Life’s all about balance. Business is all about people. And yet it’s so easy for your balance and wellbeing routine to slip when travellers are out on the road, leaving your people tired, stressed, and resentful.

The best way to keep the wellness balance in check is to ensure a business trip goes according to plan – and even something as simple as a decent night’s sleep can make a huge difference. Of course, business travellers have a personal responsibility when it comes to looking after their health and wellbeing (like eating well, exercising and keeping hydrated), but if you are responsible for your company’s travel programme there are ways you can support their wellbeing.

Get the basics right

Maintaining your travellers’ wellbeing starts with 4 simple basics:

As a booker you need to think carefully about flight times, transit times, meeting times and everything in between. Rushing a meeting to catch a flight is no fun at all. My advice? When in doubt, build in time.

Arrival transport. When your team lands, how are they getting to their hotel or meeting? It might sound obvious, but arrival transport is often the last thing travellers think about.

Work trips can be exhausting.What is your policy around their first day back? Are you flexible – or are they rushing back to the office?

Is your team expected to manage their inbox and usual workload while on the road? Consider lounge access as well as connectivity at their accommodation. Budget-friendly hotels don’t always include a desk area or Wi-Fi.

Build wellbeing into your travel policy

Reminding employees to make time for self-care and sending out tips on stress management is great, but you need to walk the walk. Include a dedicated section in your travel policy covering things like flexible working hours while on the road; lounge access; travel perks; pre or post-holiday opportunities; and even post-trip duvet days.

A ‘health-centric’ travel policy might:

Accept premium class bookings for long-haul and red-eye flights. Budget is important, but consider premium economy fares (or better) for travellers who frequently face long journeys or red-eye flights. It’ll allow for a more comfortable trip and extra legroom – and minimise stress!

Take note of traveller preferences. Check where your travellers like to sit on the plane, what type of meals they enjoy, their special dietary requirements, and their preferred hotels. It’s amazing how the smallest details can make the biggest difference.

Relook accommodation options. It’s time to say goodbye to poky hotel rooms and takeaway meals. Today’s travellers are looking for comfortable spaces, reliable connectivity, and plenty of options to keep fit, eat well, or simply relax and unwind. Consider serviced apartments for longer stays – or select guesthouses where travellers feel at home.

Negotiate perks and upgrades. Many global TMCs will be able to use existing supplier relationships to negotiate special perks. These include free upgrades, priority boarding and lounge access as well as early check-in or late check-out – which is so important for weary travellers.

Keep an eye on traveller stress – and always ask for post-trip feedback

Check-in regularly with your travellers to get feedback on what’s working and what’s not. Measure your progress and make improvements where necessary.

Your TMC should be able to help you put pre- and post-trip surveys together and analyse the results. Corporate Traveller even offers ‘stress-watch’ reporting to help you pin-point travellers who are most at risk of stress (and therefore most in need of support).

Embrace technology

When it comes to stress-free travel, travellers want to feel ‘connected’ and in control. They like to have the right information at their fingertips; receive updates if plans change; and be able to reach out to a ‘real life’ person in an emergency.

According to a new study by Clickatell – How Conversational Chat is Fuelling the Travel Industry – 95% of travellers are looking for a more personalised experience in terms of mobile apps and chatbots– especially when it comes to flight delays and changes.

This is echoed by an April 2022 report by SAP Concur, which shows that business travellers would like their companies to leverage tech to streamline the traveller journey. In fact,

business travellers ranked their top five investment ‘asks’ as:

Apps with real-time travel updates and booking (46%).
Tools for quicker expense reimbursement (43%).
Tools for navigating the latest travel safety requirements (41%).
A travel management system (40%).
An integrated system for travel and expense reporting (39%).

The challenge is finding the right travel platform that works for your business. A good platform, like Corporate Traveller’s Melon, keeps you, your travellers, your bookers and your team in perfect sync.

Put bleisure on the agenda

You’ve heard them all: blended travel, bleisure, workations and even wolidays. All terms for mixing business and leisure, a trend which is only going to grow in popularity as employees (especially younger generations) chase work-life balance. And it’s a win-win for everyone. Business travellers get to add days onto the front or back end of their business trip to relax, recharge or explore new destinations. Businesses reap the benefits of happy, healthy, productive employees. But it does need to be managed carefully. Again, your TMC can help you address bleisure travel in your travel policy, including:

Who pays for what?
Do you have processes in place to ensure the safety of employees?
Who is responsible for travel insurance?
Are leisure days taken as formal leave days?
For SMEs trying to make ends meet, manage their staff and grow their business, health and wellbeing often falls to the bottom of the list of priorities.

