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Your key to an well-planned business trip

A successful business trip starts with a detailed travel itinerary. Through it, you’ll clearly outline your trip and its goals.

What’s a business travel itinerary? What should it contain? When should you get it ready, and how? Read on for our tips on how to create a watertight business travel itinerary.

Business trip and business travel itinerary: defining the terms

Let’s start with the basics: what’s a business trip?

A business trip

A business trip occurs when an employee or a manager takes a trip outside of their usual place of work for corporate purposes. This could be attending a client meeting, a seminar, a conference, or participating in a business fair.

The term business trip is particularly used when the work-related trip is more than 24 hours long. Such a trip can also be referred to as corporate travel .

The business travel itinerary: a roadmap for your work trip

Companies in the know often put together roadmaps. A roadmap is a great planning tool as it spells out the action plan (that is, all the key steps and tasks to be completed) to achieve a goal.

When used to plan a business trip, a business travel itinerary is the trip’s roadmap of sorts in that it’s a great planning tool. It’s the roadmap you prepare ahead of the trip and distribute to the employees going on the trip.

As its name implies, the business travel itinerary includes a detailed itinerary and provides employees with an overview of the different steps in the trip .

While having one is optional to go on a business trip, a business travel itinerary is a useful document to have with you.

How to successfully organize a business trip

When it comes to business travel, the keywords are organization and planning ahead.

Going hand in hand with that is, of course, the business travel itinerary. But since you put it together once all the trip details have been arranged, down to the reservations, let’s first discuss the steps to take before.

Assess your business travel objectives

Before planning anything, the first thing to do is be clear about the business trip’s goals.

• What is the purpose of the trip ?
• What objectives does the company wish to achieve?

It’s also good to ask yourself if the trip is necessary and consider its cost-benefit ratio . For example, a business trip incurs many costs for the company (transportation, accommodation, and so on).

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, it’s time to start outlining the actual trip:

• Where will the business trip take place? What is the planned itinerary ?
• What are the trip’s main moments? Who are the key people to meet ?
• Who’s taking part in this trip?

All these elements must be very clear: they’ll help you put together your business travel itinerary.

Stay ahead of the trip’s expenses

Once you have the destination and itinerary in mind, it’s time to plan travel expenses and put together a budget for any potential expense reports .

There are several areas to budget, such as transportation and accommodation costs or fees to attend a seminar or a conference.

As a reminder, expenses incurred during a business trip are exempt from social contributions and deductible from the company’s taxable income.

Make your travel arrangements well in advance

Ideally, you want to book transportation (plane or train tickets, for instance) and hotel rooms ahead of time to grab the best deals and optimize your budget.

The company is responsible for paying any expense incurred during the trip . 

• Either the employees on the trip pay for their expenses directly. To get reimbursed, they must file an expense report, including all supporting documents (such as receipts).
• Or, employees have company cards and can use them to pay for their trip expenses.

Did you know that Qonto offers both physical and virtual payment cards that are fully customizable ? That way, your teams no longer need to pay upfront for expenses and file expense reports . This also lets you stay in control and follow their trip expenses in real-time, should you wish to. And, if your employees travel by car, you can also provide them with business fuel cards to use at gas stations.

Get corporate travel insurance

Before you leave, another element to check is whether you and your employees are covered by the company’s insurance policy during the trip , especially if this trip is going to be abroad.

How to put together a business travel plan for your work trip

Now that everything is booked and the trip is looming closer, you have one last key thing to do: create your business travel itinerary.

This travel itinerary can resemble anything you want, as it’s not a mandatory document. It doesn’t need to contain any compulsory mentions or such and such.

However, to make it a valuable document to have on hand, here’s what we recommend your itinerary includes:

• contact information (name, first name, address) of all the employees going on the trip;
• objective and goals of the trip;
• date and time of departure;
• length of the stay (including the total estimated duration );
• means of transport that will be used;
• lodging address ;
• contact information of the people you’ll be meeting;
• addresses and exact location of the meetings and rendezvous scheduled,
• agendas for the different meetings;
• and more broadly, the schedule for the trip.

Your itinerary can also be in the form of a table if you find that clearer.

If the business trip is going to take place abroad, including practical information about the country in the travel itinerary is a good idea.

Tools to use to create your business travel itinerary

You have several options at your disposal to put together your business travel itinerary.

Find a template or an example

You can easily find business travel itinerary templates online, available in a Word or Excel format. Use them as they are, or base yourself off those to create yours.

Use a project management tool like Notion

Notion is a very comprehensive project management service.

So, why not use it to create and customize your business travel itinerary? One of Notion’s biggest perks is that it’s a collaborative tool. That way, everyone taking part in the corporate travel can easily edit the document and add their touch.

Why it’s essential to bring a business travel itinerary

A business travel itinerary has many advantages for the company and its employees.

For the employees

Business trips can be stressful times, with lots to think of. Where do I need to go? Who am I supposed to meet? Why am I meeting them? What time’s my meeting? How long am I going to be gone?

By providing your employees with a detailed business travel itinerary , you’re giving them all the information they need to feel reassured and organized during the trip. They can also save time thanks to that detailed document.

Unsure when the meeting’s taking place? A glance at their itinerary will tell them all they need to know.

For the company

Through a business travel itinerary, the company also has a clearer understanding of the business trip’s objectives. This makes it easier, post-trip, to assess whether the trip’s goals were met .

Frequently Asked Questions

Who’s in charge of creating the business travel itinerary.

It’s usually up to the employer or the manager to put together the business travel itinerary. That being said, once all bookings have been made, an employee taking part in the business trip can very well create it, following the company’s travel policy.

Is it mandatory to have a business travel itinerary for a work trip?

No, it’s not mandatory to bring one during a work trip. However, having one on hand is highly recommended, as it ensures a trip is well organized.

As an employee, can I say no to a business trip?

In theory, no. Without reasonable cause, an employee can’t refuse to go on a business trip. Nevertheless, your employer must give you sufficient notice - i.e make sure they’ve let you know well in advance. You should find exactly how far in advance they need to notify you detailed in your work contract.

