses. Our latest e-books and blog posts have you covered.
• Never miss another update. Stay in touch with us on social for the latest product releases, upcoming events, and articles fresh off the press.

4 steps to a successful corporate travel program

How to make a business travel report + free template for 2024

5 inefficient processes affecting your business and how to fix them

• Business Travel Management
• Offset Carbon Footprint
• Flexible travel
• Travelperk Sustainability Policy
• Corporate Travel Resources
• Corporate Travel Glossary
• For Travel Managers
• For Finance Teams
• For Travelers
• Thoughts from TravelPerk
• Careers Hiring
• User Reviews
• Integrations
• Privacy Center
• Help Center
• Privacy Policy
• Cookies Policy
• Modern Slavery Act | Statement
• Supplier Code of Conduct

• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• TRY NOW — It’s Free!
• Sign Up for Free

Business Trip Approval Template

Streamline your business trip approval flow with Jotform’s free online Business Trip Approval Template! When an employee fills out your employee travel authorization form, their submission will be sent to the employee’s manager to approve or deny the request. The request will then move on to the finance department, who will make the final decision — which will automatically send the employee an email informing them of whether their request was successful or not.

Feel free to add new people and levels to your Business Trip Approval Template, customize autoresponder emails, and set up conditional logic using our drag-and-drop builder. In Jotform Tables or your inbox, you can quickly review the progress of requests and approve or deny them if needed. No matter what industry you work in, use this Business Trip Approval Template to speed up your business trip expense review process — and enjoy more time to spend where it counts!

More templates like this

Invoice Approval Template

Collect, review, and approve or deny invoices seamlessly from any device. Easy-to-customize automated online approval flow. Send notifications and autoresponders.

CapEx Approval Process Template

Streamline capital expenditure requests at your company. Free automated approval flow template for finance teams. Add approvers, emails, conditions, and more.

Fund Request Approval Process Template

Process fund requests for your company online. Accept submissions and respond on any device. Easy to customize. Send notifications and autoresponder emails.

• Approval Templates /

Approval Templates for Finance

Speed up your travel expense approval process. Approve, deny, and forward requests instantly on any device. Send emails automatically. Save time with automation.

Purchase Requisition Approval Template

Quickly process purchase requests from employees. Free automated online approval flow. Respond on any device. Customize with no coding. Send autoresponder emails.

Mileage Reimbursement Approval Template

Reimburse employees for business-related gas costs. Easy to customize. Collect and respond to requests on any device. Set up autoresponders, notifications, and more.

Grant Approval Process Template

Approve or deny grant requests online. Easy-to-customize approval flow template. Automatically forward requests to coworkers and send approval emails to applicants.

Petty Cash Approval Process Template

Simplify petty cash requests by accepting them online. Easy-to-customize automated online approval flow. Send notifications, emails and more. Respond on any device.

Credit Approval Process Template

Receive and review credit applications online. Easy-to-customize automated approval flow. Great for banks and financial institutions. Send autoresponder emails.

Wire Transfer Approval Process Template

Process wire transfer requests with ease. Customizable online approval flow for any business. Set up notifications, autoresponder emails, time limits, and more.

Discount Approval Process Template

Approve or reject discount requests through your website. Free automated approval flow template for businesses. Add new approvers, steps, and more. No coding.

KYC Approval Process Template

Process Know Your Customer (KYC) applications online. Great for banks and other financial institutions. Easy to customize. Respond on any device. No coding required.

Financial Accounting Approval Process Template

Seamlessly manage account payments with an automated online approval flow. Free and easy to customize. Add notifications, conditions, approvers, and more.

Account Approval Process Template

Improve your account approvals process with an automated online workflow. Great for banks and finance companies. Easy to customize. Send notifications and emails.

Purchase Order Approval Template

Streamline purchase orders. Free automated approval template. Approve or deny purchase order requests fast. Assign approvers, add emails, and more. No coding.

Account Closing Approval Process Template

Streamline the way you accept, review, and respond to account closing requests. Great for banks. Easy-to-customize online approval flow. Send autoresponder emails.

Financial Aid Approval Template

Receive and process student loan and financial aid requests on any device. Easy-to-customize automated approval flow. Set up notifications, autoresponders, and more.

Budget Approval Process Template

Create a budget approval flow for your company. Add approvers, automatically send emails, set up conditional logic, and more. Manage approvals on any device.

About Finance

Make your finance department as efficient as possible with Jotform’s automated Approval Templates for Finance. When you receive a submission through your online form, the submission will be forwarded to the first person in your workflow, who will choose to approve, deny, or forward the request. When the approval flow reaches its final decision, the person who filled out your form will receive an autoresponder email letting them know the outcome. To get started, choose a template below and customize it to meet your needs by adding more approvers, personalizing emails, setting up notifications, merging branches, and more in a few easy clicks! Approve budgets, invoices, reimbursements, and more with free online Approval Templates for Finance.

Your account is currently limited to {formLimit} forms.

Go to My Forms and delete an existing form or upgrade your account to increase your form limit.

Trip approvals in business travel: what they are and why they’re important

When it comes time to approve trips, there’s a lot to keep in mind. That’s why we’re giving you a hand in understanding what they’re all about.

By Jessica Freedman

February 9, 2024

Trip approvals are an important but complex part of business travel. Having a comprehensive travel policy that allows your company to live up to its duty of care is fundamental to keep the control in your hands. Making the trip approval process as smooth as possible starts with creating a clear travel policy in which stakeholders know what to expect, and are clear on what is allowed and what isn’t allowed when it comes to business travel. Then by centralizing all this data in one place, you can be sure to not miss a beat.

We will look at the importance of trip approvals in business travel and how having the right travel management platform will help you manage and optimize business travel. We will also give you some tools to ensure that the whole process is streamlined. Before we get started it’s important to have in mind the following concepts: trip approval, duty of care and travel tracking, all of which are interrelated and help to improve the business travel experience.

What is trip approval?

Trip approval or pre-trip approval refers to approving elements of a business trip such as hotel reservations, flights, car rentals or trains prior to an employee being able to book their business trip. It’s a way businesses can keep their corporate travel policy under control, ensuring that a manager or supervisor has reviewed the travel policy and that each element of the trip is allowed as stipulated by the company’s guidelines. Trip approval is key for businesses to be able to enforce their policies, avoid overspending and keep travelers from going to high-risk destinations. 

What is duty of care?

Duty of care is about ensuring the safety or well-being of others. Employers have a duty of care to their employees to be sure they are happy, safe, and healthy when traveling and when at work in general. Trip approvals help managers and CEOs live up to their duty of care. Read more about duty of care.  

What is travel tracking?

Travel tracking or itinerary tracking is a way of monitoring travelers to make sure they arrived safely, which in turn helps companies live up to their duty of care. A corporate travel tracker is often built into a travel management platform allowing you to access a live traveler map so you can know where your employees are in the world and that they have made it safely to their destination. It’s a great way to keep in control and ensure that you fulfill your duty of care as an employer.

Managing the business travel approval process

The key to managing the business travel approval process is to find ways to stay in control and keep your travel spend on target. A great way to do this is by setting up a seamless travel approval process, which will keep travelers safe, keep them from traveling to risky destinations and ensure that you are able to keep an eye on how much your team is spending on flights, hotels, car rental and trains. 

Of course with the approval process comes some risks. For example, an employee may submit a trip for approval and then the price may go up, or the trip might expire before a manager can approve the request. With a travel management platform, the approval process can be easy.

