MOVING FORWARD
THE BLOG FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS
What is the True Value of a TMC?
A recent article from The Business Travel Magazine claims that Travel Management Companies (TMCs) like Gray Dawes are struggling to provide value for their clients. However, at Gray Dawes, we respectfully and heartily disagree… After all, not all TMCs are created equally. Tarring everyone with the same brush only serves to devalue the brilliant work and innovative thinking that organisations such as ours bring to the industry. In this article, we take a deeper look at the “Value Proposition” piece from the Business Travel Magazine and demonstrate how we are genuinely doing things differently.
How the Paris Olympics 2024 will Impact Business Travel (And What You Can Do About It)
The Olympic Games are heading to Paris in July. Over 10,000 athletes will be throwing, swimming, running, cycling, and more for the chance to grab a gold medal and write themselves into the annals of Olympic history. But with an estimated 15 million visitors planning to head to the event according to the Paris je t’aime tourist office, travelling to and within Europe for work will almost certainly be affected. In this article, we take a look at how the Paris Olympics 2024 might impact business travel and offer our expert tips and advice to help you keep your trip on course.
A New Traveller’s Guide to Better Business Trips
As a new business traveller, going on a business trip can be a daunting prospect. You are expected to ingratiate yourself with people from different cultures and embrace new ways of working. But it is also a highly rewarding experience in which you might meet lifelong connections and find opportunities to advance your career. In this article, we give our top tips to making the most of a business trip both before you leave and during your visit.
Hong Kong: A Business Traveller’s Guide
Strategically located in South China, Hong Kong offers unparalleled access to the burgeoning Asian market and is often defined as the city where East meets West. Colonial-era architecture stands proudly beside soaring modern structures, while ancient temples co-exist with bustling financial districts. This harmonious blend reflects Hong Kong’s fascinating history as a British colony that later transitioned to a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China. In this comprehensive guide to Hong Kong for business travellers, we delve deeper into navigating the city’s unique corporate landscape, offer our top tips for getting around, and pick out our top 3 things to see or do to make your trip unforgettable.
Top 6 Places to Visit as an LGBTQ+ Traveller
As an LGBTQ+ professional, travel comes with an extra layer of uncertainty. Though the world is becoming an altogether friendlier and more tolerant place, there are still challenges to overcome and hoops to jump through. So, to celebrate Pride Month 2024, we spoke to our very own Diversity & Inclusion Manager Brit Clayton who gives her top 6 destinations for LGBTQ+ business travellers as told through the prism of her own experiences abroad.
Flight100: Testing The Limits of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
The use and effectiveness of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) remains one of the hottest topics in business travel. Back in 28 November 2023, Virgin Atlantic successfully operated Flight100 – the world’s first commercial SAF flight from London to New York. In this article we extract the key findings of the ground-breaking feat as outlined in the Executive Summary produced by the team behind it all.
Chicago: A Business Traveller’s Guide
Whether its digging into a traditional deep-dish pizza or making deals in the boardrooms of the The Loop business district, get to know the Windy City better in this comprehensive guide for business travellers.
An Expert’s Guide to Ancillaries
Arriving at your destination is just one step of the journey. In this article, we sit down with Matthew Bond, Enterprise Account Manager, to talk about ancillaries and how by booking “added extras” as part of a complete, door-to-door trip with Gray Dawes you can streamline your business trips.
I Can Find It Cheaper On The Internet
American Airlines announced in February 2024 that it would require travel agencies and online booking tools to connect directly to their NDC channel or lose access to up to 50% of fares, with travellers no longer receiving Advantage points on bookings. Here’s what happened next…
New MD Role for Dave Bishop
Following our acquisition of VCK Travel at the start of this year, we are delighted to announce the appointment of Gray Dawes Group COO, Dave Bishop, as Managing Director of our Netherlands-based operation.
Travel Talks 13: MARINE & ENERGY Travel
In this special Marine & Energy episode of Travel Talks, Bruce Ratcliff, VP of Marine & Energy, and Lisa Titmas, our specialist Marine & Energy Travel Team Supervisor, explore the very real benefits of working with a corporate travel partner to help manage the complex challenges of crewing logistics.
6 Recommendations For a UK Rail Revolution
The UK rail industry has been under serious scrutiny over the past few years, with rising ticket prices, driver shortages, and service-paralyzing strikes placing the plight of train travel at the front and centre of the national consciousness. In this article we take a deeper look at the recent BTA whitepaper: “Getting Our Trains Back on Track! Putting Passengers First” which outlines their recommendations for a positive, passenger-led revolution for train travel.
Creating an Inclusive Travel Programme
If you’re just starting out on incorporating inclusivity in your corporate travel policy, then this blog is for you! Let’s get you started with our six super quick tips on what to consider when building an inclusive travel programme.
Global Mergers and Acquisitions
In this guest article by David Jonas from The Company Dime, the recent acquisition of CWT by AMEX Global Business Travel is studied and analysed, focussing on what it could mean for customers and the wider travel management industry.
Airline Theft
Airlines don’t divulge their statistics on in-flight theft. However, several high-profile cases recently have bought the issue into the headlines. So what can you do to avoid having your valuables pilfered mid-flight, and what should you do if you get robbed on a plane?
