All you need to know to become a corporate travel manager
As business travel continues to grow, more people are considering shifting career path towards corporate travel management. In recent years, more companies of all sizes have been shifting from unmanaged to managed business travel. Where previously HR staff or office managers would carry the burden of managing all travel arrangements, it has become more commonplace to engage in-house travel managers and use the services of travel management companies (TMCs) to do this.This has ultimately helped companies reduce their travel costs, better manage the time of other members of staff and increase the efficiency of the travel planning process.This field has also gained a lot of popularity from people working or looking to start a career in the travel industry because corporate travel managers are known to receive significantly better average salaries than their leisure travel counterparts. According to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), corporate travel managers can earn over $10,000 per year more. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a travel agent’s median annual salary in 2020 was $42,350.The corporate travel manager job description
A company’s travel needs are vital to its growth and success and normally eat up large chunks of its budget. This means that the decision to hire a corporate travel manager is a strategic move that requires a strategic-minded individual to take on the task. Corporate travel managers are normally responsible for:- Creating and implementing the company’s corporate travel policy
- Overseeing all travel plans and travel arrangements
- Managing and controlling the travel budget
- Collating and utilising data
- Implementing the right plans to cover crises, security and risk management while maintaining a duty of care.
For more information check out our article on what companies should look for when hiring a corporate travel manager.How to become a corporate travel manager
The experience required to become a corporate travel manager is quite substantial which means there are no real entry-level corporate travel manager positions you can start out in. This makes becoming one a little trickier than other career paths you might choose.But fear not! We’ve outlined the four main steps to help you on your way to landing a job as a corporate travel manager:1. Get the right education and training
While it is not unheard of to get a corporate travel manager job with a high school diploma and the right know-how, you increase your chances by having the right university degree. This includes an undergrad degree in areas such as tourism, travel and hospitality. A master’s degree in the travel services industry will also give you more of an edge.Besides this, you should seek out further and more specialised training and certification from well-established institutions in the field such as The Travel Institute and the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA). Such courses will equip you with knowledge and skills in areas such as travel business administration, travel scheduling, travel accounting, international travel knowledge and much more.3. Start off on the right foot
While you won’t find entry-level corporate manager jobs, there are many positions you can occupy which will give you the experience needed to get there. Start off as an account manager or agent with a well-established travel agency, a reservation agent with an airline or cruise line company or other similar jobs that will give you an introduction to the industry as well as the years of experience you’ll need going forward.4. Network, network, network
In pretty much any line of work, one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is to get to know the people inside and have them show you the ropes. Attend the right conferences, reach out to well-established travel consultants via LinkedIn and ask corporate travel agents if you can shadow them. Get your name out there and learn from the best.Finally, hone these skills
Experience and qualifications aside, there are certain qualities and skills that you really want to master if you want to become the best corporate travel manager you can be. We also outlined these in our travel manager guide, but here’s a recap:1. Know the travel industry inside and out
This might be an obvious one but it can’t be overstated. Understand the ins and outs of the industry and, more importantly, keep up-to-date with it. Stay on top of the trends, policies, best practices and the right tools to use (particularly, travel management companies such as TravelPerk).2. Become a master communicator
Communication skills are vital for corporate travel managers. You need to be the biggest and best advocate of your travel policy for employees and everything it’s aiming to achieve. You’ll need to do this with staff members at all levels of your company. Furthermore, you’re their point of contact before, during and after their trip—and can have a big impact on improving their travel experience.We value the opinion of our customers, and so we asked Natalie Marcantonio, Office Manager from Quadmark, what the key challenges are to becoming a corporate travel manager. Check out what she said!
"I have realised that employees can be difficult and sometimes rude, mostly down to their impatience. It can be difficult to see colleagues behave in this way, but I always try to explain in a reflective way following on why the issues may have occurred. It's also crucial to give your team autonomy in their bookings but be on hand to support their needs if necessary." (Natalie Marcantonio, Office Manager, Quadmark)
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