When you automate your travel policy , you can also set up the process to suit you best with things like pre-trip green light, allowing travelers to ask for approval before they actually book. Travelers just need to enter information such as destination, dates, trip purpose, travelers and additional notes before submitting for approval. This way they can create trips from already approved requests.

How to stay in control of business travel

So now that you know the three most important elements of staying in control of your business travel program, let’s take a look at the 4 keys to staying in control.

1. Adapt the approval process to your company’s size

The business travel approval process can vary depending on the size and structure of your enterprise . Whether you’re an HR professional, an office manager , or from the finance department you will play a different role in the approval process, and also depending on how your company is set up. 

In a small company the process will generally be quite informal. In fact, it may just be the founder and a few employees who each represent a department but with no managers. In this case either the founder or the person in charge of finances might be in charge of approving trips. In a medium-sized company the office manager or HR department may set up the approval process, putting line managers in charge of approving their direct reportees trips.

The key is to adapt the approval process to your company’s size, involving as few people as possible to avoid any roadblocks. Once you’ve designated approvers, be sure that they all know and understand the travel policy. Definitely consider having pre-approval to avoid prices going up before someone has a chance to ok your trip.

2. Set up your approval process

Of course when setting up your approval process, it’s important to have a goal in mind, and to make sure to streamline the process. Think about how much you would like to spend on travel overall and designate a budget, and don’t forget to set up things like green light approval, which is like a pre-approval that makes it so travelers are pre-approved before they book.. Be sure to have a clear travel policy that makes it clear what is allowed and what isn’t. Don’t have a travel policy yet? Download now . 

Once you have your budget and travel policy designated, it’s time to make some decisions:  

• Who’s in charge of booking business travel?
• What does the process of getting a trip approved look like?
• Who will be the approvers?
• Who is responsible for creating the travel budget (this will often depend on the size of your company)?
• What’s the time frame for approving trips (ideally you would set up green-light approval so that people are pre-approved for their trips and they don’t have to risk missing the approval time limit)?
• Who is allowed to travel business class and who isn’t?
• What hotel star ratings are allowed?
• Will you allow or prevent refundable or non-refundable reservations?
• Will you allow employees to pay extra to select seats?
• What will your price cap be?

Finished answering all these questions? Then it’s time to move onto the next step.

3. Educate about the protocol

Whether you have a 3 person company or a 300 person company, protocols are clear to ensure that everything is clearly laid out and that there is nothing that slips through the cracks. It’s important that each person knows their role in the approval process, and that if an employee needs to ask for approval, how it works. If you have a travel management platform like GetGoing then you can automate the whole process, which brings us to the next step. 

4. Set up approval process in your travel management platform

Small and medium enterprises, or any sized company for that matter, will benefit from having a clear business travel process and this is where a travel management platform comes into play. Being organized when it comes to business travel is about having a clear procedure and managing everything in one place. 

Once you’ve decided who the stakeholders are, have created a travel policy, educated your staff about the protocol, it’s time to set up your approval process in the travel management platform. In GetGoing this can be configured easily by anyone with admin access to the platform. It’s a question of minutes before you’ll be able to get going with your business travel plans.

How GetGoing can help with the trip approval process

With GetGoing the approval process is a piece of cake. Simply set the business rules by automating your travel policy so that all bookings follow your travel policy. You can set up approvers in the backend and configure the green light approval, which allows travelers to ask for trip approval prior to booking so you don’t have to risk change of fares while waiting for approval. This is especially helpful in small companies where multitasking is a must. After all, you don’t want to be caught with your employee’s ticket price going up or by having passed the 12 hour limit for approval, as in both cases the trip will be canceled. 

Plus, with GetGoing you can automate trip approval flows, making the whole process easier. Navigate to the policy page within the app and you can set up this feature so that travel admins have the last say in keeping travelers safe and at the same time ensuring that the travel policy is upheld. 

Get a helping hand in business travel

Go share the news:

Sign up now to receive exciting news & updates.

Letters.org

The Number 1 Letter Writing Website in the world

A Business Trip Approval Letter

Last Updated On January 13, 2020 By Letter Writing Leave a Comment

A Business trip approval letter is written to permit an employee officially for a business trip for which he has submitted a written request. Business trips are considered as a professional way to build up a strong relationship with your existing clients and also a chance to acquire new clients. They are generally regarded as a profitable way of expanding the business. Therefore the staff of the marketing department keeps on touring new places to acquire more and more business.

Trips like these are essential for the growth of a company, so companies do encourage their employees to take such trips. Once an employee has made a request for a business trip, the higher authorities check the details of the trip. If it’s relevant and suitable for the progress of the company, the higher authorities approve the business trip. 

While writing the letter of approval, it is mandatory to include further details of the trip and what is being expected from the employee. You can specify the budget for the trip and mention the people who will be accompanying the person. Letters like this should focus more on specific details rather than anything else.

A Business Trip Approval Letter Writing Tips

• Firstly it is vital to be professional enough to write an approval letter on the employee’s request.
• You must specify the budget to your employee so that he should not overspend and exceed the budget laid down by the company.
• The tone of the letter should be formal.
• The letter should be brief and concise.
• Once you are through writing the letter, please recheck the same for corrections, if needed.

A Business Trip Approval Letter Template

Use our free A Business Trip Approval Letter to help you get started.

From, _____________

_____________

Date _________ (Date on which letter is written)

To, _____________

Sub: ___________________________________________

Dear ________________ (Name of the person),

I, hereby, would like to inform you that after discussing with the ______ (Department name), management has approved your business trip to __________ (place) scheduled from __________ (date) to ________________ (Date). We all wish that you will bring some good amount of business to the company. Mr. __________ (name) would also be accompanying you in this trip as he is a Chief legal advisor and will support you if you need any legal help during the trip and with the clients.

Please submit all the relevant documents to the concerned departments once you return.

Yours truly, (_______________)

Sample Letter

From, Alexander Gomes Marketing Head ABC Inc.

Date: 2nd February 2009

To, Mr. Joseph Nicolas Marketing Manager ABC Inc. Atlanta

Sub: Approval for Business Trip

Dear Mr. Nicolas,

I am writing this letter to officially inform you that the management has approved the request submitted by you for a business trip to Germany. The decision has been taken in conjunction with the Sales department. It is scheduled from 10th December to 20th December, and we wish that in this period you will work as per the strategies and norms laid down by the company and will get business for us.

I would also like to inform you that Ms. Catherine from the Sales department will also accompany you on this trip and we wish that after returning, you should prepare a sale report as well as your expense report and submit to the concerned department.

Wishing you all the best,

Yours truly, Alexander Gomes

Email Format

The following is the Email Format that should be followed while writing a Business trip approval letter.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

SUBJECT: Business Trip Approval Letter

I, hereby, would like to inform you that after discussing with the ______ (Department name), management has approved your business trip to __________ (place) scheduled from __________ (date) to ________________ (Date). We all hope that you will bring a good amount of business to the company. Mr. __________ (name) would also be accompanying you in this trip as he is a Chief legal advisor and will support you if you need any legal help during the trip and with the clients.

Related Letters:

• Sample Approval Letter
• Approval Of Overtime Letter
• Sample Approval Letter for Expenses Occurred
• Grant A Scholarship Letter

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

An Employee’s Quick Guide To Business Travel Request Form

Home » Corporate Travel » An Employee’s Quick Guide To Business Travel Request Form

Many businesses demand that workers at every level travel for business-related purposes. A company typically has to pay the costs associated with travel, whether it’s to work on a project for several months, attend a training conference for a few days, or for a one-day trip. Your company should have a travel request form since business trips need to be properly documented with the necessary paperwork for accounting and management purposes. A similar request form could be used to help schedule tasks and develop staffing schedules.

