The corporate travel policy is a strategic document that defines the rules, procedures and best practices to be followed when organizing business travel. As an essential lever for business development, business travel helps create new opportunities and strengthen relationships with partners. This policy covers all aspects of business travel: booking transport, choosing accommodation, managing expenses, employee safety and staying within budget. This policy aims to harmonize practices within the organization, optimize costs and guarantee the safety of employees on business trips.
A well-designed travel policy helps to avoid budgetary excesses, limit risks and facilitate the administrative management of travel. It applies to all employees who travel on company business, whatever their hierarchical level or frequency of travel.
Why implement a corporate travel policy?
Implementing a corporate travel policy has many advantages, both for the organization and for employees. First and foremost, it helps control the costs associated with business travel. By setting spending ceilings, selecting referenced service providers and imposing booking procedures, the company can make substantial savings.
Secondly, the travel policy contributes to employee safety. It provides for specific measures to anticipate risks, particularly in sensitive areas, and defines the procedures to be followed in the event of an incident. It also makes it easier to manage emergencies and locate employees on the move.
Finally, a clear travel policy enhances the traveler's experience. It provides a reassuring framework, avoids the need to make complex decisions, and ensures fair treatment of all members of the organization. It also simplifies expense claim processing and reduces reimbursement disputes.
Key elements of a corporate travel policy
To be effective, a corporate travel policy must address several key issues.
In terms of authorized modes of transport, the policy must specify the preferred means of travel, whether train, plane, rental car or car pool, taking into account distance, cost and environmental impact. It can also lay down rules concerning the class of travel, such as economy or business, as well as booking conditions, such as anticipation or flexibility.
For accommodations, it's important to define the types of accommodation authorized, whether hotels, aparthotels or Airbnb-type rentals, specifying the categories of establishments, the number of stars or the price range, as well as the booking methods, for example via a dedicated platform or a referenced agency.
With regard to reimbursable expenses, the policy must list the expenses covered by the company, such as meals, local transport or parking costs, while specifying those that are not, such as mini-bar, leisure activities or personal purchases. It must also specify reimbursement ceilings and the supporting documents to be provided.
When it comes to booking procedures, we recommend centralizing reservations via a dedicated platform or a business travel agency, which gives you greater control over expenses, negotiated rates and guarantees compliance with company policy.
When it comes to employee safety, the policy must include measures to ensure the safety of travelers, such as risk information, emergency assistance, travel insurance or travel tracking.
Finally, for expense management, clear procedures must be defined for declaring and reimbursing travel expenses, specifying deadlines, the tools to be used and the supporting documents to be provided.
Examples of travel policies by company size
For SMEs
In a small or medium-sized company, the travel policy is generally designed to be simple and flexible. It can be limited to a few basic rules, such as giving preference to the train for journeys of less than four hours, booking hotels via a single platform with a ceiling of €120 per night, reimbursing meals on presentation of receipts up to a limit of €25 per meal, using economy class for all flights, and declaring expenses within seven days of return. The aim is to provide a framework without adding to the administrative burden, while keeping costs under control on every business trip.
For large companies
Larger companies often adopt more detailed and structured travel policies. These may include framework agreements with airlines, hotel chains and car rental companies, the obligation to use a business travel agency for all bookings, differentiated spending limits according to hierarchical level, specific procedures for international travel (visa, vaccination, security), as well as regular reporting of expenditure and monitoring indicators. These policies aim to optimize costs on a large scale, reinforce security and guarantee regulatory compliance.
For start-ups
Start-ups often favor flexibility and speed. Their travel policy can be very light, with recommendations rather than strict rules. They encourage the use of car-pooling or shared mobility solutions, allow reservations via mobile applications, set a global budget per mission to be managed autonomously, and simplify the management of expense accounts with digital tools. The aim is to promote agility while retaining a minimum of control over expenses, particularly during one-off business trips.
Best practices for drafting an effective travel policy
For a travel policy to be truly applied and accepted by employees, it is essential to respect certain best practices. Stakeholders need to be involved, by including frequent travellers, managers, the finance department and human resources in the drafting of the document. It's also important to be clear and precise, avoiding ambiguous wording, detailing procedures and giving concrete examples. Communication plays a key role: the policy must be circulated to all employees, information sessions organized and questions answered. It is also necessary to update the policy regularly, to adapt it to changing needs, regulations and available tools. Taking into account the CSR dimension has become essential, by integrating sustainable development criteria such as limiting air travel or carbon offsetting. Finally, it's a good idea to allow for exceptions in certain cases, such as urgency, unavailability of a solution or personal constraints.
