Frequently Asked Questions

To plan a humanitarian trip, you need to determine the type of trip you’re planning, i.e. medical, faith-based, corporate service, etc. You then need to identify the location, scope of your travel plans, dates, and number of travelers. Once you have this information, contact CV Humanitarian Travel to begin your booking process.

Out-of-town corporate meetings and events require the same diligence as meetings and events in your home city. One important aspect of planning such events is to conduct an in-person site inspection. Managing and communicating expectations is critical to the success of a program and having first-hand experience with a location and site is extremely important. By staying at several hotels during your site inspection and by directly experiencing program components like activities or the airport transfer connection to meet the driver, you’re able to select your final hotel and vendor partners with confidence.

Relying on the experience and resources of corporate event planning experts like those at Christopherson Business Travel takes the stress out of organizing your own corporate event. Expert event planning support guarantees you will receive a superior program experience and deliver a positive return on the event.

Organizations need to define the goals and objectives for their meeting or event to ensure the destination will achieve them. Things to consider are: the safety of the destination, accessibility to attendees, flight availability and costs into the destination (will there be connections, a red-eye, etc.), weather and seasonality, capacities, cost, area activities and dining options, and more. All of these considerations play an important role in deciding on a program destination.

Travel agents are at the forefront of the industry, watching for updates on air, hotel, tour, cruise, and health and safety procedures. Working with a professional travel agent can actually save you time and money. They know their products and destinations, which allow them to provide first-hand experience to their clients.

A luxury travel advisor creates itineraries tailored to their client’s needs, expectations, and budget while offering their experience and insight on cultures, traditions, laws, regulations, and the logistics of navigating the trip itself. By working with clients long before the trip begins, the luxury travel advisor can build a rapport that not only reduces stress but also increases satisfaction.

A managed travel program provides guidelines and tools for travel policy development, implementation, and oversight to help organizations manage risk and fulfill traveler duty of care requirements. Additional benefits include cost-savings strategies, streamlined processes for booking travel, data compilation and reporting tools, and dedicated traveler support.

When you partner with a travel management company, you are able to benefit from their buying power and discount programs as well as having them negotiate on your behalf based on your organization’s travel volume. You may also qualify for vendor-specific discounts or incentive programs.

Managing corporate travel in today’s ever-changing travel landscape can be challenging. Organizations can mitigate the difficulties of managing corporate travel by implementing traveler-friendly travel policies, providing easy booking options, and working with a travel management company to gain access to the tools and expertise that come from such a partnership.

Partnering with a travel management company (TMC) gives you access to money-saving airfare tracking and hotel rate monitoring, as well as real-time data and reporting tools that will make the most of your travel budget. Your TMC can also help negotiate specific rates with your preferred vendors and provide affiliate partnerships that offer other reduced rates and added benefits for your travelers. Here are additional ways to reduce corporate travel spend.

A travel management system provides corporate travel managers with the ability to holistically manage their entire corporate travel program with convenience and efficiency. Such a system provides tools to approve bookings, manage risk, track unused tickets, integrate travel policies, analyze business travel data and reporting, and more. It also provides access to corporate travel agents and/or online booking tools for making travel reservations.

The main difference between a travel agency and a travel management company is the level of service you can count on. While a travel agency can provide booking assistance and itineraries, a travel management company acts as a partner that provides solutions for the entirety of an organization’s corporate travel program. Some of these solutions include vendor negotiations, integrated technologies, risk management tools, special rates, data and reporting, and more. Here are some additional benefits of a corporate travel management company.

Booking and tracking travel creates myriad data. Travel management software needs to gather, align, and connect these data in one place, report on it in real time, and make it visible to you for analysis and immediate action. Being able to see your data story empowers your conversations, informs your travel policy decisions, supports your negotiations, and shows you how you are benefitting from your TMC partnership. Travel management software also directly provides or integrates with online bookings tools for convenient traveler access.

The main feature of travel management software is that it is a single platform that puts everything--your tools and analytics--in one place. It should also integrate with other industry-leading tools as well as the internal resources your travel program needs.

Travel management software is essential technology for corporate travel managers. It provides the digital tools needed to manage risk, unused tickets, travel policy, booking approvals, and travel spend. It should integrate seamlessly with other industry-leading apps and also provide easy, convenient online booking tools for travelers.

A business trip itinerary is a document (digital or printed) that provides details on flight, hotel, and car reservations. It may include links for online check-in, a detailed breakdown of rates, anticipated costs, company travel policies, and/or company specific instructions.

When booking a hotel for a business trip, you should consider the following things: (1) Safety of the location; (2) Convenience of location (distance from airport, distance to your meeting location, etc.); (3) The hotel’s services (on-site restaurants, meeting space, business center, room service, parking, etc.); (4) Your organization’s preferred programs and/or policies; (5) Your reward membership for any complimentary benefits.

Every organization with a travel program must consider their duty of care toward business travelers and identify their risk management plans. Corporate travel managers should build a travel program that emphasizes traveler safety and has the integrated technology needed to locate travelers around the world in real-time in the event of an emergency. Such technology should also employ communication tools to be able to verify safety and push notifications and information travelers need. Organizations might also consider partnering with an international health and security service firm if needed.

There is a wide array of possible interruptions that can occur when traveling for business. Organizations need to prioritize traveler well-being, identify their risk management plans, and partner with a travel management company that can provide both the 24/7 support and global resources to alleviate the frustrations that come from those trip interruptions.

Traveling abroad for work involves much more than an up-to-date passport. It is never too soon to prepare for a business trip abroad. However, working with a travel professional who has international expertise can ease the challenges of planning a successful trip. In addition to booking air travel and accommodations, they will be able to provide: -Information on documentation requirements based on the traveler’s passport origin and destination -Medical or vaccinations requirements -Recommendations for activities or cultural experiences -Helpful tips to adapt to cultural differences while traveling -Travel arrangements to and from hotels, airports, meetings, and corporate events -A knowledgeable point of contact for corporate travelers when questions arise Christopherson Business Travel excels in efficient business travel. From cost savings to overall program improvement, our advisors and travel management software make international travel more productive and rewarding for your business.

Every organization should identify and communicate their procedures for booking business travel. When doing so, be sure to consider the importance of integrating your travel policy with booking options and incorporating your pre-trip authorization and/or travel approval processes. It is also valuable to consider the entirety of the trip and outline any customizations and/or reporting needs you may require.

There are many ways to improve the business travel experience, but it begins with companies supporting the needs of their travelers from booking to homecoming. By providing easy booking options, integrating travel policies, and educating on risk management protocols, companies can ensure their travelers have access to the tools and information they need at every step of their trip. Here are additional ways to ensure the well-being of your business travelers and improve the business travel experience.

There are many types and reasons for business including relationship management, client engagement, trade shows, conferences, mergers and acquisitions, company events and retreats, education, infrastructure installation or maintenance, internal meetings, and more.

Virtual meetings are no substitute for in-person interaction. When you meet face to face and shake someone’s hand, you’re able to form a relationship. And when you form a relationship, you’re better able to accomplish your business goals. Business travel also allows companies to achieve a level of continuity across locations and teams.