5 Simple Ways to Reduce Business Travel Expenses
When managing and promoting your business, traveling is usually essential. There are Business Conferences, Investor Pitches and Annual General Meetings that you cannot afford to miss. Unfortunately, traveling for these events can become a very expensive necessity if you have to travel multiple times per month.
However, there are simple ways to lessen the business travel cost placed on your bank account. By making the following simple tweaks to your travel routine you can cut business travel costs and rest a little easier.
1. BOOK YOUR FLIGHT STRATEGICALLY
Timing is everything when it comes to purchasing airfare. Usually, the best time to book a flight is 27-114 days in advance, with the best value being found when you book your flight 47 days before your trip. If you can, try to avoid traveling around holidays. If travel is unavoidable around this time, then booking 11 months in advance is suggested to get a cheaper price.
2.TRY TO LIMIT YOUR BAGGAGE
Make an effort to only bring carry-on baggage. This allows you to avoid fees associated with checked baggage. You can do this simply by packing smarter. If you’re only going on a short trip stick to just the essentials. Also, many airlines allow a “personal item” (brief case, purse, laptop) to be carried on as well which allows you to bring more of the necessities.
3. BOOK A ROOM WITH A KITCHEN
When booking a hotel room check to see if any of the rooms provide a small kitchen. This way you can buy groceries and eat in your hotel room, instead of eating out for every meal. The money you will save on food expenses during your trip is well worth the slight extra cost of the hotel room.
4. USE UBER
Instead of taking a taxi everywhere, download the Uber App for your phone. When you book a ride through Uber, it can be significantly cheaper than taking a taxi to your destination. Also, the company specifies on their website that there is no need to tip the driver, allowing you to save even more money on your nearby commute.
5. SIGN UP FOR TRAVEL ALERTS FROM AIRLINES
Many airlines have an email newsletter they send out regularly to update you on flight rates. Sign up for these notifications so you can be the first to know when airfare rates drop. Suffer from email inbox clutter? If you don’t want to receive multiple emails, sites like Kayak and Expedia also provide a similar service and cover all of the airlines.
We hope these cost saving tips help you the next time you travel for business. Have any tricks of the traveling trade you would like to share? Let us know in the comment section below.