Luckily, we’ve covered it in our free SME Corporate Travel Toolkit. This kit will give you pointers on how to craft the perfect travel policy, where to find savings without compromising on traveller safety and so much more. Sign up today!

Business travel is, in its very nature, dynamic and changeable. And while COVID-19 was a dramatic demonstration of just how quickly things can go wrong, if you’ve ever had flights affected by strikes or bad weather, or had someone take ill while on the road, you’ll have a fair idea of what it’s like when a trip doesn’t go exactly as planned.

Often SMEs book travel on the fly, and without the support of a dedicated travel expert it can be stressful. Especially when things go wrong. Here are just five good reasons to relook your current approach to risk management and duty of care:

1. Your people are your greatest asset

You simply can’t put a value on a hardworking, productive and committed team, which makes protecting them a pretty big deal.

From managing any (and all) travel concerns with trustworthy advice, real-time information and smart recommendations, to health and safety dashboards and traveller tracking, Corporate Traveller takes a dynamic, decisive approach to duty of care. This includes pre-travel risk assessments, the vetting of suppliers, open communication, travel alerts, and 24-hour support.

Importantly, today’s booking platforms also allow you to take a closer look at your company’s travel data, travel behaviour, and your team’s health and wellbeing.

For example, is one traveller carrying the load when it comes to long-haul flights, early mornings or the dreaded ‘red-eye’? By analysing your travel data, you’ll be able to make certain that your travellers aren’t sleep-deprived or spending too much time away from home. It’s a pro-active approach to your team’s wellbeing – and one that could have a significant impact on attracting and retaining key staff.

2. It boosts traveller confidence

Traveller confidence is everything. The safer your employees feel, the more relaxed and productive they’ll be, which is great for morale, improving staff retention and ultimately the growth and success of your business.

Any TMC worth their salt will be able to assist with pre-trip planning (including visas, destination information, tips and advice), but did you know that tech can make a massive difference?

When travel tech company Amadeus asked 6,000 travellers what would boost their confidence as they returned to travel, a whopping 84% said technology. Interestingly, mobile apps offering on-trip notifications and alerts came in at the top of the list.

Corporate Traveller’s platform, Melon, includes a mobile app which is available across all devices, and uses a blend of artificial intelligence and integrated travel consultant support to keep travellers informed at all times.

This means that if boarding times change, strike action is announced or flights are cancelled, you – and your travellers – will be the first to know. Even better, Melon makes it really easy for travellers to get in touch, with instant support just a tap or call away. A handy chatbot sorts out straightforward queries, while travellers can also opt to be connected to a dedicated travel consultant whenever they need to.

Ultimately, travellers just want a safe and seamless journey. And the knowledge that someone else is in charge when things go wrong.

3. Traveller tracking is where it’s at

The most notable advancements in risk management tools are around traveller tracking. No longer a ‘nice to have’, today’s travel bookers want to know exactly where their travellers are at any given moment. This includes easy access to ‘real time’ data regarding a traveller’s whereabouts and on-the-ground risk conditions.

It’s not as creepy as it sounds, honestly. It’s more so that should anything happen, you can easily get in touch and bring them home.

4. It makes a difference when the chips are down

Although you can do everything in your power to keep your travellers safe, sometimes the unthinkable happens. Take one of our TV production clients, Blast! Films. Their TV crews are used to travelling to remote and far-flung destinations, including the Himalayas, the jungles of Papua and the Canadian wilderness. But it was while on location in Siberia that everything turned upside down.

The Blast! team witnessed a helicopter crash. Thankfully they were safe, but understandably traumatised and shaken up. They were also stranded in Siberia with no supplies – and wanted to come home as soon as possible. Our production, sports and creative division was able to spring into action, organising ground transport and the first available flights out.

5. COVID could still scupper your plans

It’s safe to say that the global pandemic has made even the steeliest travel experts a little wary. And while we’re a million miles from 2020, the situation around the world still looks a little different depending on where you are … or where you’re headed.

A true travel partner will have destination information at their fingertips and know the most up-to-date entry and testing requirements. Although COVID feels like a distant memory, it taught us to ‘never say never’. Arm yourself with the latest information for complete peace of mind.

As a business owner or travel manager, keeping your travellers safe is your top priority. And I’ve barely scratched the surface when it comes to risk management and duty of care.

Luckily, we’ve included it as a chapter in our free SME Corporate Travel Toolkit. This kit will give you pointers on how to craft the perfect travel policy, where to find savings without compromising on traveller safety or sustainability, the pitfalls of unmanaged travel and so much more. Sign up today!Safety check: 5 reasons to focus on duty of care