In modern managed travel, a written policy remains essential, yet it’s no longer the sole foundation of the program. The real foundation is a coherent control system – policy (the “what”), platform configuration and supplier contracts (the “how”), and organizational governance and culture (the “who/why”). When these work together, compliance becomes the natural outcome, not a constant enforcement battle.
For travel buyers, that means building a practical framework for thinking about the role the travel policy plays today and how to keep it evolving into the future without losing control.
Undoubtedly policy still matters. It clearly defines your organization’s intent and appetite for risk. Policy expresses your company’s duty of care, cost tolerance, fairness standards, and clearly states the company’s expectations. It also creates a consistent structure for global and remote teams, providing a single source of truth for “what good looks like,” especially across multiple currencies, tax implications and security concerns.
Additionally, the policy protects the organization when questions arise around things like fraud, audit or safety, showing what you expect from your travelers while shielding your company from potential loss or liability. Policy is where stakeholders align and where requirements are reconciled, prioritized and documented.
Layer Upon Layer
But a 30-page PDF isn’t going to shape desired behaviors and outcomes. Today, configuration beats prose, meaning how travel managers configure booking tools, expense systems and TMC enforcement requirements will help to drive desired behaviors and provide the data and analytics to determine the success of the policy. Buyers who align their data strategy as part of their policy build will see greater adoption and success.
Think of your travel program as five mutually reinforcing layers. Policy is just Layer 1; it sets direction. Subsequent layers make it real.
Layer 1: Policy
(Principles and Guardrails)
• Consider your company’s culture, appetite for risk and your travelers experience.
• Allow data to help design the principles.
• Outcomes-based language (e.g., “require utilization of preferred suppliers, connections and define spend tolerances) supplemented by clear “never/always” rules.
• Define exceptions and who can grant them.
• Utilize AI to answer policy related questions. The easier the data is to consume the more effective the policy.
Layer 2: Platform Configuration
(Embedded Controls)
• OBT/TMC settings: Prioritize preferred suppliers, create fare fences, hotel rate caps, auto-approvals, rail prompts, carbon nudges. Design for what you want to control.
• Expense rules: Receipt thresholds, per diems, auto-flagging.
• Payment controls: Virtual cards by trip, MCC blocks, merchant caps.
Layer 3: Supplier Strategy
(Contracts that Match Policy)
• Negotiate for what matters: Price, amenity, experience – then deliver.
• If the data tells you that the supplier doesn’t fit – find one that does.
• Set measurable and achievable goals that benefit both parties.
• Set quarterly business reviews to ensure both parties are meeting their obligations.
Layer 4: Governance & Analytics
(Measure and Adjust)
•
Quarterly business reviews with KPIs that match the policy’s intent: Determine what you are measuring (i.e., in-channel/off-channel bookings, total trip cost, trip advanced purchase, traveler well-being indicators, emissions per trip, etc.).
• Identify exceptions and trend them. Is it a one-off or is our policy no longer aligned with the business?
Layer 5: Culture & Change
(Make Compliance Friction-Light)
• Traveler experience: Identify solutions or policy items that enhance the traveler’s experience but do not drive up costs; for example, consumer-grade UX, mobile self-service, itinerary integrity.
• Targeted learning: short in-tool tips vs. long e-learning. Make it easy to consume.
• Executive example-setting: Leaders book in-channel, too.
Travel buyers who think of the policy as more than a document, but instead look at it as the first layer of success, will thrive. A great policy by itself is no guarantee of a great program; without tight configuration and a firm supplier fit, it will leak.
What does a good policy look like going into 2026? A solid travel policy needs to take into account the organization’s culture, their business objectives, the travel experience and how technology will impact the outcomes of the managed travel program. It should be principle-led and machine-readable. Keep the policy itself to 4 to 8 pages of principles, clear guardrails and defined exceptions.
The rest can be in configurations that your OBT/TMC/expense platforms can enforce. The policy’s scope should span the full trip lifecycle from request to approval, book, pay, travel, expense, and analysis. Ownership of each phase of the journey should be clearly outlined.
It is OK to have a policy that is global at its core but includes local requirements and regulations. Of course, duty of care, employee safety and wellbeing sit as most important and cannot be overlooked. Finally, ensure that you clearly define exception procedures and ownership.
Buyer Beware
To ensure your policy is successfully delivering for your travel program there are few common pitfalls to avoid. If your policy states to book preferred suppliers, but those suppliers are not the first to show, they will be missed. If you state book least expensive airfare and then three higher airfares populate first, how is a traveler to know?
Clearly build the policy into your tools to guide travelers and help them make the right choices. Ensure that you have full content so your travelers aren’t enticed to go elsewhere to book. Reduce any rigid delays in travel approvals to avoid incurring higher costs. Don’t allow your expense policy to contradict your travel policy. Whenever possible make it one document. Keep your policy flexible and easy to change so you can react quickly to trends and developments that impact your managed travel program.
The bottom line is, policy is still the cornerstone – but only as part of an integrated control system. Write a concise, principles-first policy; encode it in your tools; contract suppliers to match it; govern with relevant KPIs; and design the traveler experience so the compliant path is also the easiest and most effective.
Do that, and policy regains its power – not as a PDF to police people with, but as the north star of a program that simply works.
Jennifer Steinke is Director, Travel, Meetings and Fleet at Moderna, and an industry thought leader with over 30 years experience managing corporate travel. She holds an MBA plus Certified Corporate Travel Executive (CCTE) and Global Travel Professional (GTP) certifications from GBTA. Jennifer strives to deliver innovative and thought-provoking ideas to the corporate travel industry.
