June 26, 2023
Leveraging a trusted Travel Management Company (TMC) for corporate travel management can make travel planning much easier and help ensure that trips go as smoothly as possible. These services can also handle any issues that come up before, during, and after trips. This kind of dependability makes corporate travel management highly valuable. In addition to taking care of practical matters, these services can easily lead to happier employees, which helps boost employee morale.
Corporate travel management can give employees peace of mind that any snags or emergencies in their travel plans are handled promptly and professionally. Companies can also look into other ways of using these services to keep employees happy. Some corporate travel management services include travel programs that include incentive travel. An incentive program essentially rewards employees for achieving certain goals.
Incentive Travel and Group Travel are great ways to gather your employees together to collaborate, share ideas, and connect. Re-connecting your employees is especially important due to the disconnected nature of today’s virtual work-from-home workplace.
Learn more about how a travel incentive program and group travel services can benefit your company.
What Is a Corporate Incentive Travel Program?
Corporate travel incentive programs are programs that offer rewards to employees for their hard work. These rewards are usually all-expenses-paid trips for individual employees or certain groups. Travel incentive trip rewards can be anywhere in the United States or other countries.
Incentive Travel
Incentive travel refers to trips rewarded to a sales team or other employees when they reach specific goals. This is typically a sales trip that is provided by an organization if numbers are hit. Rewarding top performers with an expense-paid trip for achieving goals can help them feel valued and appreciated. Offering these kinds of rewards gives companies a way to recognize their hard work and accomplishments. This can improve employee morale and increase employee motivation so that team members continue working hard at meeting business goals. Incentive travel serves as a travel reward program for top talent. Earning these trips rewards them for the work they’ve done.
Group Travel
Group travel refers to travel management for groups. This doesn’t necessarily mean travel for corporate employees or sales team members. In fact, group travel doesn’t have to involve business travel at all. This kind of travel can refer to any group that is planning on traveling, such as special events, association travel, on-site studio filming, and conventions. Professional travel management provides an effective way to make sure these groups have a great travel experience with minimal stress.
What Is an Example of an Employee Incentive Trip?
For companies who want to start a corporate travel incentive program, knowing what kinds of trips to offer as rewards are important. Trips that don’t offer much value won’t have the same effects as those that offer an unforgettable experience. Depending on budget, company values and goals, and other factors, these trips can range from small afternoon activities to full-expenses-paid international trips. The following are some examples of local activities and luxury trips that companies might consider offering as part of recognition programs.
Local Activities
Business owners who want to keep trips local can offer access to exciting activities in the area as a travel reward. This can include exclusive events or activities that help boost employee engagement in fun ways. Some unique experiences to think about offering as part of an incentive program include:
- Team-building activities
- Horseback riding
- Ropes course
- Wine tasting
Some local activities offer outstanding ways to build rapport among employees, such as team-building and ropes courses. Other activities provide exciting ways to enjoy local amenities or explore local attractions.
Luxury Trips
Offering luxury trips as travel incentives can go a long way toward motivating and inspiring employees. Companies might consider these trips as rewards for top performers who are able to reach challenging business goals. These all-expenses-paid trips can take place in the U.S., although companies usually arrange travel to exotic or international destinations instead. Examples of luxury trips to consider for a travel incentive program include:
- West Indies
- Caribbean Islands
- International trips
- All-inclusive resorts
Traveling to tropical destinations, such as the Caribbean or West Indies, can provide a relaxing trip for employees who have just put in a ton of effort on reaching company goals. International trips can give employees a chance to visit exciting destinations and experience other cultures. An all-inclusive luxury hotel can provide a great way for companies to stay within a budget since the cost of amenities and activities are included.
Are Incentive Trips Taxable?
This depends on how these incentive trips are used, but many meet the conditions for being taxable. In general, these kinds of prizes and awards that employees earn based on any work-related services, such as performance or sales goals, are considered taxable as compensation. Incentive trips involving learning, such as team-building activities, are also considered taxable. Companies should keep this in mind since they’ll need to have taxes taken out of these travel expenses.
Tips for Incentive Travel
To get the most out of incentive travel programs, it’s important to be familiar with best practices for the planning process and the trip itself. Keep the following tips in mind to ensure a truly rewarding experience for employees who earn these trips.
