Business Travel is Going Green

Business travel is evolving in many ways. New forms of lodging are opening up, and allowing travelers to use an alternative to the hotels. Automated expense reporting is now available, allowing many to report their costs in a far more convenient manner. And now, according to a recent report in the New York Times, business trips are being recalibrated so that they can be considered "green."

For one thing, many businesses are trying to limit the number of business trips they finance in the first place, to keep the overall costs on company expense reports as low as possible. Many are doing so via digital meetings, held through platforms such as Skype. However, Joel Makower, founder and executive editor of a green-focused media company, noted that even he understands business trips are often preferable to videoconferencing or email.

"The greenest business trip is the one you don't take," Makower told the Times. "Most companies understand that. But it's hard to pull off. Despite the great technology advances, there's still no substitute for face to face and sharing a meal and a handshake."

Indeed - there's no substitute for the benefits that can be offered by a successful business trip. Another recent New York Times report illustrated that many businesses already know that: citing information provided by the Global Business Travel Association, that report noted that business travel spending will increase by more than 7 percent in the U.S. during this year alone. The firm projected that increase will have business travel spending at $293 billion, annually.

Businesses may need to be more conscious of their "footprint" in the future Makower continued to explain the need for green business travel to the news outlet, noting that many businesses already understand that "environmental responsibility is part of how you do business" nowadays.

A Global Business Travel Association study found that more than half of all companies polled currently pay "more attention to their green business travel efforts" than they had in the past, according to Joseph Bates, vice president of research at the company. Being green is so important that it may become an important part of the recruitment process: The report noted that many prospective employees and applicants now inquire about whether or not their potential employer has a "green" strategy. One industry expert told the news outlet that many applicants will now report that they are more likely to accept a job with the company if that company has a way of reducing its carbon footprint, such as by offsetting the environmental damage caused by air travel with donations.

"We are seeing it as a selling point all over at recruiting events," Elizabeth Barry, chief sustainability officer at Marsh and McLennan, told the New York Times. "Hiring managers tell us the prospective employees are even willing to take a little pay cut to work for a company with those types of programs."

Expert to Tips Saving in your Business Trips

Even the biggest organizations have to pay close attention to the costs listed on their employee's expense reports. Corporate travel is an integral part of all successful business plans - but it can also be mighty costly. Employees going out on the road - and the employees sending them - may want to consider the tips offered by experts listed below. These might just help to get the amount being reimbursed to employees by way of expense reports decreasing significantly.

Multi-task whenever possible - it might just save you a trip in the future If you have any free time at all during a business trip, you can see if you can fill it with other work that will offer your employer a larger return on investment for the trip. For example, one seasoned business traveler spoke to monsterworking.com about how they often meet with colleagues in the cities they he travels to on business - even if he wasn't traveling to the city for the sake of meeting those specific colleagues. If that's not possible, the individual advises that travelers visit family or friends instead - basically, he suggest travelers do anything possible to get the most value out of their trip.

"When you go on a trip, you want to pack as many stops in as possible to get the most out of the cost of your plane ticket," Nick Friedman, of moving company College Hunks Hauling Junk, told monsterworking.com. "If I'm going to D.C. for a conference, for example, I'll also stop in to check on our D.C. franchise, meet with potential vendors, and spend time with family and friends in the area. Pack your time efficiently to make every travel dollar count."

Don't spend on meals if you don't have to One of the biggest costs on any given expense report doesn't have to due with airfare, though - it's the total cost of all the meals eaten by a traveling employee during a business trip. So, if they're willing, employees would do well to eat inside their hotel instead of at their destination city's fanciest restaurant.

"The big thing for me is to find a hotel that serves a good large breakfast," Steve VanDenAkker, an electronics installation technician, told USA Today. "I usually take a box of cereal or some yogurt back to the room for my night-time snack."

In fact, don't spend on anything if you don't have to Just as you can eat your dinners and other meals inside the hotel, you can also cut back on other factors to keep your costs low. This might me staying in one night instead of catching a big show, or it may mean aligning your flights so that you can stay one less night at your hotel than originally planned. However you cut your corners, the result - a lower overall trip cost on your expense reports - will be worth it.

Business Travel Expenses Going Downward

Firms in all industries are working hard to keep costs related to business travel to a minimum and a recent report suggests that they are succeeding. Travel Leaders Corporate, Travel Agent Central reported that the average cost of an international business trip reached a four-year low during 2013. However, the costs are still significant; the average cost of an international trip during 2013 was $2,461. That's down from the 2012 average of $2,508, but still represents a hefty chunk of change for the budget of any organization.

David Holyoke, president of Travel Leaders Corporate, attributed the decrease to an increase in the number of travelers booking their business trips more than two weeks ahead of their departures. "In 2013, we saw a 10 percent increase with business travelers booking airfares in the 14-20 day range. During the same period, the number of transactions where the client booked more than 21 days out decreased by 11 percent," Holyoke told the news outlet. "Business travelers are cognizant of the cost incurred when changing an airline ticket, which in some cases can be as much as $200.

Through the work of our account managers and analysts, we are able to monitor actionable data and work closely with our clients to reduce the amount of change fees, ensuring that their trip is as cost efficient as possible."

There are a number of other ways - in addition to the ticket-related charges cited by Holyoke - that businesses can keep their travel and expenses down. For instance, by instituting automated expense reporting, organizations can get a better handle on the spending trends exhibited by their employees during business trips. In addition to mitigating the expense report process, these software programs can offer valuable insights that can be incorporated into future budgeting strategies.

Some business travelers are even finding themselves eating at fast food restaurants in an effort to keep their meal costs down. The latest Certify SpendSmart report found that Chick-fil-A was among the highest-rated food service locations among travelers, and that Starbucks was among the most often visited.