travel agency company policy

The complete guide to corporate travel policies 

The business travel policy guide you’ve been waiting for .

Creating a business travel policy for employees can feel really daunting. You don’t want to just throw something together and hope for the best, but it feels impossible to anticipate every possible scenario. The truth is your policy serves as more than a rule book; it's a guide to better decision-making about your corporate travel program and can save you a world of headaches down the road. 

Introduction

What is a travel policy .

• Why do you need a travel policy?
• How to create a travel policy

What to include in a travel policy 

• Travel policy best practices
• How to promote travel policy compliance
• How to market your travel policy

When to review and update your travel policy

• Final thoughts

When it comes to company travel, a travel policy brings it all to one place. It acts as an influencer for travelers to make the most cost-effective choices, an important visibility tool for your managers and HR department, and it protects your people if it’s done right. 

If you’re new to business travel or haven’t looked at your travel policy in a while, we’ll start with the basics and then move into the nitty gritty of corporate travel policies. We’ll touch on a few best practices for writing a travel policy, what to include, and offer plenty of resources along the way. 

Ready to get cracking? Let’s go! 

A travel policy is a guide for business travelers to follow that outlines: 

• How, where, and when to book 
• Approved technology for travel management 
• Preferred suppliers for air travel, land travel, and accommodations 
• Approvals process for out-of-policy bookings 
• Trip extensions and personal travel 
• Expenses and what is covered or not covered 
• Reimbursement processes 
• Business travel insurance information 
• Emergency procedures and contacts 

Your company’s travel policy should reflect your company culture and values, be supportive of your travelers and their needs, and protect your company from unforeseen circumstances. It acts as a central document that guides your team to the processes of embarking on company business travel, from start to finish! 

While you might hear a few grumbles and groans around the words “policy” or “process,” don’t worry! A travel policy does not need to be rigid and inflexible. 

Do your travelers prefer to book on their own? Don’t take away their autonomy. They can still self-book, you’ll just provide them with a better tool and way to do it more efficiently. 

Do your people feel prepared for any event that can cause a travel hiccup? With a travel policy, you can give them clarity and help them feel more prepared when traveling for business purposes. 

Why do you need a travel policy? 

Your travel policy is an extension of your travel program and company culture. It’s the glue that holds your travel program together – from approvals, expenses, booking processes, and emergency contacts. 

Having a travel policy helps you: 

• Control travel costs 
• Determine how reimbursement works 
• Compile a list of trusted and approved travel vendors 
• Manage an employee’s travel experience and safety 
• Cut rogue bookings – and simplify approvals 
• Budget, report on travel expenses and activity and reconcile bookings 

It’s a roadmap or guidebook that your travelers can reference when they’re booking their own travel if they run into a tricky situation abroad, and it helps provide clarity around processes. 

As a company though, your travel policy helps centralize your travel program, makes data and tracking more accurate and easier to navigate, and it saves time and money (including on expense management). Plus, if you take the time to craft your policy in an intentional and inclusive way, you’ll have a policy your travelers are happier to follow. 

How to create a travel policy for employees 

• Determine business travel guidelines 
• Create a travel policy that puts your people first 
• Set reasonable budget limits 
• Simplify the process of expense claims 
• Adopt a user-friendly all-in-one travel platform 

Once you’ve read through our tips, be sure to download our free  travel policy template  so you can get started on creating a travel policy of your own! 

1) Determine corporate travel guidelines 

When you take the time to create a policy that meets the needs of your business, you are making sure that your travelers are safe, costs are controlled, and you’ve made every business trip count. 

Start by looking at what types of travel are allowed and the reason for each trip. 

If you have team members traveling all over the globe, you might want to set some extra safety measures. You should also decide if there will be restrictions on the type of ground transportation used or where employees can stay. 

Create a process for booking flights, hotels, and other ground transportation needs. How far in advance should they be booking? Do different rules apply based on the traveler’s position? Who is the point of contact for bookings and other travel questions? 

Making sure to include your company’s travel insurance info is also important. Make sure to note if your policy covers medical expenses and/or any losses due to cancellations or delays in transportation services due to factors outside an employee’s control. 

Do you have a policy for reporting and documenting expenses? This includes having a system in place for claims (like meal expenses) and a reimbursement process, so your team can easily get their money! 

2) Create a travel policy that puts your people first

You’ve heard the term “duty of care” before, so it’s important to create a corporate travel policy that puts traveler safety and accessibility needs first. You’ll need to define and assign the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved, including a travel manager, if you have one. 

Set up an emergency plan and provide access to traveler safety information. Determine who is the emergency contact (your TMC?) and how to get in touch. Do they have 24/7 emergency support available by phone or chat? What about email support? 

Invite your HR department, the travelers themselves, and your DE&I manager into a discussion to find out what needs your team has as individuals, what hiccups they face when traveling, and what holes exist in your travel program that make it difficult to navigate. 

Working with a TMC is a great way to ensure travelers are kept safe before and during their trip.  

3) Set reasonable budget limits for business travel

You have a budget you need to adhere to, but is it realistic? Setting reasonable budget limits is key to an effective policy. 

Your budget should account for all travel-related expenses, including airfare, accommodation, meals, and ground transportation. And once you’ve set your budget, you can determine reasonable costs for hotels and accommodation, ground transport, flights, and more. Build these caps into your  travel booking software  to help travelers stay within the set parameters, which will later help with accountability. 

It's important to set clear rules on what the company can pay back and what types of expenses are out-of-pocket. 

If you’ve set a maximum daily rate for meals on work trips, it's crucial that travelers understand the limit before racking up additional charges. Requiring receipts can also help keep track of employee spending and make sure they're not going over budget. 

By working with a  travel management company  like Corporate Traveler, you can review your previous year’s expenses and find where you can optimize or make changes based on market changes. 

4) Simplify the process of expense claims 

If you're unfamiliar with how to write a travel expense policy, creating a simple process for claiming expenses is key to getting your team on the same page. Do you have access to a payment system that pays for the majority of expenses at the time of booking? This could be a good way to save time and stress down the road.  

The more you can pay for before your travelers get to their destination, the easier everything is to reconcile after they get home.  

If you have a person in charge of reviewing expense reports and watching pre-trip approvals, make sure to set criteria for claim approvals and look at automating processes to make approvals simple! 

5) Adopt a user-friendly all-in-one travel platform  

Finding the right  corporate travel platform  is essential. The right booking platform can provide travelers with an easy-to-use experience, giving them access to the best fares and availability. 

For example, at Corporate Traveler, we use Melon . It’s a booking tool, reporting suite, travel policy pusher, traveler profile manager, and so much more. Melon features a “recommended spend” function, which helps keep travelers booking in policy. Hello, visual guilt! 

Melon’s simple user interface, combined with dedicated travel consultants and expert 24/7 support, makes it simple to book, manage, and keep track of your business travel. You’ll be able to access Melon-exclusive deals and perks (alongside many negotiated contracts and online deals) and take care of all your travel needs from one place. 

From the get-go, you’ll be able to work closely with our team to ensure that all of your needs are met. We'll help you customize your travel program to meet specific business needs, build your travel policy into the platform, and offer training to staff to help them along the way.   

Putting it all together  

Wow! You’ve reached the end and should have a better idea of how to write a corporate travel policy. High five! Now it’s time to put it all together and get it on paper.  

Maybe you already have something in place that needs some work or an entire overhaul. Check out our easy-to-use template and start checking those boxes! 

Grab our corporate travel policy template builder

Not sure where to start? No worries! We’ve got you. Here’s how to streamline your process with a travel policy template! 

While there’s no one-size-fits-all travel policy for every company, following the set guidelines helps you nail a perfect-for-you policy that can see you through an ever-changing travel climate. 

Travel policy template  

When you’re crafting your business travel policy, there are so many considerations to be made. Things might come up that you never even thought of, but not to worry. We have loads of resources to help you see this through. 

Starting out, it might be looking a little drab and wordy, but depending on your travel program size, a visual travel policy might be just what you need. You can search for examples online or take a look at an example of a visual travel policy we’ve created.  

When building your policy, it’s important to include: 

1. International or foreign travel policies  

When you’ve got travelers all over the globe, you need to build out a policy for international or foreign travel. This is a protects them (and you) on anything from travel safety, to expenses, and everywhere in between. 

Whether your travelers are individuals or entire teams, your international travel policy needs to cover: 

• How and where to book – is that with a travel manager, online booking tool, a travel management company (TMC) ? 
• Travel insurance coverages and contact info – international numbers and policy information 
• Emergency contacts – how to reach them and the process of in-destination emergencies 
• Travel expenses – limits and how to file for reimbursement 
• Travel documentation – who to contact with questions 
• Advance booking timelines – when should they be booking for international travel? 
• Travel extensions – are these allowed and what are travelers expected to cover if they choose to extend their trip for leisure? 

By outlining all of this information in your policy, you’ll streamline the process for your finance teams, travel managers, and your travelers. And really, who doesn’t want to make travel a smoother experience? 

2. Corporate travel policy for business class travel 

Does your corporate travel program have different rules, limits, or allowances for different levels of seniority? Are some junior members expected to travel in economy class, while some executives are allowed to book in business class? 

If some certain exceptions and situations might allow for an employee to book business class, regardless of their position, you should include that in your policy as well. 

Making this as clear as possible will avoid an approvals nightmare down the road. 

3. Corporate meal allowance policy 

It’s great if you’ve already centralized most of your business travel expenses like flights, accommodation, transportation, and car rentals, but your people gotta eat! It’s super important to include a meal allowance policy that clearly outlines which meals (and how much) you’ll cover. 

Some of your team might be traveling with corporate credit cards, while others might need to be reimbursed. The guidelines and procedures for submitting expenses or asking for reimbursement need to be crystal clear! 

Make sure to outline if you have a corporate travel policy for alcohol, too! You don’t want murky policies when it comes to footing the bill for drinks. 

Some things to consider for your meal allowance and alcohol travel policy: 

• Which meals are covered and for how much? 
• Who is footing the bill for an alcoholic beverage with dinner? 
• If entertaining clients, what is the budget, and how flexible is it? 
• What is the process of submitting company card expenses? 
• What is the process for requesting reimbursement? 

Your team will always have questions about the policy on food and drinks, so make sure they can find the info easily and have a point of contact for whoever can offer more clarity. 

4. Executive travel policy 

We briefly touched on executive travel when we talked about traveling in business class, but there is certainly more to the top dogs traveling. 

Executive travel can be a touchy subject if there are more lenient policies in place than there is for less senior team members. Your executives also may need to know the guidelines in place for their own travel, so they don’t accidently go overboard, which could be an accounting nightmare! 

You’ll need to make sure you deliver a guide for approvals, procedures, booking deadlines, meals, accommodation, basically everything. 

Lay it all out. Make your policy as digestible as possible, and for a busy exec, consider bullet points and titles in bold so they can easily skim to the areas they need to know. 

5. Natural disaster or COVID-19 business travel policy  

We can all agree that COVID-19 caused business travel to come to a screeching halt. Across most industries, the pandemic impacted client relationships, the ability to gain new clients and caused budgets to get slashed pretty dramatically.  

While this was only one event, many businesses have begun to consider the “what-ifs” of their travel programs should another outbreak of COVID or something else happen. Crossing our fingers and toes doesn’t cut it, unfortunately. 

