How To Guides

The How to guides help travel program managers and business travelers navigate the ins and outs of traveling for work. From packing and preparing for trips to booking, budgeting and managing expenses, our guides cover a range of topics to help make business travel as seamless and successful as possible.

Latest guides

How to keep points, miles and rewards safe from scammers

Imagine getting ready to use the hotel points or airline miles you collected for years only to find they are gone. We’ve seen it happen.

read more »

How to guide to building a robust hotel program

Start managing your company’s hotel bookings easier and better. It will help you save hotel costs and keep your travelers productive, safe and comfortable while on the road.

read more »

How to reduce burdens on patient travelers and caregivers

For someone living with acute or chronic illness, travel can seem daunting, especially if the person is taking a trip to address their health. The BCD Life Sciences Center of Excellence (LSCOE) partners with organizations to offer solutions that reduce burdens on patient travelers and their caregivers.

read more »

How to help make business trips better for neurodivergent travelers

Under the best circumstances, traveling for work can be stressful. For neurodivergent business travelers, the added sights, sounds, crowds, delays, or routine changes can make trips even harder. Understanding and finding ways to support neurodivergent travelers helps build and strengthen inclusive environments. Below are some considerations for introducing awareness, education and accommodations into a managed travel program.

read more »

How to pack for business trips with just a carry-on

Traveling with a single piece of luggage can save time and stress – and can even be good for the environment. Getting everything you need for business trips into a carry-on may take some practice, but will make your life easier.

read more »

How to manage bad weather and business trips

Business travelers need to keep working even when the weather isn’t great. These tips might help.

read more »

A well-dressed woman wearing tinted glasses checks a phone as she walks down the street.

5 ways to make your traveler communications digitally accessible

Use alternative text, color contrast, captioning, and multiple content formats to meet travelers’ various needs.

read more »

8 ways to play it safer with social media on business and personal trips

We’ve all seen the reels and pictures from travelers posting their passports, airline tickets, and hotel rooms. Sure, the artistic snaps are great for followers, but hackers, bad actors and other ill-intentioned individuals can wreak havoc using information from seemingly harmless posts.

read more »

5 ways buyers and travel managers can deal with airfares and inflation

Soaring airfares are an unexpected effect of pandemic recovery. Prices are now above pre-pandemic levels. Advito research shows fares from Europe, North America and Asia are currently up about 15% on intercontinental flights in the business cabin compared to the second quarter of 2022. Economy cabin fares are also increasing, especially from Asia and the Southwest Pacific (more than 30% compared to 2022 for domestic, regional and intercontinental markets).

read more »

Risk management and safety tips for travel to high-risk destinations

8 ways to prepare for travel to a high-risk destination

Travelers face threats each time they travel but trips to high-risk destinations increase the chances that an incident may occur. Proper preparation can make the difference between a successful trip and a stressful one. BCD’s Global Crisis Management team suggests these eight ways to prepare for travel to a high-risk destination.

read more »

6 tips to fight inflation in your hotel program

The hotel industry looks different after a few tough years. New hotels open as fast as others close. Demand is on the rise and finding staff is difficult. Everything is more expensive, including the goods, services and operations needed to keep hotels running. Inflation is climbing – and your hotel program won’t remain unscathed. Here are six tips to help you beat rising costs.

read more »

How to get ready for international business trips

Planning to travel internationally for business? Read these tips for managing visas and passports, vaccines, testing requirements, currency exchange and more.

read more »

4 ways to tackle business travel program data

How to transform data into actionable insights that help you make good business decisions for your managed travel program.

read more »

How to make sure your hotel sourcing strategy works for you and your travelers

After two years of abnormal travel activity, planning your 2023 transient hotel program may seem intimidating. Here are four ways to make sure it isn’t.

read more »

How to stay cyber secure while traveling

Staying cyber secure in a world where we’re constantly connected can be a bit tricky, but it's not impossible.

read more »

How to be good to your pets when you’re traveling for business

(Yes, this is a real blog article from BCD Travel. No, we’re not kidding. But we are having fun.)

read more »

How to get the most out of a business travel convention

We asked some BCD Travel convention veterans how to make the most of a show experience. Their advice: make a plan, step outside your comfort zone, enjoy the festivities (but not too much) and rest.

read more »

How to manage bleisure travel requests

Here’s a short guide to help you manage requests for personal travel extensions during business trips.

read more »

How to introduce diversity, equity and inclusion into your business travel program

The business travel industry is showing increased interest in DE&I, but it's slow to take action. BCD Travel's SVP of Diversity & Inclusion shares 4 practical ways travel managers can integrate DE&I into business travel programs.

read more »

How to beat jet lag: Help for business travelers

Flying halfway across the world can affect your business travelers’ wellbeing and productivity, especially if they’re new to long trips or just resuming them following a travel hiatus. While there’s no easy way to beat jet lag, there are a few things travel teams can do to help ease traveler journeys.

read more »

How to spring clean your business travelers’ profiles

Spring cleaning isn't just for your garage. Now is the time to give your traveler profile database a good scrub down. Updating traveler profile information should happen at least annually. This will require action from travelers and travel managers.

read more »

How to write a travel policy

When it’s time to travel for business, employees need to know what’s allowed, when to book, what supplier to book – and most importantly, why. A well-crafted travel policy provides a consistent, safe, managed and cost-controlled framework that leads to wise travel decisions. Here’s the BCD Travel guide to writing a travel policy for your program.

read more »

How to build surveys business travelers will actually take

Asking business travelers what they think is an effective way to get the insights you need to build a strong travel program or improve policies already in place. One of the simplest ways to capture traveler voices? A survey.

read more »

Travel managers, here’s what you should do about unused tickets

Managing unused tickets and spend isn't easy, but it is achievable. Here's what you can do to make sure few or no unused tickets are left behind.

read more »

See all our resources.

Visit our business travel management resources page. Here, you'll find a variety of tools and information to help you plan and manage your company's business travel.