Handout 2: Organising business travel PowerPoint presentation Principles of providing administrative services Handout 2: Organising business travel

Careful planning is required The exact planning required will depend on the purpose of the trip the destination the personal preferences of the traveller.

Factors to be considered when planning trips the organisation’s policies the personal preferences of the traveller researching appropriate information making travel arrangements booking accommodation preparing papers and documentation arranging money and expenses informing the traveller of arrangements.

Organisation’s travel policy agreed spending limits preferred suppliers standards of accommodation and travel the distance to be travelled before overnight accommodation is allowed use of cars booking procedures for tickets payment arrangements health and safety policies. All travel arrangements must be made in compliance with the organisation’s travel policy, so this is the starting point for all planning. The policy will usually cover the following issues: Agreed spending limits – for accommodation, refreshments, subsistence, expenses. Preferred suppliers – the organisation may have negotiated commercial contracts with specific travel organisations, hotel chains, car hire companies etc. These should always be used where they are available. Standards of accommodation and travel – the class of travel and hotel-ratings that can be booked will be specified. These can vary depending on the status of the traveller. The distance to be travelled before overnight accommodation is allowed. Use of cars – company cars, private cars and hire cars. Booking procedures for tickets – whether direct bookings can be made or travel agents are to be used. Payment arrangements – the use of company credit cards, claiming of expenses, cash advances. Health and safety policies – provision of health insurance, arrangements for vaccinations/inoculations, advised driving times and journey lengths.

Vital information before proceeding Who is going and how many? When are they going? When are they returning? What is the purpose of the trip? Where are they going? At the outset of the planning process it is necessary to establish some exact details.

Reasons to confirm exact requirements before booking to avoid wasting money on incorrect bookings to address travellers’ personal preferences and special requirements. Other information you will need from travellers is about their individual preferences. Business travel can be stressful and addressing personal preferences, within organisational limits, is important to ensure the traveller is as comfortable as possible. They may have special requirements for standards of accommodation or types of room – for example, non-smoking/smoking – and could have special dietary requirements. They may have views about the use of their own car as opposed to the use of a company or hire car, or about travel by train. If they are driving, they may prefer to use motorways, or alternatively they may prefer direct routes on ‘A’ roads. They may wish to include an overnight stay with relatives or evening/lunchtime meetings with colleagues, friends and relatives.

Key aspects of the trip that need planning transport accommodation papers and documentation money and expenses informing the traveller of arrangements. Transport – the agreed modes of transport to get the traveller from the start point to the destination and back again; the start and end points may be home, the office, or a location en route. Accommodation – the number of nights, type of accommodation, refreshment arrangements etc. Papers and documentation – ensuring the traveller has the required travel documents – for example, driving licence, passport, visa, health cover. Money and expenses – arranging foreign currency and travellers’ cheques for the traveller; expenses claims may need to be completed for cash advances. Informing the traveller of arrangements – copies of booking documents, as well as itineraries and briefing details are all ways of keeping travellers informed of travel arrangements.

accommodation arrangements method of travel useful information. Itineraries Contain: dates times addresses contacts accommodation arrangements method of travel useful information. An itinerary is a travel plan. It contains full details in date and time order of all the arrangements made for the trip. A certain level of information will certainly be required by anyone making a business trip, from the complex - whether a vaccination or visa is required and information on the climate and currency; to the simple - a city centre map and telephone number of a local taxi company. Some travellers prefer them to be postcard size for carrying in the pocket. A copy must be kept in the file back in the office. Copies may need to be given to managers, superiors and contacts. Names and dates of the trip should be given at the top as a ‘title’. It should only contain details of arrangements that have been made in advance and will not cover every minute of every day.

List the arrangements in date and time order. Itinerary tips Type all the dates of the trip, the destination and the names of those involved clearly at the top. List the arrangements in date and time order. Always use the 24-hour clock. Give full details in relation to travel and accommodation arrangements. Start/return from home (or office). Give full details in relation to travel and accommodation arrangements, eg times of departure and arrival flight numbers and terminals check-in time for flights, sailings name, address, telephone/fax of the hotel/car hire/taxi firm

Example itinerary

Other information to include in notes passport and visa requirements medical requirements insurance details currency and details of most recent exchange rate time difference from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) expected weather conditions for the time of visit customs requirements/duty-free regulations driving requirements banking hours and credit cards business hours – details of usual office working hours emergency contact numbers such as the UK embassy. Information on travel departure and arrival times, hotel details, etc will be included on the itinerary that you prepare for the traveller. However, it is important to provide the traveller with a pack of notes (particularly if the trip is to another country) to include local information, maps, important contact numbers. The following is a list of information that could be included in a set of notes as appropriate to the trip. Include details of the policy and what it covers, as well as contact telephone numbers for the insurance company. Emergency numbers, eg embassy address in the country being travelled to, roadside assistance, telephone number of the airline company, railway station, local hospital, taxi firm – remember to include any international code that may be required (the telephone code for the UK from abroad is +44). Other items you could include, depending on the trip, might be some useful phrases in the language of the destination country cultural and social observations – eg greeting form when visiting Japan local places of interest.

Payment methods If a travel agent is not being used, you may be expected to make reservations for both travel and accommodation. Consider the payment method: Can you arrange for an invoice? Credit card details may be required to secure the booking. Many companies have a ‘company credit card’, or you could request details from the traveller to be reimbursed via an expenses claim later.

Keep records of travel arrangements Keep a record of any business travel and accommodation booking documents and receipts. This is a reference point should any problems occur on the trip, eg the traveller loses tickets or reservation details. Will be useful for any similar arrangements you have to make in the future. Will be required for accounting and auditing purposes. Any bills that arrive later, eg for accommodation or items bought using a company credit card, will need to be checked to ensure that they are as expected.

Organisational policy will specify the: Expenses Organisational policy will specify the: legitimate expenses that can be incurred by staff level of expenses – eg the rate paid per mile for travel in employee’s own car, or the maximum amount allowed for lunch/dinner method and timing of claims for expenses rules for including receipts procedures for authorisation of expenses methods of payment of expenses – eg cash, cheque, BACS. There will also be expenses incurred by the traveller during a business trip, eg to/from meetings and conferences, subsistence (food and drink), accommodation and incidental expenses such as postage, stationery, telephone and photocopying, which will all need to be reimbursed to them