There is also the chance of their travel being impacted by a natural disaster. We’ve seen it before – earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions, hurricanes. Do you have a plan or policy to aid your team and guide them through the unthinkable? 

In 2022, we surveyed 120 employees across various industries and businesses. More than half, 51% of respondents said their companies didn’t provide resources or tips for safety on their trips. Duty of care isn’t something to put on the back burner, it’s your legal obligation to make sure your team is informed. 

So, what’s the solution, you ask? 

Working with a TMC gives you the backup you need if anything ever happens and you have people traveling abroad. At Corporate Traveler, our travel management software, Melon, is a central place to house your policy for quick and easy access. Plus, our travel experts can help you paint the big picture of what to do, who to call, and how to get your team home safely as quickly as possible. 

Is there anything missing from your travel policy? 

Let’s break it down. If you think of your policy like a sandwich, it should include: 

The bread and butter  

• Where and why: Are there any restrictions on who travels domestically or internationally? Or guidelines around reasons for travel? 
• When: Are there any restrictions on when business travel is a no-no, like during an auditing period or financial downturn? 
• How? How should travel arrangements be booked? Through your corporate travel booking software or with a preferred Travel Management Company (TMC)? How far in advance should domestic and international trips be booked? 
• Preferred suppliers: Do you have preferred partners for air travel, accommodation, ground transport or travel insurance? 
• Approvals: Who’s responsible for giving the green light on trips? 
• Show me the money: What’s the process for managing/submitting expenses, paying for travel and reimbursements? 
• Uh-oh: How will you prevent or deal with non-compliance to the travel policy? 
• Noise level: Getting loads of ‘noise’ and questions about things in your policy? This means it’s not clear and it’s time to review why and where the stumbling block is for travelers (or your finance team!) 

 The filling  

• Classy, baby: Who gets to fly business class, book 5-star properties or order UberLUX? And how does your business handle upgrades or airport lounge access for long-haul flights? 
• All work, some play: What are the conditions if someone wants to extend their business trip to take personal leave? Are you happy for them to enjoy a bleisure trip, and if so, who foots the bill and for what? 
• Loyalty: Are there any travel rewards or business loyalty programs that can be used during booking? 
• Spending money: Do your business travelers have a daily allowance for meals, snacks, and drinks? How much is it, what does it include – and what’s not covered? Can they order room service, drink from the mini-bar, or use the in-house laundry service? 

The not-so-secret sauce  

• Safety first: your policy should support air, accommodation and ground transport suppliers that have been safety and security vetted. Guidelines or information on travel insurance for work trips is also helpful. 
• Now what: What’s the plan of action in the case of Acts of God or Force Majeure events? Does your team know who to call for help? 
• What’s next: Who is responsible for updating and reviewing your travel policy, and how often? 

Corporate travel policy best practices

• Write for skim readers
• Guide travelers to the right resources
• Automate your policies
• Stipulate a timeframe for expense claims
• Be prepared for the unexpected

1. Write for skim readers  

One of the first steps towards writing a people-first travel policy is understanding how your travelers will read it. And the truth is…  

They probably won’t.   

Research has shown that  adults get distracted every 47 seconds . So if a business traveler is looking at your policy, they’re most likely just searching for a specific answer – and they want it fast. So what can you do?  

First, make sure the document is easy to navigate. That means including things like:   

• A table of contents  
• Visual elements to help guide the eye toward crucial information, like flow charts and tables  
• Clear headings and important details in bold  
• Bulleted lists (see what we did here?) 

And even though it’s a technical document, don’t make it sound like one. An effective travel policy should be clear, concise, and easily comprehended. So skip the long, complex sentence structures and technical jargon, and write in plain, simple English. It helps to pretend like you’re writing it so an eighth-grader can understand it.   

2. Guide travelers to the right resources  

Remember when we said travelers will only read your policy to find a solution for a specific need? Whether it’s a link, a phone number, or a step-by-step tutorial – a well-managed travel policy should provide them with the right resources.  

Instead of treating a travel policy as a list of rules, treat it like a resource sheet. Here are some key pieces of information travelers might need to pull up easily:  

Your approved online booking tool (and steps on how to use it)  

• QR codes to download your  mobile travel app   
• Preferred airlines, including class, budgets, and other limits  
• Permissible hotels, including guidelines on star-class and incidental expenses  
• Guidelines on ground transportation (trains, ride-sharing services, rental cars, and personal car usage)  
• How to get travel support  
• Travel insurance carrier  
• Clarification on the reimbursement process (more on this later)  

You can also include other factors specific to your company, but this should at least be the necessary groundwork to help employees make the right choices on their own.  

3. Automate your policies  

Let’s face it: even with the best communication efforts, there’s always a chance that an employee may violate policy, even unintentionally. So, what can you do?  

Build policy into booking.  

By building your travel policy into your travel management software, it becomes unavoidably embedded in the booking process, so even the most easily confused employees end up following by default.   

Automation tools can sound the alarm on out-of-policy bookings and even provide an audit trail. This can be especially helpful for employees who may struggle to remember procedures and policies, especially after big changes to your travel program.  

4. Stipulate a timeframe for expense claims  

No one wants to get stuck waiting on the money they’re owed – or worse – find out they’re not getting reimbursed for an expenditure they thought would be covered.  

Having a clear and well-defined expense claim process is critical in any travel policy. Employees need to know how to claim their travel expenses, how soon they need to submit an expense report, and when to expect reimbursement.   

The policy should also be clear about what expenses are and are not reimbursable, including any limits or exceptions. For example, if an employee needs to book a different seat class to  accommodate a disability , the policy should include the process for requesting and approving this expense.   

Plus, a submission deadline reduces cash flow issues and provides more accurate and complete expense data for that period (your finance team will thank you later).  

5. Be prepared for the unexpected  

As a company, you have a duty-of-care responsibility. When it comes to business trips, you need to be prepared for the unexpected. No matter how much effort you put into planning, there will always be a few hiccups along the way.   

For instance, lost luggage, canceled or delayed flights, and sudden weather or political emergencies in unfamiliar destinations could all leave your employee stranded.   

“Companies need to be prepared to plan for the particular, not just the universal. Every aspect of the travel program needs to be able to fit each of your travelers like a glove, from adaptable plans and experts on call, to technology that makes the journey seamless.” - Emese Graham, DE&I Manager @ FCTG  

Don’t let unexpected situations blindside you. Have processes in place to ensure travel safety and security. Make sure they know what to do, where to go, and who to get a hold of if something goes wrong. Taking a proactive and prepared approach to your policy can minimize the impact of emergencies and take care of your team’s well-being while they’re on the road.  

BONUS TIP: Update your policy regularly  

Here’s a free business travel policy best practice just for you! It isn’t just a “one and done” deal – it’s a living document.  

What’s that mean? As your company grows and travel conditions change, so should your travel policy. Revisit your expense policy at least once a year to keep it relevant and effective – and lead you towards new cost-saving solutions.    

Data is going to be your best friend here. Here are a few key factors you should look into when updating your travel policy:  

• Analyze travel spend patterns – are you throwing a lot of company money at certain suppliers? You might want to see if you can negotiate a new deal or find better rates elsewhere.  
• Identify areas of overspending or inefficiency – are employees accruing high parking or travel costs? See if you can get season tickets or other accommodations.  
• Evaluate the overall performance of your policy – are you still compliant with any new regulations that have come into play since the policy was established? How can traveler experience be improved?  

You may even want to consider enlisting the help of professionals, such as a travel management company with experience in expense management, to give advice on how to optimize your travel policy to better meet the needs of your employees and your business as a whole.   

Building a travel policy that's good for business and travelers and meets their needs is no small feat. But whether you're looking to retain your team, attract new talent, or make life a little easier for your travelers, investing in a well-designed travel policy is definitely worth the effort and great for company culture.  

By following these travel policy best practices and ensuring your policy meets all travelers' needs, you’ll be on your way to smoother, safer, and more enjoyable travel experiences for all.  

How to promote travel policy compliance  

Whether compliance is a big or small issue in your company, it takes a little bit of investigating to figure out why it’s an issue at all. 

Maybe your policy meets the needs of only a few of your team members. Maybe it’s too difficult to navigate your policy. Or maybe, your policy is written in legalese and makes your travelers vision blur before they go rogue and book how they want. 

It could be that your travelers prefer a bit of freedom in booking and would rather do it on their own. Or, maybe they have specific needs that aren’t being met by the options provided. 

Whatever their reasons, it’s your job to figure out why they aren’t following and what you can do to build better compliance. 

Here are a few tips to improve travel policy compliance: 

• Make your policy easy to navigate, understand, and find 
• Use an online booking tool (OBT) for travelers who prefer to self-book 
• Allow a bit of flexibility so travelers feel they have some autonomy 
•  Include a category for last-minute bookings so it doesn’t mess up your data 
• Understand your traveler needs and build an inclusive policy 

Read the full guide:

You've researched, gathered the necessary resources, and communicated your travel and expense (T&E) policy to your employees. But now, you're not so sure they're actually following it.  

Read the full guide:  How to Improve Corporate Travel Policy Compliance

How to market your corporate travel policy internally?

Corporate travel might be off the radar for most employees, especially those outside of customer-facing positions. The first step in promoting successful corporate travel policies is awareness. 

Do employees know about the policy? Where can they find information and updates on business travel? Clear communication at pivotal points and frequent intervals can help keep everyone aware.

Review common and expected challenges

Business trip policies might be ineffective if they don't meet the needs of some business travellers. You can get ahead of challenges by understanding that last-minute travel can be necessary or that different travellers have unique needs. 

Inclusive policies plan for employee safety and comfort on a range of business trips, paying attention to details such as arrival and departure times, car rentals, ground transportation, and noise levels.  

Communicate business travel policies effectively

Travel managers can use best practices to ensure all employees are aware of and understand travel programs. Visual policies, internal documents, and guides all work well. People learn differently, so it’s a good idea to have key information in both visual and text formats. 

A yearly update is also beneficial, as well as communication on any major changes, like new technology or changes in the approval process or submitting expenses. An internal FAQ page can increase understanding of corporate travel guidelines, as well as prompt new questions.

Book a demo of Melon , the all-in-one travel platform. 

Increase employee engagement 

Highlight areas of company travel that offer flexibility, to show what’s possible for different preferences. Talk about benefits like an online booking tool vs. working directly with a TCM.

Developing interactive content, like employee surveys, can show if traveller satisfaction is achieved. It also helps identify travel arrangements that are unnecessary for cost savings.

Find internal champions for the business travel program 

Travel policies cross paths with a lot of different departments, from sales to the finance team. Identifying key people and keeping them involved in developing the travel program means getting buy-in and internal support.

Corporate Traveler has a long history of travel management and is ready to join forces as an external member of your travel planning team. Let’s make booking a breeze , together.  

Case studies: effectively marketing your corporate travel program

A travel manager should match your company culture for the best fit. Find out how these companies successfully targeted the right mix of technology and service to meet employee expectations and business goals.

Eliquent Life Sciences

Beyond Energy

If the last time you reviewed or upgraded your travel policy was more than a year ago, it’s outdated and needs a refresher. If your company is small and has low turnover, you could probably get away with making small tweaks and optimizations. 

But if you have a larger company with multiple departments and higher turnover, you probably need to do an overhaul and review it more regularly. We’re not saying you have to change it every time someone is hired or leaves the company, but making sure it’s relevant to the people who are there and are traveling matters! 

