5 of the Best Ways to Save on Business Travel

Are you looking for ways to save money on business travel? Have you come to find that this could go a long way in improving your company’s bottom line? Are you more than willing to take action in the days, weeks, and months to come?

Many people assume that saving on business travel is a difficult task. These are the types of people who are conditioned to believe that they have to overspend on travel, all because this is how they have done things in the past.

You don’t have to travel down this same path in the future. There are many ways to save money, with some strategies easy to implement without much effort.

So, with all this in mind, let’s examine five of the better ways to save:

1. Book a Hotel Online

Gone are the days of using a travel agency or calling a hotel direct to make a reservation.

Booking online puts you in position to not only find the best deal, but to also learn more about the many properties that are available.

For example, you can search Expedia to locate the perfect Hollywood hotel for your next business trip.

2. Forget About Checking Your Bag

Checking your bag will cost you money, and that’s not a good use of your company’s cash.

If possible, you should do whatever you can to get all your luggage into your carry-on. There are many packing tips you can follow to improve your odds of doing so, like this one from squareship.com.

There will be times when you have no choice but to check at least one bag, such as if you will be traveling for an extended period of time, but it’s good practice to avoid this at all costs.

3. Book Your Flight in Advance

It’s not always possible, but booking your flight in advance goes a long way in saving you money.

For example, booking three months in advance gives you access to pretty much every flight available, ensuring that you can compare rates and secure the lowest price.

Conversely, if you wait until the last minute to book, your options are limited and the prices are much higher.

4. Don’t Book a Luxury Hotel

As exciting as it sounds to live in luxury while traveling for business, the cost of doing so can quickly add up.

For instance, if you’re visiting Hollywood, you know that there are many hotels to choose from. You also know that some will be well out of your price range (if you’re being reasonable, of course).

There are plenty of competitively priced hotels in the area that provide a high quality experience. The Best Western Hollywood Plaza Inn is a great example, with this hotel receiving rave reviews from many travelers.

5. Ditch the Rental Car

Even though you may enjoy the convenience of booking a rental car, you should realize a couple things to be true:

• This can be extremely expensive, especially when you take into consideration miscellaneous fees such as parking and tolls
• It can be a pain to care for a vehicle while you’re traveling, such as finding a safe place to park and making sure you don’t cause any damage

Regardless of your destination, there are methods of travel that have nothing to do with renting a car. From Uber to public transportation to the hotel shuttle, you should consider all of these options. You may find that relying on these modes of transportation can save you a lot of money.

Conclusion

With so many ways to save on business travel, you should never hesitate to take action. A few changes here and there could save your company thousands of dollars over the course of a year.

Traveling for business is a way of life for many people. While there is no denying the fact that you will spend money on each trip, you don’t want to get into the habit of going overboard.

What are your thoughts on saving money on business travel expenses? Do you have a system in place for ensuring that you stay under budget at all times? What mistakes have you made in the past? Share your personal approach to saving on business travel in the comment section below. Your advice can help other travelers reduce their costs.