In addition, you can have real and serious grounds to say no to a business trip. Such a reason could be health issues, urgent family matters, or if your employer refuses to cover your travel expenses (for instance, mileage, accommodation, or transportation costs) . Check out our article on refusing a work trip (link in French) for more details.

What documents do I need to bring for a business trip?

Several documents are essential for a business trip, including:

• your ID card or passport if you’re traveling abroad;
• a visa or travel authorization, if needed;
• travel tickets, and booking confirmations;
• business cards.

Make your business trips easier

With Qonto, order payment cards for your business trips, and receive them at home in just a few days. Choose from a large selection of cards to suit your corporate travel needs.

Qonto collects and processes your personal data to better respond to your requests. Learn more about how we manage your data and your rights.

19 Business Travel Tips for Frequent Corporate Travelers

Whether it’s been a while since you’ve engaged in corporate travel or you’re a first-timer, you might benefit from these business travel tips.

With the rise of video conferencing and other technological tools that help us to connect from afar, it’s easy to assume that traveling for work is a thing of the past. That’s certainly not the case! There are many reasons that people still need to make their way to remote offices and distant locations to get the job done. Whether it’s been a while since you’ve engaged in corporate travel or you’re a first-timer, you might fit from some business travel tips.

Gather the Team Together for a Scavenger Hunt

If your company is holding an annual conference or training event, consider a team-building event customized by the experts at Let’s Roam! We offer over 20 team-building activities , including virtual and hybrid events for those unable to engage in business travel. Contact us today to find out how we can help you plan effective exercises just for you and your crew!

Things to Do Before You Leave Home

Whether you’re a frequent traveler or you’re about to embark on your first-ever business trip, you should do a few things before you leave home. It’s never a good idea to travel for work without making arrangements in advance. If you travel on a whim without making any preparations, you may end up missing critical meetings, leaving something vital at home, or without a place to stay.

Book with Familiar Providers

Whenever possible, book reservations with airlines, rental car companies, and hotels that you’ve frequented before. By doing so, you’ll be familiar with how things work and the level of service you can expect. For example, you’ll know the terminal you’ll depart from and return to if you make reservations for your next business trip with your usual airline.

If you read travel blogs, you might be advised to bundle all your travel plans with one service provider, such as Expedia, Travelocity, or Priceline. While that can streamline the reservation process, it’s also a risky endeavor if you need to change your plans down the line. Even if you’re successful at changing your plans, you may end up paying a premium or you might not get a full refund if you shorten your stay or return your rented vehicle early.

Sign Up for Rewards Programs

Like your local yogurt store might give you a punch card that will entitle you to a free dessert after you collect ten punches for verified purchases, businesses in the hospitality industry often have loyalty programs that enable frequent business travelers to accumulate points they can later redeem for savings. You don’t have to travel often for these programs to benefit you.

Signing up for rewards programs is somewhat akin to offering future business to a provider. When you’re a member of loyalty programs, you may enjoy some perks like an upgraded seat, hotel room, or vehicle even if your rewards balance is zero because the provider wants you to use its services again down the line. In other words, providers may try to woo you with free upgrades to get you to book with them again.

Members of rewards programs often enjoy more conveniences, too. A rental car company may deliver your rented vehicle to you if you’re a member of its loyalty program, for example, while non-members may have to take the dreaded shuttle ride over to the company’s hub to get their automobiles.

Follow Your Company’s Travel Guidelines

Depending on the business you work for, your company may have a travel policy. If your organization has such a policy, make sure you make arrangements that are in keeping with those guidelines. The travel policy may require you to use a travel credit card instead of your own personal credit card if you want to be reimbursed for expenses incurred during your work trip. You may only receive a limited stipend for meals, too.

A typical travel policy varies from one company to another. Even frequent business travelers should review their company’s travel guidelines regularly to ensure they remain in compliance and won’t have to come out-of-pocket for non-reimbursable expenses unexpectedly.

Store Customer Service Numbers in Your Phone

As you firm up your travel plans, make sure you store the relevant customer service numbers in your phone. Having those numbers handy will be a big help if your plans get disrupted or you’re dissatisfied with the service you receive for any reason.

One of the best travel hacks you’ll ever receive is to follow your providers on social media. By following your airline, rental company, and hotel on social media, you won’t miss out on any promotions they offer. Some hotels share exclusive passwords on their social pages. If you use the designated password when you check-in, you may be privy to free perks, such as:

• In-room movie
• Hot chocolate kit
• Bottle of wine
• Preferred parking
• Drink or meal vouchers
• Room upgrades

Depending on the carrier or hotel you book with, you may be able to solve customer service issues on social media, too. If you tweet at an airline because you missed a connection or got bumped, you may be able to resolve the issue on Twitter and avoid waiting in line at a kiosk with the rest of the weary masses.

Dress Smartly

How you dress on the day you travel matters. If you dress professionally, it’ll make it more likely that you’ll receive preferential treatment and perks that can make your trip markedly more pleasant than it would be otherwise.

In addition to dressing well to possibly enjoy some benefits, you should dress with the TSA security check in mind. To make getting through security less of a hassle for you and everyone in line behind you, don’t wear a belt or metal accessories except for your wedding ring. Don’t forget to wear slip-on shoes so you can remove them and put them back on quickly without causing a traffic jam that will prevent you from winning any popularity contests.

Even if you book a direct flight, which is always a good idea to avoid oft-wasteful layovers, you may still wind up spending time in the airport lounge. Pick an outfit that will allow you to fit in during this travel time rather than making you stand out for all the wrong reasons.

Remember, there’s always a chance that you’ll run into one of your peers, competitors, or clients before you reach your destination. Always dress to impress with practicality and comfort driving your clothing choices.

Reserve Select Toiletries for Travel

You don’t need to be a frequent flyer to know that there are few things worse than arriving at a destination for a business meeting only to discover that you forgot your deodorant, conditioner, or favorite toothpaste at home. Having your preferred toiletries on-hand can be the difference between a successful work trip and one that literally stinks.

