Businesses looking to cut travel expenses

Date: April 24 2008
Source: HometownAnnapolis.com
Website: http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2008/04_24-56/BUS

Lee White, an Eastport business owner who regularly meets clients in the Washington, D.C., area, used to spend a $70 a week to fill up his silver 2003 Volkswagen Passat.

Now, the owner of TSI zooms around in a Honda Fit, a slick compact car he can fill up for less than $30, he said.

"It's so efficient and I'm probably filling up once every 10 days," said Mr. White, whose company resells technology to contractors such as Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. "Relatively speaking, it's paying for itself."

Company owners such as Mr. White are seeking ways to cut business travel costs as gas prices creep toward $4 a gallon, travel experts said.

Caleb Tiller, spokesman for the National Business Travel Association in Alexandria, Va., said some businesses are switching hotel nights to lower-priced properties while others are setting up internal travel departments to manage costs.