Corporate Traveler conducted a survey in 2022, which showed that 48% of respondents didn’t know if their company had resources for specific traveler profiles, while 41% said their company didn’t provide resources for specific traveler profiles. This really goes to show that there’s room for improvement in how policies are built to support their people and their businesses. 

A people-first travel program and policy have become necessary as the world grows and begins to understand neurodiversity, disabilities, and cultural differences. When we learn about our team members’ diverse needs, we can better understand how to support them when they venture abroad for our businesses. 

GUIDE: Download the How to design a people-first travel program guide 

We recommend policy reviews every 3-6 months, but at the minimum, once per year. 

Final thoughts 

Business travel is so unpredictable, as we’ve seen in recent years. There will always be circumstances you can’t avoid as a company, but making sure that you have the necessary checks and balances in place can help to make things just a little easier. If you have groups traveling, VIPS, or people heading to high-risk destinations, it’s important that your policy is relevant. 

Don’t forget that travel policies shouldn’t be written and forgotten about – these are living documents that must be regularly updated to make sure they best protect your people. 

Remember these best practices when writing your travel policy: 

• Keep it simple and make it pop with visuals, bullet points, and bold headings. 
• Answer any and every question possible – think of all the eventualities 
• Always put your people first 
• Implement a quick and simple approval process 
• Automate as much as you can 
• Use technology that’s supports your policy 
• Be flexible with due reason 
• Be clear about what’s not allowed 
• Update your travel policy at least once a year 
• Keep it somewhere easy to find  

And finally, it doesn’t hurt to have a couple of different formats. Consider a visual version and an extended version so the message is delivered best depending on the person reading. For some, it might be easier to digest one over the other. 

Looking for a policy review? We’d be happy to work with you. 

Let’s chat .

• Human Resources
• Tools and Samples

Company Travel Policy

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

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

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Company Travel Policy - Free Template

Download this company travel policy template in Microsoft Word format.

Company Travel Policy Template:

Introduction..

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

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

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

Authorization and Reimbursements.

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

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

Travel Arrangement:

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

Travel Expenses.

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

Accommodation.

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

Other Expenses.

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

Personal Travel.

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

International Travel.

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

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What should be included in a travel policy?

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

What is corporate travel policy?

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

How do you write a travel expense policy?

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

What is a travel and expense policy?

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

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

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Benefits of Having a Corporate Travel Policy

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How to Set a Corporate Travel Policy: Key Elements, Best Practices, and Compliance

A corporate travel policy is a set of guidelines and best practices that govern employee travel. Organizations that have corporate travel policies use them to ensure that all employees follow the proper protocols when booking business-related travel and logging expenses.

While travel policies are often standard for large corporations, smaller businesses can also benefit from instituting them.

Key Takeaways

• A corporate travel policy is essential for organizations to manage travel expenses, ensure compliance, and streamline processes.
• Key elements of a corporate travel policy include travel booking procedures, expense reimbursement guidelines, travel safety measures, and approval processes.
• Best practices for implementing a corporate travel policy include effective communication, employee training, and regular policy review and updates.

Having a corporate travel policy can yield a range of benefits, both for business owners and their employees.

From the perspective of business owners, a corporate travel policy can allow you to:

• Monitor employee travel expenses to ensure accuracy and detect possible instances of fraud
• Establish guidelines for which hotels, airlines, and other travel organizations that employees may book through
• Ensure that employees understand which travel expenses may be submitted for reimbursement
• Organize expense data accurately and quickly
• Remain compliant with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax rules and regulations regarding business travel
• Minimize waste and streamline your accounting systems

On the employee side, having a standard corporate travel policy in place can help employees avoid a scenario where they may be waiting weeks or months to be reimbursed for expenses they’ve paid out of pocket because the company can’t verify what they spent.

Employers should take care to understand which business travel expenses are deductible and which ones are not under the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) .

There’s no one-size-fits-all corporate travel policy template or blueprint that businesses can follow. That’s an advantage, however, as it allows you to create a travel policy that fits your business’s needs.

Generally speaking, a corporate travel policy should cover rules and guidelines for the following:

• Airline, hotel, and rental car reservations
• Other transportation expenses , such as rail travel or ride-sharing
• Employee spending, as it pertains to meals, entertainment, phone calls, and other necessary expenses
• Parking fees and toll passes
• Acceptance of gifts when meeting with clients, or expensing of gifts presented to clients
• Medical care and travel insurance
• Currency exchange fees and international banking
• Employee submissions of receipts for reimbursement
• Review, approval, and payment of submitted expenses
• Personal safety of employees
• Security of business equipment or documents

When in doubt, it’s better for a corporate travel policy to cover more ground rather than less. Making your organization’s travel policy as comprehensive as possible can help to avoid confusion with regard to which expenses are acceptable and when employees can expect to be reimbursed.

Creating a corporate travel policy is a multistep process. Breaking each step down can make it easier to manage and create a policy that’s tailored to your business’s needs.

Identify Your Objectives

First, consider what you need a corporate travel policy to do for you. Are you primarily interested in minimizing costs or preventing abuse? Do you want to ensure that employees are booking with approved organizations and taking steps to remain safe while they’re traveling? Considering your top three objectives can offer a good starting point for developing your corporate travel policy.

You can use those insights to draft a purpose statement outlining the policy’s intentions. This doesn’t need to be lengthy, but it should convey what the policy is designed to do.

Get Your Team Involved

A corporate travel policy is only as good as its ability to meet the needs of those who are expected to adhere to it. Asking some questions about your team and your business’s travel activities can help you pin down what your policy should cover.

For example, ask yourself the following:

• Do any employees require special accommodations for travel related to a health condition or disability?
• Are there any destinations that the business travels to regularly?
• Are there any preferred hotels, airlines, or rental car companies that the business likes to use?
• Is there a preferred process for booking trips or answering questions?
• Who will be responsible for approving bookings, answering employee questions, approving expenses, and submitting them for payment?
• How will employees pay for expenses they book?
• If employees are using corporate credit cards , what rules are they expected to follow?
• How will they submit those expenses for reimbursement, and what information will they need to provide?

Polling your employees can further inform your decision making. For example, an employee who travels frequently may know which hotels are better than others or which airlines offer the best rates. Your employees may appreciate being given a chance to share their insights and opinions on what the company’s travel policy should look like.

If you’re considering corporate credit cards for employees, look for one that allows you to set individual spending controls for each card.

Draft the Policy, and Review It Carefully

Once you’ve collected all the feedback you think you’ll need, you can get to work on fleshing out your corporate travel policy. Again, you want to be thorough in detailing the policies and procedures that you expect employees to follow.

After you’ve written out the first draft, go through your policy a second time. Is there anything that could be explained more clearly? Any areas that may cause confusion for employees? Anything you’ve left out entirely?

You may need to review your travel policy several times to make sure you’re covering all of the most important bases. Once you have the language down, you can review it one final time to check for spelling and grammar errors.

Share the Policy with Your Staff

The final step after creating a corporate travel policy is conveying it to everyone in the company who’s affected by it. If employees don’t know what’s in the policy, it’ll be very difficult for them to adhere to it.

Remember that you’ll need to repeat this step anytime you make changes to the policy. If you add something new or take something away, it’s your duty to convey that to your employees so they’re aware of the changes.

Once you’ve created a corporate travel policy, you’ll need to implement it. These tips can help with introducing your company’s travel policy and enforcing it.

• Ensure that employees know who they can direct questions to regarding business travel bookings, expense reporting, and reimbursement.
• Set a specific time frame for submitting expenses for reimbursement and processing payments to employees.
• Consider scheduling an employee meeting or workshop to walk through the details of the travel policy and answer any questions that might arise.
• Ensure that all new hires get a copy of the travel policy.
• Regularly review and update your travel policy if necessary.
• Conduct monthly reviews or audits of travel expenditures to check for errors and potentially detect fraud or abuse.

It’s also important to specify what consequences, if any, employees may face if they’re found to be noncompliant with the policy. That may include having travel privileges restricted or, in a worst-case scenario, dismissal if evidence of fraud is found.

Ensuring compliance with your company’s corporate travel policy is important from a cost perspective, as you don’t want to blow your travel budget. There are different tactics you can use to maintain compliance across all stakeholders .

• Update your policy regularly to reflect the company’s latest practices and guidelines.
• Simplify the policy if necessary to avoid confusion.
• Clearly communicate compliance expectations, as well as the consequences of noncompliance, to all employees.
• Ensure that the policy is detailed thoroughly during the onboarding process for new hires.
• Conduct regular reviews and audits of travel expenses to look for any signs of noncompliance.
• Consider using a business travel management tool or software to keep track of bookings and expense reporting.

You may also place safeguards on travel bookings to prevent employees from straying outside the boundaries of the policy. For example, if you use a corporate travel agency, you might direct the agency to automatically reject any attempted bookings that don’t involve a preferred travel partner.

Corporate travel policies are common across a variety of industries, from finance to retail to the government. Examples of organizations that maintain corporate travel policies include:

• JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Columbia University
• U.S. Department of the Interior

All of these sample policies have similar characteristics, in that they outline the purpose of the policy, specify the rules that apply to booking accommodations, and offer detailed instructions to employees on how to submit expense reports for reimbursement. It may take some time to work out your travel policy, but reviewing examples like these can give you an idea of what to add.

If writing a detailed corporate travel policy yourself seems daunting, you may consider outsourcing this task to a consultant who’s experienced in compliance.

A corporate travel policy establishes the guidelines for booking travel expenses and submitting them for reimbursement. Travel policies can also extend to things like personal safety and security of business equipment or documents. Having a corporate travel policy is important for minimizing fraud and abuse, while ensuring more accurate record-keeping.

At a minimum, a corporate travel policy should outline approved practices for booking airfare, hotels, rental cars, and other necessary travel expenses. It should also detail the process for submitting expenses for reimbursement, including how expenses are approved and when employees can expect to be paid.

The first step in creating an effective corporate travel policy is understanding what your business needs. Forecasting your budget for business travel and setting proper limits on which expenses are acceptable are the next steps. Organizations must also ensure that all employees are aware of the corporate travel policy and understand how to adhere to it.

A corporate travel policy may be a necessity if your employees take regular business trips to meet with clients or prospective clients, attend professional conferences or seminars, or participate in career training. If you don’t yet have a policy in place, you may want to set that as a priority for your business. Having a clear policy to follow leaves little room for misunderstandings and mismanagement of travel privileges.

Internal Revenue Service. “ Understanding Business Travel Deductions .”

JPMorgan Chase & Co. “ JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. Supplier Travel and Expense Policy .”

Best Buy Partner Portal. “ Vendor Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy .”

Columbia University, University Policies. “ Travel Expense Policy .”

U.S. Department of the Interior. “ Travel .”

Starbucks. “ Non-Partner Travel and Business Expense Standard—U.S. and Canada .”

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Company Travel Policy: The Complete Guide + A Free Template

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

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

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

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

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

What Is Travel Policy?

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

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

Among other things, a travel policy can include:

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

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

Why Do Companies Need a Travel Policy?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Counts as Traveling on Business?

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

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

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

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

How Do You Write a Business Travel Policy?

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

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

What Should Be Included in a Travel Policy?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Avoid Common Company Travel Policy Mistakes

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

Both of these extremes make understanding travel policies unlikely.

