How Nutrip helped me manage my work trip to London?

12 July 2023

Author: Steve Hona (Head of Partnership and Innovation)

For frequent travellers, managing your entire trip can often be a daunting and time-consuming challenge. The time takes to reconcile expenses can vary depending on various factors, including the individual's organisational processes, the volume of expenses, and the efficiency of the expense management system in place. On average, it can take anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks to reconcile expenses.

To illustrate, let's consider my recent business trip to London for the Business Travel Europe & Tech Show. Nutrip not only simplifies and streamlines expense reimbursement but also offers more comprehensive reporting on total travel costs, reconciled back to approved budgets.

Before attending the Travel Tech Show, I knew it would be a big opportunity for networking and making industry connections. But to convince my employer to approve the trip, I had to demonstrate the value it would bring to our business and provide an accurate estimate of the trip's total costs - I needed to submit my budget.

I did thorough research to create a detailed budget for the trip. I considered factors like flight expenses (estimated at $3500AUD), hotel accommodations (managed to secure a great deal for $1000AUD), and a reasonable daily food allowance ($100 a day for 8 days, totaling $800AUD). I made sure to account for all expenses. I also factored in the conference fees ($900AUD) and set aside funds for transportation ($300AUD), including an Oyster card, Uber rides, and even the iconic Black Cabs of London, if needed. And to cover unexpected expenses like data roaming costs and entertainment, I included an extra $200AUD. In the end, my total budget came to over $7000AUD, with flights and accommodation accounting for only half of my total trip costs. By providing such a detailed breakdown, I aimed to be fully transparent about my spending plans with Simon, who was approving the trip.

When I submitted my trip for approval, I wanted to highlight the benefits of attending the Travel Tech Show. So, I included a copy of the conference agenda to give Simon a clear understanding of the event's significance as well as a clear breakdown on what return on investment I was aiming to generate from the trip.

At first, Simon rejected my trip because he found cheaper flights with a shorter layover. But I acted quickly, updated the trip details, and adjusted my budget accordingly. By accommodating the change in flight cost, I managed to get the green light for approval.

Once my trip was authorised, Nutrip's seamless expense management system kicked in. I was uploading receipts for flight and hotel costs, ensuring that all expenses were securely stored in one place. This eliminated the need to sift through countless emails when I returned. While in London, I simply snapped photos of receipts with my phone and instantly uploaded them to Nutrip. It also automatically converted local GBP currency expenses into AUD, making submitting my expenses for reimbursement a breeze.

One of the standout features of Nutrip was the automatic inclusion of a carbon levy in my total budget, amounting to $45 per tonne. Thanks to Nutrip's calculations, I discovered that my trip generated around 2.13 tons of carbon emissions. To offset this environmental impact, Nutrip facilitated the donation of 888 trees to a third-party organisation, effectively neutralising the carbon footprint associated with my entire trip. As someone who is passionate about travel sustainability, this is a feature I really appreciate.

Oh, and I was also able to share my trip details with my wife. Nutrip automatically generated and sent an email to her once the trip was confirmed, so she knew where I was and what dates I was going to be away.

The most surprising part of this whole experience was that I managed to handle everything from the comfort of my couch at home while watching the NBA finals. I never thought work travel could be so easy, especially after spending hours dealing with old receipts and following up with finance teams for reimbursement.

Steve Hona - Feel free to send me a message if you want any more insights.