Monthly Archives: May 2016
Best New Business Travel Tools for Remote Workers
Finding the best tools for remote workers is pinnacle! Freelance and remote workers are taking over the workforce. That’s not an exaggeration.
They currently make up about 30% of the workforce, and it is estimated that by 2020 that number will reach 40%. This is good news for remote workers and their employers. Remote workers are both happier and more productive than those who commute to the office.
It’s a win-win situation. If you ask a group of remote workers why they chose “the life,” you will get a range of answers. We’re guessing that a leading reason is the freedom to travel will be high on the list.
With so many great business tools, remote workers can now travel the world! So feel free to mix business and leisure with aplomb! Here are 5 great business travel tools for remote workers.
Workfrom
Remember when you spent hours wandering around the city looking for dependable wi-fi? Did you opt for the nearest Starbucks? Well, we’re here to tell you that’ll never happen again!
Workfrom is an online community helping remote workers find cafes, bars, and great places to work. It provides essential info including upload and download speeds. Also, you can expect to learn about whether outlets are available!
One of our favorite bits is that it’ll also let you know about the level of background noise at each location. Workfrom has launched in Portland, Seattle, and Austin. It is expanding to many other cities in the United States and across the globe!
NomadList
If your goal is to work your way around the world, NomadList is your go-to tool to learn about the remote work–friendliness of various cities. The site provides information including an estimate of monthly living costs, hotel and meal prices, where to find coworking spaces and wi-fi availability. Currently, they only have information about select major cities, but it is growing all of the time.
Karma
Sometimes, you need a private network or just can’t find dependable wifi. That’s where Karma comes in. A personal wifi hotspot, Karma works off the 4G network and is small enough to fit in your pocket.
The best feature is that you don’t have to sign up for a monthly plan—you pay as you go and your data never expires, so you pay only for what you use.
Citymapper
Traveling freelancers and remote workers can say goodbye to getting lost with Citymapper, an app that helps you navigate new cities like a local and replaces both Google Maps and all of the bus, train, and other transit apps you may be using. It was one of Apple’s 2013 Apps of the Year and also won Best Overall Mobile App at the 2014 Mobile World Congress GSMA. Coverage is currently limited to certain major cities, but you can vote for the city you’d like to be next.
BizXpenseTracker
As a remote worker, you know how important it is to keep accurate records of your time and expenses. BizXpenseTracker covers the trifecta: hours, mileage, and expenses. This app garnered quite a bit of positive press when it first came out in 2012 and has recently undergone what the company calls a “colossal update,” providing “numerous customer-requested enhancements.”
5 Best Hotel Rewards Programs
You may have noticed that one of the top ways to save money on hotels is by joining a hotel rewards program. So, which one do you pick? The best hotel rewards program is something only you can decide depending on the hotels you like (luxury, budget, kid-friendly, etc.), the types of perks you prefer (free nights, upgrades), and how many nights you normally stay in a hotel in a given year. Here we’ll look at five top hotel rewards programs, each of which could be considered the “best” for different reasons.
Best for Business Travelers: Hyatt Gold Passport
The Hyatt Gold Passport program ranks highly on most hotel rewards program lists, but it really stands out for business travelers. To start with, Hyatt hotels are well known for quality, so they are excellent for travelers who prefer to stay in upscale properties (and for those whose company is footing the bill). In addition, it takes only five qualifying stays or 15 eligible nights to be promoted to Platinum status, where you will earn rewards faster and also which entitles you to goodies including preferred rooms and late checkout upon request.
Best for World Travelers: Marriott Rewards
If you travel to many different places, Marriott Rewards is your top choice. Marriott has more than 3600 hotels in 70 countries, so you can find one wherever you go. You can also redeem your points for many things other than hotel rooms, including online shopping, tickets to events, cruises, and other vacation packages. The downside of this program is that it takes a lot of stays to reach the elite levels, but you can get there faster with the Marriott Rewards credit card from Chase.
Best for Frequent Travelers: Hilton HHonors
If what you really want to do is earn free nights, Hilton HHonors is the program for you. There are many ways to earn-hotel stays, air travel, rail travel, car rentals, shopping, dining, and more. The Hilton line includes everything from the budget-friendly Hampton Inn to the upscale Waldorf Astoria, so you can always find the right hotel to fit your needs. And it doesn’t take too many points to book rewards nights, relatively speaking.
Best for Budget Travelers: Choice Privileges
Budget-conscious travelers do well with Choice Privileges, which includes hotels like Comfort Inn, Clarion, and EconoLodge. The Choice family has more than 6000 hotels in North and South America, the Caribbean, and parts of Asia. You can earn free nights pretty quickly, and it takes only 10 nights to reach Gold elite status, where you can earn points even faster. The downside to this program is that it doesn’t have as many partners as some of the others do, so if your plan is to earn airline miles rather than hotel points, this isn’t as great an option.