Travel request form template Structure

Your company requires a standard document with the same information for each travel request form. For business trips financed by federal, state, or local projects, there may be legal requirements. A staff travel request form must include at least the following information because thorough record-keeping is essential for a business:

1. Employee Information

Provide information about the employee, such as name, employee ID, and operational group (such as sales, accounting, engineering, architecture, etc.). A company can track its travel expenses across various groups using the group information, and based on this information, forecast future travel budgets.

2. General Information for Travel

The form must include the destination, the hours and dates of the trip, and the rationale behind the request for travel authorization. You can also include a charge code or project ID here if they need to be connected to the request.

3. Information on anticipated travel expenses

A complete request form should contain all necessary information:

• Plane Tickets: Information on airlines, one-way and round-trip travel, and ticket prices
• Ground Transportation: This can include the approximate cost of using a taxi or ride-sharing services like Uber. If these services are required over the course of several days, the template can include an estimated per diem cost. Specific rental companies can be listed here with estimated costs based on the number of days or expected mileage if the employee or employees prefer to rent a vehicle. Utilizing navigation or mapping software, miles can be estimated.
• Accommodations: Your company may have special deals with specific hotel chains for discounted rates and other benefits. Here, you can also calculate the price per night using the internal organizational processes.
• Meals: Food expenses can be calculated as a maximum value per meal or on a per diem basis.
• Other Expenses: Additional purchases are required for the work that needs to be done while on the trip.

4. Signatories

The travel authorization form should have as many areas as possible for signatures, including those of the employee submitting the request and all supervisory approvals. Additionally, the form should have a place to keep supervisor review comments and other information needed for the record.

5. Payment Information

Some businesses let staff members use their own debit or credit cards to make purchases that will later be refunded. Others might restrict the use of corporate travel accounts to managers at specific levels.

This data should be included in the template so that users can choose the options that are best for them.

Who is responsible for the travel request form?

A travel request form typically goes through three steps, from creation to approval. Companies can expedite the procedure even though using forms to approve corporate travel takes more time.

Staff can tag the appropriate individuals and send notifications automatically when action is required by using apps like Google Docs.

An employee

When an employee needs to travel for work, they must begin the approval procedure by submitting a travel request form. They must compile all necessary information and present it to their superiors. Managers will review the request after it is submitted and will then decide whether to accept or reject the suggested itinerary.

Employees are prepared to begin making and organizing their travel arrangements once a form has been approved. If the request is denied, the worker must make the suggested changes before submitting it.

The initial stage of approval

The employee’s direct manager typically conducts the initial level of approval. They check request forms at this point to make sure the employee information is accurate and the estimated costs are reasonable. The manager will reject the request and offer suggestions for improvement if they find something wrong with any of the specifics, such as the intended use of the trip or the suggested cost. After the employee makes the necessary changes, the form is returned to them so that their manager can review it again.

The following level of endorsement

The following stage of the approval procedure is very similar to the previous one, but it is handled by a more senior employee. The same procedure is followed when a department head or C-level employee submits a business travel request form, checking it for errors and making sure the trip has a clear business purpose.

If the request for the trip is approved, the employee is free to begin making travel plans and setting up meetings. The travel authorization request form will now be archived by administrative teams. The request can still be turned down by management, who will then ask staff to make additional changes.

Suggested Read: Corporate Flight Booking Benefits For Companies And Travelers

Why a business travel request form is important?

The business travel request form guarantees that internal travel is:

1. Possibility

A company’s resources may occasionally be constrained. The finance managers can easily determine the total cost of travel by using travel request forms to develop a budget. It aids in keeping the business’s finances in order.

2. Authorized

For the proper use of a company’s resources and funds, all travel expenses must be approved by management. The management should be aware of all travel-related expenses so that budgets and funds can be allocated appropriately. Additionally, it aids in stopping any instances of employees making unauthorized reservations.

3. Organized

For billing and accounting purposes, all business trips must be properly documented with the necessary paperwork. The business travel request forms can also be kept for future use, clearing up any ambiguity or clutter about trips or expenses.

4. Well-managed

There won’t be any last-minute travel or expense hysteria because the staff members have added all the relevant information, including lodging and transportation. This aids in expediting reimbursements as it satisfies the requirement of all expenses being business-related under the accountable reimbursement plan.

The submission and approval processes can be facilitated by using a well-designed business travel request form with sections for clearly defining the trip and expense details. A travel request form is an essential part of any trip request and manage companies expenses on travel. Finally, corporate travel management platforms such as Paxes help in maintaining an easy approval and travel management flow of business trips.

Suggested Read: A Complete Guide To Business Trip Expense Management

Travel Request Form FAQs

What is a business travel request form.

A business travel request form is a document that employees use to request authorization and approval for work-related travel.

What information should be included in a business travel request form?

A business travel request form should include details such as the purpose of the trip, the destination, the travel dates, the estimated costs, and the expected business outcomes.

Who should approve a business travel request form?

The approval process for a business travel request form varies by organization. Typically, the form must be approved by the manager or supervisor of the employees and may require additional approval from the finance department or other stakeholders.

How far in advance should a business travel request form be submitted?

It is recommended that a business travel request form be submitted at least two weeks prior to the travel dates to allow sufficient time for approval, booking of travel arrangements, and other necessary preparations.

Pratyush is a traveling enthusiast who always looks for innovations in business travel management. He has 5 years of experience writing content on corporate travel management and working closely with expert business travel facilitators.

Related Posts

Travel And Expense Policy: Objectives Of Corporate T&E Policy

Among an organization’s most prominent controllable costs, business travel expense is the second largest after salaries. It impacts the organization’s bottom-line irrespective of the company’s size. While ‘travel and expense’ are unavoidable because of their Read more…

What Is The Meaning Of Open Booking?

Open booking refers to a travel booking approach where employees have the freedom to book their travel arrangements outside of the traditional corporate travel management system. Instead of using a designated platform, employees can book Read more…

Corporate Expense Cards: Types And Benefits

Corporate expense cards for travel ensure easy payment and streamlined management of expenses. These cards can be of any type such as corporate credit cards, prepaid corporate cards, VCC, Airline specific cards, and many more. Read more…

Let's get started!

Thanks for submitting your details.

We'll get back to you shortly.

What's Planergy?

Modern Spend Management and Accounts Payable software.

Helping organizations spend smarter and more efficiently by automating purchasing and invoice processing.

We saved more than $1 million on our spend in the first year and just recently identified an opportunity to save about $10,000 every month on recurring expenses with Planergy.

Cristian Maradiaga

Download a free copy of "indirect spend guide", to learn:.

• Where the best opportunities for savings are in indirect spend.
• How to gain visibility and control of your indirect spend.
• How to report and analyze indirect spend to identify savings opportunities.
• How strategic sourcing, cost management, and cost avoidance strategies can be applied to indirect spend.

The Top 8 Business Travel Management Tools

• Written by Lyle Del Vecchio
• 18 min read

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Business travel management involves planning, booking, and managing all aspects of corporate travel, including flights, accommodations, ground transportation, and expenses.
• Corporate travel management software streamlines business travel processes by automating tasks such as booking flights, tracking expenses, and providing insights into travel spending patterns.

Effective business travel management can lead to cost savings, increased employee satisfaction, and improved productivity.

