ways2work > How to do it > Re-thinking business travel > Business travel basics > The disadvantages of business travel
The disadvantages of business travel
There are many advantages to business travel – which is essentially seeking new business, winning new business and maintaining business relationships. However there are disadvantages to consider:
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Business travel costs money
a 2007 RAC and British Chambers of Commerce Report found that on average SMEs spend 10% of their overall budget on business travel
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Business travel means unproductive time
while people can in principle work while travelling (although not if they are driving), time spent travelling is time spent not fully available for interaction with colleagues
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Face to face meetings delay schedules
because travel for meetings comes in chunks of half-days and days, meetings are difficult to schedule. Schedules are delayed because people can't find mutually-agreeable dates.
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Business travel can be stressful
research for Microsoft shows two-thirds of 600 survey respondents would rather spend time in a dentist's chair than take their next business trip. 40% said that "the stress of business travel has a negative impact on my family"
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It takes time to recover from long-distance air travel
a study of frequent US air travellers found that after a business trip, half needed up to two days to catch up on work, recover physically and get their personal lives back in order (Reference: Kensington Technology Group. "New study finds business travellers less productive long after return to the office". 17 September 2003)
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Long-distance air travel isn't good for you
BUPA's fact sheet on jet lag confirms that it causes fatigue, memory loss and irritability
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Business travel isn't good for the environment
as outlined here
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You may have to report your business travel
perhaps your business travel record isn't exemplary. Perhaps it has gone up. However if you are a large organisation you are now rather compelled to report the extent of your business travel in your Corporate Social Responsibility Report