How to Book Business Trips on a Budget
The way I booked my business trips on a budget has changed my whole attitude to work trips. I’d used to get panicked at any conference and client meeting that would come my way and watch the costs of my watch tumbling. It all adds up fast and scary – flights, hotel, food and ground transport. However, after a couple of years of traveling for work for many years across the U.S. and abroad, I have come up with a system that is going to keep costs down without me feeling like I am roughing it. These are not just suggestions made from the comfort of my Google desk, but strategies I actually use!
Start With Flexible Dates and You’ll Save Hundreds
The one thing that has saved me more money is being flexible with dates. Just a few days earlier or later can help to reduce flight expenses by 30% or more. Google Flights is my first port of call as it gives you a view of the calendar and you can see which days are the cheapest. If it’s a Wednesday then I’ll consider flying Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, and Thursday or Friday.
What people often overlook: whether it’s cheaper to fly to an airport close to the hotel. I have saved $280 on a trip to a client in New Jersey, by flying into Philadelphia instead of Newark, and renting a car for $45. That was a really successful math. Communicate with your client or boss before binding to anything. Most people are more willing than you think, and even more if you explain to them that you’re saving the firm money.
Book Flights at the Right Time
Most people don’t realize how important it is to time your booking. A good time frame for business trips, home or abroad, has been around 3 to 5 weeks before the event. Buy them too early and prices will remain high. Book late and you are paying a premium price for late stock.
If you’re travelling overseas, extend that window to 6 to 8 weeks ahead of time. To track down a drop in airfares, I use the price comparison service Google Flights and the fare watchdog Hopper. Get alerts when you know a trip is going on. I also add Southwest to my list, as the Southwest fares are not available on many other fare aggregator sites. These plans change frequently with business travel and their no change fee is ideal.
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One last tip: When you have found the lowest price for a ticket from an aggregator, always reserve directly with the airline. When things go wrong, you don’t want to be on hold for three hours on a third-party site, you want to be on hold for three hours at the airport on the airline’s site.
How to Book Business Trips on a Budget Using Hotel Strategies
Hotels are budget devourers. There are three nights at $200 per night, before tax and resort fee. This is how I always manage to reduce that number.
The first thing I look at is whether or not the business offers a corporate rate at any hotel chain. Sometimes even small companies have negotiating rates which they do not inform their employees of. Consult your finance team. Second, I do a quick comparison of the hotels on Booking.com and Hotels.com and then check the hotel’s direct site. If you deal direct with the hotel, they will or will match their third party rates – and give you loyalty points in the process.
Consider Alternatives to Traditional Hotels
If the hotel stay is more than two nights, I nearly always check out the extended stay hotels such as Home2 Suites or Residence Inn. They’re less expensive per night, have kitchens so you don’t have to pay for restaurant breakfasts, and they are typically free. I also have been able to book Airbnb rooms on extended business trips in cities where hotels are mind-bogglingly expensive, such as New York or San Francisco. Just be sure that your company’s travel policy allows it.
Pick the Right Loyalty Programs and Actually Use Them
For a number of years, I tried to avoid loyalty programs because they were tedious. That was dumb. A year after my decision was made to sign up for Marriott Bonvoy for hotels, and Delta SkyMiles for flights, the points began to add up quickly.
The key is to choose one airline alliance and one hotel chain and adhere to them with faith. A lot of people spread their bookings out over five programs, and they don’t accumulate points in any of them. Within four months of regular bookings, I got a complimentary 2-night stay at a Courtyard Marriott. It’s cash money saved in the travel budget!
If you have a corporate travel platform such as SAP Concur or TripActions (now called Navan), find out whether it can connect with your loyalty accounts. Most do. Even if you book through the company system, you are still awarded points!
Cut Meal Costs Without Living on Granola Bars
You have a per diem budget for a reason, and I’ve seen people who are on it spend $75 a day on food! My strategy:
- I get a huge breakfast at a free hotel
- Have a simple lunch
- Make a better meal at dinner, particularly when out with a client
I have a short list of good and cheap restaurants in towns I go to frequently. “$” and “$$” restaurants around my hotel on Yelp and Google Maps have come in handy many times. Running errands for snacks, water, and a quick lunch keeps food costs under $30 a day easily. I’m not as glamorous as that but I would rather save $40 per day on food and have money to spare for a nice hotel room.