• The right travel management solution can help ensure compliance with company policies, provide valuable insights into travel spending, and streamline the entire travel process.

Business travel can be both exciting and exhausting. Between booking flights, finding accommodations, and managing expenses, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But fear not, weary traveler!

The right business travel management tools can save you time, money, and countless headaches.

In this article, we’ll explore the top 10 tools every business traveler should have in their arsenal and answer some common questions about business travel management.

What Is Business Travel Management?

Business travel management refers to planning, booking, and managing all aspects of corporate travel. This includes arranging flights, accommodations, ground transportation, and managing expenses related to business trips.

A well-managed business travel program ensures employees have a seamless travel experience while controlling costs.

How Do You Manage a Company’s Travel?

Managing company travel involves setting clear travel policies, selecting preferred vendors, implementing a centralized booking system, and using a robust expense management tool.

Regularly reviewing and analyzing travel data can also help identify areas for improvement and cost savings.

This brings us to the question, should you allow your employees to handle their own travel arrangements?

Allowing employees to handle their own corporate travel booking can have several advantages:

Flexibility and Autonomy

Allowing employees to book their own business travel gives them the flexibility and autonomy to choose travel arrangements that suit their preferences and needs. This can lead to higher employee satisfaction and a sense of ownership over their travel plans.

Time and Cost Efficiency

Employees may better understand their travel requirements and preferences, which can result in quicker decision-making and efficient bookings. Allowing employees to take charge of their travel arrangements reduces the burden on travel managers or administrative staff, freeing them up to focus on other important tasks.

Cost Control

When employees are responsible for booking their own travel, they tend to be more mindful of costs. They can search for the best deals, compare prices, and choose options aligned with budget guidelines. This level of cost-consciousness can contribute to overall travel cost savings for the company.

Empowerment and Trust

Allowing employees to book their own business travel demonstrates trust and empowers them to make decisions in line with company policies. It promotes a sense of responsibility and accountability, fostering a positive work environment.

Personalized Preferences

Employees may have specific preferences regarding travel arrangements, such as seat preferences, hotel amenities, or airline loyalty programs. Allowing them to book their own travel enables them to customize their travel experience and may contribute to their overall comfort and productivity during business trips.

However, it is essential to establish clear guidelines and policies to ensure travel policy compliance and manage potential risks.

Travel Policy

Have a well-defined travel and expense policy that outlines guidelines for bookings, preferred vendors, budget limits, and reimbursement procedures.

Communicate the policy clearly to employees to ensure they understand the expectations and limitations. It should clearly outline what expenses are reimbursable, whether or not they can use their personal credit card or will be required to use a company card, etc.

Approval Process

Implement an approval process to ensure that travel bookings meet company requirements and align with the travel policy.

This allows managers to review and authorize travel requests, ensuring consistency and control over travel arrangements.

Expense Reporting

Set up a standardized expense reporting process to ensure accurate and timely expense reimbursements .

Provide employees with clear instructions on submitting expense claims and the necessary supporting documentation. You should also consider introducing a dedicated app for travel and expense management to automate expense management .

Communication and Support

Maintain open lines of communication with employees to address any questions or concerns they may have about booking their own travel.

Offer support and assistance when needed, such as providing resources for finding the best deals or offering guidance on travel-related matters.

What Is Corporate Travel Management Software?

Corporate travel management software is designed to streamline and automate various aspects of business travel management.

These tools can help book flights and accommodations, track expenses, and provide insights into travel spending patterns.

They can also integrate with other systems, such as accounting or HR software, for seamless data transfer and workflow management.

What Is the Difference Between Business Travel and Leisure Travel?

Business travel refers to trips taken for work-related purposes, such as attending meetings, conferences, or visiting clients.

On the other hand, leisure travel is taken for personal enjoyment and relaxation.

While both types of travel involve similar activities (booking flights, accommodations, etc.), business travel typically has additional requirements, such as expense tracking and adherence to corporate travel program policies.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to the best travel management software. Consider how often people travel, the types of travel, etc., when making your choice.

What Are the Benefits of Business Travel Management?

By streamlining the booking process, enforcing travel policies, and automating expense reporting, companies can reduce travel-related stress for employees and ensure they have a positive travel experience.

How Do You Find a Corporate Travel Management App?

When searching for a corporate travel management app, consider factors such as ease of use, integration capabilities, customization options, pricing, and customer support.

Researching online reviews and seeking recommendations from colleagues or industry peers can also help identify the best app for your needs.

Additionally, many corporate travel management apps offer free trials that can provide an opportunity to explore the features and determine if it is a good fit.

Once you’ve identified a travel management app, ensuring all stakeholders are on board with its implementation is important.

Create usage guidelines for employees and ensure everyone understands the policies for booking flights, hotels, etc.

This helps with risk management to ensure employees aren’t booking personal travel on your dime or spending excess on car rentals, meals, and entertainment.

How Do You Book Flights for Business Travel?

Booking flights for business travel can be done through a corporate travel management tool, which centralizes bookings and approvals while providing personalized recommendations based on traveler preferences.

Alternatively, flights can be booked directly through airlines or third-party platforms, though this may not offer the same level of control and oversight as a dedicated tool.

What Is a Corporate Travel App?

A mobile corporate travel app is designed to streamline and simplify booking and managing business travel.

These apps often provide features such as real-time flight alerts, itinerary organization, and expense tracking, making them an essential tool for busy professionals on the go.

The Top 8 Business Travel Management Tools: In-Depth

Planergy for business travel and expense management.

Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without us mentioning our own tool.

With our business travel and expense management software, you can easily track and manage employee travel, allowable expenses for reimbursement, create expense reports, and more.

Our travel and expense management system works hand-in-hand with our procurement software to give finance teams a comprehensive control and oversight on all spend management.

TripIt: Your Personal Itinerary Wizard

TripIt is a comprehensive itinerary organizer that consolidates all your travel plans in one place, making it easy to access and share with colleagues.

The app also sends real-time flight alerts to keep you informed about any changes to your flights.

Additionally, TripIt offers helpful features such as maps and directions, ensuring you can easily navigate your destination. With its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with your email, TripIt makes managing your travel plans a breeze.

TravelPerk: One-Stop-Shop for Travel Bookings and Approvals

TravelPerk is a comprehensive solution for booking and managing corporate travel. The platform centralizes bookings and approvals, streamlining the process and saving time.

With transparent pricing and flexible options, TravelPerk ensures you get the best value for your travel budget.

The robust reporting dashboard provides insights into travel spending patterns, enabling you to identify areas for improvement and cost savings.

TravelPerk’s user-friendly interface makes managing all aspects of your business travel easy.

Airbnb for Work: Unconventional Accommodations for Business Travelers

Airbnb for Work offers unique accommodations tailored for business travel, providing a more comfortable and personalized experience than traditional hotels.

The platform simplifies group bookings, making coordinating travel arrangements for your team easy.

Additionally, Airbnb for Work offers convenient workspaces and meeting rooms that can be booked on demand. The platform also features experiences and team-building activities, enhancing your trip and promoting team bonding.

PackPoint: Handy Tool To Ensure You Pack Everything You Need

Packpoint is a handy packing app that can simplify preparations for your business travel by ensuring you have all the items you need for your trip.

By avoiding forgetting essential items, devices, or documents you can avoid any last-minute panic, cost incurred, or time wasted trying to replace them during your trip before your presentation or meeting.

Not having to worry about missing items will avoid disruption to your schedule and ensure you can perform your tasks effectively.

