Firms losing control of travel budgets, report warns

UK companies are struggling to keep corporate travel costs under control as budgets are routinely exceeded and policies go unenforced, according to new research from workforce travel platform Roomex.

The report, Reinventing the Journey: The Voice of the Field Worker, surveyed 1,500 mobile workers and corporate travel bookers across multiple sectors. It found that 41% of travel bookers said budgets were exceeded either monthly or quarterly, while 66% blamed rising accommodation and transport prices as the main cause.

However, inefficient booking practices are also fuelling overspend. Nearly half (46%) of respondents said last-minute bookings due to poor planning were driving up prices, while 34% cited employees booking outside company policies. A further 30% said poor visibility of expenses in real time contributed to costs spiralling.

Bookers reported frequent last-minute travel requests (64%), limited automation (38%), and heavy reliance on manual processes such as emails and spreadsheets – all of which delay approvals, obscure real-time spending, and result in “budget creep”. More than a third (38%) said they lacked real-time expense tracking, leaving finance teams reconciling costs after the fact.

Beyond the financial impact, the report highlights the strain on workers. Half (50%) of respondents said they experienced stress from travel arrangements, while a third (33%) reported poorer work-life balance due to fatigue, long-distance travel, and irregular schedules.

Garry Moroney, CEO of Roomex, said: “Budgets don’t blow up because people don’t care; they blow up because approvals get stuck in inboxes and bookings happen late. The answer isn’t more forms; it’s a tighter front door. Put every trip in one place, auto-approve what’s in policy, and pre-pay with virtual cards.”

He added: “You can’t control market prices, but you can control how you buy. Set a clear policy, track budgets in real time, and limit last-minute trips. Do those three things, and you remove the panic premium and spend more predictably.”

The ITIJ team recently spoke to Jeff Rutledge, CEO of Zurich Cover-More, about how shifting traveller behaviours and geopolitical issues are shaping the travel industry.