Business trips can enrich your team’s professional experience and help them to learn about different cultures. In the pandemic, all travel was grounded in the UK, and the business industry used video calls to communicate. However, business travel has changed, and employees need to be aware of the current restrictions.
Fortunately, business travel is starting to remerge so companies can hold international conferences and meet with other organisations.
If you oversee booking company business trips, there is much more to consider and prepare for now. Here are a few things to remember when booking an international business trip in the post-pandemic era.
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Stay updated
Restrictions are constantly changing from country to country. Stay on top of these changes in the UK and any countries your organisation is currently travelling to. Keep an eye on the traffic light system in the UK and watch out for any big changes with quarantine and vaccination regulations.
Alternatively, you could stick to travel within the UK for the time being. For example, your team could catch a train from Wakefield to Doncaster to visit another branch of the organisation and return home in the same day.
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Make an Action Plan
Restriction changes happen overnight in some countries. It’s nerve-wracking to travel in such unprecedented times. You need to prepare an action plan for every scenario.
For example, you need a plan for if a country goes into lockdown when your employee is working there. Outline a detailed action plan on how you will handle the situation and make your business travellers aware of these plans.
Use Flexible Tickets
Flexible bookings and tickets are fairly common in the travel industry now. Most airlines offer flexible tickets, so you can cancel or reschedule if new restrictions come into place. Each airline has different policies, so make sure to read the fine print. Aim to find accommodation in the destination with a free cancellation policy.
Business travellers risk losing a lot of money if their trip gets cancelled because of a pandemic or another emergency. Invest in business travel insurance to keep your company covered against changes and cancellations.
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Communicate with those Travelling
Companies should be more mindful of who they send abroad to international meetings. Team members with young children or more personal responsibilities may be more apprehensive about travelling abroad. They may be away for weeks at a time, with quarantine periods at either end of the trip. Communicate with your team and only send people abroad if they are comfortable with it. Your team’s well-being is far more important than a business trip.
Remember – you can use technology to communicate internationally if business travel feels too risky at the moment.