Packpoint will even make suggestions based on your destination, the weather forecast, and the activities you have planned.

Egencia: Comprehensive Corporate Travel Management

Egencia is a complete corporate travel management platform that offers a user-friendly mobile app for booking and managing trips.

The tool provides 24/7 customer support and travel assistance, ensuring you have access to help whenever you need it.

With its robust features and comprehensive approach to travel management, Egencia makes it easy to stay organized and in control of your business travel.

SAP Concur: Integrated Travel, Expense, and Invoice Management

SAP Concur is a powerful platform that combines travel, expense, and invoice management in one centralized solution.

The tool allows for seamless data transfer and workflow management, ensuring all aspects of your travel process are integrated and efficient.

Customizable policy enforcement and approval workflows help ensure compliance with company policies, while detailed analytics and insights into travel spending enable you to make informed decisions about your travel program.

Google Travel: Plan and Track Trips Easily

Google Travel , previously known as Google Trips, helps you plan trips and will centralize all your travel information by linking it to your Google account.

By guiding you through the process and identifying the most useful information and best offers it simplifies the planning process and keeps everything in one place.

Not just for business travel, Google Travel is equally useful for leisure and family trips.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are business travel management tools.

Business travel management tools are software applications and platforms that help organizations and individuals streamline and optimize their travel planning, booking, and expense management processes.

How Can Business Travel Management Tools Benefit My Organization?

These tools can save time, enhance productivity, improve cost control, and ensure compliance with travel policies. They provide a centralized platform for managing travel-related tasks, such as booking flights, tracking expenses, and creating itineraries.

Are These Tools Suitable for Small Businesses As Well?

Absolutely! Many of these tools cater to businesses of all sizes, including small and medium enterprises. They offer scalable solutions that can be tailored to your organization’s specific needs.

Can I Integrate These Tools With Our Existing Systems?

Most business travel management tools offer integration capabilities with popular travel booking platforms, accounting software, ERPs, and other relevant software. This ensures seamless data flow and minimizes manual effort.

Are These Tools Secure?

Reputable travel management tools employ robust security measures to protect your data. They utilize encryption, secure connections, and adhere to industry standards to safeguard sensitive information.

How Do I Choose the Right Tool for My Organization?

Consider your specific travel management needs, budget, scalability, integration capabilities, and user-friendliness. It’s also beneficial to read reviews, request demos, and evaluate multiple options before deciding.

Simplify Your Corporate Travel Expense Management With These Tools

Efficiently managing business travel is crucial for organizations of all sizes. From itinerary creation and business expense tracking to policy compliance and analytics, you have everything you need to stay on top of business travel.

By leveraging these tools, you can optimize your travel planning, save time, reduce costs, and ensure a seamless travel experience for your team.

Embrace the power of technology and make your business travel management a breeze with these innovative tools.

What’s your goal today?

1. use planergy to manage purchasing and accounts payable.

• Read our case studies, client success stories, and testimonials.
• Visit our “Solutions” page to see the areas of your business we can help improve to see if we’re a good fit for each other.
• Learn about us, and our long history of helping companies just like yours.

2. Download our “Indirect Spend Guide”

3. learn best practices for purchasing, finance, and more.

Browse hundreds of articles , containing an amazing number of useful tools, techniques, and best practices. Many readers tell us they would have paid consultants for the advice in these articles.

Related Posts

• Travel & Expense

Corporate Travel Program: How To Create a Program for Employer and Employee Needs

• 16 min read

Expense Reporting: What Is It, Templates, and How To Fill A Report

• 15 min read

Expense Reimbursement: What Is It, How To Manage, and What Should You Cover

Procurement.

• Purchasing Software
• Purchase Order Software
• Procurement Solutions
• Procure-to-Pay Software
• E-Procurement Software
• PO System For Small Business
• Spend Analysis Software
• Vendor Management Software
• Inventory Management Software

AP & FINANCE

• Accounts Payable Software
• AP Automation Software
• Compliance Management Software
• Business Budgeting Software
• Workflow Automation Software
• Integrations
• Reseller Partner Program

Business is Our Business

Stay up-to-date with news sent straight to your inbox

Sign up with your email to receive updates from our blog

This website uses cookies

We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services.

Read our privacy statement here .

404 Not found

• Best overall
• Best for expensive trips
• Best for exotic trips
• Best for annual plans

How we reviewed travel insurance for seniors

Best travel insurance for seniors of may 2024.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate insurance products to write unbiased product reviews.

Reaching your golden years doesn't mean your adventures have to end. In fact, in this stage of life, you'll hopefully have more time and resources to travel. But as a senior citizen, you'll want to ensure you have travel insurance that covers any health-related issues arise while you travel.

Our top picks for the best senior travel insurance

• Best overall: Allianz Travel Insurance
• Best for expensive trips: John Hancock Travel Insurance
• Best for exotic trips: World Nomads Travel Insurance

Best for annual plans: Travel Guard

How we rate the best senior travel insurance companies »

Compare travel insurance for seniors

Your health gets more unpredictable as you age, which makes travel insurance more important for seniors. Unfortunately, it's also more expensive. The best travel insurance for seniors won't have too steep of a price hike compared to rates for younger travelers. It will have high coverage limits for emergency medical coverage, trip cancellations, and and emergency medical evacuation. It's also important that your travel insurance offers pre-existing condition waivers , ideally at no extra cost to the traveler. 

Here are our picks for the best travel insurance coverage for seniors in 2024.

Best overall: Allianz

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Good option for frequent travelers thanks to its annual multi-trip policies
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Doesn't increase premium for trips longer than 30 days, meaning it could be one of the more affordable options for a long trip
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Some plans include free coverage for children 17 and under
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Concierge included with some plans
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Coverage for medical emergency is lower than some competitors' policies
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Plans don't include coverage contact sports and high-altitude activities
• Single and multi-trip plans available
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage starting at up to $10,000 (higher limits with more expensive plans)
• Preexisting medical condition coverage available with some plans

Allianz Travel Insurance is one of the most widely recognized names in travel insurance, and it stands out as one of the top travel insurance providers for seniors. It offers a wide range of policies covering medical treatments overseas and emergency medical transport.

Allianz also provides options for varying trip lengths. Its annual multi-trip policies , for example, cover any trip you make during your policy period, even if they aren't yet planned, making it an excellent option for seniors who vacation multiple times per year.

Read our Allianz Travel Insurance review here.

Best for expensive trips: John Hancock

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Offers 3 travel insurance plans
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Cancel for any reason rider available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Affordable travel insurance premiums
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Reviews of claims process are mixed
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Buyers may not get specialty coverage for sports equipment and other high value items
• Trip cancellation for 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption insurance for up to 150% of the trip cost
• Emergency medical coverage of up to $250,000 per person
• Medical evacuation coverage of up to $1,000,000

John Hancock Travel Insurance plans for seniors offer some of the best coverage available. It provides generous maximum benefit amounts while still offering affordable prices.

Each plan includes coverages like trip cancellation, emergency accident, and emergency medical, with the option to add benefits like CFAR (cancel for any reason) . Plus, getting a free online quote is a quick and straightforward process.

Read our John Hancock Travel Insurance review here.

