Table of Contents

JOHANNESBURG – At first, out‑of‑town work trips might have felt like a promotion: you represented the company, were sent to “make things happen”, flew Premium Economy, stayed in a fashionable hotel, networked and hopefully, secured new business.

But after some time, red‑eyes, quick turnarounds and other travel pressure started wearing thin. So, you start checking out mentally, wondering why this could not have been a Teams call. And why every “quick” trip requires intense preparation, domestic juggling, and days of unscheduled recovery time.

It all feels like it’s not on company time, it’s all on you.

That’s because much of it is. Business travel has a tax, and your staff are paying the heaviest price.

The fatigue isn’t imaginary

Tourism management expert, Professor Anneli Douglas from the University of Pretoria, has described business travel as a double‑edged sword, linking travel stress to “presenteeism” – being physically present but mentally absent. Citing an earlier Stats SA estimate that presenteeism costs the economy R89 billion a year, Douglas’s own research among 400 business travellers found that about 2.3 days are lost to presenteeism each month due to business‑travel stress, draining capacity, output and judgement.

A recent burnout report from Mental Health UK shows 79% of professionals report significant burnout symptoms, with frequent travellers at high risk of stress‑related absence. And research linked to the International SOS Foundation shows business trips contribute to marked behavioural changes, with 45% of travellers reporting increased anxiety and emotional exhaustion.

This doesn’t only happen on the road. Douglas says the stress peaks before the trip, when travellers are managing their home life, work cover and admin, which then follows them on their travels. This pressure is often worse for travellers from the Global South, who are also up against distance, long-haul flights, safety concerns and travel disruption. Once they return, they encounter back-to-back meetings, time spent “catching up at night”, until it develops into burnout.

It’s not just the formal workload either. Studies on the division of labour and the domestic mental load show that coordinating childcare, school runs and household security from a different time zone can be particularly draining for parents. Add in general day-to-day  expectations (keeping your normal inbox and outputs going while on the road) and you effectively have travellers doing two jobs at once.

Business travel fatigue isn’t a personal gripe, it is a management issue, affecting how people think, decide and represent the business away from home.

Mummy Mafojane, General Manager of FCM South Africa, says organisations are now changing tack:

“They are much more deliberate about building resilience now. Where possible, clients are avoiding red-eyes and back-to-back meetings, adding in time to reset because they’ve seen what exhausted travel does to performance, outcomes, and especially to people.”

When a reset day becomes company policy

Combining business travel with downtime used to mean “make it a weekend, if you can”. In practice, most travellers can’t, because they have a life outside work and limited leave.

The new approach is different. It treats recovery as part of the itinerary. Deloitte’s 2025 Corporate Travel Study notes a sharp turn from pure cost‑control towards “traveller experience” to improve performance and retention, with multinationals like Citigroup experimenting with structured “reset” periods and company‑wide breaks to combat always‑on culture.

Practically, that can mean:

• Mandatory landing buffers for long‑haul flights – for example, a 24‑hour reset before the first face‑to‑face engagement.
• A shift towards wellness-oriented accommodation and lifestyle hotels that support sleep, recovery and “digital detox” zones, instead of treating the hotel purely as a bed near the venue.
• Family‑support measures such as cleaning or meal‑delivery vouchers to ease the domestic load during heavy travel cycles.

There is a duty‑of‑care dimension as well. Industry bodies like the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) say wellbeing belongs inside duty of care and risk management because mental and physical health affect safety, behaviour and work performance on the road. If risk management only covers disruptions and physical security, it misses equally important risks associated with fatigue and stress – impaired judgement, reduced concentration and the knock‑on effects on productivity.

For Mafojane, a reset day, when done properly, is about designing travel so people can do the work they travelled to do – and ensuring their company gets full value from every trip.