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

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

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

Get Your Free Company Travel Policy Template Now

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

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How to write an effective corporate travel policy

Everything you need to do business travel right.

Writing an effective corporate travel policy

There’s a lot to consider when arranging business travel, so it makes sense to have a robust corporate travel policy in place. Setting out all the relevant procedures will help keep your employees safe while working to reduce your business’s travel spend. Some of the key steps to creating your ideal company travel policy include:

• Defining your objectives. These could include keeping costs down, ensuring employees are safe and comfortable and helping them make decisions on their travel.
• Ensuring your travel policy reflects travelers’ needs. Consider the most common destinations for your business travelers and the best way to get to them, are there specific needs or considerations related to your company’s activities?
• Giving your employees options. Everyone likes to have a choice, so try to give your employees a selection of hotels or airlines. You can keep costs down by capping the hotel star rating or class of airline ticket.
• Setting clear guidelines for all aspects of travel and more. Your travel policy needs to be all-encompassing so it leaves no room for doubt – that includes everything from airline booking rules to the policy on areas such as additional expenses and the acceptance of gifts.
• Making sure everyone knows what the travel policy is. All relevant documents need to be readily available to everyone within your company whether via the intranet or a travel platform. The policy needs to be clearly communicated to all, including line managers so they can enforce it.

Corporate travel policy best practices

When writing a corporate travel policy document, one size doesn’t fit all. You should start by thinking about the nature of your organization – is it pretty strict or relaxed? Make sure your travel policy follows the same tone.

Highlight how important it is that your employees read the document, not least for their own safety, and clarify what they need to do in an emergency situation, as well as who they’d need to contact.

Other information you should include is how business travelers should get to and from airports, and to what extent they’re permitted to combine their business travel with their own leisure.

Empower your employees by giving them a choice of hotels while capping the star rating or cost per room. Impress upon them the fact that complying with your travel policy will ensure the smooth and easy reimbursement of additional expenses. Finally, keep reviewing your corporate travel policy. Flexibility is key, and your travel policy and procedures should be open to the changing requirements of your employees and your business.

Remind your senior leaders that this is for them as well as business travelers –if everyone follows the policy it will help your company offer more effective support to its strategic partners, as well as allow better management of its expenses budget.

What to include in your corporate travel policy

There are many aspects of business travel to consider before writing your corporate travel policy. While your policy should reflect the unique needs of your business and employees, you’ll need to establish policies for these fundamental areas:

• Airline, rail, hotel and rental car reservations.
• The use of other transportation, such as taxi cabs.
• Rules for on-site spending, including meals, entertainment and phone calls.
• Security relating to travel – both in terms of personal safety and work materials.
• The rules around gifts and favors that may be bought or received during business travel.
• The approval process that employees and managers need to follow.
• The system for the payment of any expenses incurred during travel.

Laying out your travel expense policy

Establishing a clear and fair expenses policy is vital to the health of your business – poor management of travel expenses costs your business money. Here’s how we’d recommend your policy approaches a range of key expenses:

Additional travel State that travel costs will cover the purposes of business travel only – whether to events, meetings or training – and that non-business or leisure travel comes out of the employee’s pocket. You should also encourage business travelers to use the most cost-effective mode of transport, taking expected journey time into account. Accommodation Empower your business travelers by giving them control over their own spending – capping their budgets by hotel star rating or amount per room. You could provide average room rates in each location, and ask them to stay within that range. Specify that standard rooms should be the required room type, and clearly outline whether your business will cover minibar charges, Wi-Fi costs, etc. Meals Depending on your company culture, you can be as explicit as you like with your meal policy. Many companies find it easier to offer a daily allowance that covers breakfast, lunch and dinner, but your policy should include a statement about alcoholic beverages – usually to clarify that they will be at the employee’s cost, unless they’re with a client. Tips Many corporate travel policies cover tips to 20 percent, but only when it’s already been included in the bill as a service charge. If a business traveler decides to add a tip for anything else it should be out of their own pocket, or at a manager’s discretion. Entertainment Entertainment can cover eating, drinking or any other hospitality. The most effective way to manage entertainment expenses is by setting a limit or range, and advising that managerial approval will be required for any reimbursement above and beyond this amount.

How to forecast your budget

Using data on traveler behavior and previous expenses is key to setting intelligent forecasts for your annual expenses budget. Different employees will travel in different ways, to different locations, and at different frequencies. However, having data on the average flight cost per mile, as well as the nightly hotel, average meal and ground transportation costs, will mean you can accurately predict and anticipate your expenses budget for the year ahead.

Setting expense limits

For the most part, business travelers want to do what’s right for their company – and many companies find that giving employees control over their own spend can actually reduce overspending. Find a happy middle ground by giving employees control while setting key limits.

For example, meal expenses can be set as an overall allowance per day, giving the employee the choice of how much to spend individually on breakfast, lunch and dinner.

When it comes to booking accommodation, give employees the choice of a standard room in any hotel of a certain star rating or a maximum price per night.

For ground transportation, a corporate travel policy should clearly advise employees to choose the most cost-effective method considering the journey time. Most business travelers will accept being restricted to flying economy on short-haul trips.

Handling expense claims

It’s important that business travelers have a clearly defined method of claiming back their expenses. Ask them to fill out an expense report for the date, amount, category, location and business purpose of their claim – and decide whether you’d like them to file receipts for all their expenses, or just ones that exceed a certain amount.

Give your employees a time frame for submitting expenses – this will help your business maintain a stable and accurate cash flow. Similarly, let them know when they can expect money to be credited back into their accounts. Depending on the amount spent, it might be a good idea to clarify who will approve their expenses in each case.

Setting up your guidelines and procedures

There is no one, uniform corporate travel policy. If your policy doesn’t fit with the nature of your organization, it’s unlikely to ever meet the expectations of your stakeholders. Fundamentally, your travel policy and procedures must be adapted to your business’s culture, and be flexible around the needs of your employees, industry and economy. They also need to be widely circulated and understood.

Your guidelines and procedures will help your business travelers make decisions within the framework of your corporate travel policy. They should include procedures for all bookings – after all, it’s important that employees are clear on what is expected of them at every point of their business trip.

It might also be necessary to include a section about the consequences of not following the set guidelines and procedures.

Considering safety and security procedures

The safety, security and well-being of employees must be at the heart of every corporate travel policy. While they’re engaged in business travel, your employees are your responsibility, so it’s crucial your policy has procedures in place that can ably respond to personal risk, severe weather or political unrest in a foreign country.

Highlight how important it is that your employees read your corporate travel policy document for their own safety, and clarify what they need to do in an emergency situation and who to contact. If your employees are regularly flying out to high-risk countries, organize additional travel safety and security training. We work closely with International SOS to offer enhanced medical and security assistance, and keep your employees safe on the road.

Take a look at how else we’ll support your employees at every stage of their journey.

Delivering the travel policy to employees

Once you’ve written your corporate travel policy, you need to make sure your employees read and understand it. Whether you choose to deliver the policy in a printed document, via intranet or in an email, there are some general ways to make sure it’s communicated as effectively as possible.

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Travel and Expense

8 corporate travel policy best practices.

Corporate travel policies need to address some of the most complex and important issues related to business travel. 

When written well, corporate travel policies provide both employees and employers with clarity and answers to common questions and scenarios. 

Developing, reviewing, and revising corporate travel policies is an ongoing process, one that should consider multiple perspectives and needs and evaluate data. A business travel policy for employees should also adapt to changing patterns of travel, employee needs, and practical considerations. 

Best Practices in Corporate Travel Policies 

Here is a closer look at some corporate travel policy best practices to consider. It can help your organization decide what should be included in a travel policy and your business travel guidelines. 

1. Involve Key Stakeholders 

Your travel policy will touch nearly every employee and department within your organization. Involving key stakeholders in human resources, payroll, finance and operations ensures that the policy reflects their unique perspectives and needs. If there are departments that are frequent travelers, they too should be included in conversations. 

Bringing together the major players allows for better collaboration and discussion of complex or controversial elements of the policy. Regular meetings among the stakeholders allows for a well-rounded policy and can ease the process of review and revisions when necessary. 

2. Track Expenses for Reporting and Analysis 

Your organization needs systems that will collect, report on, and analyze data related to your corporate travel program. These data points help leaders understand what’s working and not working within the program and provide insights that can guide revisions to the policy. 

Having the  right tools and applications  provide those in charge of the policy with information necessary to make important decisions. The company needs a standardized system for completing expenses to avoid data duplication and creating a consistent reporting process for all employees. 

Accurate expense reporting helps to develop the true return on investment of your corporate travel program. 

When developing your systems, consider integrating your policy with your travel management software. Doing so creates automated enforcement of certain policy elements, makes it easier for employees and managers to remain in compliance with the policy and helps accelerate processing and approval. 

3. Factor in Employee Satisfaction, with a Focus on Communication 

For travelers, a policy can generate lots of emotions and feelings, especially if policy changes force changes in the way people travel for business. For example, some employees prefer certain hotel or airline brands. A change to mandated providers can create significant ill-will. 

The key is to communicate regularly about the process by which the policy is created, evaluated, and modified. There may be generational or departmental differences in how employees prefer to travel and any changes can become problematic. 

Remember to emphasize why a corporate travel policy is necessary and important. The policy itself should be clear and easy to understand, using subheadings, bullet points, examples, and short paragraphs to make it more readable. 

4. Provide Resources 

A good corporate travel policy does more than just list do’s and don’ts. It can also be an effective resource that employees and managers turn to. Among the resources to include are: 

Links to your travel management and booking platform 

Forms for expense reporting 

Travel insurance coverage with a link to your carrier 

Lists of purchases that are and are not allowed 

What to do in case of an emergency 

Key phone numbers – human resources, finance, corporate travel office (if applicable) 

5. Set Clear Policies for Booking and Costs 

Your policy can clear up many gray areas around corporate travel. Be sure that the policy addresses some of the following areas that can cause concern for travelers and administrators: 

Whether travelers must use a corporate travel agency or website 

Expected turnaround times for expense reports and reimbursements 

Budgetary guidelines for airfare, hotel and ground transportation, including whether there are mandatory vendors 

Guidance on bleisure ( combining business and leisure travel ), including whether it’s allowed and cost-sharing guidance 

Procedures for handling rejected expense submissions or requests 

6. Understand Duty of Care and Reflect in the Policy 

Employers are responsible for duty of care , the legal obligation to research and develop a plan that reduces the risk for employers traveling on behalf of their employers. 

The policy should explain what duty of care is and the employer’s commitment to its employees and how far that extends. 

Begin by discussing any necessary changes to the policy with travelers who regularly must complete high-risk business travel and their managers. Examine global risk trends, discuss past experiences, and draft initial guidelines. 

Your policy needs a pre-travel process and a standardized risk assessment report, especially when traveling to high-risk areas. Incorporate travel alerts into the itinerary and ensure that the company has access to employee contact information and health records, if applicable. 

The policy needs to have multiple contingency plans detailed and ready to implement if needed. Be sure that employees have access to technology that can help them if problems occur while traveling. 

7. Include Travel Risk Management Considerations 

Travel risk management is the practice of anticipating, preventing, and reacting to issues that may arise while employees are traveling. The risk can run the gamut from weather issues and natural disasters to social unrest and terrorism. 

The goal of travel risk management is to identify and prepare for potential risks and decrease the risk of those threats materializing, if possible. If threats do materialize, the risk management also develops the plans to address with them. 

