Happiness is a dish best served cold… and at 35,000 feet!
Most business travelers around the world have been grounded for over a year now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, business travelers had time to reflect—and realized that yes, they actually did miss it.
There has always been some kind of hidden magic with these trips. The opportunity to go somewhere new, to see new faces, to meet new people, and exchange ideas with professionals outside of your daily grind. For many, traveling for business is also a kind of reward. It’s an acknowledgment of a job well done, and of your ability to represent your team.
Over the course of the past year, traveler confidence started to fade. Fear of getting trapped in quarantine abroad, or of having to change or cancel flights and losing money as a result, became top-of-mind concerns. Travel restrictions and our own moral responsibility to not help spread the virus meant that we all knew that staying grounded was the only course of action.
You’ll be putting your seats in the upright position soon enough
We’re starting to see a positive, real-world effect of the global vaccine rollout. At the time of writing this article, more than 82,000,000 people have been fully vaccinated. And that’s something we’re already seeing reflected in business travel.
Our own data shows that domestic travel is bouncing back at a fairly steady pace. In fact, in January of this year, domestic travel in Spain, for example, was at 25% recovery. More importantly, we realized that 50% of our customers were already implementing new travel policies for this new normality. If we look to China, where recovery began earlier than in Europe and North America, “hotel-occupancy rates and numbers of domestic flight passengers bounced back to around 90 percent of 2019 level by the end of August” (McKinsey).
All of that points to a healthy recovery of business travel. Soon.
Why do we even need business travel?
We’re not going to lie. People have been asking this question since the world saw that Zoom pretty much works. Even Bill Gates argued that 50% of business travel will go away. Well, we clearly think he’s wrong. The reasons for that are fairly simple, and ultimately boil down to one fundamental truth.
Human beings are social creatures. That’s proven by 4.2 billion years of evolution.
UCLA neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman wrote that “mammals are more socially connected than reptiles, primates more than other mammals, and humans more than other primates. What this suggests is that becoming more socially connected is essential to our survival. In a sense, evolution has made bets at each step that the best way to make us more successful is to make us more social.”
Our basic need for human connection is the reason that business travel even existed in the first place. It’s also why it’s going to come back. From SMEs to the largest corporations, what we have in common is our drive to engage, interact, and come together.
So, why do people want to go back business travel?—you may ask. Here are just a few reasons:
People want to come together to foster relationships they made in person, or online. They want to meet their colleagues and build teams through personal connections They want to share their know-how and bring ideas together with different perspectives They want to carry out meetings and conduct sales pitches face-to-face (actually, 75% of business travelers claim that this just isn’t as effective online)
5 awesome ways you can help restore your travelers' confidence
Travel managers! Listen up! We know the road ahead looks long and bumpy. We know you think you’ve got an upward climb when it comes to supporting your travelers as they get back on the road. The truth is, it doesn’t have to be that difficult.
Yes, travelers lost confidence throughout the pandemic. They were afraid of getting infected. Of spreading the virus further. Of all of the legal restrictions and the impact that would have on them and their companies. Rightfully so. But that doesn’t mean that this confidence is gone for good. Now that we’re finally starting to see a light at the end of this long tunnel, the time has come to start preparing.
Here are a few awesome tips on how to properly support your travelers as they get back out there.
Change your management mindset
COVID-19 has changed the world. There’s no doubt about that. The whole “management knows best” policy has no place in our new reality. Running a 21st-century company means asking your employees what they want, how they feel. Sit down with your frequent travelers and ask them what their concerns are. Find a creative way to address these concerns when setting your new corporate travel policy.
Give travelers the freedom to book for themselves
Let them manage their own itineraries. Business travel should be easy, it should work for each individual traveler. Allow them to set their own travel schedules that suit their home life and their work life. Start using a business travel platform that not only enables travelers to independently book their trips, but that also allows them to change them around. In the new normal, we’ll have to expect the unexpected. Translated into the world of business travel - you’ll need to use a booking platform that lets you [change or cancel any aspect of a given trip at any time][11]. No questions asked. That way, you’ll make sure your travelers are safe, and you’ll save your company money in the process.
Informed travel is safe travel—give them that peace of mind
A new piece has been added to the travel management puzzle as a result of COVID. Now, travelers and travel managers need to always be updated on the latest, real-time travel restrictions. Start using a booking platform that features safety information at every stage of the booking process. Say goodbye to a million open tabs, just trying to find the latest health information. Save yourself time and give your travelers peace of mind in the knowledge that they have access to the latest information affecting their trip. If you can, integrate an API that provides this information straight into your own platform!
Yes, wellness absolutely matters
… and anyone who says otherwise is wrong. Wondering what’s in it for you? 80% of employees in companies with policies that support their mental wellbeing and physical health feel more taken care of and more engaged. That, in turn, makes them +20% more profitable. That’s right—happy employees make for successful companies.
Make sure that you set travel policies that nurture your travelers. Make them feel like a business trip is a reward, not a dreary obligation. Add a little bit of wiggle room in your travel policy for travelers to give themselves a treat. Something as small as access to a business class lounge, or staying in a cute hotel can go a really long way! And don’t forget to give them some much-needed down-time when they get back. There’s nothing worse for morale than getting off an all-night flight, only to go straight into the office, tired and unshowered. Encourage a work-from-home day after a trip, or implement a no-emails policy for 6 hours after their arrival. Really get creative with this!
Remember that not everyone knows how to prioritize health and mindfulness when they travel. Teach them! Help them set healthy eating, sleeping, and exercising habits. Show them how to prepare for a long-distance trip with a large time difference. Jetlag can take a serious physical and mental toll on a person. Guiding them through the adjustment process will make a huge difference in their happiness and productivity. And yes, some travelers can be more nervous than others. They might not like flying, or they might just get a little too worked up before a major meeting. Giving them meditation tips for different stages of their journey could be hugely beneficial. Sanctifly members enjoy unlimited access to a library of exclusive content on exercise, stretches, meditations and wellbeing, along with wellness travel tips and airport guides.
Don’t forget to do a wellness debrief when your travelers come home from a trip. Checking in on them and understanding what they did to take care of themselves will really help you create a more comprehensive wellness plan.
Green is the new black
2020 gave rise to a “collective consciousness” on sustainability. Climate change represents one of the biggest, long-term challenges our society faces. As the deadline to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 gets closer, every business has a responsibility to do what it can to help. Business travel can contribute to that in so many ways. Something like working with a platform that helps you offset your carbon footprint when traveling for business can go a long way. And if you’re wondering how that helps with your employee happiness and engagement… well—did you know that 70% of millennials are more likely to choose to work at a company with a strong environmental agenda? Your employees care about sustainability. They want to contribute. Let them.
Going further together
Holmes needed Watson to solve crimes. Wilbur couldn’t fly without Orville. Would Abbott have been funny without Costello? Sometimes, a dynamic duo is exactly what you need.
TravelPerk is delighted to partner with Sanctifly to give our clients access to thousands of premium airport activities, exclusive membership benefits including delayed flight benefit, bespoke travel wellness content from industry experts, and carefully curated healthy airport guides.
Through our partnership, TravelPerk clients receive an exclusive discount on their first-year subscription to Sanctifly.
Please reach out to your TravelPerk Representative for more details. Not a TravelPerk member? Learn more here or visit the Sanctifly website today.
