Business travel continues to take place on a large scale in a world that is smaller than ever thanks to digitization. Companies and organizations send their employees on trips to attend meetings and conferences, to secure potential clients definitively, to visit foreign branches or projects, and to take (international) courses. Organizing a business trip consumes a lot of time, energy, and therefore money for companies. It involves arranging transportation, providing accommodation, and, of course, dining and drinking with the new client. Uniglobe Alliance Travel is the partner for all your business trips. With our global network of more than 1,000 offices in 80 countries, we have the knowledge and expertise to take care of all types of business trips for you as a business travel agency!

What is a business trip, and how does Uniglobe Alliance Travel handle your business trips?

A business trip can occur for multiple reasons. Companies and organizations organize business trips for their employees to:

• Visit foreign branches;
• Visit projects abroad;
• Establish new contacts;
• Maintain existing business relationships;
• Conduct business;
• Attend conferences;
• Take courses;
• And much more.

In almost all cases, a business trip is reimbursed by the employer. After all, the employer benefits from the employee traveling to the destination. For instance, to acquire new customers or to gain more in-depth expertise, which ultimately benefits the work. Investing in a well-organized business trip is sometimes not only an absolute necessity but often a good idea for a company to grow to the next level. In the video below, you can see what Uniglobe Alliance Travel can offer you.

Business travel agency Uniglobe Alliance Travel

Organizing a business trip doesn’t differ much from organizing a ‘regular’ (group) trip. You still need to figure out the fastest and most cost-effective way to travel from point A to point B, where to find a good price-quality ratio for accommodation, and where you can have good (business) conversations in a pleasant environment over a meal and a drink.

However, researching and planning all these aspects takes a lot of time and effort, especially if you don’t have the connections that a business travel agency like Uniglobe Alliance Travel has.

As a company or organization, you often want to maintain a certain standard. Your employees shouldn’t lack anything during the business trip. For example, transportation from the hotel to the conference center must already be arranged in advance, or the table in that nice restaurant where business deals almost automatically happen should be reserved for your employees and prospects.

At Alliance Travel, we understand this better than anyone else and work with you to find the ultimate business trip. We have short lines of communication and dedicated contacts, so we are aware of all your personal preferences and requirements. With our global network of more than 1,000 offices in 80 countries, we know how to find our way, ensuring that your international business trips are meticulously taken care of. Moreover, our self-developed online booking tools help you save time and costs when booking your business trip, giving you more time to focus on running your company or organization.

Preparing for a business trip

Following the principle of “a good start is half the battle,” the first step in organizing and preparing for a business trip is always an inventory. Who are you? What do you do? What is the purpose of the business trip? Who is going on the trip? Where are they coming from? Where are they going? Which accommodations are suitable, and which are not? What about local transportation? What are the arrangements for (business) dinners and drinks? This might be already established in a Travel Policy, but it may also be the case that these ‘rules’ have not yet been set.

Together with you, we map out every detail so that we can organize a business trip for you and/or your employees that is perfect from start to finish.

For employees

The employee undertaking the business trip will also need to make the necessary preparations. In this regard, a business trip doesn’t differ much from a ‘regular’ trip. Items like clothing, medicines, phone and laptop chargers, and toiletries still need to be packed. We’ve written an interesting blog post about this.

Yet, a business trip differs significantly from a ‘regular’ vacation. Employees will still have to do work, and this inevitably raises questions like, “What is the purpose of the business trip? What activities are on the schedule? Where and when am I expected somewhere, and how do I get to the destination?”

To make business trips easy and manageable for both employees and employers, we’ve developed our own app at Alliance Travel: the Uniglobe Travel app. This handy application for Apple and Android devices provides an overview of all crucial information about the business trip (flights, hotels, rental cars, etc.). It sends notifications for changes, allows online check-ins, and provides information about the local area (the app shows details about nearby restaurants, museums, and more). The excitement starts as soon as you download our app, and then the business trip itself is yet to begin!

Are business trips tax-deductible?

A common question when booking a business trip is, “Are business trips tax-deductible?” Without delving too deep into the precise details, the answer to this question is yes, albeit with some nuances. Certain expenses that are essential for the business trip, such as travel and accommodation costs, are (largely) tax-deductible. The same applies to expenses for food, drinks, luxury items (e.g., cigarettes or cigars), entertainment, conferences, seminars, and study trips. It is essential to demonstrate that the expenses have been incurred for a business purpose. Always consult your financial administration and/or accountant first for the precise accounting of these costs. Did you know that we send one monthly invoice for all business travel expenses? This allows you to easily reclaim all VAT, saving a significant amount of time in administration. Finally, gain insight into your travel administration through our smart software and online tool.

In many business trips organized without the assistance of a business travel agency, the administrative department of your company or organization often faces a large stack of receipts and invoices after the business trip. At Alliance Travel, we believe this process can be more straightforward and more efficient, so we offer various online tools that consolidate all expenses into one accessible overview. We handle complete travel administration through a single invoice. The operational cost-saving of our approach averages around 40 euros per invoice, but perhaps even more importantly, thanks to Alliancetravel, booking a business trip for you and/or your employees is faster and more straightforward than ever, putting an end to hours of research work!