What is Business Travel? Definition and Examples for UK

Want to know more about business travel? So that you can manage your company’s travel expenses and make effective travel plans, it’s useful to know a little about what business travel actually is. And crucially, how it’s different from personal travel.

In this guide, we’ll give you a handy definition and some examples of business travel. Plus, some essential info on managing business travel expenses, both within the UK and internationally.

So, let’s get started.

What is business travel?

Business travel is any travel that is carried out on behalf of a company or organisation. This definition doesn’t usually include daily commutes. It definitely doesn’t include holidays, leisure trips and other personal travel.

Common examples of business travel include:

• Attending conferences and trade shows
• Networking and meetings
• Visits to suppliers and clients
• Scouting out locations
• Visits to the company’s regional offices
• Discussing or finalising deals.

Business travel vs personal travel

Here’s a quick look at the key differences between business and personal travel:

International business travel

If you need to go abroad for business purposes, your travel arrangements can become much more complicated. You’ll need to arrange things like flights, hotels, transfers, baggage, insurance, visas and much more.

For example, if you’re based in London but have a critical client meeting in Paris, you’ll need to find the quickest and most convenient way to get there. With a rail or plane ticket bought, you’ll need to book accommodation close to the meeting venue and arrange transfers between all points.

Business travel management

As a business owner or manager, it’s important to keep on top of corporate travel arrangements. This is particularly key if you have a number of team members making lots of business trips each year.

It’s a good idea to develop a system for planning trips, including go-to suppliers for transport and accommodation. There’s also visa and insurance to consider.

Many companies find it easier to use a business travel management tool, like TravelPerk or TravelBank.

Business travel expenses

Tracking and managing business travel expenses can also be a challenge. From the employee’s side, they need to make sure they save receipts and submit accurate claims for reimbursement. And for businesses, it’s important to keep a close eye on how much is being spent on business travel - as it’s easy for costs to spiral.

Accounting tools are a good way to manage travel expenses. You can also find dedicated expense tracking tools, such as Webexpenses, Zoho Expense, TravelPerk and SAP Concur.

Track travel expenses with Wise Business Card

Looking for an easier way to track business travel expenses? Use Wise Business Cards and you’ll even enjoy 0,5% cashback on all eligible spending.

Wise Business cards can be used all over the world. They automatically convert currency at the mid-market exchange rate, for only a small conversion fee. But there are no subscription fees or foreign transaction fees to worry about.

Open a Wise Business multi-currency account and you can get employee expense cards for everyone who needs one - for a one-time cost of just £3. You can pre-set spending limits and track spending all from one handy online dashboard.

Read more about business travel:

After reading this guide, you should have a better idea of what business travel is - and what it isn’t. We’ve covered definitions of business travel and some examples too, along with tips for managing corporate travel expenses. So, you should be all set to plan your next business trip.

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