7 business travel challenges in the oil and energy industry and how to solve them 

Many companies manage travel in-house, thinking it saves time and costs. But does it really? Travel management is often added to a person's other responsibilities, and they may not be trained for it. Handling all travel management internally without experience, good planning, and thoughtful policies can lead to headaches or disastrous trips.  

To solve a problem, you first need to define it. So, what are the key challenges that travel managers might face? Let's look at some of the issues that affect travel in the oil and energy industry. 

1. Making travel to remote locations easier

• The challenge: Oil rigs are often located in remote areas with limited transportation options. Coordinating travel with flights and buses to camps is a struggle. Organizing overnights in airports to get to and from these locations can be complex and challenging.
• Our strategy: We do the hard part of travel management, especially for complex destinations that require special planning or unusual flights and transportation. Make your travel planning easier. Let the travel experts make your planning and their journey smoother. 

Our travel experts have seen it all before and have experience working with the oil and energy industry and its unique needs. 

2. Budgeting made better

• The challenge: Companies are constantly seeking cost savings with the ever-changing dollar. As inflation grows, the need to control expenses is top of mind, and you want to get the most out of your budget.
• Our strategy: By using a travel management company like us, you can get exclusive rates, find cost-effective solutions, implement cost-control measures and help structure an internal travel policy that delivers value.

3. Finding the right tools for reporting

• The challenge: Many companies struggle with their travel program if they do not have comprehensive data. How do you know what the most prominent issues are if reports are not available? Which changes will make the most positive impact? This is critical information that you need to access easily. 
• Our strategy: Melon is a tool that can bring that clarity, and it's more than a piece of software. When clients come on board, they express so much gratitude for the reporting that Melon can deliver. It's a simple, comprehensive, all-in-one travel platform that gives you the transparency you need and makes it easy to book, manage and approve travel.

4. Managing air credits

• The challenge: Welcome to the world of air credits (managed and unmanaged). In an industry where plans change quickly, and staff do too, how can you ensure they use credits before they expire?
• Our strategy: We help you find ways to optimize travel budgets and improve processes. The Finance team should like that! There are simple ways to ensure your team always knows if air credits are available and can be used on their trip. 

5. Putting safety first

• The challenge: On international rigs, there are significant risks to be aware of at all times. International incidents, like natural disasters, worker strikes, or political unrest, can impact overseas staff. Knowing how to handle travel services or execute an evacuation from these places is not easy. 
• Our strategy: A quick point of reference with the traveller safety report tells who is currently in each destination. Travellers or travel bookers can access Corporate Traveler after-hours support or their dedicated manager to help with communication, extraction or further safety measures. It's easy to access 24/7 emergency assistance by phone or live chat from any device to provide support and safety measures to your employees.

6. Dealing with changes and cancellations

• The challenge: Missed flights and last-minute changes happen often when working with contracted rotational workers. Travel policy should be clear, but at the same time, additional support is needed to navigate options quickly, even after hours.  
• Our strategy: We have reliable after-hours support that helps you get back on track. That means it's not the travel coordinator being woken up at 5 am with a call. We've got it covered 24/7, and we can manage the change for them by knowing the policy and guidelines. 

7. Juggling high-volume travel without worry

• The challenge: When you are dealing with 50 -100 rotational flights, and the account is unmanaged, it can be difficult to ensure that everyone is booked and only booked once. In this situation, errors are more likely to happen. 
• Our strategy: With a managed account, we ensure that systems are in place to capture all bookings and never double-book someone. We make sure to coordinate with pre- and post-hotels as well as match them with ongoing charter flights. Door to door, travellers can move easily to their destination. 

We have the tools and expertise to make your travel management as stress-free and efficient as possible. We acknowledge that each business is different, and there are unique challenges in the oil and energy industry. Our team can help you prepare and plan for the challenges listed above and any other business travel barriers. 

Ready for hassle-free travel management? Let's chat and get on board for simpler,  more cost-effective travel solutions for your oil and energy business.