How do I handle international travel arrangements for project teams?

Your crew lands in Jakarta tomorrow. Hotels are booked, but nobody checked visa requirements. Now you're scrambling to figure out if they can even enter the country, let alone work there legally.

This scenario plays out constantly for companies managing international project teams. Someone books the flight, someone else reserves the hotel, and nobody tracks whether documentation actually supports the trip. The result: crews stuck at customs, projects delayed, and finance teams buried in emergency rebooking costs.

International project travel requires control at three levels: policy enforcement before booking happens, documentation tracking for visas and passports across your entire workforce, and consolidated invoicing tied to project codes so you can see exactly what each deployment costs.

How do I track visas and passports for international teams?

Project teams working internationally face multiple visa classifications. The difference between visiting a client and actually working on-site burns companies who don't track it closely. Most countries require passport validity six months beyond departure; require nine-month minimum validity to account for project extensions.

Tracking systems need expiration alerts at 90, 60, and 30 days before documents expire. Good platforms block bookings when passports don't meet destination requirements, stopping problems before your crew is en route.

Which travel management platforms can handle currency conversion?

Major platforms split on multi-currency handling. SAP Concur processes payments in up to 50 currencies. Navan supports multi-currency budgeting, where each budget is created in a specific designated currency. TravelPerk integrates with payment processors like Payhawk.

Foreign exchange fees compound to 4-6% of transaction value through conversion fees, card issuer charges, and foreign transaction markups. When a vendor offers to charge in your home currency, decline it. That "convenience" adds another 3-5%. Platforms that show actual exchange rates without hidden markups cut this exposure significantly.

Which platforms have hotels in the most countries?

BCD Travel maintains access to over 50,000 properties across 185 countries. CWT specializes in remote and construction site locations, with documented cost savings of 35% for energy clients. Engine provides project code tagging built into every booking, with coverage across major hotel brands and independent properties in 180+ countries.

Remote project locations require platforms with multiple booking sources so you're not stuck with limited options. Sims Crane avoided $40,000+ in hotel modification fees using FlexPro. Projects shifted constantly due to equipment delays and weather. They book flexible rates and cancel when timelines change, getting actual refunds instead of travel credits.

How do I manage travel insurance and emergency support for crews abroad?

Most U.S. health insurance plans don't cover medical costs outside the country. Your baseline policy needs minimum coverage: $25,000 in emergency medical and $250,000 in evacuation protection. For remote deployments, that evacuation coverage becomes critical when local medical facilities can't handle complex emergencies.

ISO 31030:2021 offers guidance on traveller tracking and emergency planning as part of travel risk management, but it does not explicitly require knowing where your people are during emergencies or having plans ready at 2 AM. Engine's U.S.-based support team operates 24/7 for flight cancellations, project extensions, and medical emergencies in the middle of the night. When your crew calls from a foreign hospital, you need someone who answers immediately.

What approval workflows work for international project travel?

The most effective control happens before booking, not after. Strong platforms hide non-compliant options from search results entirely. Travelers can't select hotels or flights that violate spending limits or geographic restrictions.

International workflows require approval controls: travel to specific projects should require authorization from both direct management and project oversight. Mandatory project code entry ensures accurate cost tracking across projects.

Engine's direct billing and project code tagging give you that control before money moves. A major construction company switching to Engine achieved $300,000 in cost savings within two months while increasing online booking adoption by 20%. When managing international project teams, you need booking controls before money leaves your account and support when problems happen at 2 AM.

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