Best for exotic trips: World Nomads

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Coverage for 200+ activities like skiing, surfing, and rock climbing
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Only two plans to choose from, making it simple to find the right option
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. You can purchase coverage even after your trip has started
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. If your trip costs more than $10,000, you may want to choose other insurance because trip protection is capped at up to $10,000 (for the Explorer plan)
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Doesn't offer coverage for travelers older than 70
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) option
• Coverage for 150+ activities and sports
• 2 plans: Standard and Explorer
• Trip protection for up to $10,000
• Emergency medical insurance of up to $100,000
• Emergency evacuation coverage for up to $500,000
• Coverage to protect your items (up to $3,000)

World Nomads Travel Insurance is a great choice for active senior citizens under 70 who want comprehensive travel insurance. The key difference between World Nomads and many other providers is that it covers 200+ adventurous activities like scuba diving, mountain biking, surfing, skiing, and even bungee jumping. In addition, World Nomads' trip cancellation and emergency medical coverage includes COVID-19-related issues. Many other insurers are excluding that type of coverage now.

For adventurous senior citizens over the age of 70 years, World Nomads suggests working with its partner, TripAssure .

Read our World Nomads Travel Insurance review here.

Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of the trip cost and trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Trip cancellation coverage of up to 100% of the cost, for all three plan levels
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. CFAR covers up to 75% of total trip costs (maximum of $112,500 on some plans) 
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Medical coverage of up to $500,000 and evacuation of up to $1,000,000 per person
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Includes COVID coverage 
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Above average baggage loss and delay benefits
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. High medical evacuation coverage
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Premiums may run slightly higher than competitors

Travel Guard is a well-established and highly rated name in the travel insurance industry. It offers three main coverage options to choose from, and in general its policies have above-average coverage for baggage loss and baggage delays, plus high medical evaluation coverage limits.

• Trip cancellation coverage for up to 100% of the trip cost
• Trip interruption coverage for up to 150% of the trip cost
• Preexisting medical conditions exclusions waiver must be purchased within 15 days of initial trip payment
• Annual travel insurance plan and Pack N' Go plan (for last-minute trips) available

Travel Guard  offers comprehensive insurance plans for shorter and longer trips. One of its more unique offerings is its Travel Guard Annual Plan.

This annual travel insurance comes with standard coverage benefits (trip delay, baggage loss, etc.) and substantial coverage amounts, which is important for seniors who travel multiple times per year. Travel Guard also offers a preexisting medical condition waiver, meaning those with certain medical issues can still gain coverage.

Read our AIG Travel Guard Insurance review here.

Understanding travel insurance for seniors

Before diving into the specifics, it's essential to understand what travel insurance is and why it's particularly important for senior travelers. The best travel insurance offers financial protection against unexpected events affecting your trip, such as trip cancellations, medical emergencies, or lost luggage.

Types of coverage

• Medical Coverage: Ensures your medical expenses are covered in case of illness or injury.
• Trip Cancellation/Interruption Coverage: Provides reimbursement if your trip is canceled or cut short due to unforeseen events.
• Baggage Coverage: Covers loss, damage, or theft of personal items during your trip.

Benefits of travel insurance for seniors

• Peace of Mind: Knowing you're covered in case of emergencies can make your travel stress-free.
• Financial Protection: Shields you from potentially overwhelming medical costs and trip cancellations fees.
• Assistance Services: Many plans offer 24/7 assistance services, providing help whenever and wherever you need it.

Making the most of your plan

After choosing a plan, it's crucial to understand your policy fully and know what services are available to you in case of an emergency.

Understanding your policy

• Read the fine print and understand the claims process to avoid surprises.

Emergency assistance services

• Familiarize yourself with the emergency assistance services offered by your plan and keep all necessary contact information handy.

How to pick senior travel insurance

It's wise to compare several different travel insurance policies for the best coverage and pricing, as premiums vary widely between insurers and depend on factors like your age and travel destination.

That said, some of the more essential coverages to look for if you're a senior citizen include:

• Travel medical coverage - This coverage will pay for your medical bills outside the US.
• Medical evacuation coverage - If you're injured or become sick while traveling, this coverage will transport you to the nearest hospital or even back home if your condition necessitates it.
• Preexisting conditions - Coverage for known health conditions. You'll need to purchase travel insurance within a certain time period from when you book your trip to qualify for a preexisting condition waiver .
• Cancel for any reason (CFAR) - The name says it all! It'll cost extra and you'll need to purchase insurance early, but it's the most comprehensive trip cancellation coverage you can get. Note that CFAR insurance usually only covers up to 75% of your trip fees.
• Trip cancellation insurance - This coverage provides reimbursement for your prepaid and nonrefundable costs if you cannot make your trip due to an unforeseen event.
• Baggage delay insurance - This coverage will reimburse you for essentials like toiletries and clothes if your bags are delayed.
• Lost luggage insurance - This coverage will reimburse you up to a specified amount if your bags get lost en route.

Of these, the most critical to note are whether or not your policy covers preexisting conditions and the limits for travel medical insurance and emergency medical evacuation.

Some insurance companies offer a waiver that will cover preexisting conditions. You'll have to follow the requirements for adding a waiver to your policy, like insuring the entire cost of your trip. Or purchase the policy within a specific time after making your first trip deposit payments.

You'll also want to find a policy with high maximum limits for travel medical and emergency medical evacuation coverage. These types of expenses can be substantial, so you want to have appropriate coverage.

When comparing senior travel insurance options, we looked at the following factors to evaluate each travel insurance provider:

• Coverage limits: We looked at each travel insurance company's coverage amounts for benefits like medical emergencies and trip cancellation.
• Flexibility: We looked at how customizable a policy is, so you can choose what your travel insurance policy covers .
• Coverage for preexisting conditions: Preexisting conditions are one of the more critical factors for travel insurance for senior citizens, so we looked at travel insurance companies that offer the best coverage for preexisting conditions.
• Price: We compared travel insurance providers offering reasonable basic and comprehensive coverage rates.
• Benefits geared towards seniors: We compared travel insurance companies that offer solid coverage for senior citizens, like medical evacuation, COVID-19 coverage, and trip cancellation.

You can read more about our insurance rating methodology here.

Seniors should look for travel insurance policies that offer comprehensive medical coverage, including for preexisting conditions and emergency medical evacuation. They should also consider policies with higher coverage limits to ensure adequate protection. Additionally, seniors should seek travel insurance plans that provide 24/7 assistance services, as well as coverage for trip cancellations, interruptions, and baggage protection.

The cost of senior travel insurance coverage can vary depending on your age, overall health, state of residence, travel destination, and length of your trip. However, assuming all other factors are the same, you'll pay more for travel insurance at 70 than at 30.

All travel insurance companies, except World Nomads, included in this guide offer coverage for pre-existing medical conditions as long as you buy your policy within the qualifying period from when you placed your trip deposit.

Allianz is the best travel insurance for seniors due to its wide array of medical coverages and emergency medical transport. Allianz also offers multi-trip insurance policies , which could make sense for seniors who travel frequently.

In some instances, travel insurance companies will have age eligibility restrictions, often only insuring people 80 years old and younger.

Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews, or recommendations expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Read our editorial standards .

Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.

**Enrollment required.

• Main content

Elon Musk comes out fighting as China throws Tesla a lifeline

• Elon Musk made a surprise visit to China, meeting officials and striking a deal with Baidu.
• The deal brings Tesla a step closer to introducing its self-driving features in cars sold in China.
• Tesla's sales in China have struggled amid rising competition from Chinese makers and a price war.

Elon Musk 's surprise visit to China appears to have paid off.

The billionaire unexpectedly traveled to Beijing over the weekend, meeting with high-ranking officials and striking a deal with the Chinese search giant Baidu.