Travel risk management and duty of care are interrelated and often overlap. Both are critical to keeping employees safe. 

8. Practice Continuous Improvement 

Keeping corporate travel policies up to date requires diligent scrutiny of the policy itself and the supporting data. Factoring in employee safety, costs, and compliance requires regular review of the policy. Doing so allows your company to have policies that continue to benefit the organization and employees alike. 

Why Are Corporate Travel Policies Important?  

A well-constructed corporate travel policy  is a powerful tool. It can help shape employee engagement, recruitment and retention. 

By engaging key stakeholders, communicating regularly, gathering data, integrating systems and focusing on safety, your corporate travel policy will serve all employees well. 

At SAP Concur, we help businesses seamlessly integrate business travel, expense and invoice management. Our solutions simplify and automate travel mechanics, integrating real-time data and artificial intelligence to drive efficiency and accuracy. 

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Learn more about how SAP Concur solutions can improve your company's corporate travel operations. 

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Corporate Travel Management Blogs

7 corporate travel policy templates to help you define.

Sajit Chacko Co-Founder

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is a corporate travel policy?

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

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

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

Best Corporate Travel Policy Templates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dartmouth College

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Corporate Traveler

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

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

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

Create and enforce your travel policy with Tripeur

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

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

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

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

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

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How to write an excellent company travel policy

Building a travel policy is more than just about setting rules and budgets. The key to creating the best travel policy for your company is to strike the perfect balance between your business goals and employee needs.

Having a policy that supports business travellers from start to finish can positively impact your bottom line. Especially since business travel generates huge value for businesses. For every $1 spent on business travel, the average return of investment (ROI) is between $10 to $14.99, according to a 2009 report by Oxford Economics .

If you are looking to create a travel policy for your company, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive guide explains:

• What a company travel policy is
• Why it is important
• How to write a travel policy and best practices
• How automating your travel policy can benefit your business.

In this article, we'll take a look at:

• What is a company travel policy?

In short, a company travel policy is a guidebook that covers all the rules and procedures of business travel for its employees. The is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to creating travel policies. A number of factors such as the size of your company, nature of business and purpose of business travel will shape your travel policy. 

The travel policy can usually be accessed on the company’s internal website. But if your company uses a travel management app, it may implement an automated policy for greater compliance and smoother approval processes.   

• Why is a good travel policy important?

Ideally, a good company travel policy should remove any “grey areas” for employees and clearly define all information on travel cost, safety and booking procedures. In fact, a well-crafted travel policy will also encourage employees to optimally budget their business trips, which in turn, will save the company money. 

Crafting your travel policy also gives your company an opportunity to embrace changes and technological opportunities . Using a business travel management tool for bookings can result in quicker travel bookings and up to 30% in cost savings.  There is no better time to adopt best practices and do away with unnecessarily rigid policies.

The climate of uncertainty caused by the global pandemic is a major reason to put your employees at the heart of your travel programme. Including Duty of Care and insurance details in your travel policy reassures employees of their travel safety and shows your appreciation. Travel policies can go a long way in keeping employees happy and productive. 

• What should your company travel policy include?

If you are creating a company travel policy for the first time or reassessing your current one, here are some details it should include:

• How to book business trips through your company’s approved booking tool
• Allocated travel costs across employee tiers and departments (flights, hotels, transport, car rental, meal allowances)
• Travel and mileage claims process
• Company’s preferred airline, hotel chain or other vendors
• Travel insurance coverage details
• Company’s Duty of Care
• Approval process for business trips above budget limit
• Budget exceptions for certain cities (Eg. Business travel costs in Tokyo is second highest worldwide behind New York)

Importantly, your company travel policy should be applicable to everyone who travels on behalf of your company including members of the board, executive managers, other employees and corporate guests. A travel management tool can be particularly handy for this purpose. You can set different policies across employee groups and even make policy exceptions.

How to write your company travel policy ?

Think of your company travel policy as a way to provide support to employees and add value to your business. Before jumping into a long list of things employees can or cannot do, consider the benefits that each part of the policy will bring.

Ultimately, it should make business travel as easy and seamless as possible, save business costs and take care of your employees’ needs. To help you get started, here is a 5-step guide to writing your company travel policy:

1) Understand travel practices of your people

Are you crafting a travel policy from scratch or looking to upgrade your current one? Either way, understanding why and how your employees travel will help shape your policy. Since 82% of business travellers in Asia Pacific are more likely to book hotel stays using online tools, using a travel management service with vast choice is an ideal step. 

Just remember, the copy paste approach doesn’t work when it comes to travel policy. Your policy should best reflect the needs of your people and business. If your company has increased in size, it is smart to base your policy on the different types of business travel across departments.

One tangible way of understanding your employees’ needs is through their past travel bookings and expenses. You may be able to identify booking trends and find areas for saving travel costs.

2) Set your policy goals

Assess your top priorities for updating or creating your company travel policy. Do you want to reduce business travel costs? Are you looking for easier bookings and improved traveller safety? Clearly-defined goals will help ensure your travel policy is set up to achieve your targets.  

Other good goals to set include increased policy compliance, better expense tracking, smoother booking approvals and convenience for business travellers. Rank and create a checklist for your business priorities so nothing is left out.

3) Make people the “heart” of your travel policy

Employees will depend heavily on the policy during business trips. Now that your goals are clear, it is important to engage with a diverse group of employees to gather insights. Your company C-level executives may have plans for reducing travel costs, improving efficiency, and prioritising Duty of care.

Identify frequent business travellers within your company and ask for their thoughts on what works and areas for improvement. They will be able to shed light on challenges and concerns from past business travel. Not only will you keep employees happy – but taking care of your people can help you avoid significant costs and unexpected legal issues. 

The COVID-19 global pandemic has brought up the pressing need for better Duty of care and traveller safety measures. Even before the pandemic, a quarter of business travellers in Asia claim that their employers do not adequately communicate their duty of care responsibility .

Incorporating a solid duty of care programme will give both business travellers and business owners peace of mind. Consider using a  travel management solution that provides up-to-date travel risk alerts, real-time traveller tracking, travel restriction information and 24/7 contact support should your employees need help.

4) Choose your technology and flexibility

How flexible should your company travel policy be? This depends on the level of freedom you want to give your travellers. McKinsey’s 2015 report shows that Asian business travellers prioritise convenience and seek to combine business travel with leisure. Some preferences include direct flights, close distance to work and high speed Wi-Fi. 

Of course, you can adjust the level of booking autonomy and travel budgets based on your business needs. But choosing the right technology for your travel management can help you strike a balance between flexibility and policy compliance. Setting your budget thresholds within your travel booking tool will result in automatic policy compliance. If your policy allows exceptions, booking requests above limit will be flagged to travel managers for approval.

5) Write and enforce your travel policy

Congratulations, you are now ready to draft your company travel policy! Once your company travel policy is written, seek approval from the relevant stakeholders and senior management. Make sure the travel policy is readily available on your company’s internal website, and if your company uses a travel management platform, remember to update the thresholds and necessary information. 

It is also good practice to keep an open line of communication with frequent business travellers in your company. In order to establish greater trust, gather feedback about the travel policy, share traveller safety guidelines and reiterate objectives of the travel programme from time to time. 

Business travel management that understands

Looking for the right business travel solution? TruTrip has got you covered with its smart policy tools, travel risk alerts and seamless booking experience. Book a demo or get in touch with us, we’ll be happy to show you around. 

This guide will answer questions regarding travel policy:

• How to write your company travel policy?

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Blog / Business Travel / How to Create a Corporate Travel Policy & Implement it Correctly

Business Travel

How to create a corporate travel policy & implement it correctly.

A strong corporate travel policy is the unsung hero in business travel.

A corporate travel policy is a company’s comprehensive set of guidelines to manage business travel. It covers travel costs, meal expenses, business travel accommodation , and ground transportation. The primary goal is to streamline travel arrangements, control expenses, and ensure employee safety during business trips. A well-defined corporate travel policy benefits both employees and the organization by providing clear guidelines on travel expenses, booking processes, and reimbursement procedures.

Business travel managers play a pivotal role in implementing these travel policies — they ensure compliance with the company’s travel policy, manage costs effectively, and oversee the entire travel program. It is a nuanced role that involves negotiating with preferred suppliers, handling emergencies, and keeping abreast of cultural differences in various locations. But, following a few tips can make a big difference in supporting company culture and ensuring business travelers' safety, productivity, and comfort.

Why Having a Corporate Travel Policy is Essential

A corporate travel policy is essential for all types of business travel for several reasons. Firstly, it sets clear guidelines for employees, detailing what is covered under travel expenses and helping them select air travel, a rental car, and hotel accommodations. This clarity helps manage corporate travel more efficiently and prevents confusion regarding expense claims.

For the organization, a corporate travel policy helps control costs and ensures that employees use company money judiciously. It also facilitates compliance with a finance team and other documentation requirements, like submitting expenses within a set time frame or adhering to daily allowances. Additionally, such policies are crucial for managing risks associated with business travel. The approach keeps employees safe during their travels by defining travel insurance requirements, emergency contacts, and procedures for different situations.

A corporate travel policy is much more than a document — it’s a crucial tool for managing business travel effectively, keeping employees safe, and controlling travel-related expenses. 

Benefits for Your Company

The 2023 Corporate Travel Study from Deloitte Insights found that about half of respondents report that employees’ expectations of luxury services and the need for flexible or last-minute bookings are pushing costs up in 2023. Implementing a corporate travel policy helps manage and control travel costs effectively. It ensures employees follow set guidelines for expenses like air travel, accommodation, and ground transportation, leading to significant savings. Here are more of the benefits that a travel policy provides:

• Risk Management: A well-defined travel policy includes corporate travel risk management software , which minimizes risks associated with business trips and keeps company assets safe.
• Policy Compliance: A corporate travel policy improves compliance with internal and external company rules, reducing the likelihood of legal or financial issues and points travelers to certain suppliers.
• Streamlined Processes: Clear travel policies streamline the booking process, expense reporting, and reimbursement process, making managing corporate travel more efficient.
• Employee Safety: Ensures employee safety during travel through guidelines on travel insurance, emergency contacts, and medical expenses.
• Enhanced Travel Program Management: Allows travel managers to work closely with preferred suppliers, negotiate better rates, and manage the overall travel program more effectively.
• Consistency Across Locations: Ensures consistency in travel arrangements and policies across different locations, fostering a unified company culture.
• Data and Reporting: Facilitates accurate tracking and reporting of travel expenses, helping the finance team budget and forecast.

Benefits for Your Employees

With a well-defined travel policy, employees understand what expenses are covered, such as business class flights, rental cars, and meal expenses, leading to fewer misunderstandings and disputes. Employees can make travel arrangements within the policy framework, offering them a sense of autonomy. Business travel has many benefits, from professional development and entertaining clients to cultural exposure, and a fair and well-managed travel policy opens the door to all of these opportunities, increasing employee loyalty and reflecting the company’s commitment to their well-being.

The travel policy also includes provisions for comfortable travel arrangements, like corporate housing , and accounts for their safety with emergency contacts and travel insurance provisions ensuring their safety and peace of mind while traveling.

Key Elements of a Thorough Corporate Travel Policy

Incorporating these elements into your corporate travel policy will clarify the travel process and business purpose and ensure compliance and efficiency in managing business travel. By addressing these key areas, businesses can create a travel policy that meets their specific needs and objectives while keeping their employees informed and prepared for their business trips.

