Corporate travel programs are under growing scrutiny as organizations look for greater efficiency, visibility, and accountability in every area of spend. The travel policy sits at the center of that effort—but in many cases, it hasn’t kept pace with how employees actually plan and manage their trips. When policies are outdated, underutilized, or misaligned with traveler behavior, the impact goes well beyond administrative inconvenience, resulting in avoidable costs, compliance gaps, duty-of-care risks, and frustrated employees.
As companies refine their strategies, travel managers are re-examining the foundations of their programs. And across the industry, certain errors surface again and again. Understanding these eight common mistakes—and how to correct them—can transform both traveler experience and program performance.
One of the most pervasive issues is simply outdated documentation. Many travel policies were built for pre-pandemic travel patterns or pre-modern booking technology. A surprising number still reference processes or suppliers that no longer exist.
And the problem isn't just archaic wording. Old policies often fail to address the growing mix of remote and hybrid workers, evolving airline distribution models, or new expectations around flexibility.
“We still see organizations using travel policies drafted five or six years ago,” Carol Del Giudice, a Christopherson account executive, explained. “The way people work, travel, and book has changed dramatically, and the policy needs to change with it.”
Regular annual reviews, paired with a cross-functional advisory group, can help keep policies current. Many travel programs now incorporate agile language—guidelines that anticipate evolving technologies and traveler expectations rather than locking rigid rules into place.
Even when policies are updated, many fall into another trap: they’re too long, too dense, or too confusing for the average traveler.
A 40-page PDF filled with technical jargon and exceptions is almost guaranteed to be ignored. Yet companies often assume their employees will read and absorb every line. In reality, most travelers only look at the policy when a problem occurs, and even then, they may struggle to find clear answers.
“If travelers can’t quickly understand what’s required of them, they’re not going to comply—even with the best intentions,” Del Giudice noted.
The shift across mature travel programs is toward simplification. This includes using searchable digital formats instead of PDFs, embedding policy guidance directly into booking tools, and creating short “traveler-facing” versions that summarize key rules while keeping detailed documentation available for administrators.
A travel policy is more than a list of approved suppliers. It’s also a strategic tool, but many organizations write policies in a vacuum, without connecting them to broader company objectives like sustainability, cost optimization, traveler satisfaction, or employee well-being.
For example, a company that has made public sustainability commitments may still neglect to steer its travelers toward lower-emission airlines or encourage rail travel on short-haul routes. Companies investing heavily in employee wellness may fail to provide reasonable rest-before-meetings guidance or visibility into workload stress for frequent travelers.
Corporate initiatives such as DEI, sustainability, workforce retention, and financial targets should shape policy content. Without this alignment, a travel program becomes reactive rather than strategic.
A travel policy is only effective if travelers follow it. Yet compliance challenges remain widespread. While some companies assume non-compliance stems from defiance, most data suggests it results from confusion, inconvenient processes, or a lack of incentives.
“When companies come to us with compliance concerns, the first thing we look at is whether the policy is actually easy to follow,” Del Giudice explained. “If the approved channels or suppliers aren’t intuitive, travelers naturally look elsewhere.”
Common barriers include:
Moving toward proactive compliance—guiding the traveler during booking, rather than admonishing them afterward—helps reduce friction. For many organizations, that means leaning into tools with AI-assisted policy prompts, automatic fare comparisons, and configurable approval workflows. Embedding small snippets of policy throughout the booking process keeps travelers informed without overwhelming them.
Ultimately, enforcement alone won’t solve compliance gaps. Programs perform best when policies are transparent, inclusive, and built around the traveler experience. When employees understand the “why,” see personal value in the program, and feel supported in their individual needs, compliance becomes a natural outcome, not a forced requirement.
As travel risks grow more complex—from geopolitical instability to climate-driven disruptions—duty of care must be central to every travel policy. Yet many organizations still bury risk protocols in lengthy documents or rely on outdated emergency procedures.
A major oversight is failing to define where travelers are in a remote and hybrid work environment. When employees depart from multiple home bases, gaps can emerge in insurance coverage, travel authorization, and communication—especially if trips are booked outside approved channels.
Policies should clearly outline responsibilities before, during, and after travel for both travelers and managers. This includes risk-based pre-trip approval, incident response protocols, and integrated traveler-tracking technology. Just as important are practical safeguards that support travelers in real time.
As Del Giudice noted, simple measures can significantly strengthen a duty-of-care framework. Most TMCs can include emergency contact information directly on the traveler’s itinerary, ensuring immediate access to support when it matters most. Policies should also clearly address visa and passport requirements. Without defined accountability for documentation, companies risk last-minute disruptions, missed meetings, and unnecessary costs.
Effective duty of care is proactive and visible, not buried in fine print. It should be embedded throughout the booking process and reflected in every stage of the traveler’s journey.
The rise of blended business and leisure trips has introduced new challenges. Without explicit policy language, companies may inadvertently encourage risky behavior or create reimbursement disputes.
Key questions often go unanswered:
“Bleisure isn’t going away. In fact, it’s growing,” Del Giudice said. “Companies need clear rules so travelers understand what’s allowed and what’s not, and so the company is protected from unnecessary liability.”
Many organizations now include dedicated bleisure sections in their policies, outlining cost-sharing rules, insurance limitations, and required approvals.
While flexibility is important, too many exceptions can erode the integrity of a travel program. When executives or frequent travelers receive special accommodations without documentation, or when managers routinely approve out-of-policy bookings, it sends a message that the rules are optional.
Over time, this leads to escalating costs, reporting blind spots, and inequities that impact morale.
The solution is to formalize exceptions. Programs should define:
A transparent framework keeps the policy fair while accommodating legitimate needs.
Even the best travel policy will fail without education. Many organizations rely solely on onboarding sessions or occasional email reminders to communicate policy updates.
But training should be continuous and multi-channel. Effective programs use:
Travel policies are living documents, and traveler education should evolve alongside them.
“You can never overcommunicate about travel policy,” Del Giudice said.
The strongest corporate travel programs are built on clarity, consistency, and support. Avoiding common policy mistakes can reduce travel spend, improve traveler satisfaction, and strengthen duty-of-care protections—but it takes ongoing engagement, not a one-time rewrite.
“Travel policies work best when they’re practical, transparent, and aligned with the realities of how people travel today,” said Del Giudice. “When you involve travelers, managers, and your TMC in shaping the policy, it becomes a tool everyone can rely on instead of something they work around.”
That involvement should be intentional. Leading organizations gather feedback from the groups most impacted by travel requirements through targeted surveys—executive assistants managing complex itineraries, executives with unique needs, sales and marketing teams coordinating group travel, and frequent road warriors. Each group experiences the policy differently, and their input often surfaces friction points leadership may miss.
Roundtable discussions add another layer of insight, giving stakeholders space to raise recurring challenges, clarify expectations, and align on shared goals. These conversations often lead to practical improvements, from refining approval thresholds and preferred supplier messaging to simplifying expense guidelines.
Equally important is stakeholder buy-in before major policy changes. Structured meetings prior to rollout help secure support from internal influencers, increasing the likelihood that updates are understood, adopted, and championed across teams.
For organizations planning their next update, the path forward is clear: prioritize simplicity, strategy, and traveler experience. Policies should evolve with business goals and workforce realities. When companies treat policy development as an ongoing dialogue rather than a static document, they build programs that drive compliance, support well-being, and reinforce broader organizational objectives.
In a competitive environment where talent retention, cost control, and resilience all matter, getting the travel policy right is strategic—not just administrative.
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