Travel Arrangements

[susan silva]

Ok, your boss wants you to plan a trip, he/she gives you the tentative dates.  How do you work with your boss to firm up dates, make special arrangements and plan all the details before you "book" the travel plans.  Think of it as from the initial .. plan this to the point you go to a travel agent or online and finalize the arrangements.  How often do you go back and forth with your boss?  Do you use email?  What are some of the little things you do?  How much authority do you have to make decisions, etc.

[Alicia M]

My boss will give me a date, I will call up several different airlines and times and give him a few choices.  This works great for his domestic travels, on international though he actually gives me the exact flights he wants.  He change his mind a lot, wants very specific layovers and cities to fly through.  I used to make them but we realized when I was on the phone, he would stand there and I would  basically repeat the options to him or there would be 10 emails for one flight.  We were both wasting time.  Now with the internet he pops on, lets me know what he wants and I book it.  As for hotel arrangements, that is 100% me.  I have his preference list, what type rooms, questions to ask.   This is my basic procedure

Talk to boss, get general details
Book travel plans (with the exceptions above)
Research hotels - (I have a check list of the little things, like non smoker room, a room close to the elevator, he likes hotels within 3 blocks (if possible) to where his meeting is, doesn't want airport hotels, wants a bowl of red m&m's next to his bed (just kidding on the m&m's)
I book his car/transportation arrangements
Prepare a package with itinerary, emergency numbers, and other important information, backgrounds, if international copies of his important documents, etc.

Once we go over the basic details and talk about his air flight plans, I have complete authority to make all travel arrangements, he trusts I will get him into the best hotel for the best price with his requirements.

[gee4]

Q. How do you work with your boss to firm up dates, make special arrangements and plan all the details before you "book" the travel plans. 
A. He usually has meeting dates in his diary so I will speak to him and obtain quotes and availability of flights from our company travel agent

Q. How often do you go back and forth with your boss? 
A. Usually once I give him the quote he will confirm dates of travel - there is a time limit for tickets to be issued and travel to be authorised

Q. Do you use email? 
A. Email, phone, f2f

Q. What are some of the little things you do?
A. I raise the paperwork to get travel authorised and book the trip

Q. How much authority do you have to make decisions, etc.
A. I follow company policy as to what is allowed for a domestic or long haul trip.  Our travel agent are also aware of the policy

[peaches2160]

Pretty much the same process.  If going to a field office for customer appointment, I recruit a local high level manager to provide transportation, cuts rental car cost.  We usually only talk once or twice about the trip.  He gives me complete autonomy to book the most sensible flight schedule based on his schedule. 

[Katie G]

We have a pretty strict travel policy here -- must use the authorized travel agent, must fly coach unless the flight is over 6 hours, must have hotels under a certain budget....So a lot of decisions are already made for me.  I just get the dates, I find flights that work with the proposed schedule and fire it all off to the travel agent to book. 

On my end, most of my time is spent preparing the itinerary package, which includes confirmation numbers, meeting locations, background information on meeting attendees (if necessary).  I also keep the authorizations from the higher ups that need to be submitted for reimbursement.