Chrome River CURRENTS

If you have to travel for your job, you’re probably very aware of how important it is to keep track of your business mileage. You might think that you’re keeping a close eye on the miles, but you might actually be losing money on your travels. To make sure you don't get shortchanged on business mileage, there are a few things you can do to protect yourself.

The simplest method of tracking mileage is, of course, good old-fashioned pen and paper. Write down your car’s mileage when you start your trip and when you end it. Or leave yourself voicemails, or send yourself text messages. Of course, things get complicated if you have more than one destination or need to exclude portions of the trip that were not business related.

In today’s technologically advanced world, it seems there’s an automated answer for everything. Now, many business travelers use Google Maps to determine the mileage they have traveled. In fact, Chrome River EXPENSE includes Google Maps functionality for calculating mileage for expense-reimbursement purposes. Simply enter the starting and ending addresses for your trip, and Chrome River will automatically calculate how much you should be reimbursed, based on your organization’s rules. You can also calculate mileage between multiple destinations and exclude personal mileage, if necessary.

The key to making sure you don’t get shortchanged on business mileage is to keep accurate records. Whether you use a notepad, send a text message to yourself, leave a voicemail on your office phone, or let Chrome River’s Google Maps widget do the work, the important thing is that you make sure you have an accurate record. Doing this prevents problems during an in-house audit and provides useful information when travel budgets are being created for future use.

For casual travelers, the way airlines set fare prices can seem either arbitrary or a conspiracy that combines magic and higher mathematics. But fare prices do follow predictable trends, at least for corporate travel managers. This year, increased demand is expected to drive up airfares for business travelers.

Recently, I was reading BTN Group's 29th annual roundup of "The 25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives of 2012", which recognizes the executives who are shaping the future of the business travel industry. Call them "movers and shakers" or "power players" or "dealmakers"—these are the folks who are driving change, and their list of accomplishments is impressive indeed. 

No matter how pervasive conference calls and web meetings have become, sometimes there’s just no substitute for being there in person. But before you fasten your seat belts, business travelers, don’t forget that every dollar spent will be scrutinized by management, clients, et al. So, how do you ensure you’re getting the best bang for your business-travel buck without sacrificing the high level of service you need while traveling and working? Your best bet is to check with the experts: your fellow business travelers. You know you can rely on your peers because their war stories are just like yours. Do any of these sound familiar? You can probably add quite a few of your own!

For many business travelers, a typical business meal consists of an artery-clogging burger and fries at convenient airport pubs, or unappealing, dry and tasteless sandwiches available from refrigerated carts in gate corridors. We’ve found a few smartphone apps that can help you track down healthier, more preferable choices and breathe new life into your travel meal rituals.

Recently I had to self-impose an “unsubscribe” blitz on my emails in order to eliminate the continuous bombardment of reward card promotion and offer “spam” from hotels, airlines, supermarkets and  stores where I had taken the bait of signing up for the dream of accumulating points or miles.

Most of us already know that the United States Postal Service is in grave financial trouble due to people communicating more through email, and it is no surprise that runaway travel expenses are also contributing to their huge losses. The agency lost an estimated $16 billion last year, and part of that was more than $1 million in over payment of travel expenses. An expense system with automated expense controls, real-time receipt visibility, and built-in expense rules that are automatically enforced could have curtailed the majority of this abuse, helping to cut Postal Service costs.

Managing employee travel expenses can increase the productivity of your employees and can increase management’s visibility into expenses in a timely manner. Below are three ways to help control and manage your expense reporting process. 

You don’t have to travel every week to be considered a “road warrior.” Anyone who travels for business on a regular basis will probably agree with the following three tips. And if you are new to the traveling regimen, you might benefit from these nuggets of wisdom.

The tedious work of travel planning can make even the most excited employees groan in misery. The planning checklist for a business trip is much more involved than the average person may think.