Tools for Jira
Tools for monday.com
For many of us, even planning a personal trip can be a daunting task. Missing one detail when booking a flight or hotel can lead to a disaster. The challenge becomes even greater when you need to organize a business trip for others, especially for large events where many people travel simultaneously.
Additionally, business travel often requires multiple approvals and cross-team collaboration. You will need a solution to keep everyone on the same page and easily track every detail. A business travel template for Jira is an ideal way to solve this challenge.
In this blog post, we share a ready-to-use template and explain how to use it.
What Does a Business Travel Template Look Like?
It’s a detailed checklist designed to help you organize business trips more efficiently. It consists of several sections, each dedicated to a specific aspect of the travel preparation process, such as buying tickets, booking accommodation, providing visa support, and so on.
This checklist can be added to Jira and used as a template. For each new business trip, you can create a Jira ticket with the ready action plan. This speeds up the process and makes it better organized and more accurate.
Copy and Customize This Free Business Travel Template
We have created a detailed template for organizing the travel process from start to finish. You will need to use Smart Checklist by Titan Apps to add this free template to your Jira work item.
As a result, you will get a reusable checklist like the one below:
It lists the main steps for all the travel preparation stages. Once you add it to your Jira task, you can customize it to better fit your company’s processes. For example, add approvers’ emails, insert links to company policies and relevant internal documents, and so on.
The saved checklist template can then be automatically added to all new trip planning Jira tasks.
Here’s the template you can copy and further adjust for your specific use case:
# Ticket structure
– Link this process to the Support Help ticket as `caused by`
– Link this process to [Travel Epic](https://jira.atlassian.com/) as `included in` to have all travel processes in one place
# Check the submitted travel preferences first
– Collect and review submitted travel preferences submitted through the [helpdesk](https://confluence.atlassian.com/servicedesk/)
> – Tickets land in Slack in #travel-help
> – It’s preferable to communicate and clarify all details in comments in the Help ticket so that someone else can continue the process if you can’t do this.
– Check if everything is okay with [docs](https://drive.google.com/drive) (e.g. passport is valid)
– Check if the request is within the budget [here](https://lookerstudio.google.com/)
> – Policy: Business Travel
> – Data range: This year
– If needed, provide visa support
> Use **Support** Smart Checklist Template to proceed
– Research options for accommodation and transportation based on submitted preferences and dates of the trip
– Set up a call or communicate asynchronously to confirm travel dates, accommodation, and transportation options before booking
# Daily Allowance
– By referring to the [policy](https://confluence.atlassian.com/), calculate how much the daily allowance, taxi, and other expenses related to the business trip would cost
– Submit a [coverage ticket](https://jira.atlassian.com/)
# Price research
– Algorithm of the research in detail
>* Check on dedicated search sites
>* Re-check on aggregators
>* Check exact flights directly with the flight company
– Dedicated search sites
>* google.com/flght
>* kayak.com
>* http://skyscanner.com
– Aggregators
>* mytickets.ae
>* kiwi.com
>* orbitz.com
>* expedia.com
>* anywayanyday.com
– Search for the best ticket options that we already use
> * [LOT](https://www.lot.com/ua/en/)
> * [Wizzair](https://wizzair.com/#/)
> * [Ryanair](https://www.ryanair.com/us/en)
# Transportation booking
– Buy tickets
> Consider the [policy](https://confluence.atlassian.com/policy) and [these price ranges](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/) when selecting the best tickets option
> * Double-check time and date
> * Use the requestor’s international passport information
> * All tickets should be sent to email@company.com
> * Fill in VAT details to receive an invoice for the company.
> * Pay via company account
– Send tickets and online check-in page, the reservation number, and email to email@company.com
> Save the ticket and change the name of the file:
> – YYYY-MM-DD – Name – flight itinerary
– Make pay tickets for tickets
> Add step-by-step instructions
# Accommodation booking
`Travel to the USA:`
– Book hotel/accommodation
> – If a person is attending a conference, check with the event organizer for any partner hotels offering special offers or discounts.
– After receiving the booking confirmation, follow up with a phone call to the hotel to ensure that the hotel has charged the card on file for the entire duration of the trip.
`Travel to any other location:`
– Go to **Airbnb**
> * Login with our credentials
> * Choose English and USD currency
> * Choose the city, dates, and number of people
> * Open filters and select:
>> Entire place
>> Apartment
>> Instant book
>> Self check-in (preferable)
>> Free cancellation (preferable)
> * Choose an apartment within our budget and that follows our policy and align it with the submitted preferences
– Book the apartment
> * Check dates and number of people
> * Choose “Work trip”
> * Choose “Book this place for someone else”
> * Insert email address and press **Add**
> * if a requestor is not on the list, they must create an Airbnb account*
> * Press **Save**
> * Choose/indicate payment method and billing details if needed
> * Pay via company credit card; it’s indicated in the process description.