To ensure you’re comfortable during your trip, grab a small tote and fill it with all the toiletries you’ll need whenever you travel. Don’t use the items in that tote unless you’re traveling and replenish your supplies as they run out so you won’t have to rush around at the last minute before your next business trip.

Do you absolutely, positively need a certain item that you know you can’t travel with like a particular razor or aerosol spray? If so, consider ordering what you need from Amazon and having it shipped directly to your hotel before you arrive on-site. Be sure to alert the hotel about your package so the staff will know to keep an eye out for it and have it waiting for you in your assigned room.

Stick with Carry-On Luggage

Unless you’re going to be away from home for months at a time, you should do your level best to pack light. When you pack light, you’ll be able to avoid having to check bags, which can save you money and prevent delays waiting for stowed luggage to make its way to the baggage terminal.

Check with your airline to see how big your carry-on bag can be. Carry-on luggage is normally smaller than suitcases that are stored under a plane’s seating area, so start thinking in the realm of backpacks. As you pack, make sure you include an extra set of clothing among your things in case something spills on you during your flight.

You should also put essential items where you can access them easily. Rather than stuffing them at the bottom of your carry-on bag’s main compartment, put them in a separate pocket that you can lock.

If you’re traveling with a laptop, you’ll need to remove the device from your bag as you go through the TSA security checkpoint. Keep that in mind while you pack so you don’t bury your computer and charger underneath delicate items you’d prefer the public not to see, such as your underwear.

Are you going to pack clothing that needs to be wrinkle-free when you arrive at your destination? You may want to bypass your carry-on and stow them in a suit bag. Alternatively, you may want to wear the outfit on your travel day to keep it as wrinkle-free as possible.

If you don’t want to wear your good outfit on the plane and you’re required to check a suit bag, roll your clothes to keep wrinkles at bay. In addition to preventing wrinkles, rolling your clothes will enable you to fit more in your carry-on.

Pack Healthy Snacks

Too often, a business trip involves irregular mealtimes and unhealthy food choices. Even when you’re traveling in business class or first class, your meal options may only include processed foods that are devoid of taste and substantive nutrition.

You can avoid allowing yourself to get sucked into a food coma by preparing some delicious and nutritious snacks for long flights before you leave home. If your trip requires international travel, you can bypass a hassle at customs by ordering healthy snacks from Amazon and having them sent to your hotel.

Register for TSA PreCheck or Global Entry

Do thoughts of having to go through airport security turn your smile into a frown? If that’s the case, know you’re not alone. Luckily, you can turn your frown upside down by signing up for TSA PreCheck. Created by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration, TSA PreCheck allows registered travelers to sidestep certain security measures to expedite the airport screening process.

If international travel is a must for you, it might be wiser for you to sign up for Global Entry. This program also hastens the screening process, and it enables you to get through U.S. Customs faster when you re-enter the United States as well.

Both programs charge a modest fee for a five-year membership. If you find the cost of membership off-putting, contact your travel credit card provider to see if the bank offers a credit you can apply to cover the cost of registering in one or both programs.

What to Do During Your Business Travel

While business travel is different today than it was just a few years ago thanks to changes thrust upon the world as the result of the pandemic, some basic rules will always apply. One of those rules is to be courteous and compliant with an airline’s requirements. If, for example, your carrier requires passengers to wear a mask, do it, making sure you cover both your nose and mouth.

Everyone is tired of wearing masks, not just you. There is no point in giving an airline attendant grief because you don’t want to mask up. Similarly, it’s not your responsibility to chastise someone for not wearing a facial covering. Although you may think you’re being helpful, instructing someone to put a mask on can cause problems for airline attendants and other passengers, so let the professionals handle non-compliant travelers.

Another timeless “rule” of traveling is to familiarize yourself with the dos and don’ts of airline travel . Being familiar with these guidelines and adhering to them will ensure you’re viewed as a best-in-class passenger, which is definitely the reputation you want to have as a business traveler.

Book Your Seat at the Last Minute

Cancellations and seat changes are the norm for most flights. With this in mind, wait until about 30 minutes before takeoff to book your seat. By waiting until your flight is just about ready to board, you can increase the odds that you’ll reserve the best seat currently available. In other words, waiting to book your seat is kind of like giving yourself an upgraded seat in many cases.

Drink Water Instead of Booze

A lot of leisure and business travelers consider an airplane ride to be a great time to indulge in an adult beverage, two, or more. You should resist the temptation to do the same, especially if you need to get right down to business when you land.

Even if you’ll have a few hours to yourself when you reach your destination, you should still refrain from drinking during your travel time. Staying hydrated is a must if you want to avoid jet lag, so skip the booze and drink bottled water instead.

Sitting for long periods of time can negatively influence your circulation and it can result in neck or back pain. To keep your blood flowing and avoid a painful back or neck, stretch periodically during your flight. Be careful to not infringe on anyone else’s space when you stretch unless you like getting dirty looks and being on the receiving end of wisecracks.

Set Yourself Up for Success During Layovers

If you have to change planes during your business trip, use the time between flights to set yourself up for success. Connect to the secure Wi-Fi in the airport lounge and get caught up on work communications like emails. Check industry news outlets for any breaking news so you’ll be up to date when you arrive at your final destination. Doing these things is particularly important if you have to walk into a business meeting shortly after your next plane lands.

Once you’re caught up with work, use your cellphone to download some music, movies, or television shows. Once they’re downloaded to your device, you’ll be able to watch and listen to the programs even if you end up having to spend some extra time in a space that doesn’t have a Wi-Fi connection.

Are you planning to catch some shuteye during your connecting flight? Visit one of the airport’s retailers to look for things that can facilitate sleep, such as an eye mask and some quality earplugs. Resist buying a travel pillow or anything else that’s too bulky to fit into your carry-on. Adding bulk or too much weight to your carry-on is the last thing you want to do during a stopover.

Like staying hydrated can help you avoid jet lag, so can exercise. If you have some free time between flights, consider booking a training session for the morning or early afternoon on the day you’ll arrive at your destination to offset the effects of jet lag. Refrain from scheduling a workout in the evening or the session may negatively affect your ability to adapt to a different time zone and a new schedule.