Use Ground Transportation Wisely
Rental cars don’t necessarily cost the least. If you live in a city that offers public transportation that is good, such as Chicago, Washington, D.C., or Boston, the price of a transit pass is around $5 to $15 per day, while parking is $50 or more. I always do the research of how the city works to get around first.
The only time I do need a rental car, I book it through Costco Travel or AutoSlash. One of the best features of AutoSlash is that it automatically re-books your reservation if the price goes down. Thanks to that tool, I have saved $15 to $40 on each rental.
When it comes to airport transfers, I check Uber, Lyft and hotel shuttles. Many business-friendly hotels, for instance, provide complimentary airport transfer services which no one questions. Before you go, call the front desk of the hotel and save $30 on both ends of the journey.
Use a Business Travel Credit Card
Use a travel rewards credit card if you are able to use your business card for travel and they reimburse you for those costs. Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Capital One Venture X are great options for this. The points and perks are basically free since you’re paying for them to be reimbursed.
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After 6 months of business travel I had enough points for a personal round trip ticket to Costa Rica. It sounded like twice the fare for the same ride. Simply ensure that you report expenses on time so that you do not have a balance and be charged interest; otherwise, any reward benefit is lost immediately.
Build Relationships With Your Travel Vendors
This is an old school solution but it works. I’ve been so many times at the same Hilton in Dallas that the front desk upgraded me to a suite without me asking. I was not a “C” player. That’s because they simply knew me.
As a frequent guest at any hotel, car rental counter, or even certain airline trip, folks remember you. They have nicer rooms, no charges, and occasionally include unexpected amenities. There are things that consistency doesn’t pay off for that aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet.
Track Every Dollar and Review After Each Trip
I spend 10 minutes recording my business trip expenses after each trip, as well as the amount I budgeted for the trip. I see patterns and it’s saved me about 20% on my average trip in the last two years. I realized that I was spending too much money on airport food so I began to bring snacks with me. I realised that I would be staying in hotels too near the departure time, so I switched to booking hotels earlier in my booking window.
Find an easy-to-use spreadsheet or application such as Expensify. The data lets you know where your money really goes, not where you think it is going. These are not the same thing most often.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Cheapest Way to Book Flights for Business Travel?
Make use of Google Flights to compare dates and airports, set price alerts on Hopper and book 3 to 5 weeks ahead of domestic flights. Note: Be sure to check Southwest separately, as it is not included on all search engines. When you book directly with the airline, you’ll also be better supported if plans change, which is often the case when traveling to work.
Can I Use Airbnb for Business Trips?
It is permitted in many companies, but double-check your travel policy. Airbnb is best in cities with high prices and for longer periods of time (at least three nights). You’ll stay at lower rates and with less food costs as all of the listings will have a kitchen. Simply ensure that the listing has excellent reviews and an effective host who respond quickly.
How Do I Book Business Trips on a Budget When Traveling Internationally?
Make bookings 6 to 8 weeks in advance and compare routes internationally, for example with Skyscanner. Opt for accommodations in business areas that are away from the inner city area, where they will be much cheaper. Opt for a credit card that doesn’t charge any fees for transactions overseas rather than taking a taxi wherever possible.
Are Corporate Travel Platforms Worth Using?
They are if your company actually need them, and many of them come up with negotiated rates that you won’t be able to obtain on your own. Platforms such as Navan and SAP Concur also make reporting expenses easier. The disadvantage is not so much the lack of flexibility in where you stay or fly, but that you may not be able to choose the exact location. Connect your personal loyalty programs to still earn points.
How Much Can Loyalty Programs Actually Save on Business Travel?
If you remain consistent, quite a bit. By sticking to a single airline and a single hotel chain, you will earn points quickly. I’ve saved enough airline miles for my own personal travel and enough hotel nights for free in a couple months. Its key is not to spread out your bookings into various programs.
Conclusion
Cheap business travel doesn’t mean having to endure terrible hotels and not eating. It’s all about making appointments and understanding where the real savings lie. After you form these habits, they automatically happen and the savings pile up. What is your best work-travel money saver?