How to build this in, without inflating costs

Her answer, then, is being more selective about designing travel. Reset time is not required for every domestic business trip, but it should be reserved for longer trips that are likely to have an impact on performance – those requiring overnight flights, multi-city schedules, and trips that require critical engagement immediately upon arrival. In such cases, a buffer is often cheaper than the risk of diminished output and strained client outcomes.

Connectivity is part of the problem. Laptops, Wi‑Fi and mobile tools mean work doesn’t pause when someone is in transit; it follows them through airports, taxis and hotel rooms, putting travellers under more pressure.

The Flight Centre Travel Group says nearly half of corporate customers expect to increase travel budgets in the coming year, raising the stakes for getting real value from each trip.

“It’s not difficult to accommodate a traveller’s needs,” says Mafojane. “You can widen property selection, update profiles with preferred travel times, and allow for a bit of wiggle room in the schedule. Ultimately, companies that recognise this shift are protecting judgement, relationships and retention.”

**ends**

For more information about FCM Travel call Sonnette Fourie on 081 072 2869 or email sonnette@bigambitions.co.za.

About FCM Travel:

FCM Travel, the flagship corporate travel brand at Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), is the business travel partner of choice for large national, multinational and global corporations. We are an award-winning global corporate travel management company ranking as one of the top five by size around the world. We operate a global network which spans more than 100 countries, employing over 6000 people.

FCM are transforming the business of travel through our empowered and accountable people who deliver 24/7 service and are available either online or offline. Leveraging FCM’s negotiating strength and supplier relationships in conjunction with our tailored business travel programs, our expertise delivers more for our clients where it matters most to them.

Visit us at www.fcmtravel.co.za

Issued by: Big Ambitions

Contact: Lori Cohen

Tel: +27 79 641 4965

Email: Lori@bigambitions.co.za

Table of Contents

Johannesburg – Here’s the thing about business travel: everyone’s doing it, but nobody’s doing it quite the same way.

The twenty-something on their first international assignment has a completely different idea of what makes a trip “good” than the executive who’s been flying for work since the early eighties. One wants flexibility and adventure. The other wants direct flights and zero surprises. Both are essential to your business. And both need to show up ready to perform.

So how do you design a travel programme that works across the generations?

The answer isn’t about choosing sides, it’s about understanding what drives each generation, finding the common ground, embracing change, and building policies flexible enough to work for everyone.

Purpose, Flexibility, and Growth

The good news? Younger travellers genuinely want to be on the road – and they’re right to. Recent research from US-based travel management company (TMC) Perk found that 35% of 18-24 year-olds believe business travel has directly helped them gain promotions.

Herman Heunes, GM of Corporate Traveller South Africa agrees.

“Business travel is unbelievably beneficial when you’re just starting out. Not only in terms of opening doors, building relationships, learning opportunities, a confidence boost and career progression, but it’s an opportunity to see parts of the world still out of reach for those who can’t afford leisure travel. In fact, over half of Gen Z and Millennials would love to travel more,” says Heunes.

But, as Heunes explains, they want trips that feel meaningful. They need to see how the travel connects to learning, networking, or career development. They want seamless tech, reliable connectivity, a say in their itinerary (something that would have been unthinkable even a decade ago), and accommodation that’s safe and interesting – not just functional. And they absolutely expect the option to arrive early or stay an extra day to explore.

For this group, a work trip is an investment in their future. If it feels like just another obligation, they’ll disengage.

Efficiency, Reliability, and Respect

For more experienced travellers, the novelty has worn off. They’ve done enough trips to know what actually matters: direct flights where possible, lounge access, realistic schedules that don’t wreck their week, safe, comfortable hotels (ideally with early check-in), and 24/7 travel support when things go wrong.

They’re also managing more complex lives. Millennials and Gen X have families. The disruption to home life has to be worth it. They want clear itineraries, straightforward policies, limited T&E admin on their return, and proof that companies respect their time and energy.

“Travel used to be a status symbol,” says Heunes. “You were the one trusted to go, so you just got on with it. But that’s not the world we’re in anymore. The way a company structures its travel now reflects how it treats its people.”