Best for Luxury Travelers: Starwood Preferred Guest
If luxury is your top priority, go for the Starwood Preferred Guest program, which includes more luxury hotels than any of the others. There are no capacity controls on reward nights, which means that as long as a standard room is available, you can book it on points. The trick to earning points, however, is becoming an elite member and using the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express-without these, it can take a long time to earn any meaningful freebies.
So, there you have it – the best hotel rewards programs for all of your traveling needs. Learn more about how to save even more on hotels with Windfall.
Article reposted with permission from Hotel Engine.
7 Warning Signs Your Company is Spending Too Much on Travel
Despite the technologies making long-range communication and collaboration easier, business travel is steadily increasing. This year, the Global Business Travel Association expects U.S. business travel spending to surpass $292 billion, representing an almost 7% uptick over last year. The jump in corporate travel expenses is being driven largely by higher prices and additional spend-per-trip.
For many companies, travel—and the costs associated with it—are a fact of business. However, just because prices are increasing doesn’t mean travel needs to take an oversized chunk out of your budget. By monitoring business travel spending, organizations can control expenses without sacrificing productivity or client relationships.
How to Know If Your Company Is Overspending on Travel
Here are 7 warning signs your company is spending too much on travel.
You Pay 24% More on Travel Than Larger Companies
A Concur study on business travel expenses found that small businesses spend about 24% more per year on travel than big companies , partly because small business travelers travel more and partly because small companies don’t have the same kind of leverage when it comes to negotiating prices. The study results showed that small business travelers spend about $2,000 a year each more than big business travelers, and they pay more for flights, accommodations, meals, and other business travel expenses.
You Don’t Set an Overall Trip Budget
In terms of reducing travel costs (and any costs for that matter), there is no substitute for effective travel budgeting. A business travel budget should be based on current prices of airfare and hotels, the costs of things at the destination, and of course what the company can afford. One excellent way you can help your travelers stick to the budget is by paying for as much of the trip in advance as possible, including airfare, hotel rooms, transportation, and any other expenses—major or minor—that can be taken care of before they hit the road.
You Don’t Have a Standard Travel Booking Process or Preferred Vendors
Have you taken the time to calculate how much time you or your employees spend searching for business travel deals and making arrangements? If not, you might be unpleasantly surprised. Although this won’t show up on the corporate travel expense report, it is still time that could be better spent doing something else. To avoid lost employee productivity and reduce time wasted, establish a protocol and a list of preferred vendors for everyone in the company to use when booking travel.
You Don’t Take Advantage of Loyalty Programs & Rewards
Hands down, the best way to spend less on travel is to take advantage of loyalty clubs or group purchasing programs . Combining points and miles with the rewards from travel credit cards can lead to significant savings
Your Employees Take Avoidable Overnight Trips
Overnight trips are expensive—first there is the trip itself, and then there is the downtime associated with driving, hanging about in airports, and so on. While many overnight trips may be unavoidable, some may be replaceable by day trips or even. avoided entirely through virtual meetings using tools like Skype, Zoom, or other video conferencing solutions. Reducing unnecessary overnight travel can save your company both time and money while improving employee productivity.
You Rely on Per Diems Without Evaluating Costs
The question of which is better, per diems or actual reimbursement, isn’t something that can be decided in a blanket manner for all companies: it depends on factors including industry, company image, the nature of client relationships, and type of travel. While many companies default to per diems to reduce the paperwork and better predict travel expenses, this may not be the best (or the least expensive) option for your company. Evaluating your corporate travel policy carefully can help determine whether per diem rates or actual reimbursements offer the best balance of cost control and employee satisfaction.
You Don’t Have Control Over Your Company’s Travel Expenditures
Most of the warning signs above are the result of one main problem: a lack of appropriate control over your company’s business travel practices. Spending some time to set travel budgets and develop policies surrounding business travel will allow you to better understand and predict its costs, so you won’t be so surprised when those expense reports come across your desk.
Unlock Exclusive Hotel Discounts with Windfall
Did you know that your Windfall membership gives you access to member-only prices on hotels through industry leader Hotel Engine?
Windfall partners with the well-known brands throughout the travel industry to offer our members exclusive pricing on business essential products and services. The best part is that these savings are passed onto you at no cost! Your Windfall membership is free – sign up today.
Footnotes:
- This year, the Global Business Travel Association expects U.S. business travel spending to surpass $292 billion, representing an almost 7% uptick over last year.
- Small businesses spend about 24% more per year on travel than big companies.
- The Points Guy’s Beginner’s Guide to Setting Up an Effective Points Strategy.