The corporate travel policy template for people who hate rules
Yes, you can set boundaries without sounding like a schoolteacher
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{Alt text: Scrabble squares positioned on a windowsill that read ‘RULES’.}
Travelling for work should feel straightforward: book the train, grab a hotel, keep the receipts. In reality, it can be a lot more chaotic.
One person sneaks in a first-class upgrade, another books a hotel miles from the meeting and someone else comes back with a crumpled wad of receipts for “miscellaneous expenses” (whatever that means). Cue eye-rolls from finance and sighs from managers.
That’s why corporate travel policies exist. Not to police who’s drinking a £3 coffee at the station, but to set clear boundaries that save money, keep people safe and make travel less of a headache for everyone.
And with travel volumes climbing again – Deloitte predicts US companies’ spend will exceed pre-pandemic levels by 2024 – there’s more pressure than ever to keep that spend visible and under control. A live, well-designed policy goes beyond being tedious admin; it’s how businesses avoid sliding back into the old chaos of unmanaged travel.
Coming up: What a travel policy is, what it should include, the mistakes to avoid and a free corporate travel policy template to use as a starting point.
Table of contents
What is a corporate travel policy?
Say “policy” and most people picture pages of small print; something HR emails out once a year that nobody reads. But a corporate travel policy, when it’s done properly, is less about rules and more about trust. It’s a framework that leads to fewer frantic calls from the airport, fewer rejected claims later and a lot less back-and-forth between travellers and finance.
Why companies with strong policies outperform
Businesses that treat travel policies as a tick-box exercise miss the point. A good policy allows finance teams to forecast with accuracy instead of guessing, HR teams to demonstrate they’re serious about duty of care and employees to get on with the job without dithering over whether that hotel is “too nice” or if the taxi counts as a business expense.
It also signals culture. If your policy quietly suggests that employees should take the last train home after a 14-hour day to save on a hotel, people notice. If it instead builds in rest and safety, people notice that too – and the latter builds loyalty faster than any offsite retreat.
The hidden costs of going without
Picture three employees headed to the same client meeting.
- One books the Premier Inn next to the office.
- Another grabs the only boutique hotel with rooms left the night before.
- The third stays with a friend on the other side of town and submits a taxi bill bigger than both hotel stays combined.
Back at HQ, finance is staring at three different expense reports and wondering how to explain the variance in this month’s board pack.
That kind of inconsistency is expensive, not just in pounds and euros, but in time and trust. Without clear guidelines, employees make their best guess. And “best” often means “fastest,” which is rarely the cheapest or safest option.
What your corporate travel policy should include
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{Alt text: Businessmen Enjoying Beachfront View at Sunset.}
No two businesses travel in exactly the same way, but the best policies tend to share the same DNA. They cover the essentials without being heavy-handed, they answer the obvious questions before they’re asked, and they strike a balance between control and common sense.
Below, we’ve broken down the core building blocks of a corporate travel policy, with some practical notes on why each matters.
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The basics every policy needs
Scope & purpose
This is your opening statement: who the policy applies to and why it exists. Keep it short, plain-spoken, and aligned to company values. Is this for all employees, contractors or just those travelling more than a certain distance? Are you setting expectations purely for cost control, or also for safety and wellbeing? Framing it clearly prevents the awkward “does this apply to me?” conversations later.
Booking process
Mystery bookings are the bane of finance teams. Your policy should set out how employees make reservations, which platforms are approved and who has final sign-off. The more you consolidate into one place, the less admin you create for everyone else. There’s a hard cost angle too: analysis by Airlines Reporting Corporation found international flights booked 60 days ahead saved around 10%. A policy that nudges travellers to book earlier is one of the simplest ways to avoid runaway costs.
Expense guidelines
Here’s where you set the red lines. Spell out what’s in-policy (flights, hotels, taxis, daily meals) and what’s not (room service splurges, minibar raids, or Friday night cocktails with old friends). Don’t drown employees in detail; a handful of clear examples goes further than a spreadsheet of exclusions. The goal is to remove grey areas so no one is left wondering whether that almond croissant counts as breakfast or a “personal snack”.