Tools and solutions for managing business travel
Business travel management is increasingly based on digital tools and specialized solutions. Online booking platforms centralize transportation and accommodation bookings, compare offers and take advantage of negotiated rates. Expense management applications simplify the declaration, processing and reimbursement of expenses, while ensuring compliance with company policy. Reporting tools provide a global view of expenses, facilitating cost analysis and the identification of areas for optimization. Last but not least, traveler tracking solutions enable you to locate employees on the move, ensure their safety and react rapidly in the event of an incident. Integrating these tools into the company's internal processes helps to improve efficiency, reduce risk and enhance traveler satisfaction.
How do you enforce your company's travel policy?
The effective application of the travel policy relies on several levers. Training and awareness-raising are essential: it's important to explain the stakes of the policy, train employees in its use and regularly remind them of the rules. The automation of controls, thanks to digital tools, enables non-compliant bookings to be blocked, alerts to budget overruns and facilitates the validation of expenses. Tracking indicators, such as the compliance rate, makes it possible to analyze discrepancies and identify areas for improvement. Acknowledging exemplary behavior and providing for sanctions in the event of repeated non-compliance with the policy are also effective levers. Last but not least, listening and adaptation are essential: we need to gather feedback from users, and adjust the policy in line with difficulties encountered and changes in the context.
Business travel agencies: a key partner for companies
Business travel agencies play a central role in the management of business travel. They offer valuable expertise, time savings and enhanced security for companies.
The advantages of working with a business travel agency
Working with a business travel agency saves precious time, as the agency takes care of all booking, modification and cancellation procedures, freeing employees from administrative tasks. Companies also benefit from negotiated rates, thanks to the buying power of the agencies, which obtain preferential conditions from airlines, hotels and car rental companies. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, such as flight cancellations, strikes or medical emergencies, the agency offers reactive, personalized assistance, available 24/7. It also ensures compliance with company policy, proposing solutions tailored to each traveler profile. Finally, the agency provides detailed reports on expenditure, savings and areas for optimization, making it easier to manage travel policy.
How to choose your business travel agency?
The choice of a business travel agency should be based on several criteria. It's important that the agency has sufficient geographical coverage to handle both domestic and international travel. The quality of customer service is also crucial: availability, responsiveness and expertise are essential to support employees. The integration of digital tools is another key criterion, as the booking platform must be intuitive, compatible with internal systems and offer advanced functionalities such as profile management, reporting and alerts. The agency's ability to negotiate advantageous rates for the company must be demonstrated, as must the transparency of its pricing structure, to avoid hidden costs.
Examples of recognized business travel agencies
Major players in the sector include BCD Travel, specialized in global business travel management with a strong international presence. Egencia, a subsidiary of the Expedia group, offers a high-performance digital platform and personalized services. American Express GBT, world leader, is recognized for the quality of its support and its expertise in risk management. Finally, Selectour, a French network of independent agencies, offers close proximity and in-depth knowledge of the local market.
Frequently asked questions about corporate travel policy
Companies are not required by law to formalize a travel policy. However, it is strongly recommended in order to control costs, guarantee employee safety and simplify administrative management.
It is advisable to consult regular travelers, managers and support departments to gather their needs, constraints and suggestions. This will help to ensure that the policy is adopted and effective.
It is entirely possible to lay down different rules depending on hierarchical level, frequency of travel or the nature of the assignment. The key is to ensure fairness and transparency.
The policy must include specific procedures for exceptional situations, such as last-minute travel, medical constraints or professional emergencies, and designate the people empowered to grant waivers.
Booking platforms, expense management applications, reporting tools and traveler tracking solutions are all tools that simplify and secure the management of business travel.
In short, the corporate travel policy is a strategic lever for optimizing costs, reinforcing safety and enhancing the experience of employees on the move. Its success depends on clear rules, stakeholder involvement, the use of appropriate tools and partnership with a competent corporate travel agency. Adopting an effective travel policy means investing in your company's performance and peace of mind.
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