"Some people think of a business trip as more of a holiday – it's not, it's a serious thing. If you are spending thousands of pounds on it, it needs to pay off."

According to Lesley Batchelor, chair of the Institute of Export and International Trade, the recession hasn't had a significant impact on business travel budgets – "the belts of SMEs have always been tight when it comes to travel" – but she hopes it will force business travellers into thinking about how they can maximise the value of the trips they do make.

The tendency for "Brits abroad" to be the last standing at the bar extends to business trips and equates, Batchelor says, to wasted opportunities.

"I think the recession will force us all into realising that," she says.

"If you are trading internationally people want to see you if they are going to buy from you. It's all about what Italians call ‘simpatico' – you have to have trust that can be built upon.

"It's only the English that will happily buy from websites without meeting anyone. So first impressions count."

It's the pursuit of value that dictates how Jonathan Moss conducts most of his work-related travel. Jonathan and his brother, Phil, are the fourth generation of the Moss family to direct the Leigh-based industrial property business George Moss & Sons.

They travel a lot in the UK and Europe on business and, when it is "cost effective", use charter flights by private jet arranged by flight organiser FlyMeNow.

"It's basically a time management issue," Moss says. "It's never cheap but if, for example, there are two, three or four of you and you can get back on the same day, without incurring costs of overnight hotels and meals and you are back in the office to carry on your work the next day, it makes sense."

Moss says he sees the private jet – "the equivalent of a luxury BMW or a Jaguar" – as a business tool rather than a lifestyle choice: "It's efficiency, simple as that". He agrees business has been tough over the last couple of years but says his firm has had to try harder to secure work and that's involved improving the efficiency of the team and its time management – the two most important factors in choosing how to travel on business, he says.

The annual travel budget of George Moss & Sons – of about a quarter of a million – has remained the same over the last few years and Moss uses a private jet around once a month.

"We need to be back in the office rather than hanging around a hotel or an airport for two hours. When you fly private, you arrive at the airport and ten minutes later you are airborne, it's as quick as that."

Asked if travelling by private jet earns him more business, Moss gives an unequivocal "yes".

That, perhaps, justifies the cost. Moss says a typical trip using a private jet will work out at around 50 per cent more expensive than if he'd travelled in business class, even after taking account of the savings on overnight stays.

"Being stuck to schedules and having to go to a main airport which could be 50, 60 or 70 miles from where you want to go to – you are incurring costs all the time," he says.

"When you are on private charter you can combine various meetings in various places across the UK on the same day or over two days and you can arrange meetings at local airports. That really does become cost effective."

And the benefits of travelling in such comfort go beyond those that directly affect the bottom line.

Moss says he is happy to stump up the extra cash for the more costly travel option if it means those travelling spend less time away from their families. "It's very important, especially for those with young families, that they get home rather than stay away unnecessarily for that extra night in a hotel. That's not good for morale, it helps if you have a good family life," he says.

And treating advisors to a trip in a private jet won't do any harm either: "If we take lawyers and accountants with us they are going to charge for two days if they have to stay overnight too,so you have that to consider. And they will probably enjoy the experience, although a lot of them have done it before, but, at the end of the day, they want to get home at night too."

Indeed, the caution being applied to corporate travel expenditure has had a direct impact on staff incentive travel schemes. The Grass Roots Meeting Industry report noted that agencies saw 25 per cent of incentives on their books cancel in early 2009. Nick Bender, global head of events at performance improvement company, Grass Roots, says employers should consider how travel-related incentives can allow firms to get the best out of a slimmed down workforce.

"Whilst they may seem incongruous against a background of corporate cost cutting, a well thought-through travel incentive is often selffunding and not staged for frivolous purposes."

Bender says advancements in technology have "unquestionably" improved the standard of business-related events but businesses are not using technology as a cheaper alternative to travel.

He says, "They are using technology to manage delicate activity, to make sure they know more about the people attending an event and to track certain people when they are at an event. Some companies have gone so far as to use hologram speakers but that's a fad. Businesses are also realising that there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings."

Sanjay Parekh is the managing director of WebExpenses – a firm that provides systems that, it says, allow business travellers to easily and accurately record their business travel and entertainment expenses. He agrees that business travel budgets haven't been cut drastically – many companies he works with can be dealing with expenses claims of between £400 and £500 per month for one modest traveller – but he says there is much more interest in how those expenses can be monitored.

He says, "Mileage is often overclaimed. If an employee travels 50 miles they might put 55 or 60 miles on their claim. It's almost seen as legitimate to do that and it's hard to police. We have seen more interest in our feature that allows bosses to monitor that. The motivation is the desire for control.

"Employers want a nice, tight process that is easily auditable. One that means people know they are being checked and people know the rules. It keeps them honest."

But it's on travel tickets, with their big price differentials, where there is the most money to be saved in a single transaction.

Salford-based entrepreneur Rafi Neumann recently launched flight comparison site TravelSpec to cater for the savvy booker. He says businesses are spending longer researching their travel options to make sure they get value for their money.

"The cost of business class flights can vary enormously. Businesses are becoming more savvy about the benefits of air miles schemes. Some schemes allow businesses to book economy flights and then use frequent flyer points to upgrade their seat, gaining access to airport business lounges and even extra baggage allowance. Overall, businesses are looking very carefully at tickets prices to ensure that they get the best deal.

"Managers should ensure that the airline they are flying with is punctual, reliable, and consider flight durations. Finding the best value ticket may turn out to be a false economy if your employees spend double the amount of time out of the office to reach a destination – this is either because of an inefficient route or flight delays and journey disruptions.

"It's also key to ensure that the arrival airport is not too far from the final destination as ground transfers can be expensive, cancelling out any ticket cost saving."

This article first appeared in EN Magazine in July. Click on the link to view this article http://www.enforbusiness.com/feature/overnight-sensation.