The ease in travel restrictions is a welcome boost for business travel

After nearly two years of highly restricted travel, the easing of travel restrictions into the UK has come as a welcome relief to businesses both here and around the world. While Zoom meetings helped many organisations carry on during the pandemic, it’s simply not the same as face-to-face interaction with colleagues and clients. But now quicker and easier travel is back on the table, it’s important to make sure you and your employees are properly protected.

Why is business travel important?

Business travel offers key benefits that many remote business relationships simply cannot replicate. These include:

A boost to your competitive edge

It’s been shown that converting prospects to customers is more likely face to face. This is because it’s easier to build trust and have open and even challenging conversations in person – so negotiating a deal is easier when the two sides are in a room together. Now travel restrictions no longer apply to the UK, this becomes easier again.

Stronger business relationships

Many businesses hinge on successful relationships, both with customers and suppliers. Being able to travel to a company’s offices, sites and facilities can help grow trust and inform business relationships, allowing for smoother operations. Without travel restrictions in place, it’s possible once again to organise site visits and business meetings in the right location.

New networking opportunities

Whether attending an event, conference or trade show, being at an event in person opens up more opportunities for networking with new contacts. Even the process of travelling can create an opening for spontaneous connection with others that could lead to business benefits. With no need for testing, it becomes easier for international clients and suppliers to travel to networking events, helping to broaden your business network.

Ensuring the right protection

While corporate travel comes with its many benefits, it also has its own risks and responsibilities that need specialist cover. As an employer, it’s your corporate responsibility to make sure any employee travelling for work is given the right protection. These are some of the considerations you’ll need to bear in mind:

What equipment needs to be covered?

If you’re travelling for business, it’s likely you’ll be taking expensive company-owned equipment such as a laptop or phone. You may have specialist equipment that you are taking to demonstrate or use on site, which will need protection from theft, damage or loss. As well as personal possessions, business travel insurance can provide cover for valuable work equipment. The same goes for company money.

What happens if a business traveller needs medical care?

If an accident, injury or illness strikes while an employee is travelling for business, it’s important that they can access medical care quickly. A good business travel insurance policy will cover unexpected medical expenses, and even compensation for personal injury cases.

How often does your business need to travel?

If travel is a frequent part of your business, then you can take out an annual policy for corporate travel that covers all trips for that duration. This can be a more cost-effective route to take than one-off policies. You can also access cover for commuters, as well as one-off business trips.

How will you manage delays?

Travel can be unpredictable and delays such as late flights and cancelled trains are all too common. In business, this can have a serious knock-on effect, from missed meetings to the expense of new tickets and extra nights in hotels. Cover for corporate travel can help protect you from the unexpected costs of travel delays.

What support can you expect?

Different countries have different requirements from travellers. A good insurer will be able to provide in-depth information on a country-by-country basis, including medical advice like the inoculations you may need to enter a country, alongside visa and currency information, plus security and crime advice.

For added peace of mind, there are online courses about business travel with a simple exam for employees to take to show they have understood the course before they go – and some insurers offer this as a form of risk management.

At Howden, the insurers we work with offer a dedicated travel assistance app as part of business travel policies. This gives your employees 24/7 access to guidance and contact information in the event of a medical or security situation, wherever they are in the world. And with the global situation often changing, the app provides global alerts and country risk profiles – outlining all the key information and any problems to watch out for to help keep your employees safe while travelling for work.

The journey back to normal

As the travel restrictions for UK arrivals is lifted, we’re well and truly on the road back to normal for business travel and it’s welcome news for many. While we still have to follow travel rules to enter other countries, getting back home and back to business is once again quick and easy – so let’s get your business travel insurance sorted. Simply call Howden on 020 7543 2838 to find out more.