Controlling business travel expenses is a challenge many businesses face. Increases in the cost of travel from year to year can make this challenge even more daunting.

The 2019 Global Travel Forecast, created by business travel management company Carlson Wagonlit Travel, predicts that the rising price in oil will fuel an increase in the cost of travel.

The report predicts 2019 prices "to rise by 1.8 percent in air, 2.8 percent in hotel and 1 percent in ground transportation" in North America. ("Projections are based on transaction data from CWT's global client portfolio," the report states.)

Fortunately, there are easy ways to save on business travel costs and manage your travel budget. You don't have to compromise your employees' comfort and well-being when looking for ways to save on corporate business travel. It just takes some common-sense rules and staying informed and up-to-date on all the great deals out there.

1. Incentivize employees for saving on business travel.

One of the most direct routes to save on business travel is through the business traveler: your employee.

Clarify the budget per trip and incentivize those who come under budget by sharing the savings with them. Receiving a cash incentive for saving on expenses can help your employees feel like owners and can encourage them to look for savings throughout the trip.

2. Ask your employees for help.

Involve your employees by asking them for their ideas on how to save on business travel costs. You may be surprised at what they come up with. For example, some employees may forgo business class or premium economy and opt for basic economy. They may bypass expensive hotel breakfasts for breakfast in a restaurant around the corner.

Years ago, I worked as a marketing rep for a small company. There were eight of us who traveled internationally. The owner asked us to come up with suggestions for savings in each of the cities we visited routinely. He even established a competition for the rep who came up with the most useful tips.

We shared a host of savings such as the most reasonable boutique hotels, sourcing of cheap rates for interpreters and affordable alternative locations for meeting rooms, to name a few.

An easy way to save on business travel is to adjust your per diem by the cost of living in the cities your employees travel to.

3. Use a fare alert tracking system.

You can book a flight or a hotel and think you have the lowest rate, only to see that there's a sale a few days later and the flight or hotel room are available for less. It can be frustrating to miss out on these opportunities to save money on business travel.

Fortunately, there is a way around this with fare alert tracking tools such as Yapta's FareIQ, which tracks prices on your booked flight from the booking day to the departure date and sends alerts when lower fares are found.

You can also use one of the many pre-purchase fare alert tools such as Airfarewatchdog or Hipmunk, to name a few.

4. Use “time intelligence" to save on business travel costs.

Timing may be everything when looking to save money on business travel: How early you book a ticket, which day you buy the ticket and what day of the week you fly may all be opportunities for savings if you have some flexibility. Here are a few tips:

●      How early to book a ticket: Cheap Air's annual Air Fare Study for 2018 based on 917 million airfares in more than 8,000 markets shows that the lowest fare for any one trip changed roughly every 5-6 days. According to their research, the “Prime Booking Window," also known as the best zone to nab a bargain, is three weeks to four months in advance. Generally, if you book way too early or last minute, you may end up paying more.

●      Which day of the week to buy the ticket: The Airlines Reporting Corporation, in conjunction with Expedia, issued a 2018 Air Travel Outlook Report. The report revealed that overall the cheapest fares for both domestic and international economy flights were booked on a Sunday.

●      What day of the week to fly: The same Air Travel Outlook report shows the cheapest fares for departing on domestic and international economy flights is generally on a Thursday or Friday,

5. Avoid or minimize change fees.

All of us have had to change our itinerary from time to time. Hefty change fees add up over time and eat up your travel dollars.

One way to avoid or minimize this loss in your business travel is to look for airlines that have favorable airfare change policies. As fees may change from time to time, look up the change fee policy before booking.

6. Minimize the cost of ground transportation at airports.

Taking a taxi at airports can be expensive. You can save on business travel by booking hotels that offer a complimentary shuttle service. You can also have a travel policy that directs employees to take the public airport shuttle, which can be reserved ahead.

For European travel, where taxis can be prohibitive, check out travel videos that provide information on getting in and out of major cities with public transportation. You can also check out airport transfer comparisons online.

7. Adjust your per diem according to location.

You likely offer the same per diem for travel regardless of destination. You may want to evaluate your per diem depending on the travel location.

An easy way to save on business travel is to adjust your per diem by the cost of living in the cities your employees travel to.

8. Find less expensive hotels.

As a busy business owner, you may not have the staff or time to research many hotel sites. Finding the best rates need not be time-consuming when you use one of the many sites for sourcing hotel deals.

Consider sites such as Price Line, Kayak and Orbitz. You can also download an app such as Hotel Tonight for last-minute deals on unsold rooms at reduced prices, or see if you're eligible for lower hotel room rates through your business credit card.

9. Keep an eye on overcharges on car rental refueling and GPS.

Extra charges on car rentals may unnecessarily increase your business travel expense. Car rental companies generally provide three options for refueling the car before returning it:

●      You prepay for the fuel: Prepaying the fuel may not be a good option as you may not get a refund for unused fuel.

●      The company refuels upon return of the vehicle: This may also not be the most economical option as you have no control over fuel charges.

●      You refuel: This may be your best option if you're looking to pay the lowest price for the fuel.

Whichever option you chose, ensure your employees check out their statements to avoid false refueling charges.

Another example is the GPS navigation system that car rental companies offer. This may be an unnecessary extra charge. Be vigilant when you rent a car in a rush to ensure that you have opted out of this service if you don't want it. As well, check your statement for incorrect GPS charges that may show up even though you opted out of the service.

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