Keep Your Boarding Pass to Yourself

Whenever you’re on a work trip, keep your boarding pass private. Even if you use a Sharpie to block out the numbers on the pass, people can still steal personal data if you share pictures of your pass on social media. The QR code on your pass contains sensitive information. If that information makes it into the wrong hands, it could compromise your identity and even your safety.

Use Your Own Charger

Many airports and hotel business centers have public charging stations. While public charging stations are convenient, they’re also dangerous. That’s because people can swipe information like your credit card number from your electronic devices via USB. To keep your information safe, bring your own charger or use a USB data blocker if you have no choice but to use a public charging station.

Save Your Receipts

Does your employer reimburse you for the expenses you incur during a business trip? Do you itemize your federal taxes? In either case, you should save all your receipts. It’s also wise to use your cellphone to take pictures of your receipts as you get them in case you lose the paper receipts.

Steps to Take After Business Travel

You may think the work is done when you return home after a business trip, but that’s normally not the case. There are still a few things you’ll need to take care of.

Report Your Expenses ASAP

It’s easy to put off completing an expense report, but you shouldn’t. Fill out your expense report as soon as you can while your expenses are still fresh in your mind. You’ll be more likely to notice discrepancies or missing charges if you complete your expense report sooner rather than later. Also, you’ll get your money back that much faster.

Send Thank You Notes or Emails

At the earliest opportunity, you should send thank-you notes or emails to everyone you met with during your trip. Although emails are quicker, handwritten thank you notes are often perceived as more thoughtful and personal.

Connect with Family and Friends

When you return from a business trip, especially a prolonged one, prioritize reconnecting with your friends and family members. Planning a virtual game night with Let’s Roam is one simple way you can reconnect with loved ones no matter where they’re located.

Frequently Asked Questions

Avoid falling prey to rookie mistakes, like going rogue, booking the cheapest flight or hotel, and not tying up loose ends at the office. These business travel tips should keep you on track!

There are many things to remember when traveling on business . For starters, re-read your company’s travel policies, try to tie things up at the office before you leave, and travel as lightly as possible.

Follow business travel tips from the experts! Adhere to your company’s travel policies, save your receipts, stick with carry-on luggage, if you can, and stay connected with loved ones !

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Planning a business trip 101: Tips for regular business travelers

There’s a lot to consider when planning a business trip. This guide is designed to make sure you’re prepared to get going. Travel for business is easier when you’re prepared.

By Jessica Freedman

February 9, 2024

Planning a business trip is not always fun and games ; there’s a lot to think about. Whether you’re a small business owner, a regular business traveler or a travel manager, it’s sometimes hard to know where to start. You have to deal with searching for the best travel deals, planning the ideal itinerary, and if you’re the one traveling, make a packing list.

Dealing with all that goes into planning business trips for yourself, your boss and your company is no easy task, which is why we’ve created this Business Trip 101 to help you get going. Travel easier and be sure how to plan a business trip after reading this guide. 

Get going, travel easier

The more efficient your planning is, the more productive you can be on your business trips as a regular business traveler because you will have a clear agenda and know where your priorities lie. When it comes to corporate travel there is a lot to keep in mind such as flight and hotel bookings, scheduling, ground transportation, checked baggage vs. hand luggage and everyone’s agendas. The more organized you are, the better yours and your team’s results will be.

How to plan a business trip

Planning a business trip can take a lot of work, and part of that is making sure you can balance the business traveler’s mental health (or if you’re the one planning, you have your own wellbeing in mind) as well as the physical needs with the objectives of the company. This is why it’s so important to start with a goal. This way you can see if your agenda is feasible and whether it helps work towards achieving a goal while also following a rhythm that is feasible for the person doing the traveling. If you can, try to have a master planning list that allows you to optimize the time that goes into planning, and then you can more easily replicate for future trips.

1. Start with a goal

If you are looking for how to plan a business trip and stay efficient, we suggest you start with a goal for your business trip . Figure out what you want to accomplish and why you must take a trip to do so. With a goal in place it will be easier to figure out your objectives and then track KPIs related to the trip. KPIs could be the number of new clients onboarded, number of new prospects, number of sales contacts, or goals like designing the Marketing Plan for the following year or simply teambuilding, depending of course on the goal of your business trip.

If you are a regular business traveler traveling for a sales meeting, why not set up several meetings with different potential clients and current clients in the same area to avoid having to travel so frequently? This way you can focus on quality business trips over quantity, which makes them more productive and you will experience less travel fatigue, especially for regular business travelers. 

2. Plan travel once and repeat

Sometimes the biggest part of getting anything done is devising a plan. So start your business trip planning by coming up with a travel plan that is easily replicable for future trips. Start by making a list of everything that you need to do to plan and turn it into a checklist. Business travel like any project needs a roadmap to get anything accomplished.

Need a helping hand to get started? Download our checklist!

3. create a master business trip itinerary.

Creating standard itinerary for a business trip oftentimes will fall in the hands of an administrative or HR professional, but if one isn’t provided for you, there are some important details you must consider jotting down such as transportation times and details, travel reservation and confirmation numbers, addresses, emergency contact information, check in and check out times for the hotel, day-to-day schedule details (such as what time do meetings start, where and how long do they go), as well as contact information for the people you will be meeting with. 

It may seem overwhelming at first but once you have a master business trip itinerary outline it will be easily replicable for your next trip. If you work with a travel management company like GetGoing , you can store all your itineraries and travel documents in one place making managing your business trips as easy as the snap of a finger. 

4. Store all business trip-related documents in one place

As we’ve mentioned, when you work with a travel management company, all of your business and trip-related documents will be stored in one place on the web app, including important contact information for travelers, hotel information, emergency contacts, and a support phone number to call in case of issues. 

If you are booking all your regular business trips on your own without the support of a TMC, then be sure to have a spreadsheet and shared drive dedicated to your travel plans and itineraries. It will be easier to keep track of everything and ensure nothing gets missed.

Packing and trip lists: lists are your friend

When it comes time to pack for your business trip there is nothing more important than having a list ready with everything you need to start your business travel plans, especially if you’re a regular business traveler. That means having a running list of those elements that you can’t travel without like your passport or ID, your computer, a mouse, a pen and notebook, or your business cards.

