SINGAPORE, 16 May 2023: Business travel is back, which means packing a suitcase, 0500 rides to the airport, back-to-back meetings and jet lag.
Global Business Travel Association (GNTA) predicts that global business travel spending will be just under USD1.2 trillion in 2023, a 24.2% increase year-on-year for 2023. That suggests business travel recovery is well underway. And while this is exciting for business travellers, it can be stressful.
Some things haven’t changed. For example, planning the trip carefully helps. Travel restrictions, vaccine requirements, and arrival and exit forms requirements might differ from the last time you travelled, and they still get updated all the time. And investing in refundable and flexible flight and hotel bookings is always a good idea.
If your work brings you to Southeast Asia soon, here’s how to make the travel experience more seamless and hassle-free. Grab identifies some tips and tricks to look out for when travelling for work.
1. Keep track of your expenses seamlessly: A major pain point while travelling on business is often keeping track of and then filing reimbursement claims for the expenses you undertake during your business trip. Don’t forget to download apps that can help you. Particularly, if your work brings you to Southeast Asia, you can use the super app Grab to keep track of your car/taxi rides by switching your ‘personal’ profile to a ‘business’ profile. Moreover, all your business travel invoices are consolidated and sent to your work email, so you no longer have to hold on to those tedious receipts. You can also check your business profile with expense systems like Concur, Expensify, and Chrome River for an even more seamless experience. And if you are curious, yes, this feature also works even if your company is not a Grab business client.
2. Enjoy food like a local, even if you are travelling on business: Yes, the work will probably keep you mostly occupied. Don’t forget to try the local cuisine and dishes, even if it means ordering them to your hotel room. By the second half of this year, Grab will also provide translated merchant menus into English in key cities across Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.
3. Navigate the airports like a pro. If you travel on business, you probably need to find the quickest way to the taxi stand. Book your car through Grab; the app will also give you turn-by-turn directions to help you find your way through the busy, unfamiliar airport to get to the right pick-up point for your ride. And don’t forget to try the GrabUnlimited subscription that gives subscribers access to discounted airport rides at more than 90 airports across Southeast Asia.