Key travel categories to cover
Accommodation
Hotels can be a minefield: one employee chooses a roadside motel, another picks the five-star spa. Set standards around safety, distance from the workplace or meeting, and cost caps by city or country. Rather than naming specific hotels, frame your policy around principles: mid-range, business-class properties within X miles of the site, booked through Y platform. That gives clarity without being restrictive.
Transport
Mystery bookings are the bane of finance teams. Your policy should set out how employees make reservations, which platforms are approved and who has final sign-off. The more you consolidate into one place, the less admin you create for everyone else. There’s a hard cost angle too: analysis by Airlines Reporting Corporation found international flights booked 60 days ahead saved around 10%. A policy that nudges travellers to book earlier is one of the simplest ways to avoid runaway costs.
Meals & incidentals
Nothing causes more grumbling than meal allowances. Set daily per-diems or maximums per meal, and be explicit about alcohol. Some companies allow one drink with dinner, others none at all. Either way, ambiguity is where policies unravel. Include smaller “incidentals” too: coffees, bottled water, airport snacks. These feel trivial but they add up – and employees like to know what’s covered.
Extras
Wi-Fi, parking, laundry, gym access – they sound minor, but they’re often the difference between a smooth trip and a frustrating one. Decide upfront whether these are reasonable business expenses or personal perks. Many companies allow Wi-Fi and parking, but draw the line at £20/day gym passes. State it clearly and save the back-and-forth later.
Compliance & safety
Duty of care
Your policy should explain how the company tracks travel (through booking platforms, emergency contact info or check-ins) and what support is in place if something goes wrong, including what to do during medical emergencies, natural disasters or simply a delayed train leaving someone stranded.
Insurance
This is where you answer practical questions: What insurance cover does the company provide? Who’s the contact in case of a claim? Do employees need to arrange their own top-up cover if they’re extending the trip for leisure? Clear, accessible answers prevent stressful guesswork when problems arise.
Travel policy integration
The smartest policies don’t live in a PDF; they’re integrated into booking systems so employees get real-time nudges. For example: “This hotel is £30 over the nightly cap… are you sure?” Technology is what keeps policies alive instead of gathering dust.
The human side
Flexibility for travellers
A policy that reads like penny-pinching backfires. Build in enough flexibility so people feel trusted to make sensible decisions. That might mean allowing hotel upgrades if a site visit runs over two weeks or approving premium train tickets if it avoids a 4am departure. And it’s not just hypothetical – behaviour is shifting. The bleisure travel market is forecast to grow at over 12% annually through 2030, reaching more than USD 2.3 trillion in value. If your policy doesn’t account for blended trips that combine work and leisure, it risks looking out of step with how people actually travel today.
Mental health & wellbeing on the road
Business travel can be exhausting: back-to-back meetings, late-night trains, jet lag. Your policy should encourage rest – consider daily limits on driving hours, or mandatory hotel stays instead of “last train home”. A company that protects wellbeing on the road sends a clear cultural signal: we value people as much as balance sheets.
How to avoid “policing” tone
Finally, the language. Too many policies sound like school detention slips. Instead of “Employees must not…” try “We ask employees to…” Swap “prohibited” for “out of scope”. Frame rules as enablers, not punishments. The tone matters as much as the content, and it’s the difference between compliance and quiet rebellion.
Common mistakes in corporate travel policies
Even the best intentions can produce policies that don’t quite work in practice. Here are four common traps and how to avoid them.
✗ Too strict (rules no one follows)
It’s tempting to write a policy that covers every possible scenario, right down to the size of the sandwich at the train station. But when policies feel like punishment, employees stop engaging. They’ll skim, roll their eyes and then book what they want anyway. The outcome? Compliance plummets and finance is still chasing rogue receipts.
Example: a company bans all taxi use to “save costs”. The reality: Employees end up booking airport transfers through ride-hailing apps at twice the price – and still file them as taxis. A strict rule becomes an expensive loophole. |
✗ Too vague (finance team still suffers)
On the flip side, a vague policy is no policy at all. “Keep travel reasonable” might sound empowering, but in practice it just shifts the problem onto finance. What’s “reasonable” to one employee is a three-star chain near the office; to another, it’s a boutique hotel with spa access. Without clear boundaries, inconsistency reigns and reconciliation becomes guesswork.
