In my position as general manager of client services for Travel and Transport, I traveled significantly last year and have been on an airplane 12 weeks in a row in 2010. Okay, I have to admit, one of the weeks out of the 12 was a vacation to Mexico with the family. But still, I was making that weekly trudge of planning my trip, trying to avoid getting a middle seat, packing, commuting, parking, shuttling, partially undressing for security, riding the train, wrestling with other passengers to find a space for my carry-on bag, suffering through hunger from lack of food and watching the same short subjects on in-flight entertainment every week.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. I love my job and it’s proven that travel is a necessary part of doing business. I believe there is significant value in travel as I meet my customers face-to-face. It is always an educational and beneficial experience. But, it is far from glamorous. I feel the pain of the road warrior and can have empathy with travelers who spend so much of their time on airplanes, in rental cars and sleeping in hotels.
In my position, I provide consultative suggestions and best practice benchmarking for corporate travel programs. I suggest that companies tighten their travel policies and have travelers buy non-refundable tickets at least 7 to 14 days in advance. I advise them to fly coach, sometimes even internationally, rent compact or intermediate cars and stay in moderately priced hotels that have internet and breakfast included in the rate though it might not be the nicest hotel or the closest to the office in which they are visiting. I endorse monitoring expense reports to watch for ancillary fees that are unnecessary or indulgent. I do this because it has been proven to save money for corporations – a lot of money!
But over the years I think I have started to experience for myself the corporate traveler "rub." I am feeling the pressure to follow travel policy, which I know saves my company money, while at the same time I fight the feeling of "entitlement" that comes from being on the road each week.
I do my best not to take advantage of my company and to make good decisions that save money. But, if my meeting gets out early, and I have a chance to get home several hours earlier, it suddenly feels very reasonable to spend that extra $75+ to get on that earlier flight, get back to my office and get back to work. I will try to go standby without paying the confirmed standby fee, but what if the weather is bad and there is a chance I might get stuck? The question of whether I follow company policy or try to avoid incurring additional hotel and food costs becomes a real dilemma.
Managing something as complex as a travel management program is not simple and decisions are not always black and white. Companies need to take into consideration that their road warriors are many times the folks that drive a great deal of revenue to the company and should have some flexibility in their travel decisions. On the flip side, you can’t have rogue travelers spending money like it grows on trees. So, what is the answer to this dilemma? I won’t begin to say that I have the answer. I want to practice what I preach to my customers about saving money, but living the experience makes me think about the pragmatic approach.
What do you think?
These insights are excerpted with permission from Travel & Transport's Inside T&T blog.