Consult our ultimate packing list for more ideas about the travel essentials.

Make a list of all the travel extras

Extras can be things like checking a bag, traveling business class on a flight, purchasing an in-flight meal, having a driver pick you up, and more. The kinds of extras permitted might depend on your company’s travel policy. For example, taking a taxi instead of the bus to the airport may or not be allowed based on the budget per trip your company has in mind, so make sure to check with your travel manager, HR or office manager about what is and is not allowed. 

Search for business travel deals

Finding business travel deals is perhaps the most important and time-consuming task when it comes to making your business travel arrangements. If your company doesn’t already work with a TMC, you may consider urging them to sign up for a corporate travel management solutions company who can help you find the best (and most convenient) travel deals . 

Some other cheap travel hacks for regular business travelers are:

• Be flexible with dates
• Travel in the middle of the week instead of Monday or Friday.
• Consider traveling via a historically cheap destination to get to your final destination
• Go with budget flight options like RyanAir, EasyJet or Vueling

Business travel by flight

Business travel by flight is one of the hardest parts of booking a business trip. How can you find the most convenient and shortest route without having to pay an arm and a leg? There is also a fine balance between the amount of time you dedicate to searching for cheap flights and the amount you pay because after all time is money, so you don’t want to whittle away your time to spend a little less. 

It’s also hard to know, whether hand luggage is enough for you when traveling by air, whether it’s worth-it to book business or first class (and if your company even allows it). One of the most important things is to familiarize yourself with your company’s travel policy so you don’t find surprises when it comes time to having your travel approved. 

Checked or hand luggage only: Is hand luggage enough for you when traveling by air?

So should you go with checked or hand luggage only? Is hand luggage enough for you when traveling by air? Our rule of thumb when is to ask yourself the following questions, which can help you decide whether hand luggage is enough or if you should consider fronting the extra bucks to check a bag:

• Is your meeting formal or informal? If it’s formal you may want to consider checking a bag so you can keep your suit or blouse from wrinkling.
• How many days are you traveling for? 1-4 days of informal business travel can easily be packed into hand luggage only. Beyond 5 days, it’s definitely worth checking a bag or if you have to deal with cold weather or different climates on the different stops in your trip.
• Will you be adding time on for bleisure or blended travel? If you decide to add in extra days either before or after your trip you may consider throwing in a bathing suit to hit the beach or the spa or some extra clothes that don’t necessarily scream “I’m on a business trip.”
• What kind of traveler are you? If you’re the kind of traveler that wants to throw in your rain boots and parka in case it rains when you’re traveling to Spain that has an average of 50 days of rain a year, then you might consider checking a bag. If you’re a “worst case scenario” type of traveler then just a carry-on will most likely never suffice. 

Hotels for business travelers

Choosing the right hotels for regular business travelers is no easy decision. Breakfast or no breakfast? What kind of amenities are non-negotiable? Is it better to be close to the office or downtown? Should you choose a hotel just because they include airport pick-up? There are so many questions to ponder that we’re going to dedicate an exclusive post just to choosing hotels for business travelers. Stay tuned.

Use the right tools for booking hotels for your business trip

Kayak, Skyscanner, Google flights or Hopper are all great tools for your every day trip, but when it comes to business travel, you want a company like GetGoing travel management for businesses that will help optimize and streamline your booking process. The easier trip planning is, the less time you will have to spend planning and the more productive you can be in your daily job. 

And that’s how you plan a business trip

Review and refine the process for planning a business trip . To do so, create a short survey that you can share with your team so you can evaluate how the trip went and assess whether the goals of the meeting were accomplished. This is an important step, especially when deciding whether to travel or not to travel for future trips.  The more often you reach your goals and the more your goals are reliant on a trip to meet them, the more it makes sense to travel. 

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What Is A Business Trip Report And How To Prepare One?

Home » B2B » What Is A Business Trip Report And How To Prepare One?

Business trip report is a post-trip activity essential to know the outcome of the business trip vis-à-vis its objectives. Employees can use the trip report to highlight their achievements and enhance their reputation in the eyes of the management. Additionally, the report will help the management to analyze the outcome of the business trip. Let us discuss the tips for writing a business trip report.

What is a Business Trip (or Business Travel) Report?

A business trip report, or a business travel report, summarizes the business trip to justify travel expenses. It reviews activities to fulfill pre-defined business objectives, such as finalizing a business deal, providing technical service to a customer, or representing the organization at a trade fair.

• Travel managers can review business reports based on the following criteria:
• Improving networking and customer relationships
• Fulfillment of the training objectives, such as deals, services, certifications, etc.
• Identifying and attracting prospects for new business opportunities
• Knowing new business trends
• Attending company conferences or review meetings
• Imparting training to business associates
• Providing customer business travel support
• Assessing the competition

Business travel reporting activity helps understand to what extent the employee met the trip objectives. It enables travel managers to change policies and improve the efficiency of the future business trips.

Suggested Read: All You Need To Know About Corporate Travel Management

Importance of a corporate trip report

A corporate trip report is necessary to justify the cost of business travel. It is a critical summary to enable reporting, auditing, and business travel budgeting. Business trip reporting helps travel managers monitor, track, and control travel costs. They can leverage the knowledge to enhance the effectiveness of future business trips.

An ideal trip report provides a detailed review of the particular business travel report and is a vital instrument for understanding the justification of the trip expenses. The business trip report comprises many details, such as graphs, tables, photographs, and other documents supporting the claim by justifying the travel expenditure.

How to write a business report?

1. Preparations

Preparations for writing a comprehensive business trip report begin before proceeding on a business trip. You should note down the core corporate of the business trip you expect to meet. The entire trip itinerary will focus on accomplishing this goal. The measure of the trip’s success will depend upon the details and supportive documents you provide while submitting the trip report. Continue noting down all details about your achievements as your business trip progresses. Collecting bills or receipts is an essential prerequisite to facilitate expense reporting. Platforms like Paxes can help you with planning, booking, and producing the necessary travel data and invoices needed to back your report. Remember to get snaps and video clips of important events besides documentary evidence of your achievements, like feedback forms to justify your accomplishments.

