How travel policy can shape crew wellbeing
By Cameron Bengert, Head of Operations, Clyde Travel Management
A travel policy is more than a set of guidelines. It shapes how people move through their work, how decisions get made and how supported your crews feel before, during and after a journey. In marine and offshore travel, where journeys are often long and challenging, that structure matters more than most people realise.
Over the years, I’ve seen the difference that a well-designed travel policy can make. When it works, it reduces confusion, saves money and builds confidence throughout an organisation. When it falls short, the friction shows up in admin workloads, approval delays and quiet dissatisfaction from crews who feel overlooked. These effects don’t always appear in reports, but they are felt day to day by the people moving your business forward.
The good news is that most policy gaps can be closed with clearer thinking, some small adjustments and a more honest reflection on what travel really looks like in practice.
Travel policies should reflect real-life movement
A policy built for corporate trips often doesn’t meet the demands of crew movements. That becomes clear in the fine print. If baggage allowances aren’t defined, if seat types aren’t addressed, or if there’s no allowance for overnight layovers, the booking process becomes slower and more stressful.
These aren’t luxuries, they’re part of what enables someone to arrive rested, safe and ready to work. Without that clarity, bookers are left to interpret, managers are asked to approve exceptions, and crew may be sent on long-haul routings with little consistency in quality.
A strong policy includes clear guidance for baggage, routing preferences, seating and time between connections. When those expectations are set early and communicated clearly, it saves time, reduces unnecessary emails and removes ambiguity for the people travelling.
Approvals need to support operational urgency
In this sector, delays are sometimes unavoidable but rarely acceptable. A backfill needs to be on-site quickly. A change in schedule often means rebooking within hours. If your travel policy is still using standard office-based approval chains, it may be holding your operation back; and that’s the last thing any of us want.
When approvals rely on lengthy chains, manual spreadsheets or single points of contact, risk increases. Fares can change while waiting for sign-off, seat availability can disappear and crew members are left unsure if and when they’re travelling.
A practical policy identifies who can approve what, under which conditions and with what fallback options. It also creates different approval paths for urgent travel versus routine movements. When policies reflect the real pace of operations, travel stops being a headache and becomes a tool for continuity.
Cost should be balanced with care, not opposed to it
Cost control matters, but so does the reality of what your people experience when they travel. These two priorities don’t have to compete. In fact, the best travel policies acknowledge both by making trade-offs transparent.
If your policy focuses only on lowest fare rules, your teams may be forced to prioritise budget at the cost of wellbeing. That might mean overnight connections with no rest time or routings that save money upfront but result in lots of tedious and expensive rebooking, lost time or lower satisfaction.
Policies that define when cost takes priority and when comfort or reliability matter more help look at for both people and purse strings. They remove the grey areas that cause confusion and provide a practical framework for bookers and managers to work within.
Airline models have evolved, policies should follow suit
Most airlines no longer offer a single fare that includes everything. Seat selection, baggage and change flexibility are often unbundled, priced separately and structured differently across carriers.
When your travel policy still assumes an all-inclusive model, it puts pressure on the booking process. Bookers are left to guess, and crews may be caught out at check-in when basic expectations aren’t met. These are preventable issues that stem from policies not being updated to match how travel works today.
Reviewing and updating policy wording, even in small ways, helps align expectations and gives everyone greater confidence in the process.
Better policies reduce stress and build trust
When a travel policy is written with care and kept current, it does more than reduce errors. It changes the tone of how travel is experienced. Bookers feel supported, not stretched. Managers spend less time interpreting grey areas. Crews notice the difference in how their journeys are handled, especially over time.
The best results don’t come from dramatic overhauls. They come from small, deliberate changes that reflect how your organisation wants to work and what it wants to stand for. That’s where policy becomes more than procedure. It becomes a reflection of values, and a tool for making life easier for the people who keep your operation running.
Need help shaping a policy that works for your people and your business? Reach out today.