While travel guidelines and restrictions continue to change, it can feel like we won't be able to travelling internationally for a long time yet. However, there are steps you can start to take now to prepare for when travel does make a comeback at your company.
We’ve prepared a handy checklist to help you give your travel programme and documents a spring clean, so you are ready to go when those travel requests start to roll on in!
Company Checklist
- Review travel insurance coverage, and double-check if any changes are in place post-COVID
- Audit your traveller profiles to ensure they are all up-to-date
- Review who is authorised to book travel on behalf of your company
- Determine how travel is going to be permitted post-COVID
- Determine what new procedures you want to implement to protect both your company and your travellers
Traveller Information
- Check that you have emergency contact information on file for each traveller. This is vital when travelling during times like COVID-19
- Review your travellers' preferences – do they prefer a certain seat, meal-type, particular hotel location etc
- Audit what passport and visa information you have on file. Are you missing any? Are some coming up for expiry? This part can save you a lot of time when booking, particularly around passports and ensuring they are valid for the required length of time to enter certain countries
Travel Policy Policy Refresh
- Move forward with confidence and see how your travel policy compares to others! Receive an instant report on your Policy's strengths and weaknesses with clear and actionable insights to get you off to a flying start in 2021!
- What approvals are required for someone to travel? Is your business travel approval process is fit for a COVID world?
- How should travel be booked? Eg. Via a TMC and/or via an online booking tool.
- Highlight use of credits on hold to minimise your expenditure in early stages of travelling. Learn more in our guide to understanding travel credits
- Review your supplier agreements to ensure they are in inline with policy
- Do you need to implement a duty of care or risk management process for travel?
Get Techy
- Check that your travellers have the latest travel apps downloaded and working
- Include apps for each airline, including frequent flyer and entertainment apps
Refresh your online booking tool skills
- Is your online booking training up-to-date? Are you across the latest releases?
- Do you need to train up anyone else in your team?
For The Traveller - Before you go
- Check restrictions for the country your traveller is going to and get the latest official advice
- Check airline rules – are there particular health requirements your traveller needs to consider?
- Consider providing your traveller with a letter that states they are travelling for ‘essential work’. Make sure your travellers have at least two hard copies in their carryon luggage as well as an electronic version handy in their emails
- What process should a traveller follow? Do they need to check in with your company whilst on the trip, and what protocols should be followed when they return from a trip?
Want to know more about how #WeAreReady?
View our resources centre for everything you need to get your travel programme going again.