2. Headings and essential details

The heading section should provide a quick introduction to the trip report with the total cost of the business trip. Mention the core purpose in the first section of a business trip report. Include the cities and places you covered with dates. Write down the names of colleagues if they accompanied you on the trip. List the names of prospects, customers, and business associates you met on the business trip.

3. Introduction of the report

A general overview of the business trip is an essential feature of the introduction. Let the introduction outline the goal and the results of the business trip. Mention the places you covered and the people you met with the outcome. One should briefly describe the activities such as attending the exhibition stall, highlighting product benefits, meeting prospects, or attending seminars. Focus on how you accomplished the trip’s aim without providing data or supportive documents.

4. Business trip report’s body

The main section of the business report is the body. You should provide details of the activities that helped you meet your business objectives. By providing reasons, you should also reveal the goals you missed to achieve. One should add any other achievements, not part of the trip’s original objectives, in the body. You should explain how the achievement can benefit the organization.

5. Summary of the report

The summary justifies the consumption of resources to cover the trip. Share your observations by mentioning how the business trip can help the organization win more customers, increase sales revenues, or improve the company’s brand awareness. The summary should focus on the expected rise in the business to help travel managers know the ROI from the business trip. The report should include attachments like data, snaps, and customer feedback reports that will help support your accomplishments.

Business trip report template

Here is a simple template for you to get started with your business trip report:

Trip information

Trip itinerary: Insert summary of trip itinerary

Purpose of trip: Define the purpose of the trip with a clear objective

Activities and meetings conducted: Write about the activities and meetings conducted

Site visits and events attended: Write details of site visits and events attended

Key accomplishments: Summary of key achievements during trip

Business opportunities: New opportunities found during the trip

Challenges encountered

Logistics issues: Were there any issues with the transportation

Communication issues: Any language barrier encountered

Other issues: Other issues occurred during the trip

Expenses incurred

Travel and accommodation expenses: Enter airfare, transfers, mileage, hotel rooms charges

Meal and other expenses: Meal expenses, stationary costs and others

Recommendations for future trips

Improvements: Tips on how to get better results

[End of Business Trip Report Template]

Organizations use the business trip report to know the return on travel costs. Business travel reporting is the art of presenting your achievements systematically. Providing details and supporting these with data or documents is the key to writing a perfect business report. The business report should be crisp and clear, presenting the trip’s purpose, activities, learnings, and recommendations.

Travel and expense management platforms such as Paxes offer easy and quick booking of flights and hotels. Additionally, the expenditure data provided in these platforms can help one in preparing a comprehensive business trip report.

Business Trip Report FAQs

Who should receive the corporate trip report of the employee.

Employees submit a corporate trip report to line managers, or corporate travel managers, depending upon the corporate policy.

What is excluded from a business trip report?

The business trip report should not include personal experiences, like visiting a tourist spot, having dinner with colleagues, or detailed notes. Avoid lengthy descriptions of the event or venue.

Is there a standard format for writing a corporate trip report?

The ideal format is the headline, introduction, body, and summary. However, some organizations expect employees to write a corporate trip report in a particular fashion.

Is the expense report part of the corporate trip report?

Many organizations mandate attaching expense reports to the business trip report. In such cases, one can add receipts and bills to the expense report.

What is the focus of a corporate trip report?

A corporate trip report aims to explain how the investment in the business trip will benefit the organization.

What should be included in a business trip report?

A business trip report should consist of trip details, itinerary, expenses, results, challenges, and recommendations.

What is called as trip report?

A document detailing the various aspects of a business trip for analysis and betterment of next trips is called business trip report.

What is an example of a business trip?

Sales trips, brand awareness trips, VIP trips are some of the examples of business trips.

What is the purpose of business trip report?

A business trip report is used to highlight the key findings of the trip and analyze the same to better the following trips.

How do I create an effective business trip report?

What information should be included in a business trip report.

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.

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"i am currently on business trip" vs "i am currently in business trip"

Last Updated: April 01, 2024

i am currently on business trip

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

• I am currently on a business trip to New York.
• She is on a business trip to Tokyo.
• He will be on a business trip next week.
• They are on a business trip to Europe.
• We were on a business trip last month.

i am currently in business trip

This phrase is not correct in English. 'In a business trip' is not a standard or commonly used preposition in this context.

Alternatives:

• I am currently on a business trip.
• I am currently away on a business trip.
• I am currently traveling for business.
• I am currently on a work trip.
• I am currently on a business journey.

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What is a business trip? Definition and examples

If you visit somewhere for work purposes, i.e., on behalf of your company, that is a business trip. The term applies to both the journey to your destination and your trip back. In most cases, the trip is not a short one.

Collins Dictionary has the following definition of the term :

“A journey made somewhere and back again for business purposes in one’s working capacity.”

Business trip vs. business travel

The two terms refer to the same action or activity. However, their uses are not the same.

Business travel

Business travel refers to traveling on behalf of your employer generally. Although it is a singular term, i.e., business travel and not business travels , it refers to all trips for work purposes. It is a general term .

I might say, for example: “Business travel is becoming a significant part of our airline’s income.” In this case, we are talking in general.

I cannot use business travel for just one journey. For example, I cannot say: “I’m sorry, Jane is away. She is on a business travel.” I would have to say: “I’m sorry … She’s on a business trip.”

Business trip

This term refers to just one journey. We need to use the plural if we are talking in general.

For example, if I wanted to talk about my airline’s revenue, I would say: “Business trip s are becoming a significant part of our airline’s income.” I would not be able to use the singular form.

Reasons for business travel

In all the examples below, your employer is paying for travel, accommodation, etc.