The whirlwind visit came just a week after the billionaire decided not to make a planned trip to India to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing Tesla -related "obligations."

Instead, Musk with Premier Li Qiang, China's second-highest-ranking politician, in Beijing to discuss the rollout of Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology in the world's biggest auto market. Bloomberg reported that the electric-vehicle maker was expected to get the green light for the tech in China, citing an unnamed source.

Approval of FSD software could help boost Tesla's sales in China, which have slumped amid steep competition from local rivals and suffered elsewhere from rising anxiety about EVs.

'Golden opportunity'

The partnership with Baidu revolves around mapping and navigation functions for Tesla's autonomous-driving software.

Bloomberg reported that Baidu's lane-level navigation and mapping was likely to let Tesla make its autonomous-driving services available in China.

Such a move could be a much-needed boost for Tesla, which has lost its market leadership in the world's largest EV market.

Tesla has had difficulty keeping up with a brutal price war against Chinese suppliers. In 2023, it lost its title as the world's top EV seller to BYD , which is also planning to release its own autonomous-driving technology.

China's sluggish economy and property-market woes have also dampened consumer demand and made some wary of big-ticket purchases.

Approval for FSD could have a significant impact on Tesla's revenues, given it charges $8,000 in the US for it or $99 a month for a subscription.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, the Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said of the deal, "This could open up FSD in China, which I view as unlocking what could be, really, the golden opportunity for them."

Chinese authorities also said Tesla's cars made in the country now passed data-security requirements. In 2021 Beijing cracked down on the use of Teslas by state personnel over security concerns posed by the vehicles' cameras. 

Musk's battle plan

Musk's China visit came amid tough times for Tesla.

The EV maker reported its first decline in quarterly revenue since 2020 in its earnings call last week, missing Wall Street's already-low expectations. The revenue drop represented the first major decline since the pandemic disrupted vehicle production and deliveries.

Telsa has also been laying off 10% of its workforce , or about 14,000 employees, and has had to recall recently launched Cybertrucks.

Despite the miserable earnings, the company's stock jumped after the news that Tesla's long-awaited cheaper EVs were coming soon. Musk didn't give many specifics on the new vehicles, such as exactly how much they'd cost or when they'd be available, but it was enough to soothe nervous investors.

The stock surge confirms that Musk's promises still have meaning for many investors. Tesla is set to rise again by close to 10% when trading begins on Monday.

The combined might of China's car makers is a formidable adversary, but Musk's visit shows he's coming out fighting.

Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

If you enjoyed this story, be sure to follow Business Insider on Microsoft Start.

Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprises

Certification Portal |  Contact Us     Facebook     Twitter     LinkedIn

• Start or Renew your Federal or State Certification
• State Certification
• Federal Certification
• Veteran Owned Business Certification
• Certification Eligibility
• Business Changes FAQ
• Certification Complaints
• Public Works Small Business Enterprise
• Initial Investment Fact Sheet
• North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Codes and Business Descriptions
• Ownership Interest Fact Sheet
• Personal Net Worth Fact Sheet
• Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Fact Sheet
• Documents Needed Fact Sheet
• Directory of Certified Businesses
• Tools for Equity in Public Spending
• Supplier Diversity Best Practices
• Supplier Diversity FAQs
• Agency Reports and Plans
• Educational Institution Reports
• What is Counted in the Report
• Supplier Diversity Newsletter
• Partner Resources
• Glossary of Terms
• Access Equity - Your Business Diversity Management System
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Business Diversity Subcabinet Latest Updates
• 2019 Disparity Study
• Washington State Roadmap to Contracting Equity
• Overview of the Governor's Subcabinet on Business Diversity
• Doing Business with Government
• Bids & Contracting Opportunities
• Subcontracting Business Tips
• Linked Deposit Program
• Surety Bonds
• Marketing Tips
• Business Resource Newsletter
• Calendar of Events
• Small Business Guide
• Certifications
• Money & Loans
• Resource Partners
• Video Tutorials
• Contact Us & Directions
• Annual Report
• Advisory Committee
• Public Records
• Flyers and Outreach Materials
• Draft Rules
• Adopted Rule Changes
• Use of Logos
• Newsletters
• Careers at OMWBE

You are here

Lewis county public safety radio system equipment and services.

*Please note this is an extension of a deadline for a previously posted RFP*

LEWIS COUNTY NOTICE FOR:

Request for Proposals (RFP)

PUBLIC SAFETY RADIO EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES

RELATED TO AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS

Lewis County is extending the deadline for submissions for this request for proposals to develop a complete replacement of the aging radio communications system. This project is intended to design, install, and complete a public safety grade radio communications system. The RFP deadline is being extended from the original deadline of April 19, 2024 at 5:00pm to May 9, 2024 at 5:00pm due to possible technical issues during the original submission period and to ensure we receive the minimum number of required proposals.

Lewis County is accepting electronic submissions exclusively through OpenGov. Those wishing to submit a proposal must create a fee account with OpenGov Procurement by signing up at https://procurement.opengov.com/signup .

After completing account registration, proposals can be completed at https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/lewiscountywa/projects/63225 .

CLOSING DAY AND TIME: Responses will be accepted no later than 5:00 p.m. May 9th, 2024.  All proposals received previously have been accepted and do not need to be resubmitted.

For more information about the project and submittal requirements, contact Jennifer Libby-Jones, 911 Director, at 360-740-3394 or email [email protected] .

All work performed on this project will be subject to the higher of the prevailing state or federal wage rates (if applicable due to other federal funds that are in the project).

The County of Lewis is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.

Small, Minority- and Women-owned firms are encouraged to submit bids.

The Request for Proposals does not obligate the County to contract for services specified herein. The Board of Lewis County Commissioners reserves the right to reject any and all proposals.

PUBLISH: The Chronicle Tuesday 4/30/24; The East County Journal Wednesday 5/1/24; The Portland Daily Journal of Commerce Wed 5/1/24; The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce Wednesday 5/1/24

Lewis County website @ www.lewiscountywa.gov

© Copyright 2023 by the Office of Minority & Women's Business Enterprises. All Rights Reserved.

Terms of Service  | Privacy Policy  | Accessibility

Translate Site

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

• LISTEN & FOLLOW
• Apple Podcasts
• Google Podcasts
• Amazon Music

Your support helps make our show possible and unlocks access to our sponsor-free feed.

How to plan your dream vacation

Sometimes you crave a vacation — but actually taking one feels out of reach. Maybe you're struggling to find the time or save up the money. Or maybe you just can't seem to launch those plans out of the group chat. Overcome that planning inertia and take the big trip of your dreams. Here's where to start your search, organize your logistics and enjoy yourself.

Copyright © 2024 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

What is Labour’s plan for rail travel and will it make tickets cheaper?

Party wants to fully nationalise train network within five years of coming to power, in ‘biggest rail reform for a generation’

Labour has made one of its most radical proposals yet in the run-up to an election campaign: to fully nationalise the train network within five years of coming to power.

The party has pledged to guarantee the cheapest fares as part of “the biggest reform of our railways for a generation”, bringing all passenger rail into national ownership under the Great British Railways (GBR) body.

So, how difficult would the plan be to enact and what does it mean for passengers?

How would Labour’s plan for Great British Railways change the way the trains are run?

The headline change is nationalisation: the ambition that all passenger train operations, at least, should return to public ownership. But the wider aim is that control of trains and tracks – “wheels and steel”, as some put it – is brought back under one unified structure, at arm’s length from the government.