A Clearly Defined Purpose Statement 

The purpose statement establishes the overall objectives and goals of the corporate travel policy. It communicates the company’s approach towards business travel. This statement is a reference point for all policy decisions, ensuring they align with the company’s values and travel objectives.

• To ensure safe, cost-effective, and efficient travel arrangements for all employees.
• To align travel practices with the company’s ethical standards and sustainability goals.
• To provide clear guidelines on allowable expenses and travel procedures.

Process For Gaining Permissions & Booking Trips

The travel policy outlines employees' steps to approve their business trips, ensuring transparency and consistency in the decision-making process. It provides specific directives on how far in advance employees should book their trips, what booking tools to use, and the preferred suppliers.

• Employees must submit travel requests via the company’s booking tool at least two weeks in advance.
• Approval from direct supervisors and the travel manager is required for all international travel.
• Use of preferred suppliers for booking flights, accommodations, and ground transportation

Accommodation Booking Guidelines 

The travel policy establishes what procedures to follow when booking accommodations for business travel, including the use of preferred suppliers, a booking window that falls at least two weeks in advance to secure the best rates and availability, and adherence within the allocated budget for accommodation, considering factors like location, safety, and amenities.

• Use the company’s booking tool for all hotel reservations.
• Choose corporate housing options that meet the company’s safety and quality standards.
• Prioritize accommodations that offer essential amenities for business travelers.

Use of Alternative Transportation

The Deloitte study found that four in 10 European companies and a third of US companies say they need to reduce travel per employee by more than 20% to meet their 2030 sustainability targets. But it doesn't have to be that way: Corporate travel policies can optimize sustainable decision-making, encourage business travelers to select electric rental cars, and consider carbon emissions when choosing a flight. Of course, they'll need to keep cost and safety in mind.

• Opt for rail travel, which is more economical or efficient than air travel.
• Use ride-sharing services for short distances instead of renting cars.
• Employ eco-friendly transportation options, such as bicycles or electric scooters, for short commutes.

Expense Guidelines 

The corporate travel policy outlines specific per diem costs and allowances for items such as food and lodging. A per diem sets a daily allowance that covers meal expenses, with adjustments based on the cost of living in the travel location, and includes minor, necessary expenses such as tips and public transportation fees. The all-in-one travel and expense management platform Navan highlights how having a modern expense management tool can streamline these processes and make the policy accessible at the time of swipe.

• Allocating a daily meal allowance based on the city or country of travel.
• Capping hotel expenses at a predetermined rate per night.
• Reimbursing for minor, incidental expenses with proper documentation.

Guidelines for Travel Safety 

For travel safety, the policy should include specific guidelines for employees traveling alone, focusing on staying in secure locations and maintaining regular contact with the company, and clear instructions for handling emergencies, including contact details for local embassies and medical facilities.

• Mandatory safety briefings for solo travelers.
• Providing a list of emergency contacts and medical facilities in the travel destination.
• Choosing AltoVita accommodations that meet rigorous safety standards.

Reimbursement Procedures 

To claim and get company money reimbursed for business travel expenses, employees should submit expense reports within a specified time frame after the completion of the trip and provide all necessary receipts and documentation for expenses incurred during the trip. Expense claims must be approved, often involving the direct supervisor and the finance team.

• Using a designated expense reporting tool to file all claims.
• Keeping all meal, lodging, and transportation receipts for submission.
• Adhering to the company’s guidelines on the maximum limits for various expense categories.

How to Implement Your Corporate Travel Policy

Implementing a corporate travel policy effectively involves several key strategies, each designed to ensure that the policy is not only understood and accepted but also adhered to by all employees. 

• Communication Strategy: Keep employees informed of any policy updates or changes. Considering that corporate travel spend is projected to surpass half of 2019 levels in the first half of 2023, it's vital to keep everyone updated on the evolving travel landscape​​. Leverage various communication platforms like emails, intranet, and meetings to reach all employees effectively.
• Policy Documentation and Accessibility: Ensure the travel policy is accessible to all employees. With international trips growing and accounting for a significant share of travel costs, having a readily accessible policy is crucial for informing employees about international travel guidelines​​. Create a user-friendly policy document clearly outlining corporate travel's do's and don'ts.
• Approval Workflows: Develop a transparent and efficient process for travel approvals. This is important as about half of the companies report increasing costs due to the need for flexible or last-minute bookings​​. Implement digital tools for quicker and more transparent approval workflows.
• Employee Support and Assistance: Offer support services, such as a 24/7 helpline, especially for international travel, which is increasing in frequency​​. Conduct training sessions to educate employees about travel policies, focusing on areas like sustainable travel, a growing concern for many businesses​​.
• Monitoring and Enforcement: Continuously monitor travel activities to ensure adherence to the policy. Almost half, or 45%, of companies, limit travel frequency to control costs, indicating the importance of monitoring to manage expenses​​. It shouldn’t be this way! Establish clear consequences for non-compliance to maintain the integrity of the travel policy.
• Feedback Mechanisms: Regularly collect employee feedback to understand their needs and challenges. This is crucial as employees’ expectations of services and flexible bookings influence travel costs​​. Use the feedback to refine and improve the travel policy continually.

Best Practices for Business Travel Managers: A Checklist

Follow this checklist of best practices to enhance your business-class corporate travel policy's effectiveness significantly: 

Regularly Update and Review the Policy

Travel managers must ensure that the company’s corporate travel policy stays current and reflects the ever-changing business travel landscape, which includes adapting to new travel trends, regulatory changes, and company needs. A regular review schedule is crucial.

• Review Frequency: Conduct semi-annual or annual reviews of the travel policy.
• Stay Informed: Keep abreast of industry changes, such as new travel technologies or shifts in travel costs.
• Engage Stakeholders: Involve various departments in the review process, such as finance, HR, and operations, to get diverse perspectives.

Use Clear Communication

Transparent communication is vital when implementing policy changes. Travel managers should use clear, concise language and diverse channels to ensure all employees understand the travel policy.

• Multi-Channel Communication: Use emails, company intranet, meetings, and newsletters to communicate changes.
• Feedback Mechanism: Encourage feedback from employees to gauge understanding and gather suggestions.
• Regular Reminders: Send out periodic reminders about critical aspects of the travel policy.

Create Employee Awareness

Educating employees about the travel policy is as important as the policy itself. Travel managers should develop strategies to ensure employees understand the travel policy best practices well.

• Training Sessions: Organize regular training sessions to walk employees through the travel policy.
• Informational Materials: Develop easy-to-understand guides, FAQs, and policy summaries.
• Accessibility: Ensure the travel policy is accessible to all employees, possibly through the company’s internal portal.

Nurture Supplier Relationships

Building strong relationships with travel suppliers can lead to better deals, enhanced service, and a more personalized travel experience. This aspect ties back to AltoVita’s emphasis on customer support and personalization for business travelers.

• Regular Communication: Keep in constant touch with suppliers to stay updated on new offerings and negotiate better terms.
• Feedback and Improvement: Share input from employees with suppliers to improve the services offered.
• Strategic Partnerships: Look for opportunities to turn suppliers into strategic partners, aligning their services with your company’s travel needs.

Adapting Travel Policies to Industry-Specific Legal Requirements

Corporate travel policies must align with stringent legal and regulatory requirements for industries like finance and healthcare. Many businesses in these sectors face unique compliance challenges, making an effective travel policy their best friend. Here’s a complete guide to navigating these complexities:

• Address Specific Compliance Challenges: Some industries require employees to follow different rules, especially during business trips. A corporate travel policy document should clearly articulate these requirements. For instance, in finance, the policy should address handling sensitive information on a business trip, while healthcare might focus on transporting medical equipment.
• Customized Policy Elements: Travel policies in these sectors should include elements that address these unique requirements. For instance, finance companies might need guidelines for handling confidential client information on the go. In contrast, healthcare organizations might need to consider the transport of medical equipment or samples.
• International and Industry-Specific Requirements: It makes sense to include clear communication of international legal requirements in your company travel policy. Traveling to other locations might involve additional expenses, such as specific insurance or vaccinations. Industry-specific legal requirements should also be a crucial part of your business travel policy, requiring employees to adhere to specific guidelines when they fly business class or use rental cars.
• Documenting and Reporting: To meet audit and regulatory requirements, implement thorough documentation and reporting procedures for travel-related expenses. This might include detailed expense reports and the necessity to use certain approved suppliers.

Key Takeaway

For effective travel policy compliance, it’s essential to consider the unique needs of your business. This includes everything from managing costs of business expenses, like entertainment expenses and alcoholic beverages, to ensuring that all travel expense policy elements are in place. An expense report should be easy to submit, and the booking process for flights and car rentals should align with your expense policy. 

A well-communicated and thoroughly understood corporate travel policy is not just a document — it’s a tool to improve travel policy compliance across many businesses, making company travel a smoother and more enjoyable experience for every business traveler.

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View recent FTR amendments and Travel/Per Diem Bulletins .

GSA establishes the per diem rates that Federal Executive branch agencies use to reimburse their employees for subsistence expenses incurred while on official travel within the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia. The per diem rates consist of a maximum lodging allowance component and a meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) component. More information is available at gsa.gov/perdiem .

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Federal employees may be reimbursed the applicable mileage rate for privately owned automobiles, motorcycles, and privately owned aircraft while on official temporary duty (TDY) travel. The rate to use when a government-furnished vehicle is available but the employee uses a privately owned vehicle instead is also listed at this site, as well as the standard mileage reimbursement rates for moving purposes (see the Employee Relocation Management Policy site for more information on the moving rate). View all the rates at gsa.gov/mileage . 

Internal agency travel policy manager

GSA’s travel policy office works with all Executive agencies, but each Federal agency also has an internal agency travel policy office that ensures compliance with both the FTR and their own additional internal travel rules applicable to their unique missions. Federal employees should direct any travel-related questions to their internal agency travel policy office, which is often found in the agency’s Office of Finance or Travel/Relocation Office. These local offices are in the best position to review the circumstances and facts of each question and provide appropriate answers.

Do you have a question?

If you still have questions after reviewing the FTR and internal agency policy, submit a question to the Have a Question page . Federal contractors and grantees should reach out to their contracting/grant officer, and employees of other types of organizations should contact their appropriate office that handles travel questions.

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Rates are available between 10/1/2021 and 09/30/2024.

The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.

Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.

Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."

Per diem localities with county definitions shall include "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."

When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.

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We provide authentic, informative and memorable tour packages and city tours, at very competitive prices. Visit Moscow Tours are available not only in Moscow, but also in other cities: Saint Petersburg, Kazan, Suzdal and Sergiev Posad.  We also organise customised individual programs tailored just for you.

Our guests come in large groups, small private groups, as couples or as single travellers. We take care of and treat our guests with respect in a friendly and warm family environment. We show people our beautiful cities with passion and deep knowledge of their history, culture and traditions.

Our guides are extremely hospitable, helpful and well-informed. They are simply the best because only by providing the best services can we make the world fall in love with Russia. And we are very happy when our guests say that they will definitely come back to Russia and that they will tell all their friends how great Russia is! That is what inspires us to put even more dedication and hard work into our tours, knowing that what we do is positive and meaningful.

