Secrets that will save you money on Travel.

Assuming you are not already using a Travel Management Company such as The Travel Company Edinburgh so I’m going to let you in on the some of the secrets to save some money and make your trip easier, safer and ensure you get best value for this business expense.
 
Firstly do your research. A little work early on can save a lot of time later. Think about the trip and what it entails. For example, certain countries require visas and/or immunisations. Make sure you get advice on the steps needed to be taken and be wary of timescales. Think about the itinerary. It’s easy to make the experience more efficient if you can save the traveller’s time.
Create traveller profiles. This is something we do automatically for our clients but you can also do this. It saves so much time when making bookings so you don’t have to constantly email or call the traveller to find out about essential personal preferences, loyalty scheme numbers, seating or room preferences.
Before you actually book, make sure you are clear on what is required. The cheapest train tickets and hotel rooms are usually those which have the least flexibility. They may save money initially but if plans change and you are unable to transfer, this will have to be written off.
If cost is the main consideration, consider the following:
Consider avoiding flexible tickets to save money (e.g. it's often cheaper to book three advance rail tickets, giving you flexibility, than it is to buy a fully-flex rail ticket). Sometimes the best solution is to book a fixed outbound ticket and a flexible ticket on the return.
Consider the full cost of a trip, not just the component parts, e.g. it's worth paying £100 per night for a hotel that is on site, rather than £80 per night for one a few miles out but incurs a £15 taxi each way
Consider starting internal meetings later to allow non-peak train travel for all attendees – this can save 60% per attendee
Pay attention to what you are being charged, it’s easy to go through a whole booking process and not notice all the extras.
 
Once the travel bookings are completed, it’s time to ensure the traveller is up to speed with what they need to provide and do. Important considerations include:
Travel Documentation: Make sure you prepare and organise any necessary documentation that your boss may need. These can include train and plane tickets/reference numbers, accommodation loyalty cards, passport, visas and immunisation certificates.
Travel Insurance: Make sure they have sufficient travel insurance, there are countless options these days and by shopping around you may be able to select a better package.
 
If this all sounds a little complicated as well as time consuming why not let us do all the work for you and here are some added advantages of using us:
 
Dedicated travel consultant or consultants along with a dedicated account manager.
Payment terms we offer one consolidated invoice per month
24 hour support – Airlines don't all operate 24 hours a day, if your boss is on the other side of the world and needs to call at 3am in the morning to change their return flight this becomes an issue
Impartial, expert advice. We have no preference for any supplier only years of experience dealing with a wide range of clients.
Having all bookings in one place makes it easier to manage your business travel, track business travellers and analyse data.
 
Find out how we can transform your business travel.
Contact us at edinburgh@ttce.com 

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