Choose the right travel partner for your Life Sciences company

The ultimate checklist: Choose the right travel partner for your Life Sciences company

 

Travel plays a critical role in how Biotech and Life Sciences companies operate. Whether it’s getting teams to clinical trial sites, attending regulatory meetings, or managing global expansion, travel is often tied to key milestones. And when things pick up, managing it all internally quickly become overwhelming.

As your company grows, the gaps in your travel process get harder to ignore. Costs creep up. Compliance becomes harder to track. Booking gets more time-consuming and more stressful.

That’s when many teams start looking for a travel management company (TMC). But not every TMC is built to handle the complexities of Life Sciences. You need one that understands your industry, scales with you, and knows how to support a wide mix of travelers.

This checklist is designed to help you find that partner and make sure you’re asking the right questions during your search.

 

 

Download the (free) Life Sciences TMC checklist now and use it to guide your evaluation process.

 

 

A travel partner should feel like part of your team

The best travel management companies have more to offer than simply booking flights. They work alongside you to manage risk, streamline reporting, support travelers with varying needs, and ensure that your program is scalable and compliant.

That’s especially important in this space, where you’re often coordinating travel for patients, physicians, site monitors, and executives, all at once.

Need a deeper look at what makes Life Sciences travel so complex? Check out this guide to navigating travel in Life Sciences

Contents

The Life Sciences TMC checklist

If you're comparing travel management companies, this list will help you narrow it down fast. These are the questions worth asking before you commit.

1. Real, trackable cost savings

Startups and growing Biotech companies often feel pressure to prove that bringing on a TMC was worth it. A good one will make that part easy for you.

Ask:

  • Does the TMC offer negotiated rates with airlines, hotels, and ground transport providers commonly used in Life Sciences?
  • Can they show past results and cost savings for companies like yours?
  • Will you get ROI tracking and expense reporting that’s easy to understand and share?

More savings = more impact.

 "Working with Corporate Traveler actually facilitated the chance to make even more of an impact on mental health. We’re saving money on travel which allows us to grow our sales team and get them out on the road more.”​ – Tom Hess, CFO @ Genomind

👉 Corporate Traveler helped MassBio members save over $640,000 and generated $2.14 in ROI for every $1 USD spent on fees.

More on that in this article on travel solutions for growing Biotech companies.

2. Compliance expertise baked into the service

Life Sciences organizations face unique regulatory challenges. Travel booked outside policy can lead to HIPAA breaches or noncompliance with the Sunshine Act.

Ask:

  • Do their travel consultants have experience navigating healthcare-related compliance?
  • Can they enforce travel policies based on traveler type or department?
  • Is their reporting transparent and audit-friendly?

3. Risk management you can trust

Travel interruptions are inevitable. But in this industry, delays can have real consequences like missed regulatory meetings, delayed site visits, or compromised patient experiences.

Ask:

  • What happens when things go wrong? Can they rebook quickly and keep you informed?
  • Do they offer 24/7 support with real agents?
  • Can they support travelers in remote or high-risk regions?

4. Expertise in Life Sciences travel

Not all business travel is created equal. A sales trip is not the same as coordinating patient travel or trial investigator visits.

Ask:

  • Have they managed clinical trial travel, advisory boards, or patient logistics before?
  • Do they understand the urgency and flexibility needed for these trips?
  • Can they handle high-volume travel around large conferences or launch events?

5. Scalability and flexibility

Growth in Life Sciences isn’t predictable. You could easily scale from 20 to 200 people in a year, or spin up a new region overnight.

Ask:

  • Can they adapt as your business grows or pivots?
  • Do they offer scalable platforms and services that grow with your team?
  • Will you have a dedicated account manager who evolves your program alongside you?

6. The right payment options

Flexible billing is often a pain point for early-stage and scaling Life Sciences companies. Whether you’re grant-funded, publicly traded, or somewhere in between, your financial processes are complex.

Ask:

  • Do they support different payment models (lodge cards, virtual cards, consolidated billing)?
  • Can they align with how your finance team needs to track spend?

7. Group travel capabilities

Life Sciences teams often travel in groups for investigator meetings, training sessions, or major conferences. These trips require precision planning, and one mix-up quickly causes a domino effect.

Ask:

  • Do they have a team that handles group bookings and event support?
  • Can they manage last-minute changes, cancellations, and venue coordination?
  • Are they experienced in handling travel around events like BIO, DIA, or ASCO?

8. Support that actually feels supportive

Life Sciences travel is stressful enough. Your TMC should make it easier, not harder to find the support you need, from someone you know and trust, at all hours.

Ask:

  • Will you get a dedicated consultant or team who knows your business inside and out?
  • How long does it typically take to reach someone in an emergency?
  • Do they personalize traveler profiles so frequent flyers don’t need to repeat preferences?

What makes Corporate Traveler a Life Sciences travel partner

We’ve helped dozens of Life Sciences and Biotech companies simplify complex travel needs, from early-stage startups to global teams.

What sets us apart:

  • Industry-specific experience: We understand the nuances of patient travel, compliance, and rapid scaling
  • Dedicated support: Real humans on call 24/7, plus a team that knows your business and understands your mission
  • Smart tech, real ROI: Melon, our travel platform, pairs intuitive booking tools with transparent reporting, so you stay in control

Choosing a travel partner can feel overwhelming, especially when every company offers something different. A checklist makes it easier to compare your options, helping you focus on the services that matter most to your business and travelers, so you can make a more confident, informed decision.

📝 Download our full checklist to use internally or as part of your next RFP

Let’s make travel one less thing to stress about

Whether you’re booking for five travelers or fifty, managing trials across time zones, or launching your first commercial product, Corporate Traveler can help you build a travel program that scales with your science.