Business Travel
Business travel involves traveling away from one's home for
more than one day, in connection with business, professional, or
job-related responsibilities. The business traveler is primarily
concerned with checking relevant travel advisories, acquiring the
necessary travel gear, and traveling from point A to point B in the
fastest and most convenient manner. Upon arrival at his or her
destination, the corporate traveler wants to quickly review cultural
highlights and attractions offered in the area, then lodge at a
comfortable hotel that provides tasty meals and standard business
services. Arriving at the appointed conference or meeting
fresh and well-rested is a key business travel objective.
Business travelers make up only 18% of travel volume in the United States,
yet they contribute 33% of total domestic travel spending.
There are a number of programs dedicated to serving this important market,
from corporate travel agencies to online business travel websites.
To take advantage of those programs and maximize efficiency, while
reducing the cost of your business travels, follow these eight steps:
- Plan ahead. Planning ahead is almost always the #1 way to get a
better deal. From airline tickets to rental cars to hotel rooms, you'll
likely pay less if you book in advance.
- Use the Internet. Websites like Expedia Corporate Travel and Orbitz for Business offer discounted deals on hotels, car rentals,
and plane tickets. Sometimes, though, the individual vendors may
offer even lower rates. Before you book online, call the vendor
directly to see if there's a lower rate.
- Use your company's corporate travel manager or agency, if
available. It can reduce the amount of time you spend planning
your trip, and may reduce the cost if your company has negotiated deals
with certain vendors.
- Take advantage of travel group or association memberships.
Being a member of an association such as AAA or AARP could save you 10%
on hotel rooms, for example.
- Consider booking a room on the executive level. While executive
level rooms are often more expensive, the amenities they offer —
from breakfast and afternoon hors d'oeuvres to complimentary use of the
business center and meeting rooms — may outweigh the additional
expense.
- If you're going to be in one place for at least a week, consider
efficiency apartments or suite hotels that charge weekly rates.
Many efficiency-type hotels and apartments have small kitchens, allowing
you to save money over restaurant meals.
- If you need luggage or travel accessories for your business trip,
Luggage Online offers a good selection of luggage and backpacks as
well as briefcases and business travel accessories.
Magellan's is
a popular online source of travel supplies. The company features
a travel products catalog as well as travel tips and articles.
- The United States Internal Revenue Service offers a series of business travel expense guidelines for taxpayers. Be sure to review this information, especially if your travel plans include both business and leisure activities.
BusinessTravel.us can help make business trips more enjoyable by providing
business travelers with information about travel and lodging options, as
well as airport and destination overviews. Website visitors can use
the featured business travel resources to arrange travel plans, or they
can engage the services of a corporate travel agency or in-house travel
office to process the necessary paperwork.
The website features convenient access to focused products and solutions for American business travelers, including travel accessories, airline tickets, hotel reservations and car rentals, as well as selected business travel information resources.
Business Travel Resources
- Executive Travel SkyGuide
Offers a set of practical solutions for a better experience while traveling.
www.eSkyGuide.com - TravelPlan.com
This subscription-based travel planning tool for your PC, laptop computer, Pocket PC or Palm PDA provides comprehensive global travel information in a convenient format.
www.TravelPlan.com - Dolce International
Conference and resort destinations for meetings in the US, Canada, and Europe.
www.Dolce.com - Travel.State.Gov
Find international travel and passport information for U.S. citizens.
Travel.State.Gov- International Travel
Tips for travel abroad, document requirements, and overseas services.
Travel.State.Gov/travel/ - Passports
Learn how to get a passport, download passport forms and applications, and find information about lost or stolen passports.
Travel.State.Gov/passports/
- International Travel
- The Internationalist
International business and travel resources, news, and information.
www.Internationalist.com - National Business Travel Association
Trade association dedicated to promoting the value of business travel management. NBTA creates a direct connection between corporate travel buyers and suppliers, and serves as a leading source of information, education, and networking in the business travel industry.
www.NBTA.org - World Airport Guide
Guide to over 200 major airports around the world features maps and driving directions as well as information on car hire, public transport, airport facilities, conference and business facilities, and hotels.
www.WorldAirportGuide.com
Corporate Travel Agency
- Travelocity Business
This full-service corporate travel agency helps companies easily manage travel and reduce costs, while providing more choices to travelers.
www.TravelocityBusiness.com
Hotel Reservations
- Hotel Reviews
The leading hotel chains offer fairly predictable levels of quality and service at each of their properties. This website groups the popular lodging chains into five categories, ranging from 5-star luxury hotels to 1-star budget motels.
www.HotelReviews.us
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