Tips for the Planning Process
When planning corporate travel incentive trips, choosing the location, time, and other factors with care can enhance the experience for employees.
Pick the Right Location
The best way to get employees excited and involved is to choose the perfect venue. Choose a location that fits the company’s budget and goals. For example, plan an incentive trip that focuses on team-building or other types of employee engagement. For incentive trips that reward top talent, consider choosing an all-inclusive resort or international trip instead of a location that offers basic amenities and limited activities.
Consider the Season or Time of the Year
Think about when these trips will take place in order to plan accordingly. For example, sending employees to a ski destination should happen during ski season instead of the off-season. Planning a luxury trip to the tropics in the off-season, though, might help lower the risk of overbooked flights and keep travel costs down. Shifting dates slightly to take advantage of these kinds of discounts can help companies stretch their travel budget further. Consider the weather when choosing a time and location for trips as well, such as hurricane season or monsoon season.
Allow a Guest
When planning trips to reward employees for achieving goals, consider allowing them to bring a guest. Instead of only paying for an employee to travel, give them the option to bring a loved one along. This can apply to exclusive events or other local activities, as well as luxury trips to overseas or exotic destinations. Being able to bring a spouse or other loved one along can help employees enjoy incentive trips even more and feel even more valued to have that privilege.
Tips for During the Trip
Taking steps to ensure that corporate incentive trips go as smoothly as possible helps create a memorable and enjoyable experience for employees.
Include Free Time
Scheduling activities and events for incentive trips can make them more fun for employees or provide a good learning experience, depending on the nature of each trip. However, employees should also have free time during their trips. This gives them a chance to unwind, especially if they have a busy itinerary. Having free time can also give them an opportunity to do an activity they want that might not be included in their schedule. For example, they might want to take a scenic drive at their destination or visit a landmark or local attraction. By combining business travel and leisure travel (nicknamed “bleisure travel” within the travel industry), you achieve your business goals and provide your employees with the valuable gift of leisure time.
Have a Plan for Emergencies or Unexpected Events
From severe storms and natural disasters to flight cancellations and delays, having a plan in place for travel issues is important. This can help travelers know what to do or who to contact if something goes wrong with the trip or during the trip. You can’t always prevent major travel problems from occurring, but having a firm plan on how to handle them can help reduce stress.
How to Plan the Best Corporate Incentive or Group Travel Trip with Teplis Travel
How can you make sure you plan highly rewarding corporate incentive trips or group travel? Teplis Travel has the solutions needed for planning the best trips for employees or other groups. With over 50 years of experience in the travel industry, we have the knowledge and tools to provide exceptional service. At Teplis Travel, we go the extra mile when it comes to planning corporate incentive trips and group travel. We can find destinations that offer unique travel experiences for employees or groups. We use a creative process to ensure one-of-a-kind trips, from local activities to luxury trips.
Teplis Travel uses the latest technology to handle travel research and planning. We also offer reliable support before and during trips for added peace of mind and practicality. To make sure your team or group is excited about their upcoming travel, we use effective marketing communications campaigns. When you hire us for a corporate travel incentive program or group travel, you’re also getting many other services. Some of these include:
- Pre-program logistical management
- Registration and attendee management
- On-site program execution
- Duty of Care and crisis management
- Budget and reporting management
- Program measure and evaluation
From the planning process to post-program evaluations, we cover every aspect of incentive travel. This helps ensure that your company offers effective and inspiring incentive trips that raise employee morale, while also staying within your budget. We’ll negotiate with vendors on your behalf to get you the best deals and discounts.
To learn more about our corporate travel incentive and group travel services, please contact Teplis Travel.
This blog was reviewed for accuracy by
Ted Petty, CIO/CTO Teplis Travel
Ted is a seasoned expert in the corporate travel industry, currently serving as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Teplis Travel. With over two decades of experience, Ted has consistently demonstrated his prowess in optimizing travel solutions for businesses, leveraging innovative technologies to streamline operations and enhance the traveler experience. His dynamic leadership and commitment to staying at the forefront of industry trends make him an invaluable asset in the world of corporate travel and leisure travel.
