So, our company started to really push for more international business a while back. Suddenly, there were all these trips to book, and guess who got the lovely task dumped on them? Me. It wasn’t even really my main job, but someone had to figure it out, and that someone was apparently me.
My First Awful Attempts
At first, I was just fumbling around on those regular websites, you know, the ones everyone uses for their holidays. For one person, maybe it’s fine. But trying to book for a bunch of executives, all wanting different things, different stopovers, different return dates? It was a complete mess. And then trying to get all the expenses lined up for accounting? Pure chaos.
I even tried calling airlines directly. Oh, what a joy that was. Hours on hold, listening to that awful music. And then trying to explain our company’s weird travel policy to someone in a call center halfway across the world? Yeah, that worked out great. Not.
Looking for Something, Anything Better
Eventually, the higher-ups agreed we needed a “proper system.” So, I got involved in looking at options. Man, some of those tools out there looked like they were designed by rocket scientists for other rocket scientists. Super complicated. Others were clearly for giant corporations with thousands of employees, not our little band of travelers.
We looked for a few key things:
- Some way to set travel policies so people couldn’t just book first-class to a meeting down the road.
- An approval process that wasn’t just me chasing signatures.
- Decent reporting so finance could see where the money was going.
We tried a couple of demos. Some were okay, some felt like they’d make things even more complicated than they already were. It’s funny how they all promise to make your life easier, but the setup alone can take weeks.
What We Ended Up Doing (Sort Of)
We eventually settled on one particular platform. I won’t say it was perfect, because nothing ever is when it comes to travel. But it did help. We could finally put in spending limits, which was a relief because one of our senior guys always, and I mean always, tried to book the most expensive seat, even for a short hop.
The approval workflow was a bit clunky at first. Lots of notifications pinging around. But it was definitely better than printing out itineraries and physically walking them around the office for a sign-off. At least now there was a digital trail.
One thing that really got me, even with these tools, was how tricky international bookings still are. You really have to watch out for a few things:
- Baggage allowances: Some “business-friendly” fares barely let you take a handbag. Learned that the hard way.
- Visa requirements: The tools don’t always shout about this, and it’s a disaster if someone gets stuck at an airport.
- Time zone madness: Especially with connections. I nearly caused someone to miss a super important meeting because I messed up the layover time conversion. That was a stressful morning.
The Reality of It All
Honestly, even with a dedicated tool, booking international business flights is still a bit of a headache. Someone always wants to change their flight at the last minute. Or a flight gets canceled, and you’re scrambling to rebook. The tool helps organize the chaos, but it doesn’t eliminate it.
It’s like we just swapped one set of problems for another, slightly more manageable set. For instance, we once had a new user in the system, and they managed to book a flight to “London.” Easy, right? Except they picked London, Ontario, Canada, instead of London, UK, for a major client meeting. The tool showed both, and they just clicked the first one they saw with a decent price. The panic was real when we caught that one just a few days before departure. The tool didn’t stop it; it just facilitated the mistake more efficiently!
So yeah, these tools can be useful, for sure. They bring some order. But don’t expect them to be magic wands. You still need a human with a bit of common sense and a lot of patience to oversee the whole thing. That human, unfortunately, is still often me.
