When a company is small, travel usually works like this: everyone books their own tickets on whatever app they like, pays with a personal card and files a claim later. It's flexible — but it's hard to see what you're spending, and nobody is checking whether the fare could have been lower.
Write down five rules
- Cabin class: economy for domestic flights; decide when (if ever) longer international flights qualify for more.
- Hotel budget: a nightly cap by city tier — metros higher, smaller cities lower.
- Booking window: book planned trips at least a set number of days ahead, unless it's urgent.
- Approval: who says yes, and for what amount.
- Invoices: every booking needs a proper invoice with the company's GST details, so accounts can claim input credit where eligible.
Give the team one contact
The simplest control is a single place to send trips: a shared WhatsApp group or email thread with whoever books. Travellers keep choosing the flights and hotels they like; the booking contact checks the price, applies the policy and sends the invoice.
Check the price before anyone pays
The habit that saves the most is the cheapest one: before a booking is made, get a second price. Across a year of trips, even modest differences add up.
That's how StarTrips works for companies: your team sends the trip, we reply with our price, you approve and we book — with invoices for your accounts. No contract needed to start.