Your next business trip isn’t and shouldn’t be a trip that you are considering to have fun as part of the package. You might think for a few minutes that you have the time to enjoy the scenery, especially if it’s a place you’ve never been, but business should be the priority.
That’s why you need to have the right plan in place when looking at your business trip. Creating this perfect plan can be a struggle for several people. It would help if you remembered that you need to take your final budget into account, and having some money left over is always a bonus.
Something else that you need to consider is how much you’ll spend on food. You can get more info on how you can create a proper business plan budget by reading the below article. We will provide you with a template for planning your next business trip.
Set Policies
The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that you have set the right travel policies. The goal of the trip should be as straightforward as possible.
For example, the guidelines should include information about how one can request a trip – this will consist of all the information required to apply for a business trip successfully.
The policies should be the same for all your employees. The guidelines should state the number of trips that are allowed per employee. There should also be a limit of expenses that you can carter for when the individual is traveling.
List the Possible Trips For the Year
One mistake that you don’t want to make is in regards to the number of trips that you can and should allow. You have to consider the destination of the trips as well. For example, if the journey is only a few miles away, you can perhaps consider allowing more trips.
Another thing that you need to take into consideration is the size of your business. If you have a small operation, then you can consider a few trips per year for each department. A clear benchmark to base your decisions on is the budget of last year.
Break Down Transport Expenses
Now, let’s discuss the expenses, specifically transportation expenses. Various costs need to be added to the list, for example, the cost of travel agencies, flight expenses, and local travel expenses. You can break these expenses down on a list.
When you’re breaking down these expenses, you also need to consider the value of the trip. Will it increase the productivity of the employee or benefit the company? If the answer is yes, then these trips should be a top priority.
Accommodation, Meals, and Other Expenses
There are, of course, further expenses that come in when you are looking to travel by other means of transport. These are the types of costs that may seem small but can ruin your plan if they are not budgeted for.
One such example can be registration fees at a conference. Others include accommodation as most trips won’t come with accommodation as part of the package.
Now, here you’ll have to break down the budget to find out if there’s any variance. Depending on several factors such as the number of nights required, you may need to change this side of your plan.
Review and Edit
Lastly, you now have to monitor the expenses that have been put into your traveling budget. Make use of last year’s budget as a reference before you plan for this year. Update this budget based on the growth of your business.
If there is no growth, you may need to consider using the same budget that you used in the previous year. Another thing that you’ll need to look at when planning your budget is to cut down on the luxuries that form part of your trip.
Remember that it is essential only to approve the trips that are beneficial to your business, or else your business will lose.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to create a proper business travel budget, you need to be smart. When you look at the budget, there are several blind spots that you can easily remove.
Here, you’ll find how you can address them and avoid wasting money on business trips while you are still growing your company.