Common Ground: Wellness Isn’t Optional

Strip away the generational preferences and you find something universal: everyone just wants to arrive intact and return without burning out.

Speaking at the GBTA’s 2025 Southern Africa Conference, the University of Pretoria’s Prof. Anneli Douglas described business travel as a “double-edged sword”: a “demand” that drives exhaustion and work-life conflict, and a “resource” that boosts learning, visibility and career satisfaction at the same time.

Her talk revealed that business travel stress often occurs in three distinct waves. The first hits before anyone even leaves home – the scramble to arrange coverage at work, sort out family logistics, and prepare the household for an absence. The second wave arrives during the trip itself, think long-haul flights alongside unexpected delays or disruption. The third wave? That’s when you get back. The mountain of emails, the pressure to reintegrate into work and home routines, and the family tensions that surface after time away. It’s a lot. And a common thread for travellers, young and old.

“Burn-out is real,” says Heunes. “But those who feel supported and able to balance work with life – through practical help and human-centred policies – are more engaged, resilient, and loyal. Business travel done well is a great retention strategy.”

Interestingly, research from one of Prof. Douglas’ master’s students shows that travellers from younger generations are more likely to comply with business travel policies than their older counterparts. In other words, Gen Z are more likely to toe the line (which makes sense, as they’re still finding their place in the workforce) while older employees are more likely to push back against (or ignore) policies that don’t meet their needs.

How Companies Can Adapt (and Win) in 2026

The good news? You don’t need a massive budget to fix this. You need a policy that acknowledges reality, moves with the times, and demonstrates a willingness to treat travellers like adults.

“SMEs actually have an edge here,” says Heunes. “You may not have the scale of a multinational, but you’re far more agile when it comes to changing the rules. You can move fast.”

Here’s what works:

Build flexibility into your policy. Let people choose their preferred flight times, airlines and accommodation (within reason). Allow for early arrivals or weekend extensions where it makes sense. Give travellers a say in their schedule.

Plan for recovery. Don’t schedule critical meetings the morning someone lands from an international flight. Build in buffer days. Respect time zones.

Support health and safety properly. This means clear protocols, 24/7 access to help, and a TMC that can handle disruptions without drama.

Prioritise sustainability. Incorporate eco-friendly options into your travel policy, like promoting green transportation and supporting sustainable accommodations. Show Gen Z your commitment to environmental responsibility.

Make the purpose clear. Before anyone books a ticket, they should understand why they’re going and what success looks like. Younger travellers especially need this.

Count the real costs. Not just airfares and hotel rates, but energy, stress, and time. Companies with fair, flexible travel policies see higher engagement and better performance. Those focused solely on cost control see more policy non-compliance, higher turnover, and avoidable productivity loss.

“You don’t need a 60-page manual,” says Heunes. “You need a policy that people can live with, a partner who can help manage risk, and permission to treat travellers like humans, with families, fears and mental load. At the end of the day, everyone just wants a fair policy, time to recover, space to unwind, and a responsible approach to health, safety and carbon emissions.”

-ENDS-

MEDIA CONTACT

For more information about Corporate Traveller, or to interview Corporate Traveller South Africa GM Herman Heunes, call Sonnette Fourie on 081 072 2869 or email sonnette@bigambitions.co.za.   

About Corporate Traveller

Corporate Traveller is a division of the Flight Centre Travel Group, dedicated to saving businesses across Southern Africa time and money. Corporate Traveller has the benefit of being part of the world’s third-largest travel retailer, leveraging its global negotiating strength. It has access to over 50 of the world’s leading airlines and deals with more than 100 000 hotels around the world to guarantee savings for clients. Corporate Traveller provides clear, consolidated reporting of all its clients’ travel activities, helping them to control travel spend and identify opportunities to save costs.

Issued by:

Big Ambitions

Sonnette Fourie

sonnette@bigambitions.co.za

+27 81 072 2869