MYSTERY BUYER


WIDENING THE M


ANY OF MY TRAVEL INDUSTRY COLLEAGUES don’t like the term “bleisure travel” and are trying to think of another name. But the name is not the point; the fact is that company travellers are increasingly loving the idea of tacking on a holiday to their business trips. We all know that when you travel to a new destination for a long, boring business meeting, it’s very rare that we see much of the “outside world”. I remember well my first-ever travel conference. I was new to the industry, and had been a travel manager for one month! The venue was Marbella, and the nice five-star hotel was on the beach with various events being held in rooms overlooking the Mediterranean. Unfor- tunately, we never made it to the beach. What was this travel industry all about, I wondered at the time; we were in a great location, but saw none of it. Well, that was 20 years ago, and times are changing with travel managers


today


frequently being asked


for “add-on holidays”.


There are many advan- tages to this type of request and activ- ity, not least from a sustain-


able travel angle. Bleisure ticks the green box as extra holiday flights are combined with the business trip. However, while my organisation embraces bleisure as a concept, we obviously need a framework around it.


buyingbusinesstravel.com


BANDWIDTH


I’ve been tasked with building a ‘bleisure’ policy – what have I missed?


COMBINING BUSINESS AND PERSONAL TRAVEL My guidelines so far have included the points below


being added to our travel policy: n All travel activities shall be conducted in a manner


that gives priority to business purposes. n Any request that combines business and personal travel shall not lead to additional cost for the company, for example, a later return from the destination due to personal reasons is not permitted. However, a change of location (origin/destination/stopover) may be permitted for personal reasons, but must remain exceptional and requires upfront


IT’S VERY


RARE THAT WE SEE MUCH OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD


agreement by the line manager. n In a combination of business and private travel, the travel agency must be contacted


before booking. n The price difference at the time of booking must be documented by the traveller and the


line manager. n In case of private extensions to a trip, only the business-related part can be booked through the company tools and processes


and be claimed for reimbursement. n A combination of business and personal travel within a country where the general risk is classified as medium, high, or extreme by


company security is forbidden. n Combining business and personal travel


may have tax and social security implications. Such impact has to be checked by the traveller with the


entity tax department before booking the trip. n The “personal part” of the business travel is not covered by the company’s insurance. The traveller must contract with their own personal insurance provider to ensure coverage for the bleisure portion of the trip. We are happy for employees to mix business with pleasure but there must be rules and guidelines on bleisure travel – hopefully our travel policy won’t dampen their spirits.


2019 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 45


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120