6 Tips for Stress-Free Corporate Travel Planning

Planning corporate travel can be one of the most stressful aspects of any business trip. It’s incredibly easy to overlook little details that might come back to bite you during your time away from home or the office.

According to Reportlinker, the global market for business travel is all set to rise up to USD 829.5 billion by 2027.

Whether you’re in charge of your company’s travel and expense reports or you’re simply the designated organizer, Airbnb arbitrage works well in this scenario traveling with co-workers can be great fun.

However, it requires a lot of prep work to take care of every little detail.

If you’re planning to travel with co-workers on business trips, then it’s important to plan ahead.

This article can be a basic roadmap to planning a successful corporate trip.

Corporate travel planning can get complicated fast.

With all the budgeting, scheduling, and coordinating that’s involved in making sure your business trip goes smoothly, you need to be proactive during the planning phase.

The stress of corporate travel planning can be compounded if you don’t give yourself plenty of time to book tickets and reserve accommodations.

However, there are some specific ways to avoid that pitfall by incorporating these six tips into your corporate travel planning process.

So let's check all the details!

1. Create an updated itinerary

It’s easy to lose track of your itinerary when you’re traveling.

The goal of your new itinerary is to stay organized, so spend a few minutes combing through your existing itinerary.

Update it by adding new flight and hotel information including confirmation numbers and departure times to ensure that everything is correct.

Create a separate section within your itinerary that lists all upcoming events on each day of your trip, and be sure to include contact information (name, phone number) in case someone has questions or needs to get in touch with you while you’re away.

Corporate travel can include many moving parts, including finding accommodations and booking flights, as well as managing expectations from clients who may not have traveled before.

When you do it right, however, business trips can be extremely beneficial both personally and professionally.

In addition to helping you find deals on airfare and hotels, staying active during your travels can also help reduce stress levels and make your overall experience more enjoyable.

Set aside time every day to exercise and explore new areas if possible; once again, technology makes it easier than ever to keep up with work even when you’re thousands of miles away.

2. Plan with travel apps

Technology has made a huge impact on planning any type of trip; it’s worth noting that even simple tools like Google Maps have been instrumental in helping us get around during our travels.

TravelPerk, a comprehensive travel management platform, is gaining popularity as a one-stop solution for businesses and individuals alike, streamlining the booking process, providing expense tracking features, and offering personalized travel itineraries to enhance the overall travel experience.

Just note, there are many travel apps out there to help you find flights, hotels, and rental cars and it’s important to do your research before deciding on which one(s) will be best for your needs.

While apps can certainly make things easier, it is recommended that you make sure to double-check all reservations because some of them can also make errors.

If you want to ensure everything goes smoothly, it’s always good practice to book directly through an airline or hotel website instead of using an app.

Use apps more for directions, sightseeing, or restaurant recommendations for the destination.

Another thing to keep in mind: check if your company has a preferred booking service or if they offer discounts when traveling on business.

If so, take advantage! It never hurts to ask!

3. Be prepared for the unexpected

The thought of flying for business can be intimidating, but with proper preparation and a few strategies in place, your travel experience will be as smooth as possible.

Create backup plans for all parts of your trip by doing research on local transportation systems.

It is critical to book tickets and accommodations well in advance.

Know what to pack in your carry-on (you'll probably want to leave expensive items at home), and make travel arrangements that meet your specific needs.

An unexpected delay or cancellation at one point during a trip is inevitable, so it's crucial that you're prepared for those events ahead of time.

When traveling for work, there are many things that could go wrong—from lost luggage to canceled flights—but being unprepared for these occurrences leads to unnecessary stress.

To ensure an enjoyable and productive travel experience, make sure you have a plan in place before taking off.

4. Complete small business paperwork in advance

Skip all of that stressful last-minute scrambling before your trip.

The best way to plan a trip is to take care of as much in advance as possible.

Get business and hotel paperwork in order, choose comfortable clothing, pack toiletries, and make reservations with vendors ahead of time.

If you can do all of these things in advance (even up to a week or two ahead), you’ll find yourself feeling more relaxed on your trip because you won’t have spent days frantically trying to get it together at home.

You’ll also save money on accommodation fees because everything will be booked early.

A few key documents you should gather include: travel orders, invoices, and packing lists; contact information for anyone who might need to reach you while you’re away; relevant business meeting details; and flight information including itinerary numbers.

You may even want to keep copies of your passport, visa, or any other personal documents just in case they’re needed during check-in or security screening.

5. Use travel software for efficient planning

There are tons of online travel planning tools.

These tools can take care of much of your corporate travel planning, from researching locations to booking flights and hotels.

They’ll also help you find discounts and bonuses you might not be aware of, like hotel loyalty points or airport lounge access, which can save you lots of money and let you fly more comfortably.

When possible, look into business travel management software it lets your company collect all travel bookings in one place so that a single employee is responsible for them instead of individual departments.

Leading travel management software like Travelperk offers a comprehensive corporate travel solution.

It streamlines everything from booking to expense reporting and even includes useful features like an integrated calendar tool, automated meeting reminders, and real-time flight status updates.

Another great way to make sure you have efficient corporate travel planning is by using Airbnb for work.

With Airbnb for work, coworkers share accommodations while traveling on business together.

This eliminates the need for employees to incur additional costs when sharing a room with another person, resulting in savings of both time and money.

And because there's no extra cost involved, coworkers are free to stay at AirBnBs located close to their client's offices, restaurants, museums... basically anywhere they need to go during their trip!

You can check out TravelPerk's list of travel software, your employees will love it!

6. Pack smart for comfortable corporate travel

In order to pack smart, light, and travel in a way that leaves you feeling comfortable, it's important to have a checklist in mind.

First, consider which items you really need for your trip. In addition, make a note to yourself of your itinerary in your team chat app.

For example, if it's a business trip and you'll be meeting with clients in person or via conference calls or video chats, leave behind anything bulky or space-consuming like your laptop bag or large file folders.

Pack smart by throwing in a pair of light headphones and a touchscreen tablet instead; they're much easier to handle when moving through airports and train stations than their cumbersome counterparts.

Also, keep in mind that most hotels now offer free Wi-Fi—you may not even need to use your smartphone at all!

Keep these things in mind while traveling: It’s always nice to make sure everyone knows where you are.

If possible, coordinate plans with colleagues before your departure so they know how long it will take you to get from point A to point B (and back again).

It’s also wise to check in periodically during travel so people don’t worry about whether or not you made it home safely.

The last thing anyone wants is for their boss to be riled because of communication loss or for loved ones to worry about them unnecessarily because of unforeseen circumstances on their part (like getting stuck in traffic).

While checking on others is important, don't forget that self-care is key too!

Conclusion

Business travel is rarely stress-free, but there are a few things you can do to keep from getting overwhelmed and maximize your productivity during your next trip.

Stress-free travel is about preparation, execution, and having a contingency plan for when (not if) something goes wrong.

And don't forget to take some time before you hit the road—both to prepare yourself and pack properly—because stress accumulates as you move closer to departure day.

Even small measures like eating well, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep can have an outsized impact on your outlook while traveling.

Try these six simple steps to minimize stress while on business trips—and don't forget that while they're important pre-trip, they’re also important once you’re in transit.