Travel Managers are used in larger corporations to manage the traveling done on behalf of the business. In some corporations there is a department of Travel Agents used for the sole purpose of making arrangements for the executives who travel often for business purposes.
Primary Objectives:
- The Travel Manager establishes policies for employees to follow when traveling.
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The Travel Manager works with an outside travel agency to make travel arrangements.
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The Travel Manager handles all necessary arrangements needed when a company representative needs to travel.
The Travel Manager over any company is held responsible for the traveler to make sure that they reach the destination in a timely manner and have hotel accommodations. The Travel Manager will also make sure that the person who is traveling from their company has a rental car and any other necessary items they need while on the trip. Since most executives need the use of internet the Travel Manager makes sure that the hotel where they stay is internet accessible.
The Corporate Travel Agent has responsibilities just like a wholesale Travel Agency in that they must get the best bargains possible for their travelers. The Corporate Travel Agent must meet the economic guidelines set forth by the company. The Travel Manager advises employees about passport and visa requirements, rates of currency exchange, and important duties. The Travel Manager may also include personnel relocation, convention planning, corporate aircraft administration, and group vacation organization for employees.
The Travel Agent works in a well-lighted office spending a great deal of time on the computer terminal or on the telephone. The Travel Manger must keep up with all the latest travel industry news and other information vital to the travel planning process. Since the clientele is fairly fixed it is especially important that corporate Travel Managers establish a reputation for discretion and reliability within the company. In most companies traveling is a major part of doing business and executives travel all over the world. While the corporate executives may spend much time on the road there are visitors who are coming into the city to take part in company functions. The Travel Manager must make sure that these visitors have good accommodations and that they are being properly entertained while they are visiting. Many times it is outside buyers who are interested in buying the product that the company has to sell. The Travel Manager maybe asks to host a convention of their own executives or perhaps a trade show is being held on behalf of the company. The Travel Manager is expected to make sure that everyone involved has travel arrangements, motel rooms, and often meetings set up in the restaurants in the evenings.
The corporation often hosts vacations for their executives and families so the Travel Manager is held responsible for making the reservations for everyone’s flight arrangement, hotel, and place to visit. Depending on the size of the corporation there could be Travel Managers for each department or in most cases a small department of Travel Managers that work on behalf of the whole corporation. The Travel Manager is put on a strict budget and they know in order to fulfill the demand for travel they must stay on top of travel bargains. Airlines often give large corporation special rates if the executives make their trips with them. This is known by the Travel Manager but they also know that they do not want to be handicapped by becoming the sole client of one airline. The same holds true for hotels and restaurants most Travel Managers make special deals to get great prices but they are always open for bargains with other groups. This helps them to save on expensive traveling keeping cost down to maintain the budget that the Travel Manager is given by the Accounting Department.
Many Travel Managers work entirely as corporate employee’s instead of working in a Travel Agency. The Travel Manager finds that they earn a much higher income; they have a set client base, and guaranteed income. Travel Agents usually work under a commission based income while the Travel Manager usually has a set salary. The Travel Managers is assured in their position usually with a contract for a certain period of time.