The actual railway infrastructure is already managed by the state-owned Network Rail, since the disastrous tenure of Railtrack in the early days of privatisation, and train operations in Scotland, Wales and a large chunk of England are in public ownership. So a fully renationalised railway (bar the rolling stock and freight) is not as big a step as it may once have sounded – and arguably the pragmatic extension of the plans drawn up by the Conservatives in 2021, to end the fragmentation and waste in the system.

How long will the changes take?

Labour said it would get the ball rolling on day one. Given the years it has taken for the Conservatives’ GBR plans to crystallise into a draft bill that has scant chance of passing before an election, supporters of the changes would be forgiven for not holding their breath for legislation. But some of the spadework has been done by the GBR transition team, and Labour will be hoping for a more stable tenancy in Downing Street to see the policy through. It is, it stresses, a long-term plan.

As far as nationalisation of the train operators goes, most of the contracts of remaining operators will expire naturally within the next term, while the government can exercise break clauses in others, such as Avanti West Coast and Cross Country.

What would the trains look like?

Eventually, they would all be GBR-branded trains rather than the individual liveries and logos of different operators. Labour hopes that this will make things simpler for passengers, avoiding confusion over ticketing, as well as cutting costs.

Would it make train travel cheaper?

Possibly, but not for a while yet. Labour says it wants to make the railway more affordable but has definitively avoided any pledges to cut or even freeze the overall level of fares.

However, it believes that its plans will eventually save £2.2bn a year by avoiding the duplication and bureaucracy brought on by the current system, where the Department for Transport tightly controls and specifies contracts for the private firms, and reams of staff are employed in back-end roles. That could give ministers some scope to use more of the billions in annual taxpayer subsidy to bring fares down long-term.

What about this best-price guarantee?

Make that an “ambition”, according to the policy document . It’s testament to the complexity, or occasional absurdity, of UK rail fares that even after years of industry focus on improving the system, renationalising looks an easier promise than telling a passenger they’ve paid the right amount.

Things can be improved, Labour says, as contactless tap-in and tap-out payments extend through more and more of the country, opening up the possibility of a Transport for London-style system, where fares are streamlined and automatically capped or refunded.

The shadow transport secretary, Louise Haigh, pointedly chose the headquarters of Trainline in central London to launch her plans on Thursday, paying tribute to the travel app firm’s “relentless focus on passengers [and] improving their experience”. Trainline shares fell 10%, even though Labour says it has no plans to replace the private firm with a single state retailer.

But given that the app’s business depends on people paying extra to cut through the railway’s confusing fares, fragmentation and lack of a decent central ticketing site, Trainline shareholder nerves might be taken as a vote of confidence that GBR will improve the industry’s own offering.

How else might passengers benefit?

Labour says it would leave the running of the railway to the experts – but the transport secretary would set strategy and take on the role of passenger-in-chief, and the industry would not be “marking its own homework”.

The plan aims to strengthen the voice of passengers by rolling together the various bodies currently meant to be standing up for them – the watchdog Transport Focus and the little-known Rail Ombudsman, as well as a few divisions of the Office of Rail and Road.

What will happen to the private operators?

Their representatives at Rail Partners warn that it will be “messy” and the railway will lose their expertise. But the people actually running train operators, right up to the managing directors, have typically stayed in post with a different coloured badge when the owning groups moved on, and passengers at say, Southeastern or LNER may not feel life is very different. Firms once regarded as pillars of privatised rail such as Stagecoach, National Express (now Mobico) and Virgin have long exited UK rail already, pursuing business elsewhere.

• Rail industry
• Rail transport
• Transport policy

More on this story

British railways under Tories are symbol of national decline, says Labour

Labour promises rail nationalisation within five years of coming to power

‘He made politics human’: Birkenhead mourns beloved MP Frank Field

Tributes paid to Frank Field, former Labour minister, who has died aged 81

Lisa Nandy urges support for UN relief agency for Palestinians

Nearly 1m UK pensioners living in deprivation, official figures show

Angela Rayner handling house sale controversy ‘in right way’, says Yvette Cooper

Bambos Charalambous readmitted to Labour party after investigation

Wes Streeting defends Labour plan to use private sector to cut NHS backlog

Most viewed.

Here's the latest on Buc-ee's plans to build one of the world's largest gas stations in Wisconsin

It’s been about a year since Buc-ee’s revealed its plans for its first Wisconsin gas station and convenience store, which would be among the largest in the world.

Since then, news has been relatively quiet, but that doesn’t mean excitement isn’t lingering among Wisconsin residents hoping to find out what all the buzz is about.

The planned site in DeForest, near Madison, is northwest of the Interstate 39/90/94 and County V interchange. There are still hopes construction will start this summer. When it opens, it'll become a major hub for travel commerce.

In September, the Journal Sentinel detailed exactly why there’s so much buzz around the company’s plans. As we wrote then, “Everything is bigger in Texas – Buc-ee’s is, too.”

So here’s what to know about Buc-ee’s as we near a potential construction start date:

So, what is Buc-ee’s again?

The Texas chain's stores are, first and foremost, massive. The site for the planned location is around 74,000 square feet and will have 631 parking spaces.

It'll be a contender for the largest gas station in the world, which already happens to also be a Buc-ee’s. Compared to ubiquitous Kwik Trip, Buc-ee’s is about the size of eight combined.

More than that, Buc-ee’s is known for its popular mascot, a beaver named Bucky; its wide range of snacks; and very clean bathrooms. Check out our prior breakdown of the store — from a native Texan, to boot — for the full rundown of what makes this place so popular.

It’s worth noting that the Wisconsin location is quite expensive, too, with a projected cost of $20 million.

Why is Buc-ee's planning a location in DeForest, Wisconsin?

While the company hasn’t explicitly said why it picked the interchange for its location, there are some details that offer solid hints.

It’s about 39 miles from the Wisconsin Dells, a very popular tourism hub in the state, and near the intersection of three major interstates. In fact, that interchange had an average daily traffic count of 59,000 cars in 2023, per the data from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

When will the Buc-ee’s in Wisconsin open?

The Journal Sentinel first reported on Buc-ee’s Wisconsin plans in August 2023. A that time, the company hoped to receive final approval in the fall and had received a conditional use permit in March 2023.

As of April, the company had not yet submitted for site plan review and approval, said Alex Allon, DeForest's community development director, in an email.

As for when it would begin construction or open, that’s still up in the air. The company can “hopefully” start building this summer, said Jeff Nadalo, Buc-ee’s general counsel, in a March email. In April, he said there were no new updates on the project.

Could there be more Buc-ee's in Wisconsin?

We can’t give a clear answer here, either. However, Nadalo said they “are interested in additional locations in WI, though we do (not) have any confirmed projects to announce.”

Isn’t Kwik Trip competing with Buc-ee’s nearby?

Sort of, but not exactly. Let us explain.

In late March, the Journal Sentinel reported that Kwik Trip bought 151 acres in Dane County for a new distribution center. That building is planned for the southwest quadrant of the intersection between U.S. 51 and State 19 and cost Kwik Trip $14.1 million, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Sixty of those acres are planned to develop into a satellite distribution center and fleet services center, DeForest village administrator Bill Chang said. Between the two, the facilities will serve 350 Kwik Trip stores in southern Wisconsin and bring about 400 jobs to the area.

That project is scheduled to take at least a year and a half, with construction starting this spring or summer.

Now, back to how that plays into Buc-ee’s. The proposed Kwik Trip site is about 10 minutes away from the proposed Buc-ee's site. Chang said the plans by both companies should have zero effect on one another.