A template travel policy for companies using online travel booking tools

Organizing business travel is a process that can easily lead to paperwork chaos and hidden costs. A properly designed and implemented travel policy can help avoid this. Defining travel approval rules and limiting travel and accommodation expenses can significantly improve business travel management. In this guide, we outline the elements a travel policy should include. You can use the individual points as a template and implement them in your company.

Who travels in the company and how?

When using an online tool for organizing business trips, you must define the types of delegations and groups of travelers.

Employee groups

Divide users into groups and assign them appropriate limits for transport and accommodation.

• Employees - for users on standard business trips.
• Managers - people with extended powers and higher limits.
• Management Board - the highest decision-making positions in the company, usually without any limits.

Types of business trips

Distinguishing the destinations of delegations is crucial for easier settlement.

• Domestic trips (PLN) - business trips taking place within the country.
• Foreign travel (EUR/USD/other currencies) - business trips outside Poland, including the distinction between short and long flights (e.g., over 6 hours).

Hotels for business trips

Flexibility in travel limits is a priority, especially in the area of accommodation, where prices can vary significantly depending on the destination. Using the worktrips.com platform, you can define regions and assign separate travel policies to them. This solution allows you to set limits not only for a given destination, but also for specific regions or groups of countries.

Accommodation in the country

For large Polish cities, where accommodation rates are higher than in other parts of the country, you can apply different limits than for other towns.

Region in the country	Employee group	Maximum hotel standard	Price limit (hotel cost per night)
Region 1 (e.g., Warszawa, Kraków, Poznań, Gdańsk, i.e., cities where it is more expensive)	Employees	3 or 4 stars	up to PLN 450
Region 2 (Other cities and regions in the country)	Employees	3 or 4 stars	up to PLN 350
National regions all	Managers	No limit	up to PLN 550

If you want employees to book specific accommodations with which you've negotiated preferential rates, you can use the option to display them at the top of search results. This is especially useful if your employees regularly travel to the same destinations.

Accommodation abroad

Foreign delegations require varying accommodation limits due to global cost differences.

Foreign region	Employee group	Maximum hotel standard	Price limit (hotel cost/night)
Region 1 (e.g., London, Tokyo, Switzerland, i.e., cities or countries where it is more expensive)	Employees	3 or 4 stars	up to 180 EUR/USD
Region 2 (other countries, such as Southern Europe)	Employees	3 or 4 stars	up to 120 EUR/USD
All foreign regions	Management	No limit	Location-specific limit

Air transport on business trips

The organization of business travel requires a distinction between short- and long-haul flights to ensure adequate comfort for employees.

Connection	Flight duration	Employee group
Short-haul flight	up to 6 hours	Employees, Managers
Long-haul flight	over 6 hours	Employees
Long-haul flight	over 6 hours	Managers, Management Board

In your travel policy, you can include information stating that employees should book flights at least 7 days before departure for travel within the European Union and 14 days for intercontinental business trips. The further in advance, the better the ticket prices.

Train tickets for business trips

If sustainability is a key concern for your company, you can promote train travel among your employees for shorter journeys (both domestic and international). On the worktrips.com platform, you can also use the messaging feature to recommend trains for routes up to 350 km, for example, as an alternative to flights, which have a higher carbon footprint.

Car rental and local transport

Business travel also requires mobility within the destination, even if hotels are chosen near the meeting location. Establishing clear policies regarding car rentals and other transportation options ensures cost control and security.

Local transport and car rental during business trips

Public transport and car rental policies should be flexible and allow for efficient travel to business meetings. It's a good idea to establish policies regarding specific modes of transport in your travel policy. When renting a vehicle, consider the duration. For example, you can specify that car rentals are available for up to 7 days, with travel manager approval required for any period longer. Car rentals are available on the worktrips.com platform. Depending on your needs, you can specify the most important vehicle parameters. This way, you have your entire trip in one place. Remember that your travel policy should thoroughly describe issues related to fuel costs, tolls, and parking.

Business trip approval process

A key pillar of an effective travel policy is defining the approval process – it's crucial for saving time, minimizing paperwork, and ensuring budget control. In the age of automation, rigid, manual approval of every reservation is an unnecessary burden. To ensure the business travel organization runs smoothly and seamlessly, we recommend incorporating flexible approval paths into your policy, which can be tailored to your company's individual needs. You can choose from one of the most commonly used models:

• Approval in accordance with travel policy – all reservations within established limits (hotels and transportation) are automatically approved. This simplifies the process as much as possible. However, it's important to note that any deviations from policy (out-of-policy) always require manual approval from a supervisor or administrator.
• Always automatic approval - you can include in your policy a provision for immediate approval of all travel for selected groups of employees (e.g., management staff), regardless of limits.
• Manual approval is always required – although less time-efficient, it's essential, for example, for reservations of a special nature or for new hires. Define in your policy that every reservation from this pool must be manually verified.

Other elements worth considering in your travel policy

The more detailed, the more your business travel policy, the better. This will minimize misunderstandings, ensuring complete clarity and transparency. It doesn't overlook the small but significant costs that often arise during business trips.

• Meals and per diem - Specify precisely which meals are covered by the company (e.g., hotel breakfast, if not included in the accommodation price). Don't overlook the rules for calculating domestic and foreign per diems. 
• Private car - define the guidelines and limits for reimbursement of costs for the use of a private vehicle for business purposes (e.g., rate per kilometre, supervisor approval for a given route).
• Representative budget​ - define a clear upper limit for the amount of entertainment expenses (e.g., dinner with a client) that are reimbursable.
• It's important to define what other expenses are acceptable. These may include:
  • Costs related to excess baggage (if it is corporate/business baggage).
  • Expenses for hygiene products/laundry services for longer trips (e.g., over 5 days).

Organizing business trips without the effort

Saving time, money, and hassle are the tangible benefits you'll gain from implementing a business travel policy. To learn how simple business travel management can be for your company, please contact us. We'll help you implement a travel policy and automate your travel management.