> * Check cancellation policy once again
> * Confirm and pay
– If Airbnb is not available, use Booking.com
– Instructions for **Booking.com**
> * Login with our credentials
> * Choose English and USD currency
> * Choose the hotel or apartment for the needed dates that fit the budget in the policy and align with the submitted preferences
> * Proceed to booking
> * Provide the requestor’s details to the booking
> * In the special request text block, ask about the invoice. Also, choose “I would like an invoice for my company at check-out.”
> * Pay via company credit card; it’s indicated in the process description
– Make pay tickets for lodging booking
– Insert pay tickets into the ticket’s description or in the comments
# City Tax
If the trip is to a European country, the hotel may charge a [City tax](https://visitukraine.today/blog/2616/which-countries-have-introduced-tourist-taxes-and-fees). It is paid at the hotel.
– Need to raise a Refund ticket
# Provide the requestor with all the needed info before arrival
– Share the travel itinerary with the requestor via email or Slack
– Send a link for a check-in, remind to check in in advance online
> Every Airline has a different link for check-in; find it on the airline website
– Provide lodging booking details and notify that the apartment is booked; they will communicate with the host on their own
– Share your personal number, and Telegram/WhatsApp for the requestor to contact you for any reason
# Upon Arrival
– Check if a person checked in to the hotel/apartment
– Check if no extra charges were applied
– Remind them of the check-out time and provide check-out guidelines
## For office visitors
– Show the office to them
> For office visitors – share the [guide](https://drive.google.com/drive)
– Provide them with the wi-fi access and make sure that it works properly
– Show the desk they can use
– Provide them with any [tech equipment if needed](https://confluence.atlassian.com/servicedesk/)
– On the 1st day, take the requestor for lunch and/or dinner, and/or organize a group of team members to go for lunch or dinner together
– Suggest places to visit and see while in the city
>* See [this guide](https://drive.google.com/drive) to get local tips on what places to visit, where to eat, and other important stuff
# Before Departure
– Remind about the departure date and time
– Collect an access card
– Advise to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure time
# Feedback
– Ask to provide inputs and feedback at this [link](https://docs.google.com/forms)
With Smart Checklist, everything is now in one place. Every step is laid out, every link is accessible, and there’s no guesswork. It’s like having a roadmap that guides us from the initial request to post-travel feedback.
Using this business travel template allowed Railsware, a product studio, to cut the time spent on trip planning by 25%. Read the case study for the full story.
How to Add This Business Travel Template to Your Jira Work Item:
- Install Smart Checklist for Jira by TitanApps from the Atlassian marketplace.
- Copy the business travel template provided above.
- Open a Jira work item and insert the copied template into the Smart Checklist window.
- Use the markdown editor to adjust the template to your needs. For example, add new steps, set custom statuses, tag responsible people, and so on. Smart Checklist also lets you structure your checklist with headers and use other rich formatting options.
- Save your checklist as a template as shown below.
Now, you can manually add this checklist template to any new Jira work item. To do so, click the three dots of the Smart Checklist menu and select Import from a template.
Alternatively, the checklist can be automatically added to new work items when they are created. This can be done by using Smart Checklist together with Automation for Jira. For example, you can set up a rule that will add a business travel template to all Jira work items that have the words “business trip” in their summary. Follow this Smart Checklist Guide to set up this automation.
Business Travel Templates Split by Trip Planning Stage
For your convenience, we have split the full template into several smaller sections, each dedicated to a specific part of the trip organization process.
Confirming travel preferences template
# Check the submitted travel preferences first
– Collect and review submitted travel preferences submitted through the [helpdesk](https://confluence.atlassian.com/servicedesk/)
> – Tickets land in Slack in #travel-help
> – It’s preferable to communicate and clarify all details in comments in the Help ticket so that someone else can continue the process if you can’t do this.
– Check if everything is okay with [docs](https://drive.google.com/drive) (e.g. passport is valid)
– Check if the request is within the budget [here](https://lookerstudio.google.com/)
> – Policy: Business Travel
> – Data range: This year
– If needed, provide visa support
> Use **Support** Smart Checklist Template to proceed
– Research options for accommodation and transportation based on submitted preferences and dates of the trip
– Set up a call or communicate asynchronously to confirm travel dates, accommodation, and transportation options before booking
# Daily Allowance
– By referring to the [policy](https://confluence.atlassian.com/), calculate how much the daily allowance, taxi, and other expenses related to the business trip would cost
– Submit a [coverage ticket](https://jira.atlassian.com/)
Ticket booking template
# Price research – flight tickets
– Algorithm of the research in detail
>* Check on dedicated search sites
>* Re-check on aggregators
>* Check exact flights directly with the flight company
– Dedicated search sites
>* google.com/flght
>* kayak.com
>* http://skyscanner.com
– Aggregators
>* mytickets.ae
>* kiwi.com
>* orbitz.com
>* expedia.com
>* anywayanyday.com
– Search for the best ticket options that we already use
> * [LOT](https://www.lot.com/ua/en/)
> * [Wizzair](https://wizzair.com/#/)
> * [Ryanair](https://www.ryanair.com/us/en)
# Transportation booking
– Buy tickets
> Consider the [policy](https://confluence.atlassian.com/policy) and [these price ranges](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/) when selecting the best tickets option
> * Double-check time and date
> * Use the requestor’s international passport information
> * All tickets should be sent to email@company.com
> * Fill in VAT details to receive an invoice for the company.
