INSIGHTS
Eight corporate traveller worries & how to help
Corporate travel has always had some element of balancing opportunity with challenge. On one hand, it’s a chance for people to connect face-to-face and drive growth. On the other, it comes with tight schedules, unfamiliar destinations, and disruptions that can quickly create stress.
In the past, travel stress was all part of the job. Now, traveller wellbeing is centre stage. And supporting employees on the road directly impacts duty of care, retention, and return on investment from corporate travel programmes. We sat down with the team to talk through common traveller concerns and how to proactively address them.
“Business travel can be rewarding, but it’s not always smooth sailing. The best travel programmes anticipate the little worries and put solutions in place before they become problems.” Maja Dulic, FCM Travel Operations Team Leader.
1. Flight disruptions and missed connections
Cancelled, delayed, or overbooked flights can derail the best-laid plans. A traveller flying home from New York faced such long delays heading home that he left his luggage behind to make a different connection organised by FCM.
“Corporate travel is all about time,” says Maja. “Travellers don’t want to waste hours waiting for the next flight or deal with the hassle of changing bookings. They want to make the most of their time whether that is on the way to a meeting or coming home to their family.”
Advice: Include flexible fare options in your programme, provide all travel details upfront and in one place, like a travel management tech tool, and ensure disruption notifications are real-time and come with clear instructions.
2. Accommodation options
Accommodation is growing source of worry. Budget-conscious programmes may lean on three-star properties, but quality, health and safety can’t be ignored.
An FCM Travel client recently saw health concern complaints spike at an in-policy property. This led to a global review and update to their hotel programme.
Advice: Review hotel programmes regularly for quality, safety, location, and suitability, listen to your traveller’s formal and anecdotal feedback. Duty of care is just as important as budget.
3. Unfamiliar and unsafe destinations
Visas, language barriers, safe transport, and leaving the hotel at night create an element of the unknown and risk. “Safety is a major concern in certain regions,” says Maja. “Hotels need to be vetted, transfers pre-booked, and policies in place for emergencies. That reassurance makes travellers feel protected.”
Advice: Monitor destination specific requirements, pre-arrange transfers, and make emergency instructions accessible.
A FCM mining client regularly sends staff from Australia to Democratic Republic of Congo. These trips are only possible with strict safety protocols and working closely with FCM’s travel team. One secure hotel, pre-booked transfers, insurance, 24/7 monitoring, and local security escorts are included with every booking. Without this, the travel doesn’t happen.
4. Commitments at home
Childcare, pet care, household responsibilities, and appointments don’t pause because someone has a work trip. We see this issue pop up often on Fridays. Recently, a traveller was stuck in traffic on the way to the airport and called FCM’s afterhours team in a panic. His fare wasn’t flexible, but he needed to be home that night for family commitments. The team rebooked him onto a later, flexible flight, giving him breathing space to get home.
Advice: Communicate planned trips or changes early, provide flexible travel options, particularly around weekends, and allow travellers to make the call if changes are needed.
5. Booking complexity and policy changes
For infrequent travellers, navigating multiple platforms, fare rules, or conflicting policies can be overwhelming. But for seasoned travellers, frustration often comes from sudden policy changes.
Advice: Policies should be clear and accessible. Provide a centralised online travel booking tool and invest in features that can help guide people to make the right choices.
“My biggest advice is, communication,” says Maja. “We had one client change its policy at a global level without telling local teams. Imagine a traveller used to business class suddenly being told they must fly economy without explanation. It creates stress and frustration that could have been avoided.”
6. Wellbeing on the road
Broken sleep, irregular meals, out of routine, and long stretches in transit quickly take a toll. "Wellness has become more important than ever. Travellers want hotels with gyms or pools so they can keep their routine. We’re even see companies extend trips by a night or two, so travellers aren’t cramming flights and meetings."
Advice: Schedule realistic layovers, prioritise wellness-friendly hotels, provide guidance maintaining healthy habits while travelling, and consider bleisure.
7. Everyday concerns and preferences
Often, it’s the “little things” that weigh heaviest. What time to leave for the airport, how to claim expenses, what to pack, where to sit, and whether dietaries will be met. Maja explains, "Most travellers aren’t lying awake thinking about natural disasters or extreme events. They’re thinking about the practical stuff, like will their schedule hold, what to wear, how much sleep they’ll get, and what happens if their flight is cancelled. Focusing on these everyday concerns goes a long way in protecting mental wellbeing and productivity in your travellers."
Advice: Spell out the basics and make it easy. Clear expense rules, travel times built into itineraries, and simple checklists for packing. Store preferences in traveller profiles and keep in mind who the traveller is.
8. Points and perks
And then there are the loyalty points. For many, status credits and upgrades are a main priority.
"The biggest worry of all is airline or hotel points. I’ve seen travellers book ten months of travel during airline promotion periods just to lock them in and gain extra points and credits.”
Advice: Keep preferred airline and hotel partnerships visible in booking channels, allow choice, and double check loyalty numbers are stored in traveller profiles, so points aren’t missed.
Building a traveller-first culture
Travellers’ needs vary by experience, role, and destination. First-timers may worry about the basics, frequent travellers crave routine, VIPs expect seamless journeys, and almost everyone cares about points.
“Communication and partnership with your travel management company is essential,” adds Maja. “If travel managers have a close relationship with their provider and traveller needs are shared, these worries go away.”
It also pays to think beyond the work trip. As part of one client’s ongoing commitment to employee engagement and retention, this company worked with FCM to give employees access to exclusive corporate discounts through its preferred hotel program, enabling employees and their families to book accommodation at a reduced rate for personal travel, too.
By offering these benefits, we’re promoting a healthier work-life balance, and enhancing the overall employee experience. - Category Specialist, Mining equipment company.
And finally, consider your own travel habits. When you jet off somewhere for work or play, what do you think about first and what makes you feel prepared and supported?
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