Example: a policy says “expenses must be submitted promptly” but doesn’t define what “promptly” means. Some employees file within a week; others submit a backlog six months later, right before year-end reporting. Cue chaos. |
✗ Forgetting the people using it
Travel policies are written for employees, but too often they read like they’re written about them. They’re full of formal language, legalese, or restrictions that feel out of touch with reality. If the policy doesn’t account for what it’s actually like to live on trains, in airports or in budget hotels, employees will ignore it.
Example: “Reimbursement for subsistence expenditure will only be authorised upon provision of an original, itemised paper receipt”. That kind of wording only confuses the people it’s meant to help. A better line? “We’ll cover meals up to £20 per head if you provide a receipt – digital copies are fine”. |
✗ Never updating it (policies written in 2010 ≠ today)
Travel evolves. Remote work has changed where people go, sustainability is influencing how companies travel and digital booking tools make the process smoother than ever. A policy written in 2010 won’t mention ridesharing, split train tickets or climate commitments – but employees will notice. Outdated policies signal neglect and can even make a company look careless about duty of care.
Example: a policy still instructs staff to fax receipts to head office. Fax. In 2025. |
How to write your own corporate travel policy
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{Alt text: A man and woman dressed smartly, carrying takeaway coffee cups.}
Policies don’t write themselves, and borrowing one from the business next door rarely works. The most effective policies are tailored to your business: your budgets, your culture, your people. Here’s a five-step process to get it right.
Step 1: Zoom in on your priorities
First of all, ask: what’s the point of this policy for us?
For some businesses, cost control is top of the list. A construction firm sending dozens of engineers across the country each week might prioritise keeping hotel rates consistent to protect project margins.
For others, safety and wellbeing take centre stage. A consultancy firm flying staff long-haul could decide that rest days, safe transport and 24/7 support matter more than shaving £30 off a hotel bill.
Increasingly, companies also set sustainability goals – for example, encouraging train travel over short-haul flights where feasible.
Write down your top three objectives. They might look like:
- “Control spend, protect employee safety and cut admin time”
- “Prioritise wellbeing, support sustainability and keep it fair across offices”
These priorities become your backbone. They help you decide whether to allow first-class rail, how to set hotel caps and how flexible to be on meals. Skip this step, and you’ll have a policy that looks tidy on paper but fails the real-world test.
Step 2: Gather input from finance, HR and travellers themselves
Policies designed behind closed doors rarely survive first contact with the real world. Finance knows where spending spirals, HR knows the company’s legal and wellbeing responsibilities, and travellers know which rules are realistic when you’re juggling delays, late nights or site visits. Leave any of these voices out, and you’ll end up with a policy that looks neat on paper but collapses in practice.
Input doesn’t need to mean months of consultation. A short survey or workshop can uncover blind spots: “Meal allowances don’t stretch in London airports” or “The approval process slows us down when we need to book same-day travel”.
Step 3: Ditch the jargon and talk like a human
A policy isn’t useful if no one can understand it. Too many are written like legal disclaimers: long sentences, formal phrases and references no one uses in daily life. By page 2, employees have tuned out and will inevitably end up making their own rules.
Instead, write the way you’d explain it out loud. Swap “utilisation of rail transport is encouraged where feasible” for “take the train where you can – it’s often cheaper and greener”. Replace “accommodation expenditure must be commensurate with market norms” with “book a mid-range business hotel, not the five-star spa”.
Clarity ultimately builds trust. It removes grey areas that cause arguments later and saves time for everyone, from the traveller at the booking stage to finance at month-end. And the easier it is to read, the more likely it is to be followed.
Think about how and where employees will use your policy. Can they check the hotel allowance from their phone in a taxi queue? Can they find the meal cap without scrolling through 20 pages? If not, it’s time to edit.
Step 4: Share, train, explain
A travel policy only works if people know it exists and understand why the rules are there. Simply emailing a PDF won’t cut it. Launch it like you would any new system: walk teams through the key points, answer questions and give context.
For example, if you’ve set a £120 hotel cap, explain the rationale: “That rate covers most mid-range business hotels in the cities we travel to”. Linking rules to logic makes them feel fair, not arbitrary.
Go further by giving employees usable tools: a one-page quick guide, a searchable intranet page or short drop-in sessions for frequent travellers. The easier you make it to access and apply, the less time people spend second-guessing themselves and the more likely they’ll stick to the policy.