> * Pay via company account
– Send tickets and online check-in page, the reservation number, and email to email@company.com
> Save the ticket and change the name of the file:
> – YYYY-MM-DD – Name – flight itinerary
– Make pay tickets for tickets
> Add step-by-step instructions
Accommodation booking template
# Accommodation booking
`Travel to the USA:`
– Book hotel/accommodation
> – If a person is attending a conference, check with the event organizer for any partner hotels offering special offers or discounts.
– After receiving the booking confirmation, follow up with a phone call to the hotel to ensure that the hotel has charged the card on file for the entire duration of the trip.
`Travel to any other location:`
– Go to **Airbnb**
> * Login with our credentials
> * Choose English and USD currency
> * Choose the city, dates, and number of people
> * Open filters and select:
>> Entire place
>> Apartment
>> Instant book
>> Self check-in (preferable)
>> Free cancellation (preferable)
> * Choose an apartment in our budget and that follows our policy and align it with the submitted preferences
– Book the apartment
> * Check dates and number of people
> * Choose “Work trip”
> * Choose “Book this place for someone else”
> * Insert email address and press **Add**
> * If a requestor is not on the list, they must create an Airbnb account*
> * Press **Save**
> * Choose/indicate payment method and billing details if needed
> * Pay via company credit card; it’s indicated in the process description.
> * Check cancellation policy once again
> * Confirm and pay
– If Airbnb is not available, use Booking.com
– Instructions for **Booking.com**
> * Login with our credentials
> * Choose English and USD currency
> * Choose the hotel or apartment for the needed dates that fit the budget in the policy and align with the submitted preferences
> * Proceed to booking
> * Provide the requestor’s details to the booking
> * In the special request text block, ask about the invoice. Also, choose “I would like an invoice for my company at check-out.”
> * Pay via company credit card; it’s indicated in the process description
– Make pay tickets for lodging booking
– Insert pay tickets into the ticket’s description or in the comments
# City Tax
If the trip is to a European country, the hotel may charge a [City tax](https://visitukraine.today/blog/2616/which-countries-have-introduced-tourist-taxes-and-fees). It is paid at the hotel.
– Need to raise a Refund ticket
Preparation for arrival template
# Provide the requestor with all the needed info before arrival
– Share the travel itinerary with the requestor via email or Slack
– Send a link for check-in, remind to check-in in advance online
> Every Airline has a different link for check-in; find it on the airline website
– Provide lodging booking details and notify that the apartment is booked; they will communicate with the host on their own
– Share your personal number and Telegram/WhatsApp for the requestor to contact you if they need
# Upon Arrival
– Check if a person has checked in to the hotel/apartment
– Check if no extra charges were applied
– Remind them of the check-out time and provide check-out guidelines
## For office visitors
– Show the office to them
> For office visitors – share the [guide] (https://drive.google.com/drive)
– Provide them with wi-fi access and make sure that it works properly
– Show the desk they can use
– Provide with any [tech equipment if needed](https://confluence.atlassian.com/servicedesk/)
– On the 1st day, take the requestor for lunch and/or dinner, and/or organize a group of team members to go for lunch or dinner together
– Suggest places to visit and see while in the city
>* See [this guide](https://drive.google.com/drive) to get local tips on what places to visit, where to eat, and other important stuff
# Before Departure
– Remind about the departure date and time
– Collect an access card
– Advise to arrive at the airport at least 2 hours before departure
# Feedback
– Ask to provide inputs and feedback at this [link](https://docs.google.com/forms)
The Benefits of Using a Business Travel Template in Jira
Organizing work trips with the help of a template in Jira has many benefits. It allows you to streamline and speed up the process, from gathering a traveler’s preferences and making reservations to the check-in moment and collecting feedback. Here are some of the pros:
- Reducing time spent on business travel preparations. Some companies report saving 25% of the time after implementing our business travel template.
- Better cross-team collaboration. With all the details related to a specific trip kept in one place, it’s easier to get approvals and arrange payments.
- Cost optimization. Our free template includes a price research block with step-by-step instructions. It ensures that the company gets the best deals and does not overpay for tickets or accommodation.
- Higher accuracy and consistency. With every little detail included in the clear and easy-to-follow plan, the likelihood of mistakes is minimized.
- Better satisfaction rates. When everything is well-organized and a traveler’s preferences are taken into account, people have a better traveling experience.
We hope this blog post has been useful to you and will help you organize business travel in your organization more effectively!