Our classic tours include tours of Moscow and Saint Petersburg, two main Russian cities.

Moscow is a big and busy  megalopolis and Russia’s capital city, where more than 12 million people live and work. Our capital city is happening place; it is mysterious, elegant, luxurious, fashionable, clean and bright, with its unique legends, traditions and events. It is with great pride that we show the Red Square and the Kremlin, our Underground and Tretyakovskaya Gallery, among other stunning attractions.

Saint Petersburg is our second capital,  the second largest city in the Russian Federation. This wonderful city has a strong and lively aristocratic spirit, uniquely Russian royal architecture, magnificent museums and theatres. Saint Petersburg bears the royal heritage of Russia, which can be felt in its air, its streets, parks, monuments, museums and citizens.  In Saint Petersburg tours, we will take you to the Hermitage, Peter and Paul Fortress, Faberge Museum and Orthodox Cathedrals. We’re sure you will love it!

If you have a few more days to spare, venture into the dreamy Russian countryside in Suzdal or Sergiev Posad. Suzdal is a small town with a population of about ten thousand people, situated on less than 15 square kilometres. This tiny area is home to 53 historic cathedrals, five monasteries and a kremlin. Church domes are visible like mushrooms from anywhere and everywhere in the town like in a fairy tale. No wonder Suzdal is called the ‘Town Museum”.  It is definitely worth visiting!

Just try any of Visit Moscow Tours’ tour packages or any individual city tour, and we promise that you will want to come back to Russia again.  Russia is huge with countless amazing places to visit. There are so many unique experiences to be had and energies to be felt that one tour is definitely not enough to explore this vast land. It is also a very safe destination to travel, and we have a tradition of warm hospitality. Our people adore and take care of visitors as our own guests, and even if they do not know your language very well, they still try to be helpful and hospitable.

Our guides will show you the most interesting attractions and historical places, taking you on a journey to the past to enjoy stories of medieval times, the Romanov monarchy, the Soviet Era. And of course, we will show you the contemporary life of our country through authentic local experiences.

We look forward to meeting you soon!

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Automatic Refunds and No More Hidden Fees: D.O.T. Sets New Rules for Airlines

The Transportation Department issued new requirements on refunds when flights are canceled or delayed and on revealing “junk” fees before booking. Here’s what passengers can expect.

By Christine Chung

The Transportation Department on Wednesday announced new rules taking aim at two of the most difficult and annoying issues in air travel: obtaining refunds and encountering surprise fees late in the booking process.

“Passengers deserve to know upfront what costs they are facing and should get their money back when an airline owes them — without having to ask,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement, adding that the changes would not only save passengers “time and money,” but also prevent headaches.

The department’s new rules, Mr. Buttigieg said, will hold airlines to clear and consistent standards when they cancel, delay or substantially change flights, and require automatic refunds to be issued within weeks. They will also require them to reveal all fees before a ticket is purchased.

Airlines for America , a trade group representing the country’s largest air carriers, said in a statement that its airlines “abide by and frequently exceed” D.O.T. consumer protection regulations.

Passenger advocates welcomed the new steps.

Tomasz Pawliszyn, the chief executive of AirHelp, a Berlin-based company that assists passengers with airline claims, called it a “massive step forward and huge improvement in consumer rights and protection” that brings the United States closer to global standards in passenger rights.

Here’s what we know about the D.O.T.’s new rules, which will begin to go into effect in October.

There’s now one definition for a “significant” delay.

Until now, airlines have been allowed to set their own definition for a “significant” delay and compensation has varied by carrier . Now, according to the D.O.T., there will be one standard: when departure or arrival is delayed by three hours for domestic flights and six hours for international flights.

Passengers will get prompt refunds for cancellations or significant changes for flights and delayed bags, for any reason.

When things go wrong, getting compensation from an airline has often required establishing a cumbersome paper trail or spending untold hours on the phone. Under the new rules, refunds will be automatic, without passengers having to request them. Refunds will be made in full, excepting the value of any transportation already used. Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in the original form of payment, whether by cash, credit card or airline miles. Refunds are due within seven days for credit card purchases and within 20 days for other payments.

Passengers with other flight disruptions, such as being downgraded to a lower service class, are also entitled to refunds.

The list of significant changes for which passengers can get their money back also includes: departure or arrival from an airport different from the one booked; connections at different airports or flights on planes that are less accessible to a person with a disability; an increase in the number of scheduled connections. Also, passengers who pay for services like Wi-Fi or seat selection that are then unavailable will be refunded any fees.

Airlines must give travel vouchers or credits to ticketed passengers unable to fly because of government restrictions or a doctor’s orders.

The vouchers or credits will be transferable and can be used for at least five years after the date they were issued.

Fees for checked baggage and modifying a reservation must be disclosed upfront.

Airlines and ticket agents are now required to display any extra fees for things like checking bags or seat selection clearly and individually before a ticket purchase. They will also need to outline the airline’s policies on baggage, cancellations and changing flights before a customer purchases a ticket.

The rules, which apply to all flights on domestic airlines and flights to and from the United States operated by foreign airlines, have varying start dates.

For example, automatic refunds must be instituted by the airlines within six months. But carriers have a year before they’re required to issue travel vouchers and credits for passengers advised by a medical professional not to fly.

Follow New York Times Travel on Instagram and sign up for our weekly Travel Dispatch newsletter to get expert tips on traveling smarter and inspiration for your next vacation. Dreaming up a future getaway or just armchair traveling? Check out our 52 Places to Go in 2024 .

Christine Chung is a Times reporter covering airlines and consumer travel. More about Christine Chung

Open Up Your World

Considering a trip, or just some armchair traveling here are some ideas..

52 Places:  Why do we travel? For food, culture, adventure, natural beauty? Our 2024 list has all those elements, and more .

Mumbai:  Spend 36 hours in this fast-changing Indian city  by exploring ancient caves, catching a concert in a former textile mill and feasting on mangoes.

Kyoto:  The Japanese city’s dry gardens offer spots for quiet contemplation  in an increasingly overtouristed destination.

Iceland:  The country markets itself as a destination to see the northern lights. But they can be elusive, as one writer recently found .

Texas:  Canoeing the Rio Grande near Big Bend National Park can be magical. But as the river dries, it’s getting harder to find where a boat will actually float .

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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Rule Requiring Automatic Refunds of Airline Tickets and Ancillary Service Fees

Rule makes it easy to get money back for cancelled or significantly changed flights, significantly delayed checked bags, and additional services not provided  

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a final rule that requires airlines to promptly provide passengers with automatic cash refunds when owed. The new rule makes it easy for passengers to obtain refunds when airlines cancel or significantly change their flights, significantly delay their checked bags, or fail to provide the extra services they purchased.

“Passengers deserve to get their money back when an airline owes them - without headaches or haggling,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg . “Our new rule sets a new standard to require airlines to promptly provide cash refunds to their passengers.”  

The final rule creates certainty for consumers by defining the specific circumstances in which airlines must provide refunds. Prior to this rule, airlines were permitted to set their own standards for what kind of flight changes warranted a refund. As a result, refund policies differed from airline to airline, which made it difficult for passengers to know or assert their refund rights. DOT also received complaints of some airlines revising and applying less consumer-friendly refund policies during spikes in flight cancellations and changes. 

Under the rule, passengers are entitled to a refund for:

• Canceled or significantly changed flights: Passengers will be entitled to a refund if their flight is canceled or significantly changed, and they do not accept alternative transportation or travel credits offered. For the first time, the rule defines “significant change.” Significant changes to a flight include departure or arrival times that are more than 3 hours domestically and 6 hours internationally; departures or arrivals from a different airport; increases in the number of connections; instances where passengers are downgraded to a lower class of service; or connections at different airports or flights on different planes that are less accessible or accommodating to a person with a disability.  
• Significantly delayed baggage return: Passengers who file a mishandled baggage report will be entitled to a refund of their checked bag fee if it is not delivered within 12 hours of their domestic flight arriving at the gate, or 15-30 hours of their international flight arriving at the gate, depending on the length of the flight.  
• Extra services not provided: Passengers will be entitled to a refund for the fee they paid for an extra service — such as Wi-Fi, seat selection, or inflight entertainment — if an airline fails to provide this service.

DOT’s final rule also makes it simple and straightforward for passengers to receive the money they are owed. Without this rule, consumers have to navigate a patchwork of cumbersome processes to request and receive a refund — searching through airline websites to figure out how make the request, filling out extra “digital paperwork,” or at times waiting for hours on the phone. In addition, passengers would receive a travel credit or voucher by default from some airlines instead of getting their money back, so they could not use their refund to rebook on another airline when their flight was changed or cancelled without navigating a cumbersome request process.  

The final rule improves the passenger experience by requiring refunds to be:

• Automatic: Airlines must automatically issue refunds without passengers having to explicitly request them or jump through hoops.   
• Prompt: Airlines and ticket agents must issue refunds within seven business days of refunds becoming due for credit card purchases and 20 calendar days for other payment methods.  
• Cash or original form of payment: Airlines and ticket agents must provide refunds in cash or whatever original payment method the individual used to make the purchase, such as credit card or airline miles. Airlines may not substitute vouchers, travel credits, or other forms of compensation unless the passenger affirmatively chooses to accept alternative compensation.    
• Full amount: Airlines and ticket agents must provide full refunds of the ticket purchase price, minus the value of any portion of transportation already used. The refunds must include all government-imposed taxes and fees and airline-imposed fees, regardless of whether the taxes or fees are refundable to airlines.

The final rule also requires airlines to provide prompt notifications to consumers affected by a cancelled or significantly changed flight of their right to a refund of the ticket and extra service fees, as well as any related policies.

In addition, in instances where consumers are restricted by a government or advised by a medical professional not to travel to, from, or within the United States due to a serious communicable disease, the final rule requires that airlines must provide travel credits or vouchers. Consumers may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their request. Travel vouchers or credits provided by airlines must be transferrable and valid for at least five years from the date of issuance.

The Department received a significant number of complaints against airlines and ticket agents for refusing to provide a refund or for delaying processing of refunds during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, refund complaints peaked at 87 percent of all air travel service complaints received by DOT. Refund problems continue to make up a substantial share of the complaints that DOT receives.

DOT’s Historic Record of Consumer Protection Under the Biden-Harris Administration

Under the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has advanced the largest expansion of airline passenger rights, issued the biggest fines against airlines for failing consumers, and returned more money to passengers in refunds and reimbursements than ever before in the Department’s history.

• Thanks to pressure from Secretary Buttigieg and DOT’s flightrights.gov dashboard, all 10 major U.S. airlines guarantee free rebooking and meals, and nine guarantee hotel accommodations when an airline issue causes a significant delay or cancellation. These are new commitments the airlines added to their customer service plans that DOT can legally ensure they adhere to and are displayed on flightrights.gov .  
• Since President Biden took office, DOT has helped return more than $3 billion in refunds and reimbursements owed to airline passengers – including over $600 million to passengers affected by the Southwest Airlines holiday meltdown in 2022.   
• Under Secretary Buttigieg, DOT has issued over $164 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations. Between 1996 and 2020, DOT collectively issued less than $71 million in penalties against airlines for consumer protection violations.  
• DOT recently launched a new partnership with a bipartisan group of state attorneys general to fast-track the review of consumer complaints, hold airlines accountable, and protect the rights of the traveling public.  
• In 2023, the flight cancellation rate in the U.S. was a record low at under 1.2% — the lowest rate of flight cancellations in over 10 years despite a record amount of air travel.  
• DOT is undertaking its first ever industry-wide review of airline privacy practices and its first review of airline loyalty programs.