• Meeting with customers or clients.
• Visiting suppliers.
• Attending a conference.
• Attending a course.
• Identify new markets, trends, and consumer traits elsewhere.
• Visiting somewhere to check the progress of a project.
• Visiting a prospect. A prospect is a company or person that you think could turn into a paying customer.
• Apologizing to a customer.
• Your purpose is PR or public relations , such as taking part in a press conference.
• The ROI from the trip is more than its cost. ROI stands for return on investment .
• Your employer sends you somewhere to fix, for example, equipment.
• Networking. There are many people you can meet away from work with whom you or your company could do business.
• Face-to-face meetings are usually more effective than using email, VoIP, texting, etc. Sometimes they are necessary.

Business travelers typically claim their expenses by filling a report , in which they list how much they spent on local public transport, meals, taxis, phone calls, etc.

Negatives and positives of business travel

Business trips may be extremely rewarding experiences. However, for some people, especially if they have families, there is a price to pay.

Regular business travelers frequently feel loney. Some of them may show signs of deteriorating mental health and even depression. According to Adam Perotta in a Business travel News article in December 2019, over 20% of business travelers said they experienced negative mental health effects.

Regarding the survey, Perotta wrote :

“22 percent of respondents reported that business travel had a “very” or “somewhat” negative impact on their mental health. Twenty-one percent indicated that even thinking about an upcoming work trip caused stress. Factors causing that angst include the toll travel takes on physical health, sleep schedules, personal relationships, personal finances and productivity.”

Traveling regularly on behalf of your company may mean missing major family events, which can contribute significantly to relationship problems.

Jet lag can play havoc with our body clock, productivity, and mental and physical health. Eating small meals before and during your flight, refraining from consuming alcoholic drinks, drinking plenty of water, and getting plenty of rest beforehand can help reduce the negative effects of jet lag.

In a Small Business Trends article, Samson Haileysus wrote that the vast majority of small company owners enjoyed their work-related trips. Approximately fifty-five percent of small business owners travel for work purposes at least once each month. Sixty percent of them spend three nights away from home during each trip.

Haileysus added:

“Surprisingly enough almost all (88%) small business owners who travel for business do enjoy traveling. In fact, just under three in four (72%) say they wish they traveled for business more often.”

Corporate travel is a huge market

Business travel is worth hundreds of billions of dollars each year globally. The biggest spenders on business trips are the United States and China.

In the United States, there are over 405 million business trips annually (long distance). For every working day, approximately 1.1 million Americans are traveling for work purposes.

The world’s most popular destination is New York City, while Shanghai is the fastest growing. Trondent Development Corp. made the following comment regarding the importance of business travel for airlines:

“Business passengers represent 75 percent of an airline’s profits despite only being 12% of their total passengers. But the money is well spent: every $1.00 spent on business travel creates $15 of profit for increased sales.”

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business trip

Definition of business trip

Examples of business trip in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'business trip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near business trip

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Cite this Entry

“Business trip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/business%20trip. Accessed 11 Apr. 2024.

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Planning to Combine Business and Leisure Travel? You’re Not Alone.

As employees increasingly add leisure time to their business trips, companies are trying to figure out where their duty of care obligations begin and end.

Credit... Aart-Jan Venema

Supported by

By Amy Zipkin

• April 7, 2024

On a Sunday in late January, Melinda Buchmann, who lives in Florida and supervises client relations for RevShoppe, a 30-person remote company advising organizations on sales techniques and strategies, arrived in Banff, Alberta, to help set up a four-day company meeting.

The last day of the event, her husband, Josh, a director of strategic partnerships for the delivery company DoorDash , who also works remotely, joined her. They spent two leisurely days hiking in Banff National Park and visiting Lake Louise.

“I take advantage, because I don’t know when I’m going to return,” Ms. Buchmann said of the decision to combine downtime with a business trip.

As postpandemic work life has changed, and arrangements now include full-time office attendance as well as hybrid and remote work, so, too, has business travel. The phenomenon known as bleisure, or blended business and leisure travel, was initially embraced largely by digital nomads . But such combined travel is now also popular with people outside that group . Allied Market Research, a subsidiary of Allied Analytics, based in Portland, Ore., estimated that the bleisure travel market was $315.3 billion in 2022 and would reach $731.4 billion by 2032.

As employees increasingly add leisure time to their business trips, companies are struggling to determine where their legal obligation to protect employees from harm — their so-called duty of care — begins and ends. And workers may think that because their trip started with business, they will get all the help they need if something goes wrong on the leisure end. Instead, they should generally consider the leisure part of a trip as a regular vacation where they cover all expenses and contingencies.

Companies are responsible for knowing where their employees are during a business trip, covering expenses if an accident or emergency occurs, securing new lodging if a hotel is damaged, even swapping out a broken down rental car. Still, it’s not entirely clear if that coverage ends completely after the conference or the last client meeting.

Companies recognize that threats are increasing, said Robert Cole, senior research analyst focusing on lodging and leisure travel at Phocuswright, a market research company. They are trying to figure out how to take care of a valuable company resource, the employee, without leaving themselves open to financial risk or potential litigation.

“Crafting a comprehensive policy that balances business objectives, employee well-being and legal considerations can be challenging,” Nikolaos Gkolfinopoulos, head of tourism at ICF, a consulting and technology services company in Reston, Va., wrote in an email.

Employees may be on their own without realizing it and may be surprised by out-of-pocket expenses if they require hospital care abroad or evacuation, said Suzanne Morrow, chief executive of InsureMyTrip , an online insurance travel comparison site in Warwick, R.I.

Ms. Morrow said medical coverage provided by a company “is generally only for the dates of the actual business trip abroad.” If travelers are extending the trip for personal travel, she added, “they would want to secure emergency medical coverage for that additional time abroad.”

Employers and employees are left to figure out when the business portion of the trip ends and the leisure segment begins, a significant detail if an employee has a medical emergency. “Where does the corporation liability end?” said Kathy Bedell, senior vice president at BCD Travel, a travel management company.

Companies have varying policies to deal with the new travel amalgam. The chief executive of RevShoppe, Patricia McLaren, based in Austin, Texas, said the company provided flexible travel options and allowed employees to work anywhere they choose.

Even so, there are constraints. The company requires all employees, including executives, to sign liability and insurance waivers when they are on a voluntary company-sponsored trip, such as an off-site meeting. Such waivers typically place responsibility on employees for their own well-being. And if they bring someone, they are responsible for that person’s expenses.

