Kick-start your business travel policy
If the thought of building a business travel policy for your organisation from scratch, has you running for the nearest exit. Don’t fret.
To get a travel policy up and running you’re going to need the help of a business travel specialist and some reliable technology to automate processes behind the scenes.
Don't miss the template at the bottom of this blog to get started!
Baby steps
The first step is to partner with a business travel company, who’ll provide your organisation with your own dedicated Travel Manager. Your Travel Manager will work closely with you to provide guidelines on how to build a policy and what to think about including in it.
A well-planned travel policy answers all the questions surrounding company travel, so you don’t have to every time someone makes a booking. Without this framework and great technology to support it, business travel can become a bit of a free-for-all mess.
A starter travel policy could include basic instructions on:
- Booking information
- Domestic flights
- International flights
- Accommodation
- Car hire / transport
- Internal communication
- Traveller safety and wellbeing
Capture your instructions for each of these travel components in a document. We suggest sharing the document with your Travel Manager or getting them involved at the start to help you develop and cohesively document your company’s preferences. It’s also a good idea to share this document internally and potentially with one or two regular travellers in your organisation to sense check.
Tech speak
When it comes to technology, your Travel Manager will explain how a good travel management platform can support your policy controls.
With Corporate Traveller’s all-in-one platform, traveller options can be controlled with pre-defined personalised algorithms and individual spend levels. Our AI-driven policy configuration does the legwork and removes the frustration typically associated when searching via multiple sites. It serves up a variety of travel choices based on learned (user) behaviours to align with your company travel policy and goals.
By combining your business travel guidelines with a powerhouse travel platform, booking and managing travel becomes a whole lot simpler for both travellers and travel bookers.
Down the track
Once you get started, taking your travel policy from good to great, will take a bit of time. We suggest reviewing a newly implemented travel policy after about six months. You’ll be able to gauge how effective your policy is from the amount of questions or ‘noise’ you get from travellers and decision makers. When you’re ready to develop a more detailed policy, the process will involve input from quite a few key stakeholders.
Creating a strong foundation for business travel now and then reviewing your policy as your company grows will ensure business travel is handled efficiently and stays on budget over the long term.
Want a simple place to start? Our Travel Policy Template helps you set clear guidelines now, with the flexibility to refine things as your travel program evolves.
About Flight Centre Travel Group
The Flight Centre Travel Group is one of the world’s largest travel retailers and corporate travel managers. The company, which is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, has company-owned leisure and corporate travel business in dozens of countries, spanning Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, Europe, the United Kingdom, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Asia. ASX listed Flight Centre Travel Group (FLT) also operates the global FCM corporate travel management network, which extends to more than 100 countries through company-owned businesses and independent licensees, along with Corporate Traveller, the flagship business specific to the small-to-medium-sized enterprise sector. For more information, visit fctgl.com.
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Frequently asked questions
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1. What’s the fastest way to kick‑start a business travel policy?
Start with a one‑page framework, define booking and expense rules, embed duty of care, and use a platform to automate approvals and reporting. Review at six months, then expand.
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2. Do WHS obligations apply when staff travel for work?
Yes. Employers must take reasonably practicable steps to protect workers, including during work travel. Build risk assessments, emergency procedures, and training into your policy.
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3. Which tools help enforce policy and keep travellers safe?
A central platform like Your.CT embeds policy into booking, automates approvals, provides traveller tracking and alerts, and delivers compliance and spend reporting.
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4. How often should we update allowances and caps?
Annually at minimum to reflect ATO/IRD updates, plus ad‑hoc after major market changes. Communicate updates to travellers and bookers.