Travel costs can form a major slice of yearly expenditure, so looking at ways to save money is a great way of improving the bottom line.

Here are some ideas for trimming those travel costs:

Travel aggregators

Aggregator websites that search the market for the best options in car hire, air travel and hotels are a boon to business travellers, so use one to find the best solutions.

Do you need to travel?

The old slogan used in the UK during World War 2 - “is your journey really necessary?” - could also apply when contemplating the next business trip.

With the development of communication tech such as high-speed data and platforms such as Skype, Zoom and FaceTime, conferences can be held with work colleagues and clients all over the globe.

While face to face meetings are sometimes the only option, consider if technology could take the strain as opposed to an airline.

Air fares

With the distances involved in Australia, air travel is likely to figure highly in business trips within the country along with international destinations, so ways of saving should be sought:

Which class? - ask yourself if business class or even premium economy is necessary. There’s usually a significant price difference between basic economy and the higher classes, so more flights taken in economy can drastically reduce expenses.

Time of week - air fares can vary markedly depending on time of week; generally, midweek flights are cheaper than flights taken at the weekend or Mondays and Fridays.

Check prices - as mentioned earlier, price aggregator websites such as Kayak make searching for flights and comparing prices quick and easy.

Luggage - If you and colleagues can manage with only a carry on case then savings can mount up over several flights; packing carefully means more than you think can fit in a compact cabin bag.

Transport

Once you arrive at a destination, ground transport can eat into your travel budget. Instead of booking a car to meet you and whisk you off to the hotel, consider services such as Uber; its efficient booking system means you can easily summon a car once you’re in the terminal to meet you when you emerge.

As touched on earlier, hiring a car could be worthwhile and cheaper, as opposed to having to work to train timetables and take taxis.

Accommodation

Along with using aggregator websites to check hotel rates, consider convenient and cheaper alternatives such as Airbnb or basic bed and breakfast establishments.

Airbnb hosts are geared properly towards hosting guests, so amenities such as decent Wi-Fi, basic ‘self serve’ refreshments, and sometimes even light breakfasts are available along with privacy, so you can rest and do some work.

Dining

While a chain restaurant or the hotel’s facilities are convenient, you can save - and maybe enjoy dining more - by eating ‘off the beaten track’.

Finding where the locals go is a time-honoured way of getting the best cuisine at value for money prices. Many eateries have websites and an online menu so you can do a little research before you travel or once you’ve arrived.

Allowable deductions

As a business expense, various elements of your business travel can be deducted when preparing tax information.

Therefore, keep track of what has been spent and keep a ‘paper trail’ of receipts - even a series of taxi fares and a few rounds of coffees when meeting clients can all mount up.

Pay with a credit card

Along with saving time buying local currency on international trips, a credit card makes transactions quick, creates a record of what you’ve spent, and helps you indirectly save some money by collecting points and maybe benefit from cash back websites.

Travel management help

If your company arranges a lot of business travel, you might consider outsourcing arrangements to specialists such as an independent travel agent or a travel management company.

It can save you or your staff time in organising travel, and these specialists know their way round the market to help create the best itineraries at favourable prices.