Employees are responsible for requesting the paid time off and notifying their managers of their whereabouts, although that part is not a requirement. Managers have to ensure adequate staffing, Ms. McLaren said.

Elsewhere, employees may not bother to mention the leisure portion of their trip. Eliot Lees, a vice president and managing director at ICF, said he had been on trips as a child with his parents when they combined business and leisure. His parents were academics, who would piggyback vacations onto conferences.

Now he does the same. “I don’t think I ever asked for approval,” he said. (ICF has no formal business-leisure travel policy. It’s allowed as part of personal time off.) After a conference in the Netherlands last year, he spent four days hiking in the northern part of the country.

“I go anywhere, and take more risks than I should,” he said. He said he didn’t carry personal travel or accident insurance.

Any nonchalance may quickly evaporate if a threat emerges. Security experts say even low-risk locations can become high-risk for a few days or weeks of the year.

“Companies are concerned about losing visibility into a traveler’s whereabouts if they booked flights and hotels outside their corporate travel management company,” Benjamin Thorne, senior intelligence manager in London for Crisis24, a subsidiary of GardaWorld, wrote in an email. “The company may think the traveler is in one city when, in reality, they could have booked a holiday package to another nearby city. This lack of visibility by the company makes it difficult to support travelers when a disaster occurs.”

He also raised the possibility that “a traveler with bleisure travel reservations and expectations may find their work trip canceled due to changes in the risk environment or company policy, disrupting their leisure plans.”

Will a company step in off hours if there’s a problem? “That depends on how you are booked,” Mr. Cole, the senior research analyst at Phocuswright, said. A rule of thumb is the further you get from corporate control, the greater the gray area gets.

Half of GoldSpring Consulting’s clients take the responsibility for the entire trip, said Will Tate, a partner at the consultancy based in Cross Roads, Texas, and a certified public accountant. They don’t want the reputational risk. The other half say: “The business trip ended Friday. That’s when we end our duty of care.”

Some companies are trying to define and narrow the gray area. “If you are clearly on personal time, there is no legal requirement for your employer to provide for you,” said Nicole Page, a lawyer whose practice includes employment law at Reavis Page Jump in New York.

Uber provides employees with advisories before a trip, travel assessments, safety tips while traveling and emergency travel assistance, including medical aid, airport travel support, urgent and emergency assistance, and lost or stolen personal property insurance whether they are on business or pleasure travel or a combination.

And at DoorDash, Chris Cherry, head of global safety and security, wrote in an email that “while personal travel is not something we track, we have received requests to extend our travel support capabilities to personal travel.” Mr. Cherry said in those cases, the company has manually added employee leisure itineraries to its travel risk management system and “provided the same level of overwatch that we do for regular business travel.”

The Buchmanns plan to travel this month to Barcelona, Spain, for the McDonald’s Worldwide Convention. DoorDash will have a booth, and Mr. Buchmann will work on the exhibit floor and also entertain clients.

Ms. Buchmann will accompany him. She plans to go sightseeing in the morning, and work in the afternoons and evenings Barcelona time. She will also take three days of paid time off and has shared her plans with Ms. McLaren, the RevShoppe chief executive.

They will stay a day after the conference and plan to visit the Dalí Theater and Museum in Figueres. “I’m sure there will be no shortage of tapas and window shopping along way,” Mr. Buchmann said. He expects to be back at work the next Monday.

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Ballard added that the next solar eclipse , which will pass through Iceland, Greenland, and Spain on August 12, 2026, could result in similar tourism and revenue influxes.

And if travelers are considering a trip to Europe for the solar eclipse, Ballard recommends planning your trip now.

Determine your eclipse viewing destination

According to Space.com , 2026 will be Europe's first total solar eclipse in 27 years. Its path will go through Greenland, parts of western Iceland, and northern Spain.

Choosing where to watch the eclipse will be a tough and important decision for travelers.

Iceland and Greenland have some positives. These regions will experience longer totality times, so viewers can watch the eclipse longer. Plus, the sun will be higher in the sky, so finding a spot to watch the eclipse will be less challenging, Space.com reported.

The downside is that these regions are more likely to be cloudy, according to the outlet.

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While parts of Spain are likely to offer clearer skies, the eclipse's timing will be shorter and closer to the horizon, which means travelers will need to plan and track down a viewing location with unobstructed views of the western horizon, Space.com reported.

Regardless of the destination, according to the outlet, one bonus is that the strongest meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere will happen the following night, so travelers can pack two events into one trip.

Book flights and hotels far in advance

Ballard encouraged people to book their hotels in their destination of choice as far in advance as possible.

"You should start looking now and booking hotels now because those cities in the path are already going to be at peak season," Ballard said.

Ballard said it's similar to when a Super Bowl city is determined or a Taylor Swift tour date is announced — you immediately see spikes in bookings. He predicts hotel occupancy rates will hit near-record highs, and room prices may double around the solar eclipse date.

Ballard's general rule of thumb is to book international travel at least three months in advance, but since this is such an anticipated event, booking earlier is smart. His advice is to start discussing plans with friends and family. If you decide on a destination, book a refundable room to keep your options open if plans change.

Regarding purchasing a plane ticket, a study from Expedia states that international travel's sweet spot is at least six months in advance.

According to Expedia, travelers who book six months in advance save an average of 10% more than travelers booking within two months or less.

Skip the hassle of planning altogether and book a solar eclipse tour

Another option is to let a tour operator do the work for you. A handful of tour companies have seen the increased interest in the solar eclipse and launched tours designed around the event.

These tours will have predetermined locations to view the eclipse, hotel blocks reserved, and itineraries highlighting both the region and the eclipse.

However, these can sell out quickly. For example, Space and Telescope created an 11-day tour of Spain around viewing the 2026 solar eclipse. The tour has already sold out as of Wednesday, and the waitlist is full.

Other operators, such as Wilderness Travel and Eclipse Traveler, have similar itineraries for the total eclipse in 2026.

Watch: A small Australian town was treated to a rare hybrid solar eclipse

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