As an HR leader or CXO, you already know that business doesn’t always follow a 9-to-5 schedule especially when it comes to travel. And if you’re relying on a corporate travel manager to keep everything running smoothly, you also know how quickly things can spiral outside regular office hours.
Your sales team might land a client call at 9 PM and need to fly out the next morning. Flights get delayed. Hotel bookings go wrong. Visas need follow-ups. Emergencies don’t wait for office hours.
And that brings us to the big question:
Can a corporate travel manager, working 9-to-5, really handle 24/7 travel needs?
Let’s explore that together—and see what smarter travel management actually looks like today.
What You Expect vs. What Actually Happens
Hiring a corporate travel manager seems like a logical first step. After all, you want someone who understands your people, your company’s travel policy, your budget preferences, and compliance goals.
But here’s the honest reality:
| What You Can Expect from a Travel Manager | What You Shouldn’t Expect |
| Crafting or updating your travel policy | 24/7 travel support |
| Validating bookings and travel partners | Managing travel disruptions at midnight |
| Monitoring costs and budgets | Handling last-minute changes independently |
| Coordinating with internal teams | Emergency assistance in real-time |
So, while your travel manager plays a crucial role in internal coordination and travel planning, they’re still a regular employee, bound by office hours and workloads.
Travel is 24/7. Your Travel Management Strategy Should Be Too.
Here’s the honest truth: business travel doesn’t sleep.
That’s where the real conflict begins. You’ve got an internal resource (your travel manager) trying to handle a function that demands constant availability. And that’s simply not sustainable—especially if you’re scaling.
According to a Skift report, planning just one business trip takes an average of 9 hours.
That includes searching, booking, coordinating with employees, following up with vendors, and sharing confirmations.
Now imagine if your travel manager is handling:
- 10 bookings a week = 90 hours
- 25 bookings a week = 225 hours
- 50 bookings a week = 450 hours
Let that sink in—a 40-hour workweek won’t even cover a fraction of what’s needed. That’s not just stressful, it’s unscalable.
Trying to handle this through a single internal travel manager? That’s a setup for burnout, delays, and inefficiencies.
So, What’s the Smart Move?
You don’t have to choose between hiring a travel manager or outsourcing your entire travel operations.
Instead, combine both—a smart internal point of contact (your travel manager) and a reliable Travel Management Company (TMC) that provides 24/7 operational support.
Here’s how this works best:
Your Travel Manager (Insider)
- Aligns travel strategy with business goals
- Helps you design or revise your travel policy
- Keeps track of budget, employee preferences, and vendor compliance
- Offers oversight and governance
Travel Management Company Like CoTrav (Outsider)
- Operates 24/7, across all time zones
- Handles flight, hotel, cab, and visa bookings in real-time
- Manages last-minute changes and travel disruptions
- Offers FRRO/FRO documentation and visa assistance
- Ensures duty of care and employee safety
- Provides a centralized dashboard for complete visibility
- Delivers automated approval flows, GST-compliant invoices, and cost tracking
Together, they form a complete system that’s strategic, responsive, and cost-efficient.
How CoTrav Complements Your Travel Manager
With CoTrav, your travel manager doesn’t have to work around the clock or struggle with operational headaches. Instead, they gain a powerful support system that makes their job smoother and more impactful.
Here’s how CoTrav helps you at every step:
- Before the trip: Get real-time quotes, policy-aligned bookings, and smart travel suggestions.
- During the trip: 24/7 traveler assistance, emergency support, and live tracking.
- After the trip: Automated reports, invoice reconciliation, and cost analysis.
Whether it’s a visa delay, flight rerouting, or handling complex FRRO regulations, CoTrav takes care of the chaos—so your team doesn’t have to.
Why This Model Delivers Better ROI
Let’s face it—corporate travel is an investment. And like any investment, you expect returns in the form of:
- Time saved
- Fewer errors
- Cost optimization
- Safer employee travel
- Clearer reporting
When you rely only on an internal travel manager, these outcomes often fall short due to limited resources and availability.
But when your travel manager partners with CoTrav, they shift from simply booking travel to managing travel strategy—and that’s where the real ROI comes in.
You’re no longer reacting to travel problems. You’re proactively managing them.
Conclusion
So, is a travel manager a 9-to-5 role? Yes.
But does travel management need to be 24/7? Also yes.
If you’re an HR leader or CXO wondering whether to hire a travel manager, know this:
You absolutely should—but not in isolation.
Invest in a model that combines internal knowledge with external reliability. That’s when you’ll truly simplify corporate travel, reduce costs, and give your employees the smooth travel experience they deserve.
Ready to Rethink Travel Management?
CoTrav helps companies like yours simplify and strengthen corporate travel—without overloading your people.
Let’s build a travel experience your employees love and your finance team appreciates.