Tips For Tipping On Your Business Travels
When you’re travelling the world on business, nothing creates a flutter of anxiety quite like the question ‘how much are you supposed to tip? It’s even more confusing when you’re outside of your home country and the customs are different. When should you tip, how much, and who do you give it to? Relax… here’s our definitive guide to tipping around the world.
4 Strategies to Score Savings on Sports Travel
Getting athletes to an international tournament or a board member to a sports conference at the opposite end of the country involves an almost dizzying array of moving parts. In this article, we look deeper at 4 of the best tactics for cutting sports travel costs. You might be surprised at some of the ways you can save money.
Sydney: A Business Traveller’s Guide
Travelling to Sydney for work? Renowned for its colourful cultural scene and nightlife set against the glittering backdrop of the South Pacific Ocean, Sydney is a city that offers everything a modern business traveller could hope for with a dash of Down Under charm. We take a deeper look at the local business culture and top things to see and do in this comprehensive guide to the city.
International Women’s Day 2024
Women are integral to the success of Gray Dawes. You only need to look as far as our CEO, Suzanne Horner, as proof of that fact. So we asked some of our amazing female staff what International Women’s Day means to them and what it is like as a woman in business travel. Check out what they had to say…
A Day in the Life of an Operations Manager
With over 40-years of experience, Tony is one of the longest-serving members at Gray Dawes. In this article, we chat to Tony about his day-to-day responsibilities as an Operations Manager, his first experiences as a travel agent stamping brochures in the 1980s, and a lung-busting mountain climbing experience.
Sports Travel Talks 1 – Secrets to Successful Sports Travel Management
Get insider tips from our experts in sports travel management. We sat down with the Welsh Sports Association (WSA) to talk about how to best manage travel costs, navigate logistical challenges, and ensure that athletes arrive at their destination ready and raring to compete.
How to be the Smartest Business Travel Booker in the Room
The role of a business travel booker cannot be overstated. In this guide, we give our top tips to help you stay ahead of the business travel game and become the smartest business travel booker in the room. We highlight the importance of having access to comprehensive travel content, extol the benefits of advance booking, reveal the secret to getting the best rates on flights, and give you tips to save money on hotels.
Shanghai: A Business Traveller’s Guide
Nestled along the banks of the mighty Yangtze River Delta, the eastern Chinese city of Shanghai is renowned for its economic and cultural clout. In this comprehensive guide to Shanghai for business travellers, we take a deeper look into the local business culture, offer our top tips for getting around the city, and pick out the best things to see and do during your visit.
5 Ways AI Will Revolutionise Business Travel
In today’s fast-paced world, where efficiency and productivity are more important than ever, AI is emerging as a game-changer in the realm of corporate travel. In this article, we take a look at 5 possible ways AI might revolutionise the industry, offering a brief look into a future where truly intelligent technology has unlocked new doors hitherto unnoticed.
Travel Talks 10 – 2024 Trends
Discover what corporate travel management will look like over the next twelve months. In this episode of Travel Talks, we explore the operational, economic, geopolitical and technology factors which will influence the business travel industry in 2024, exploring what this will mean for organisations, travel managers and travellers.
Managing Your Mental Health on a Business Trip
In this article, we explore the concept of mental health, delve into effective techniques and resources to manage it, and provide practical tips for business travellers to prioritise their well-being before, during, and after their work trips.
Dubai: A Business Traveller’s Guide
Once a modest fishing village nestled on the shores of the Arabian Gulf, Dubai emerged shimmering from the desert sands as an economic powerhouse with global ambitions. The city is almost unrecognisable from its pearl-diving past. Dhows cruise the waterways beneath a soaring skyline punctuated by the iconic Burj Khalifa which pierces the heavens at nearly 3,000ft. Get to know the city better in this comprehensive guide for business travellers.
United Against Hunger with the Trussell Trust
We partnered with the Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank charity, in the belief that nobody should be left hungry or forced to live in poverty. We caught up with a few members of our Colchester-based team to learn more about what Gray Dawes are doing to help and find out what they learned from an eye-opening visit to the local food bank.
European Expansion
As part of our strategic global growth plans, Gray Dawes Group has acquired the Netherlands based travel management business, VCK Travel. A well established powerhouse within the European business travel market, VCK Travel will further strengthen our ALWAYS ON global value proposition while also acting as a springboard for our expansion into Europe, providing huge benefits for all our clients.
Zurich: A Business Traveller’s Guide
Nestled amidst snow-capped peaks and shimmering lakes lies the Swiss city of Zurich. Forget the stereotypical vision of quaint Alpine villages – this cosmopolitan gem is a dynamo of finance, innovation, and cutting-edge design. But beneath the sleek skyscrapers and buzzing trams lies a charming Altstadt (Old Town) whispering tales of medieval guilds and Reformation fervour.
TRAVELLER TOOLKIT
Your first stop in navigating travel in a post-Brexit, Covid world.
GREATER THAN THE
SUM OF OUR PARTS
We don't just specialise in business travel you know.
We're a part of the Gray Dawes Group, an organisation with specialisms and expertise in many sectors. If you need help planning the holiday of your dreams, or showcasing an event that'll never be forgotten, then we've got you covered.
