How to build a travel policy that scales with your business
Corporate travel has outgrown its reputation as a budgetary nuisance. In today’s decentralised, hybrid business landscape, it plays a more ambitious role: building human connection, accelerating growth, and sharpening competitive edge. That was the key takeaway from a recent webinar hosted by Pleo and TravelPerk, where finance leaders and travel experts came together to reimagine what a smart, modern travel policy should do.
Realising that potential means rethinking the mechanics. Policy, process, and perception all need to evolve. During the session, three themes surfaced that offer finance leaders a clearer path, where oversight scales with ambition, and systems support both discipline and initiative:
1. Scale travel policies without sacrificing compliance
A travel policy shouldn't be a rigid document that hinders productivity. Instead, it should flex with context. Ed Eden, SVP of Strategic Finance at TravelPerk, explained that companies need dynamic, real-time policies that can adapt to variables like location, seasonality, and local rates. Rather than enforcing static nightly caps or blanket rules, leading businesses are turning to tech-driven tools that offer flexibility without losing control.
For example, if a room rate in Barcelona spikes during a local event, the best travel policies will allow for this - rather than forcing employees to skip the trip or book something inconvenient. Tools like TravelPerk use market data and built-in spend guidelines to stay within guardrails while avoiding micromanagement.
2. Treat travel as an investment, not a cost
Mario Gomez, Finance Business Partner at Pleo, urged businesses to reframe how they see travel. It’s not just a necessary expense, but an investment in employee growth, company culture, and commercial opportunity. Whether it’s closing a deal, building cross-cultural partnerships, or attending industry events, travel delivers real ROI.
The best finance teams think beyond cost-cutting. They ask: What is the value of this trip? Will it drive growth or retention? That mindset helps organisations build policies that support productivity, rather than penalise mobility.
As Ross Barker, CEO of Entourage, added, employees crave purpose and connection. Travelling to meet teammates or experience new markets builds loyalty, enhances performance, and encourages cultural intelligence.
3. Empower employees and respect their time
Burnout is real, and poorly designed travel policies can exacerbate it. Businesses must treat employee time and well-being as core pillars in their policies. Instead of red-eye flights or 24-hour turnarounds, leading companies encourage longer stays, blending business needs with employee recovery and local exploration.
Ash Bhardwaj, broadcaster and keynote speaker, highlighted that the most meaningful travel is aligned with curiosity, purpose, and personal motivation. Whether employees are exploring Tokyo or Paris, offering tips, flexibility, and autonomy builds engagement and trust.
Corporate travel can be more than a logistics task. Done well, it is a way to inspire teams, grow business, and strengthen company culture. The challenge for modern organisations is not to reduce travel, but to travel smarter. With the right mix of flexibility, policy, and tech, travel becomes a strategic asset; not just a cost line.
