Saving Money While On the Road or Traveling for Business

Extended travel can be expensive and the last thing you want to do is blow the budget on food.

Consider this: A sit-down meal at a restaurant can cost anywhere from $10-$25 per meal. Multiple that by three meals per day for 30 days straight and you're looking at a food bill of $900 - $2,250! A family of four may not even spend $900 on groceries per month.

Sometimes spending this amount of money is unavoidable because travelers have had little options when it comes to meal time. Most of today's hotels do not provide full sized kitchens, making eating out or room service the norm.

But smart families and business travelers who opt to stay in corporate or vacation rentals are finding it easy to ease the financial burden.

Corporate and vacation rentals are fully furnished and offer a full-sized kitchen will all the amenities of a common kitchen, including a stove top, microwave, fridge, pots and pans, dishes, etc. This is good news for travelers who want to take a bite out of their exploding food budget. They can simply go to the grocery store, buy cereal and milk, cold cuts, spaghetti, hamburgers and prepare their meals themselves.

Since a corporate rental means you won't have to blow your budget on food, you'll have more money in your pocket to enjoy a nice night out or upgraded flight amenities, etc. Score!

Traveling for Business - Your Diet Doesn't Have to Go Out the Window

When we travel for business we often find ourselves faced with a lifestyle of constant fast food, take-out meals, room service and steak dinners. But this kind of eating may make you pack on the pounds fast - after just one week you may find yourself already 5 pounds heavier! Plus, you may not be eating as healthily as you should be, which could make you sick or susceptible to illness and decrease your energy levels.

To prevent yourself from getting "traveler's gut" - try these ideas to keep your diet on track when traveling for an extended period of time.

1. Grocery shop each week. It's important that you plan your week's meals and stock your kitchen with fresh meats, fruits, veggies, whole grain cereals, low fat milk and other staples to keep you track.

2. Brown bag it. Buy bread, lunch, meat, chips and fruit so you can bring your own brown bag meals each day. You'll eat much healthier and save money too!

3. Keep it simple. Prepare for your stay by coming up with a handful of simple dinner recipes you can easily prepare in your corporate rental. Perhaps you like baked chicken or tortilla soup - make enough for two nights so you don't spend a lot of time cooking. Whatever you like, try to keep your diet on track by preparing simple meals for yourself and eating in.

4. Limit dining out to 1-2 per week. When you're traveling for business, it's tempting to go out to dinner every night. Eating out usually means you'll consume way more calories than you intended because portions are large and you don't always know what's going into your food. Limit how much you eat out and remember, if you're meal is huge, take home half of it, put it in your fridge, and enjoy it for dinner the following night.

5. Ignore meal stipends. Many business travelers get into the mentality that they have to spend their meal stipends or they lose it. This mentality will surely help you pack on the pounds because you'll be tempted to eat out more. Company money should not factor into how much and what you eat when traveling.

Keeping your diet on track when traveling can be challenging, but it's made a whole lot easier when you stay in a furnished corporate rental with a full sized kitchen vs. a tiny hotel room that forces you to eat out. Corporate rentals enable you to enjoy the creature comforts of home and keep your diet on track!

Taking Pets on Business Trips - Why Your Corporate Rental Should be Pet-Friendly

Americans love their pets and if possible, many are taking their pets along when going on lengthy business trips. I can only imagine how difficult it would be for a single professional to be put on assignment in another city and leave behind their beloved companion in a kennel or with a burdened friend.

Many corporate homeowners have shied away from accommodating pets because of worries of damage to the property, but airlines and hotels have made it easier than ever to take Lassie along for the ride and no longer see pets to be as "damaging" as once assumed.

If you have a corporate rental and have not considered ways to appeal to this growing number of business travelers who commute with their beloved dog in tow, you may want to rethink your pet strategy.

Here are some dog-gone good reasons to allow pets in your corporate rental:

-More traveling business executives and traveling professionals are taking Fido along for the trip. By not opening your home to animals, you may be limiting the number of prospective tenants.

-Pet owners are willing to pay an extra fee or deposit. They don't mind as long as they can take along their beloved animal.

-Pet owners are quite responsible. If they're taking their pet along with them, it usually means they care for them dearly and are quite responsible themselves.

On the other hand, there are many travelers who will look for just the opposite accommodation. They may have an allergy to pet dander. So there is a space in the marketplace for "pet-free accommodations" as well (so don't be discouraged if pets aren't your thing).

My next post will discuss how to make your corporate rental pet-friendly.

Business travel outlook for 2010 better but not good

A new survey says that business travel may show some signs of improvement for 2010, but not much.

A staggering 10% unemployment rate and companies continuing to be frugal with travel costs are keeping analyst expectations for a solid travel in the year ahead at a minimum.

Here's how each industry impacted by business travel stacks up.

Airlines: The survey says that business-class fares on airlines will be up 1-6% while fares in general will be up 2-7% in 2010.