In addition to finalizing the rules to require automatic refunds and protect against surprise fees, DOT is also pursuing rulemakings that would:

• Propose to ban family seating junk fees and guarantee that parents can sit with their children for no extra charge when they fly. Before President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg pressed airlines last year, no airline committed to guaranteeing fee-free family seating. Now, four airlines guarantee fee-free family seating, and the Department is working on its family seating junk fee ban proposal.  
• Propose to make passenger compensation and amenities mandatory so that travelers are taken care of when airlines cause flight delays or cancellations.   
• Expand the rights for passengers who use wheelchairs and ensure that they can travel safely and with dignity . The comment period on this proposed rule closes on May 13, 2024.

The final rule on refunds can be found at https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news and at regulations.gov , docket number DOT-OST-2022-0089. There are different implementation periods in this final rule ranging from six months for airlines to provide automatic refunds when owed to 12 months for airlines to provide transferable travel vouchers or credits when consumers are unable to travel for reasons related to a serious communicable disease. 

Information about airline passenger rights, as well as DOT’s rules, guidance and orders, can be found at   https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer .

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The complete guide to corporate travel policies

Corporate travel policy (+ free template).

Start writing your own corporate travel policy with our comprehensive template

What’s inside our travel policy template.

• Introduction
• Travel booking process
• Expense categories
• Non-reimbursable purchases
• Expense reporting and reimbursement process
• Travel support, safety and duty of care

Section 1: Introduction

• Personal safety
• Understanding who to turn to for support
• Reducing manual or repeat work by running things correctly the first time around

Section 2: Travel booking process

• How to book travel – What is your approved process, method and/or platform for booking business travel? If your company uses a platform to enable travellers to book within policy , include the name of your approved booking platform. Otherwise, write out the name and contact details of the company or person they’re supposed to contact in order to request a booking.
• Approval process for senior management — the approval process for c-suite and senior members of staff will likely differ from that of other employees. Senior management might require approval from an executive, and executives might require sign-off from other c-suite members. All of this must be included in your policy.
• Use of loyalty programs – Many companies don’t allow travellers to collect points for their personal loyalty programs. But if you trust your travellers to do the right thing, you can allow this and include a line in your policy like “ Employees may not choose more expensive options only to get loyalty points. ”
• Leisure extensions – Sometimes, business travellers want to extend their trip into the weekend or use up some of their vacation days. You should include rules around leisure extensions (or “bleisure”) , such as what cost difference is allowable for return flights. It's important to outline what expenses you will cover and what you consider "personal expenses" for "personal travel." Make clear that these are additional costs that do not fall within the ambit of business expenses under your travel policy.
• Travelling with non-employees — travel expenses related to travel with spouses, family members, pets or anyone outside of the company are not normally eligible for reimbursement. These situations can be subject to approval if they are accompanying staff members for business reasons such as attending a conference or for a networking event.

Section 3: Expense categories

Here’s the information to include in each expense category:.

• Approved tool or method for booking
• Preferred vendors (if any)
• Rules on whether or not business class is allowed, such as for flights over a certain duration, or flights taken by employees of a certain seniority level. Highlight whether travellers should go in economy class or business.
• How many days in advance international flights must be booked
• How many days in advance domestic travel must be booked

Accommodation

• Maximum nightly rates per city for hotel rooms
• Preferred vendors and negotiated rate details (if any)
• Rules on standard rooms and upgrades, for example, standard rooms are required but room upgrades are allowed if offered at no additional charge
• Reimbursable hotel costs, such as parking
• Rules for booking Airbnb or apartment rentals

Rail travel

• Type of train ticket allowed, such as economy

Taxis and ride-sharing

• When taxis and ride-sharing is allowed, for example when public transportation isn’t viable
• Maximum amount per transaction

Rental and personal car

• Type of rental car class allowed, such as compact or mid-size
• The number of employees expected to share a rental car when travelling together
• How much is reimbursed per mile or kilometer

Conferences & events

• Expense reimbursement process for conference or event registration in cases where it was not pre-paid
• Process for other conference or event-related expenses such as business meals or anything not included in the registration cost

Food, travel and entertainment

• Reimbursable amount, per breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Alternatively, a daily maximum or per diem
• Personal meal expenses throughout a trip
• Rules for business meals, such as who approves the amount
• Rules for client entertainment expenses, such as what is allowed

Personal telephone usage

• Phone bill amount or percentage that is reimbursable during the weeks that the employee travels. Clarify whether calls for personal reasons will be covered by your company.
• Whether or not personal phone damages or theft are reimbursable during business travel, and if so, up to what amount?

Section 4: Non-reimbursable purchases

• In-flight purchases, not airfare
• Excess baggage fees
• Childcare, pet care, and pet boarding
• Costs for family members joining travellers on their trip
• Toiletries or clothing
• Airline club memberships
• Minibar purchases or bar bills
• Laundry or dry cleaning
• Parking fines or traffic violations
• Airline ticket change fees
• First-class rail transportation
• Premium, Luxury or Elite car rentals
• Movies, online entertainment or newspapers
• Spa and health club usage
• Flowers, sweets and confectionery
• Room service
• Additional beds or bedding
• Damage to personal vehicles
• Rental car company insurance

Section 5: Expense reporting and reimbursement process

• What tool to use for expensing
• What items do not need to be added in the expense tool, for example, if a trip is booked with your approved booking tool
• Who to submit expense reports to
• What to include in reimbursement requests, such as original receipts
• Deadline for submitting reimbursement requests
• Typical processing time for receiving reimbursement

Section 6: Travel support, safety, and duty of care

• Tracking travellers’ whereabouts: use this opportunity to let travellers know that when they book using your approved method or tool, their trip is tracked. In the event of an emergency, steps will be taken to evacuate them. If you don’t know where they are, you can’t help! Include the name of your approved tool and what they should do to ensure their trip is accurately tracked if they must book outside of the tool for a valid reason.
• Travel support: in case of trip cancellations or changes. Who should your travellers call? Include contact details for your travel support provider, including phone numbers and email addresses. If there are multiple numbers based on region or language, include those as well.
• Support for emergency needs:n this sub-section, include your duty of care vendor (if you have one) and your travel insurance policy details. Also include the employee name or vendor name they should contact in the event of an emergency.

How to implement your travel policy

• Customize: customize and finalize the travel policy template. Work with stakeholders to make all of the necessary edits and customizations to the policy; collect all details like travel insurance, nightly rates, and more.
• Automate: update your automated travel policy. Create or update an automated travel policy so travellers and/or admins can book within policy all the time.
• Deploy: roll out changes to employees. Depending on the size of your company, roll out your new policy document and automated policy to all employees or an initial subset.
• Listen: collect feedback on the new policy. Get feedback from employees on the clarity of your travel policy, as well as the ease-of-use of your approved tools and automated policy.

How to improve corporate travel policy compliance

How travelperk makes travel policy compliance simple, how to improve corporate travel policy compliance in 4 steps.

• Keep your doc active
• Nip compliance problems in the bud
• Allow for self-booking
• Pick a tool employees love

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.
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Tell us: how do you feel about the dea moving to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug.

Zeke Miller, Joshua Goodman, Jim Mustian And Lindsay Whitehurst

Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration will move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, The Associated Press has learned, a historic shift to generations of American drug policy that could have wide ripple effects across the country.

The proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget, would recognize the medical uses of cannabis and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than some of the nation’s most dangerous drugs. However, it would not legalize marijuana outright for recreational use.

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The agency's move, confirmed to the AP on Tuesday by five people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regulatory review, clears the last significant regulatory hurdle before the agency’s biggest policy change in more than 50 years can take effect.

Once OMB signs off, the DEA will take public comment on the plan to move marijuana from its current classification as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. It moves pot to Schedule III, alongside ketamine and some anabolic steroids, following a recommendation from the federal Health and Human Services Department. After the public comment period and a review by an administrative judge, the agency would eventually publish the final rule.

“Today, the Attorney General circulated a proposal to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III," Justice Department director of public affairs Xochitl Hinojosa said in a statement. The DEA is a component of the Department of Justice. "Once published by the Federal Register, it will initiate a formal rulemaking process as prescribed by Congress in the Controlled Substances Act.”

Attorney General Merrick Garland's signature throws the full weight of the Justice Department behind the move and appears to signal its importance to the Biden administration.

It comes after President Joe Biden called for a review of federal marijuana law in October 2022 and moved to pardon thousands of Americans convicted federally of simple possession of the drug. He has also called on governors and local leaders to take similar steps to erase marijuana convictions.

“Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” Biden said in December. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

The election year announcement could help Biden, a Democrat, boost flagging support, particularly among younger voters .

Biden and a growing number of lawmakers from both major political parties have been pushing for the DEA decision as marijuana has become increasingly decriminalized and accepted, particularly by younger people. A Gallup poll last fall found 70% of adults support legalization, the highest level yet recorded by the polling firm and more than double the roughly 30% who backed it in 2000.

The DEA didn’t respond to repeated requests for comment.

Schedule III drugs are still controlled substances and subject to rules and regulations, and people who traffic in them without permission could still face federal criminal prosecution.

Some critics argue the DEA shouldn’t change course on marijuana, saying rescheduling isn’t necessary and could lead to harmful side effects.

Jack Riley, a former deputy administrator of the DEA, said he had concerns about the proposed change because he thinks marijuana remains a possible “gateway drug," one that may lead to the use of other drugs.

“But in terms of us getting clear to use our resources to combat other major drugs, that’s a positive,” Riley said, noting that fentanyl alone accounts for more than 100,000 deaths in the U.S. a year.

On the other end of the spectrum, others argue marijuana should be treated the way alcohol is.

“While this rescheduling announcement is a historic step forward, I remain strongly committed to continuing to work on legislation like the SAFER Banking Act as well as the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which federally deschedules cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act," Senate Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York said in a statement. “Congress must do everything we can to end the federal prohibition on cannabis and address longstanding harms caused by the War on Drugs.”

Federal drug policy has lagged behind many states in recent years, with 38 having already legalized medical marijuana and 24 legalizing its recreational use .

That’s helped fuel fast growth in the marijuana industry, with an estimated worth of nearly $30 billion. Easing federal regulations could reduce the tax burden that can be 70% or more for businesses, according to industry groups. It could also make it easier to research marijuana, since it’s very difficult to conduct authorized clinical studies on Schedule I substances.

The immediate effect of rescheduling on the nation’s criminal justice system would likely be more muted, since federal prosecutions for simple possession have been fairly rare in recent years.

But loosening restrictions could carry a host of unintended consequences in the drug war and beyond.

Critics point out that as a Schedule III drug, marijuana would remain regulated by the DEA. That means the roughly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the U.S. would have to register with the DEA like regular pharmacies and fulfill strict reporting requirements, something that they are loath to do and that the DEA is ill equipped to handle.

Then there’s the United States' international treaty obligations, chief among them the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which requires the criminalization of cannabis. In 2016, during the Obama administration, the DEA cited the U.S.’ international obligations and the findings of a federal court of appeals in Washington in denying a similar request to reschedule marijuana.

Goodman reported from Miami, Mustian from New Orleans. AP writer Colleen Long contributed.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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