05 Aug The Most Useful Resources for Global Corporate Business Travel

Corporate global (or domestic) business travel does not have to be excruciating. In fact, it can be enjoyable for both assignee and global mobility manager alike. 

What only makes the whole thing give the latter pause is an apprehension that stems from a mixture of reasons: possibly escalating costs, the nitty-gritty preparation that requires a lot of attention to detail, and coming up with contingencies that can anticipate the difficulties that the travelers meet along the way. 

Sometimes, it can appear all too easy to just pencil in a date, ask the assignee themselves to recommend their own arrangements, and then just tweak them a bit for implementation.

But not too fast. Global corporate business travel that can be packaged for assignees over a certain period of time has certain advantages. They can reduce costs, especially if the planning is done way in advance. They can streamline the work process, advising everyone concerned where the travelers will be at any given time and possibly the development of their assigned projects. 

The good news is, there are resources that can make planning for global corporate business travel efficient, easy, and even exciting. Below are some suggestions from various media outlets: 

“Business Traveller is go-to-guide for business travelers”

Inc.com names this online publication as the go-to-guide for all business travelers. It’s an information hub, news source, destination guide, compilation of security advisories, and review platform all rolled into one. 

Anything that a global mobility manager would need to know about locations and everything else related to them are just a few clicks away: facts and figures about the travel spots, financial cost estimates, loyalty programs, discounted items and services, health tips, and safety guidelines, just to name a few. 

Research time can be reduced by half, at least. Just spend a couple of hours checking on the travel itineraries of your assignees over the next few months, and what it would take to make their trips one productive and seamless adventure.

TripIt when it comes to scheduling  

SnackNation recommends this app because it helps the global mobility manager organize all the information culled above, especially when it comes to scheduling. 

This app is like an always updated calendar of all the places your assignee will go to, the dates, and time. It covers their car rental trips, and flights. It also features accommodations from a variety of platforms (including California Corporate Housing) and restaurant appointments (e.g. business lunches or leisurely dinners). 

Forget making a dozen notes on your phone notes or calendar; TripIt can give you an overview in one sitting and lets you change skeds at any given moment.

Expensify tallies expenses 

Computerworld says this app can help relieve the global mobility manager and their accountants one source of stress:  tallying finances. Running after receipts and statements of accounts, from assignee and provider alike, can be one major headache, especially if it happens weeks after the trip is over. 

Expensify tracks down all the expenses in real-time and then places them in a system where the assignee and/or the global mobility manager can add or reduce costs as they come along. One feature that really makes this user-friendly is simply taking a scanned image of the receipt and then sending it to the database for tracking and documentation. For comparison purposes, the app can also be synchronized with the user’s credit card, to see if the expenses recorded in it and the actual receipts scanned do match.