business travel itinerary

How to create a business travel itinerary [with free template]

A business travel itinerary can help you save time and stay organized. How much time did you spend last week hunting down confirmation numbers, double-checking flight details, and fielding so-called quick questions about upcoming trips? If you're like most travel bookers, it was probably way more than it should have been.

Travel itineraries are an essential part of the planning process and set expectations for the traveler and the business. It's an important reference whether it's an employee's first business trip or they're a frequent flyer.

Contents

What to include in an itinerary template

An itinerary should be a snapshot of everything the employee needs to know or might need to look up during their business trip. It's a document used to streamline communication about the trip and should be shared with travelers in advance. There are lots of elements involved, but a streamlined structure can make it simple.

Don't overload it. Stick to the critical and crucial details for the business trip. It's not exhaustive, and it shouldn't be pages and pages. For additional info that can be useful but isn't essential, include links and references. Check out a sample of our free business itinerary template if you're booking a trip right now.

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Floating above the clouds

Ready for the airport? Start with the flight numbers and confirmation numbers, then include all the information for each flight booking, like duration, layovers, and whether it's a code-sharing route. Include links in the itinerary that make it easy for travelers to see if seats are pre-booked (or not) and what the baggage allowance is.

Arranging accommodation

The hotel is booked and ready for check-in on the arrival date. What now? List the hotel name and address, putting it front and center in the itinerary template. For some international locations, travelers might need to report this info at airports or customs.

When the rubber hits the road

What are the local options for ground transportation? Include directions for traveling around the destination by train, bus, or car rental if appropriate. Transport will look very different if you're in Sydney vs. London. Is there an express bus from the airport, or will travelers need to take a taxi? Are there pre-booked tickets for the train, or can you book any time? Include as many instructions on these aspects as you can.

Appointments and other resources

Does the business travel itinerary include meetings or events? Show the schedules with locations and who will be attending. Bonus points if travel time from the hotel is listed. Don't forget that the little things matter a lot in an unfamiliar place. 
Finally, list emergency contacts by phone or email and who to contact first in an emergency. Corporate Traveler offers 24/7 emergency assistance for your employees anytime, anywhere in the world. 

Tools to stay organized 

Staying organized while traveling is a must. Create an itinerary that everyone can access before, during, and after the trip. You can create an itinerary as simple or tech-savvy as your team in Google Docs, via travel platforms, or with apps. 

Ensure travel expense guidelines are included, with what's covered, what's not, and how to reimburse. If receipts are required, travelers need to know that prior to their next trip and how to submit them (images vs. original paper copies). 

There's a range of apps that come in handy with planning for or traveling on a business trip. Even if you're the travel arranger and not the traveler, looking at taxi rates vs. booking a rental car can help you stay within budget. These tools can be helpful in other ways as well. Download these for a try before departure:

●    Airline apps: Useful for check-in, seat selection, and getting updates about flight delays.
●    Google Maps: The classic road trip tool for any journey.
●    Uber or rideshare apps: Set up these apps before traveling to make it a breeze when you land at the airport and are dealing with jet lag.
●    Alternative restaurant apps: You've got to eat, right? Look beyond Google and Yelp for dinner reservations or more nuanced reviews. For example, OpenTable (various countries), Resy (US), or Tabelog (Japan).
●    Melon: Corporate Traveler's all-in-one travel platform that works for booking trips, storing traveler preferences, and managing multiple itineraries. To see the full range of what Melon can do, book a meeting.

How to organize travel information

What should the itinerary look like? Think of it like a diary or calendar and list each item step by step. Organize information chronologically, grouped by day, and with the most important details (flight times, hotel check-in, and check-out) highlighted in bold or a bright color at the beginning and the end of the itinerary.

Use a clean, easy-to-read layout with main points summarized on the first page or screen and more details afterward. For a multi-city trip, note the destination city next to each booking for flights, hotels, and transportation to avoid confusion. For example, "9:45 am commuter train from City A to City B".

Check that confirmation codes and numbers are easy to copy and paste into other apps and formats for easy check-in or sign-in to travel apps. No one wants to be fiddling with their phone at the last minute to meet the travel schedule. Also, set up all business travel itineraries so that they can be viewed while traveling, including when offline.

Pro tips for planning business travel

We've covered the basics of a travel itinerary. Now, what else? What steps can streamline and customize it even further?

●    Group by traveler type. Group travel is a whole other ballgame when it comes to itineraries. To start with, you might have different groups of travelers, like in the entertainment industry when cast and crew members all need to travel to a filming location.If you’re planning travel for sales executives, customers, or multiple new hires you might need several different versions of the business travel itinerary.
●    Lock in your contact list. It's also smart to list a contact for last-minute travel updates and changes, since proactive travel planning is not just for emergencies. Make sure travelers have all the details to make smart choices while traveling.
●    Create a process for changes. What if there's a storm on the way or the conference is finished, and they can leave earlier? How can they change plans with the lowest cost? Whether the contact for changes is a travel booker, an airline, or your travel management company (TMC), list the process in the travel itinerary.

Finally, we recommend building in buffer time for rest into the travel itinerary and avoiding back-to-back meetings or events. Leave time in case of delays and to recharge for a more effective corporate trip. Travel takes a toll, and making time for rest takes care of travelers so they can feel their best for that important meeting or presentation.

Start with a simple travel itinerary template

Planning a whirlwind business trip or the biggest client event of the year? Stay ahead of the chaos with our free business travel itinerary template. It's a fillable PDF for an easy travel template you can use again and again.

Use this as your secret for organizing flights, hotel bookings, meetings, ground transport, and more, all in one jam–packed, editable document. Whether you're managing your own travel or coordinating for your whole team, this travel template keeps everyone aligned, on time, and ready to go.

No more digging through inboxes or spreadsheets gone rogue. Think of it as your travel command center, with space for notes, confirmation numbers, and key contacts, so busy travel days stay stress-free. Download it, tweak it, and make business travel way simpler.