A travel policy only works if it reflects how your organisation actually travels. Over time, routes change, teams grow and supplier arrangements move on, so a policy written a few years ago can quietly drift away from what travellers need and what the business is trying to achieve.
A review doesn’t need to be a major project. Done well, it gives you a clear picture of where spend is going, where the policy helps and where it gets in the way.
Start with your business travel goals
Before looking at fares or hotel rates, agree what travel is for. Is the priority cost control, traveller wellbeing, flexibility for client-facing teams, or a balance of all three? Those goals become the yardstick for every rule in the policy.
“You can’t develop an effective solution without building a solid foundation.”
Who to involve in a travel policy review
A policy touches more people than the travel team. Bring in the people who set budgets, approve trips and make bookings, as well as the travellers themselves.
- Finance and CFOs who see the spend and own the savings targets.
- Travel approvers who apply the policy day to day.
- Administrators and bookers who know where the process slows down.
- Frequent travellers who feel the impact of every rule.
Questions to ask about your travel policy
- 01 Does every booking channel apply the same policy rules?
- 02 Are negotiated rates and preferred suppliers actually being used?
- 03 Can approvers see what they need to make quick decisions?
- 04 Do travellers know what support is available while they’re away?
- 05 Is your reporting answering the questions finance is asking?
Where a travel management company helps
A travel management company can hold your policy, negotiated rates and preferred suppliers in one profile, so every option offered to travellers is compliant from the start. At JC Travel, our Travel Excellence Team works with CFOs, travel approvers and administrators to review and audit how a policy operates, and to identify specific areas of lost savings.