How I Budgeted My Travel Expenses For Work
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Get the most out of your summer adventure! Learn how to manage travel expenses during multiple road trips & 11 flights around Canada!
Travel Budgeting Is Critical For Work Expenses
When I think back on the summer that has just passed, two words that come to mind are adventure and travel expenses.
Not everyone has to worry about travel expenses when travelling for work, but if you’re on a budget, this is critical to staying on top of your finances.
Today, I will share with you my experiences from this past summer traveling for work and playing with my family, plus what lessons I’ve learned along the way.
Budgeting On The Road
Getting on and off 11 different airplanes in less than two months and several multiple-hour road trips from province to province certainly made for an adventure this past summer.
When my company asked me to travel to various locations in Canada, I was excited.
Honestly, who wouldn’t be when offered the opportunity to travel with almost all travel expenses covered?
Though my company paid for all my flights, hotels, and all but one of my rental cars upfront, I found that traveling for work wasn’t as easy as it sounded.
If you are ever allowed to travel through your employer,, make sure that you fully understand ahead of time what your travel conditions will be.
By doing so, you are not caught off-guard by unexpected travel expenses.
Organized Travel Plans
Many people travel often for work, and whether you are travelling for work or vacation, there are a few things you can do to ensure that more of your money is staying in your pocket.
I’ve learned that you must ask questions before agreeing to travel for work.
Ensure you understand what is included and what travel expenses you may be required to pay upfront.
While your company will reimburse you for most or all of your travel expenses that they have not already paid for, this money initially has to come out of your pocket.
Most companies’ payroll is done bi-weekly, meaning you may not see that money again for a few weeks.
Remember that you will still have bills and expenses to pay at home.
Budgeting for these travel expenses ahead of time will save you some stress while you are away from home.
What Is A Per Diem?
A per diem is a fixed daily amount of money paid to an employee while traveling on business-related matters.
A per diem can include an allowance for food and, in some cases, hotel and flight accommodations.
Some companies may pay some or all of this money in advance to cover these costs.
However, others will pay them out with your scheduled payroll after the travel expenses have been incurred.
Food Travel Expenses
If you are given a per diem while traveling on business, every dollar that you save is another dollar that goes into your pocket.
I was given a daily per diem of $40.00 for food, and if you are like me and like to save money, one person can quickly eat for less than $40.00 a day.
While it is nice to enjoy the occasional meal at a restaurant when traveling a lot of money can be saved by making your meals.
Most hotel rooms these days come with a refrigerator and microwave, so you can cut down on your meal costs by making a trip to the grocery store,.
I made some sandwiches in my hotel room this summer before a 3-hour road trip with some co-workers.
We all pitched in on the bread, meat, and cheese cost.
Instead of buying full bottles of condiments, I would have to throw them out or bring them home with me.
Please don’t laugh, but I also asked the restaurant in the hotel for a small container of mustard and one of mayonnaise.
I offered to pay for them, expecting $0.50 each, yet the restaurant just gave them to me for free.
A fruit or veggie tray in your hotel room fridge makes for an easy, inexpensive snack throughout your day.
Budgeting Family Eating Travel Expenses
My boyfriend and I took our three kids up to Niagara Falls this summer and brought along his Coleman camping stove that he had bought previously on sale for $30.00.
Even when I’m not budgeting my travel expenses for work, I always try to save money on travel.
When I leave work behind, although there’s no reason you can’t eat for less, even when traveling for work.
The hotel we stayed at had a large picnic and playground area in the back, so we bought some groceries and cooked dinner while the kids played.
We figured that by making two dinners for the 5 of us, we saved about $150.00 in meal expenses.
Sleeping While Travelling
While it may not be money-related, I found budgeting time to sleep while working on the road was hard.
A few times, I would fly into a city, work for 8-10 hours, and then have to leave immediately to head to the airport for another flight after working all night.
It didn’t help that I could enjoy beautiful weather for most of my travels, and if you are an adventure seeker like myself, who wants to sleep when you can go sightseeing?
I welcomed the occasional rainy day because I was not tempted to go outside and slept those days away.
Though most of my flights were between 1 and 2 hours long, I finally learned how to sleep on a plane, even on the 3-hour ferry ride from Nova Scotia to New Brunswick.
My advice is to sleep when you can.
Being sleep-deprived while away from home will catch up with you as it did to me.
I got pretty sick after making my final trip home.
Travel Expenses
If the company takes care of your flight arrangements, you will likely have to foot the bill for travel expenses once you land.
For most of my trips this summer, I was provided with a rental car, although there were a few where I was responsible for getting myself around.
Remember that if you are using a rental car, you are required to return it with a full tank of gas, meaning another travel expense for the budget.
Sharing travel accommodations with co-workers or other travelers can keep more money in your pocket.
I was thankful that the kind man in Saint John, New Brunswick airport could see the blank stare in my eyes while looking at the board advertising fares.
He asked where I needed to go and then proceeded to call and make taxi arrangements for both of us.
Instead of each of us paying $30.00 for a cab ride into town, since the cab driver had two drops in one trip, she only charged us $20.00 each.
The company would reimburse me the total amount but $10.00 less out of my pocket initially makes sense to me.
I’m sure the company didn’t mind either.
When we took the kids to Niagara Falls, we purchased the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass.
It was not only worth its money for the four attractions we could enjoy with the kids but also because it came with a 48-hour bus pass.
Once we parked at the hotel, our car didn’t move again until it was time to go home.
Many towns especially those that are known for tourists offer some kind of a public transportation pass.
It may be worth your while to look into and save on your fuel expenses.
Airport Parking Is Part Of Travel Expenses
With the number of flights I had this summer, it was unreasonable to expect a friend or family member to drive me to the airport each time.
Each time I flew out of Toronto’s Pearson airport, I parked my car in the Park and Fly lots.
Before my first flight, I looked up the Park and Fly website to get a coupon that saves you a significant amount of money.
The one time my cost should have been $108.00 but the coupon brought it down to $51.00.
Again, this was a travel expense I would be reimbursed for, but by using the coupon, I again cut down on my out-of-pocket travel expenses.
Many of my co-workers were happy to hear about this when I told them how easy it was to get the coupon.
Enjoy Your Travel Destination
If traveling for work is the only chance you may get for a while, take advantage of being somewhere new and different and have a little fun while you are away.
If all of your travel expenses have been or will be paid for, try to find time to experience something new.
After traveling most of the summer with lots of work and little play a co-worker and I on my last trip, went zip-lining at Marble Mountain in Steady Brook Falls, Newfoundland.
While it cost us each around $100.00 for the experience, we were on an all-expenses work-related paid trip.
We decided to spend our money to experience something that we may never get the chance to do it again.
It was worth every dollar!
Whether you are travelling for work or pleasure planning, being prepared with your budget for travel expenses will make your trip more enjoyable from the get-go.
Discussion: Do you travel often for your job? What kind of advice can you give to others?
Please leave me your comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Katrina B.
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