Travel management in 2026 sits at a crossroads.

Business travel is more visible than it has been in years. Budgets are increasing in many organizations, but so is scrutiny. Travel decisions are being examined through more lenses at once: cost, risk, employee experience, sustainability, and data security.

At the same time, travel managers are being asked to influence decisions they do not always control. According to SAP Concur research, nearly 7 in 10 travel managers say their travel budget still does not reflect how important business travel is to company success.¹

Getting ahead in this environment is not about running a tighter booking program. It’s about knowing how to translate travel data into decisions, when to push for change, and where technology can do the heavy lifting.

Here’s the playbook successful travel managers are using to stay one step ahead in 2026.

1. Turn travel data into stories leaders can act on

Most organizations already track travel spend. Far fewer turn that data into something leadership can actually use.

Travel managers who are staying ahead focus less on volume and more on meaning. They align travel data with expense and payment data, establish credibility in the numbers, and frame insights in a way that speaks to business priorities.

That shift matters because senior leadership is paying closer attention. More than half (54%) of travel managers say their company evaluates travel strategy at the C-suite or board level², raising the bar for how clearly travel insights need to be communicated.

Instead of simply reporting past activity, travel managers need to focus on answering questions leaders care about:

• Where is travel enabling growth?
• Where is it introducing risk?
• What behavioural changes would have the biggest impact?

When travel data tells a clear story, travel managers move from reporting results to influencing decisions.

To go deeper on how to build credibility and influence with your data, download The Art of Data Storytelling for Travel Management.

2. Build cost savings that support the business, not just the budget

Cost pressure is part of travel management, but blunt controls rarely produce lasting results.

Survey data shows that when budgets tighten, travel changes often show up as small restrictions applied across every trip. Those moves can reduce spend, but they also create friction and rarely address the underlying drivers.

Travel managers who stay ahead take a more intentional approach:

• They use data to understand where spend delivers value and where it does not
• They design policies that guide better choices rather than restrict movement
• They rely on automation to reinforce policy consistently, not selectively

Savings stick when they support how people actually travel.

For practical guidance on balancing cost control and value, explore the Cost-Savings Handbook for Strategic Travel Management.

3. Treat AI as a practical advantage, not a threat

AI is already changing how travel is managed, whether programs are ready for it or not.

The good news is that most people are open to it. SAP Concur research shows that 95% of business travellers are willing to use AI-enabled booking options², and three-quarters of travel managers want AI capabilities built into the tools they use.¹

Travel managers who stay ahead focus on where AI adds real value:

• Helping travellers make compliant choices without friction
• Supporting rebooking and disruption management
• Reducing manual work so teams can focus on higher-value tasks

At the same time, they recognize where the human touch still matters. AI works best when it supports judgment, not replaces it.

To explore where AI can help your program today, download 8 Questions to Ask About the Impact of AI on Business Travel.

4. Learn from peers who have already simplified their programs

There’s no need to figure everything out alone.

One of the fastest ways to stay ahead is to learn from other travel managers who have already tackled similar challenges. Peer stories offer practical insight into what works, what doesn’t, and where tradeoffs are worth making.

Across SAP Concur customer experiences, a few themes show up consistently:

• Simpler booking experiences drive higher adoption
• AI guidance works best when it feels helpful, not restrictive
• High-tech adoption unlocks both cost savings and better visibility

Don’t just take our word for it.

Read real travel leader experiences with SAP Concur, plus explore insights on How Travel Managers Are Shaping the Next Era of Business Travel in our latest business travel survey.

5. Bring it all together with a connected approach to travel and spend

All of these strategies work better when systems work together. Disconnected workflows make it harder to see patterns, harder to explain impact, and harder to influence decisions. A connected, AI-powered approach to travel and spend management, on the other hand, gives travel managers earlier visibility and clearer insight into how decisions ripple across the business.

That’s where AI-powered platforms like SAP Concur come into play, bringing travel, expense, and payment data together in one place so travel managers can lead with confidence instead of reacting after the fact.

And the ROI is undeniable, as well. Some of the proven results shared by SAP Concur customers include:⁴

• 23% reduction in business travel and expense costs
• 19.2% faster travel bookings
• 28% increase in policy compliance

Learn more about the Top Benefits and ROI from Concur Travel and Expense.

Concur Travel and Expense Demo

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Staying ahead is about confidence, not control

Travel managers are being asked to do more than ever, with more visibility and more accountability. The ones who get (and stay) ahead in 2026 won’t be trying to predict every change. They’ll be building the clarity, credibility, and connections needed to respond when change comes.

That means telling better data stories. Making smarter tradeoffs. Using AI where it helps. And learning from peers along the way.

See what’s possible today.

1. _{SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey 2025}
2. _{2025 Deloitte Corporate Travel Study}
3. _{6th Annual Global Business Travelers Research Report}
4. _{SAP Concur ROI Research, Global & Regional Findings, Phronesis Partners, 2024.}