COVID-19

Tips for corporate travel managers

Due to the effect COVID-19 has had all around the world business travel will need to change going forward.

DP&L Travel Management has put together steps your business should take before sending your travellers back out into the world of travel.

Updating your companies travel policy

Booking within your current travel policy may not be possible at the moment, in order to make business travel safe for all at the moment.   Changes as such the below may need to change –

• Country restrictions are every changing, resulting in last minute bookings being made.
• May want to make bookings a little bit more flexibility in their policies, resulting in trips with higher costs.
• Only using certain suppliers that you recognise as COVID safe

Insurance Policy will cover COVID Travel

Check with your current prover if they will provide cover if you have employees travelling.   As most insurance providers will not cover if you are travelling when the FCO advises not too.   Need to ensure that they cover for cancellation prior to departure if travellers are unable to go due to catching COVID-19 or medical cover if you have travellers oversea and catch COVID-19.

Defining what essential travel is to your business

Defining what is essential travel to your business is unique, but an issue that must be address and communicated to all in your company.

Travelling vs Zoom Calls

Linked to defining what is essential travel, establishing whether or not this meeting could take place on video conferencing platforms such as Zoom.   We understand that selling face to face is so effective, but due to the pandemic we need to establish essential travel.

Ever changing country entry requirements

Very tricky aspect to content with at the moment, one day borders are open and next they are closed.  It makes planning business trips that.   Keep checking on Scottish Government and FCO websites for updates.

Employee Confidence

From recent market research employee confidence is one of the biggest issues to content with when looking at starting your company’s travel again.   From the research a lot depends on age, location of travel, and personal circumstances such as health reasons and family.   Make sure employees concerns are listened to and addressed accordingly.  Speak to travellers when they return from their trip and ask for their experience and share this with staff to boost confidence.

Duty of Care Requirements

Partly linked to travel policy, making sure procedures are in place and understand by staff and they follow them.

If you don’t have a traveller tracking system in place may want to think about this, as it is a great way to locate travellers in case of any country lockdowns, natural disasters or terrorist attacks.

Also if you use a travel management company ensure your travellers our aware of the emergency out of hours service and contact details, which are available to them 24/7.

What DP&L Travel Management can do to help?

DP&L Travel Management will work with you and your team to be your COVID-19 travel partner.   From helping you build, amend your travel policy or provide guidance on what is essential travel.   And keep you regularly updated with the latest travel information.   As well as other key factors - 

Booking offline with experienced consultants

Our experienced travel consultants will work alongside you from the very first enquiry until your traveller arrives back home from their trip and everything in between ensuring safe and efficient travel.     Keep you up to date on the latest schedule changes and cancellations the airlines have put in place with your booking.

Instant access to FCO and overseas government advice

DP&L Travel Management is regularly updated on the latest industry, FCO and overseas government advice and policies and will update your team accordingly.

Traveller Tracking and assistance – duty of care management

DP&L Travel Management can provide you wish a number of tools to enhance your duty of care policy to your travellers.   Two of the main tools would be traveller tracking tool allowing your team to search by traveller names, location, suppliers, flight numbers, hotels and FCO.   PAs or bookers of a number of travellers can create groups so they can see all the bookings in one place.

Our 24/7 emergency out of hours service which is serviced by our very own travel consultants are on hand to support your travellers wherever they are in the world no matter the time of day.