policy
SME corporate travel policy template (free, plain-English)
A copy-paste travel policy template for Australian small businesses — cabin classes, hotel budgets, approval rules and expenses — written in English, not legalese.
SME corporate travel policy template (free, plain-English)
Most travel policies are 40-page PDFs that no one reads. Yours doesn''t need to be. Below is a plain-English template you can copy, tweak and roll out this week.
Reminder: if you use Ados as your TMC, this policy loads directly into the portal and every request is checked against it before it hits a specialist. No PDFs to enforce manually.
The template
1. Purpose
This policy explains how [Company Name] books, approves and pays for business travel. It applies to everyone who travels for work.
2. Booking channel
- All flights, hotels and ground transport must be booked through our approved travel partner (Ados Travel Co).
- Direct bookings are only permitted when the portal is unavailable AND the trip is under $500 total.
- Personal add-ons (leisure days, partner tickets) are allowed but must be paid personally at booking.
3. Cabin class
- Domestic flights (any duration): Economy
- International flights under 8 hours: Economy
- International flights 8 hours or more: Premium Economy
- International flights 14 hours or more: Business — with prior approval from a Director
4. Hotel budget
- Capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane): up to $300/night
- Regional Australia: up to $220/night
- International: up to USD $250/night, or local equivalent
- 4-star rating or equivalent boutique. No 5-star without Director approval.
5. Ground transport
- Rideshare or metered taxi from/to airport
- Rental car only when it''s cheaper than 4+ rideshares, or when destination requires
- Public transport encouraged where practical
6. Advance purchase
- Domestic: 7 days minimum
- International: 14 days minimum
- Anything shorter needs a note from the requester explaining why
7. Approvals
- Trips under $2,000 total: no approval needed
- Trips $2,000–$5,000: line manager approval
- Trips over $5,000, or any out-of-policy request: Director approval
8. Expenses
- Meals: $75/day domestic, USD $100/day international, actuals only, receipts required for anything over $30
- Alcohol: allowed with client meals only, one drink per person max
- Personal calls, mini-bar, laundry (under 3 nights): not reimbursed
9. Cancellations and changes
- Book flexible fares for any trip that might move
- Report cancellations to Ados the moment they''re known
- Unused tickets are tracked and re-credited against future bookings where possible
10. Insurance
- Corporate travel insurance is provided for all business travel — no need to buy your own
- Any medical event overseas: call the number in your Ados portal 24/7
11. Loyalty programs
- Use your personal frequent-flyer numbers on all bookings — it''s a benefit, not a rort
- Personal upgrades using points are fine, on your own time
12. Duty of care
- Ados knows where every traveller is. During disruption, we contact you first.
- If you''re travelling to a country with a "reconsider your need to travel" advisory or higher, notify a Director before booking.
How to roll this out
- Copy the template into a Google Doc
- Change [Company Name] and any budget numbers
- Have a Director sign it
- Load it into your Ados portal so requests are checked automatically
- Email it to the team once, then never mention it again — the portal does the enforcing
Need help?
We help SMEs turn this template into a working policy inside our portal — usually in about 20 minutes. Book a demo or open an account.