Research from SAP Concur shows almost all employees willing to travel for business

Business travel budgets may be on the rise this year, but complexities within travel and expenses are resulting in a “yes-but” situation for organizations, according to the seventh annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey. The survey included 3,750 business travelers across 24 markets, 700 travel managers across seven markets, and — new this year — 600 CFOs across six markets between April 30 and May 12, 2025.

Charlie Sultan, president, said that according to this year’s survey, travel budgets are increasing, employees are willing to travel for business, and they are open to chipping in for better travel experiences. “It may feel like business travel as usual,” he said, “but there is more to the story.” Travel policies, said Sultan, “are becoming stricter, travel frequency remains a pain point and employers aren’t meeting their travelers’ expectations.”

Among the results:

                  Nearly all business travelers are willing to travel for business this year, but company leaders should watch for signs of discontent.

• Almost all business travelers globally (97%) say they are at least somewhat willing to travel for business over the next 12 months — in contrast to travel manager and CFO perceptions that employee reluctance or refusal to travel is a top concern.
• Ninety-four percent of business travelers say business travel is helpful (39%) or even essential (55%) for them to be successful in their role. Interestingly, more men (58%) say it is essential for their work compared with women (49%).
• But leaders could still be on to something: Overall, 90% of business travelers say they would consider declining a business trip for certain reasons. Top reasons include:
  • Safety or social concerns for traveling to certain parts of the world (40%).
  • Health concerns with traveling to a destination (38%).
  • Feeling burnt out with travel and just needing a break (26%).
• Although 51% of business travelers say the current frequency of their business travel is about right, around half of business travelers (49%) describe it as different than desired. Thirty percent of all travelers surveyed say they currently travel more than they’d like, while 19% say they currently travel less than they’d like. Those who work fully remotely are more likely to say their level of travel is different than they desire (64%), compared with those who work fully onsite (46%) or have a hybrid schedule (45%).
• Following incidents earlier in the year, a slight majority of business travelers (58%) have concerns about air travel safety, although 41% say that’s not changing their travel plans.
  • Among those who are somewhat or less willing to travel for business over the next 12 months, 68% are concerned about air travel safety this year. Of those who are very willing to travel for business this year, 53% are also concerned — a bit less than the 58% average.

Cuts are being made to allowable business travel expenses, even as companies’ travel budgets are expected to increase or stay the same in 2025.

• This survey was fielded during a period of high uncertainty associated with global trade, but 89% of business travelers, 93% of travel managers, and 90% of CFOs globally still say they expect their organization’s travel budget to increase or stay the same this year.
• Yet, survey findings suggest many travel budgets are still insufficient, regardless of increasing investment. Sixty-nine percent of travel managers agree that their company’s travel budget doesn’t reflect how important business travel is to its success, and 81% of CFOs agree that budget limitations at their company mean employees are unable to travel as much as needed to effectively perform their jobs.
• The majority of business travelers (60%), travel managers (59%) and CFOs (59%) say cuts to their company’s travel budget typically show up as small changes to all trips — such as requiring choosing the lowest fares, no checked bags, or cuts to room or flight upgrades — versus larger, policy-level changes. They also confirm that cuts are being made:
  • Eighty-seven percent of business travelers say that their company has cut back on options over the past 12 months that they previously allowed, including staying overnight to avoid a long day of travel for a day trip (30%), using business or premium class (30%) and traveling for non-client purposes (28%).
  • Some companies are getting stricter about blended travel. Twenty-six percent of business travelers say their company has cut back on allowing them to work remotely while traveling for pleasure — a travel perk that was particularly popular during the pandemic — and 25% say their company has cut back on allowing adding personal travel to a business trip.

Employees are willing to spend their own money to make up the difference in their business travel experiences — which tend to be a bit more luxe than their personal travel.

• Most business travelers globally (84%) say their habits during business travel differ from their habits during personal travel. Commonly cited business travel differences include:
  • Staying at higher-quality hotels or booking a premium room (34%).
  • Booking direct flights, even if more expensive (33%).
  • Taking private transportation, like Uber or a car service (32%).
  • Dining out at higher-quality restaurants or spending more on food and drinks (29%).
  • Ordering room service instead of dining out (26%).
  • Giving larger tips or tipping for services when it’s not typically required (22%).
• When not covered by company policies, 85% of business travelers say they would spend their own money on perks to enhance business travel, including higher-quality accommodations (38%), additional hotel nights to avoid a long day of travel (35%) and premium seating (30%).
• Simultaneously, most business travelers (84%) have recently started taking steps during business trips to save money or stretch their budgets. Popular choices include:
  • Eating cheaper meals to spend less than the per diem or travel allowance (36%).
  • Using a personal card or rewards programs to earn points or miles (34%).
  • Preparing meals to spend less on per diem or travel allowance (28%).
  • Bringing snacks or leftover food and drinks home (26%).
  • Bringing home amenities like hotel soap and conference swag (24%).
• Although a quarter of business travelers say their company has cut back on allowing adding personal travel to a business trip, 27% say they have recently started doing this to save on costs, suggesting that this remains a popular way to stretch personal travel budgets.