What is travel tracking and how can it help me?
Travel tracking is a vital tool that allows organisation and indviduals to know where their people are, where they have been, and where they will be during their travels. Typically, it's used in a business context when employees travel for work, but it can also be used for individuals or small groups, such as families. There are various types of travel tracking, which vary from low to high accuracy.
Device tracking is a low-accuracy tracking method that involves tracking GPS-enabled devices and their movements in real-time. GPS-enabled devices could be smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, or even GPS-enabled suitcases. These devices send location data to a central server that records where the device and its owner have been. However, if the device gets separated from the owner, device tracking becomes limited in knowing where the person is.
Passive itinerary tracking is a method that tracks someone based on their planned itinerary. By combining their flight bookings, hotel bookings, car rentals, and other information, a picture of the traveler's itinerary is built up. The travel tracking software analyzes the itinerary and can predict the traveler's movements and offer personalized information, such as country guides and local weather alerts. However, if the traveler fails to follow their itinerary, the system has the wrong data about their location.
Active itinerary tracking is a more accurate tracking method than passive itinerary tracking as it involves asking the traveler if they have followed their plans. For example, checking if they were at the airport on time to catch their flight by sending an SMS or email. However, this method also has limitations, as it can lose track of the traveler if they take a trip that is not planned or entered into the tracking system.
Complete tracking is the most accurate tracking method that combines data from multiple types of tracking to obtain the most accurate picture possible of where someone is. It combines active itinerary tracking with device tracking, check-ins, and adds additional data to complement this. For example, location data from a company credit card used when traveling can be included when working out the traveler's location.
Travel tracking offers many benefits for both personal and business travel. Safety is one of the main benefits as it's easier to keep travelers safe if you know where they are, respond to incidents faster, and provide medical support. Tax compliance is another benefit as it makes gathering the data a tax accountant needs to file accurate tax returns much more straightforward. Immigration compliance is another benefit, as travel tracking can help ensure compliance with immigration laws and regulations. Carbon tracking is also a benefit as it can generate a carbon emission record that can form the basis of an offsetting or carbon reduction program. Lastly, cost-saving is another benefit as travelers and employers can identify areas where they can save money, such as sticking to one airline and its loyalty program, and consolidating trips.
Travel tracking involves collecting and analyzing data related to a traveler's itinerary, movements, and activities. Generally, travel tracking is done in three stages: pre-trip, on-trip, and post-trip. Pre-trip tracking typically involves building a picture of the traveler's upcoming itinerary. This can be done by automatically importing all travel bookings made via a travel agency or asking the traveler to manually input their itinerary.
In conclusion, travel tracking is a powerful tool that can benefit both personal and business travel. It allows for better safety, tax compliance, immigration compliance, carbon tracking, and cost-saving. There are various types of travel tracking methods available, ranging from device tracking to complete tracking, each with its own limitations and benefits.
The Voyage Travel Tracker is the only active and automated travel tracker on the market. We can put together an active tracking solution that meets your organization's requirements. This could be a small active solution for you high risk or c-suite travellers, combined with passive solution for your general employee body, to an organization wide fully active service.