Step 5: Review and improve regularly
A travel policy isn’t a “set and forget” document. Business travel evolves constantly — from new booking tools and digital payment options to shifting employee expectations around wellbeing, sustainability, and flexibility. If your policy doesn’t reflect those changes, it quickly becomes irrelevant.
Build in a review cycle. Once a year, bring finance, HR, and a handful of regular travellers together to stress-test the policy. Ask questions like: Did the hotel caps work in practice? Were allowances realistic in high-cost cities? Did the booking process create bottlenecks? Real feedback keeps the policy grounded in reality rather than theory.
Small tweaks can make a big difference: adjusting meal allowances to reflect inflation, updating approved booking channels or clarifying grey areas that tripped people up. A policy that evolves alongside the business earns trust. One that sits untouched will, sooner or later, end up ignored – and your team will quietly create their own rules instead.
Customisable corporate travel policy template
Need a starting point? Feel free to copy-and-paste our corporate travel policy template below. We do, however, highly recommend that you customise it as much as possible based on the steps we’ve outlined in the previous section.
Purpose & scope
This policy explains how [Company Name] handles work travel. It applies to [employees/contractors/other groups] travelling for business on behalf of the company. The aim is to make work trips clear, safe and fair – for travellers, managers and the finance team.
Booking travel
All trips should be booked through [approved platform/tool/provider]. This keeps everything in one place, helps us access negotiated rates and ensures bookings can be tracked if plans change. If you need to book outside the system (e.g., a client insists on handling arrangements), please let [manager/finance] know in advance.
Expenses
We’ll cover reasonable, work-related travel costs. That includes transport, hotels and meals, within the limits set out below. Things we won’t cover: alcohol beyond the agreed allowance, minibar snacks, personal leisure activities or add-ons unrelated to work. If you’re unsure, check first – it’s easier than claiming later and being disappointed.
Accommodation
Please choose [mid-range/business-friendly] hotels within [£X] per night. The priority is safety, comfort and proximity to where you’re working. Luxury hotels, spa packages or resorts are not covered unless pre-approved. For long-term stays, serviced apartments or extended-stay options may be more suitable – discuss these with [manager/HR] if needed.
Transport
For trips under [X hours], standard class rail or economy flights are expected. Business class or first-class tickets need prior approval. Car hire should only be used when public transport isn’t practical; fuel, tolls and reasonable parking will be reimbursed. If you use your own car, mileage will be reimbursed at [X rate per mile/km]. Taxi apps and Black Cabs are allowed when they’re the safest or most efficient option, but public transport should be considered first.
Meals & incidentals
Meals are covered up to [£X per day/per meal]. We’ll also reimburse reasonable extras like bottled water, coffee, and parking. Alcohol is covered up to [one drink with dinner / £X limit], unless otherwise agreed. Please keep all receipts – digital copies are fine. Claims without receipts may not be reimbursed.
Duty of care
Your safety comes first. All travel should be logged in [tool/system] so we can keep track of where employees are in case of emergencies. An emergency contact number and insurance details will be provided before you travel. If you run into issues while away – from lost luggage to health concerns – contact [HR/line manager/emergency line].
Reimbursements
Submit expense claims via [tool/system] within [X days] of returning. Reimbursements will be processed within [X days] of approval. Claims that fall outside the policy (e.g., exceeding limits or missing receipts) may be rejected, unless pre-approved.
Approvals & exceptions
If you need to go outside this policy – for example, staying in a higher-cost city, booking last-minute travel or extending a trip – get written approval from [manager/finance/HR] before confirming. Exceptions are reviewed case by case.
Simple policies = smoother travel
Source: Pexels
{Alt text: A man with headphones relaxing in a luxury mode of transport.}
Corporate travel policies don’t have to be long-winded. At their best, they’re simple frameworks that set guardrails and give employees clarity when they’re on-the-go.
The template in this guide is a starting point, not the final word. A good policy is a living document. It shifts as your business grows, as travel patterns change and as employee needs evolve. Review it regularly and adapt to feedback so it stays relevant for the people who actually use it.
Technology can help keep that promise. Roomex makes it easier to embed your policy into daily practice with central booking, built-in filters and clear reporting that takes the friction out of compliance. Instead of sitting unread in a shared drive, your policy becomes something people use naturally, trip after trip.
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