Hotels: Hotel revenues have fallen nearly 20% in 2009 and are predicted to fall another 1-6% in the year ahead as supply remains plentiful.

Conventions: Meetings and conventions have been cut this year and key convention destination cities like Las Vegas and Orlando are reporting visitors to the area are down 26% and 9% respectively.

But don't be discouraged by this news.

Corporate housing is utilized by more than just business travelers and we're seeing more relocated families, traveling nurses and professors, visiting mother-in-laws and more taking advantage of fully furnished rental properties. Plus, corporate housing is becoming a well-known alternative to hotels. As more business travelers become responsible for booking their own travel, more will come to personally learn about the perks the corporate rental world offers.

Top reasons to stay in corporate or furnished rental home over a dingy hotel

Many people don't know that they have lodging options when they travel. In fact, if you're a savvy traveler, you know that you almost never have to stay in a noisy, cramped hotel. If you stay in a corporate rental, for example, you can eat meals in and save money, among other perks!

Here are five reasons to stay in corporate housing vs. a hotel during your next business or family trip:

1. Cheaper - If your stay is one month or longer, it is much cheaper to stay in a corporate rental. No extra lodging fees or taxes, no daily charges for Internet, no parking fees and hassles and you can eat your meals in vs. opting for expensive room service. Plus, paying a daily hotel rate adds up - most corporate rentals give deals for longer stays shaving hundreds, maybe even thousands, off a lodging bill.

2. Residential Feel - Staying in a corporate rental just gives off good vibes. No transient guests coming and going like in a hotel. You stay in your home or condo and feel like you're part of the community. In other words, you can live like the locals live - a bonus when you're exploring a new city!

3. Full Size Kitchen - One of the best reasons to stay in a corporate rental is that you can cook and eat meals in. Talk about saving money and hassle! Every corporate rental comes with a fully furnished kitchen complete with dishes, pots, silverware and the works! A quick trip to the supermarket will enable you to eat many meals in and save the splurging for special meals out!


4. More Beds and Baths - If you're traveling with a family or a business colleague, staying in a two or more bedroom corporate rental will allow you each to have privacy while saving money (i.e., no need for two hotel rooms but each person gets his/her own room). Plus, families with young kids will enjoy having an extra room due to the variations in bedtimes.

5. Privacy - In a hotel you can hear people talking and walking in the hallways, elevator bells ringing and your neighbor's TV blasting! A thin wall separates you from your neighbor. If you want some privacy and quiet time, corporate rentals are the way to go!

Remember, you have lodging options when you travel. Next time opt for a corporate rental over a hotel. You'll be happy you did!

Sharing Hotel Rooms with Business Colleagues on the Rise

A May 2009 HR Magazine article reported that more employees are being forced to share hotel rooms with their colleagues when traveling for business. In fact, the article cites a Business Traveler survey that found 14% of employees said they now share a room with a colleague and overall, 24% of business travelers have had to share a room with a colleague at some point in their career. This forced room-sharing is another way companies are trying to cut back on hefty travel expenses, particularly in our flailing economy.


But room-sharing often creates undo stress for someone who is away from home. Things like snoring, bathroom sharing and differences in bedtime schedules can create ill-will and stress between professional colleagues.

Instead of bunking two business associates in the same small hotel space, a company could, oftentimes for less cost, put up their traveling employees in a corporate housing rental. Corporate housing units have shared living space, but separate bedrooms and bathrooms, giving each employee their own personal space. Corporate housing can be a way companies cut back without sacrificing their employee's well-being in the process.

Here's a breakdown of how travel costs stack up when comparing hotel stays with corporate housing:

Lodging: A company could pay $75-$300 per day for a single employee to stay in a studio-sized hotel depending on location. Double that cost for two employees and a company could spend more than $9,000 per month per employee. On the other hand, the average corporate housing rental for a one-month in 2008 across the United States and averaged between all unit sizes is $3,500. Two business associates could share a two-bedroom corporate rental - and each would get their own private space and only sharing common spaces like the kitchen and TV area.

Food: Breakfast for one employee in the average hotel can cost $20-$30 per person per day. Dinner can cost $25-$50 if the employee dines out. These expenses can quickly add up over the course of three meals per day for an entire month - double for two employees. Corporate rentals include a full-sized kitchen with dishes, pots and pans and appliances. This enables traveling employees to eat-in often rather than dish out tons of cash for expensive room service and restaurants.

Hidden Fees: Many hotels charge $10-$25 per day just for Internet usage alone. Plus you have to tip the busboy, the room service attendant, and many others as well – tons of hidden costs. Standard corporate housing fees already include Internet charges and complimentary long distance and there are no tips required when an employee stays in a private home.

Companies should always look to other alternatives to save money before sacrificing an employee's personal space in the name of cost-cutting. Corporate housing is an underutilized option that should be considered - and can be a long-term solution for HR departments looking to cut corners in both good and difficult financial times.