Spoiler: It’s never just flights and hotels.
Planning a team offsite? Company retreat? Founder getaway with a few Airbnb and Hotel spreadsheets already open?
Great!
But before you hit “book,” let’s talk about the sneaky, under the radar costs that tend to surprise even the most seasoned trip planners. Because the truth is: the real cost of a company trip is way more than just flights and a place to sleep.
Here’s your unofficial guide to the overlooked stuff and how to stop getting blindsided by it.
Transportation (aka “We’ll Just Uber”)
You’ve booked the flights. Everyone’s landing around the same time. What could go wrong?
More than you think actually.
- Airport transfers for a 10-person team? That’s $300+ before you’ve left the terminal.
- Daily rides to venues or restaurants add up fast, especially in spread-out cities like L.A. or Miami.
- No group transportation plan = 17 Uber receipts and a headache for whoever’s handling reimbursements.
Pro Tip: Price out a private shuttle or even a minivan rental if your group is mid-sized. It’s often cheaper and more fun than coordinating 4 Ubers at 6:45am.
Taxes, Fees & “Oh Wait, That’s Not Included?”
You found a great AirbnB.
Wonderful!
Until the cleaning fee and local occupancy tax hit.
Or that beautiful hotel conference room? $300 extra for A/V setup and $200 for water bottles.
These little add-ons can stack up fast:
- Tourism taxes
- Cleaning/service fees
- Resort fees
- Tip-included meals
- Gratuities for group experiences
Pro Tip: Always click through to the final checkout screen and read the fine print.
The Admin Time Sink (aka “Your Time Is a Cost Too”)
One of the most overlooked costs? Your time. Or your ops lead’s time. Or your EA’s sanity.
All the hours spent:
- Comparing 12 cities and 8 Airbnb tabs
- Chasing down RSVPs and calendars
- Coordinating airport pickups
- Managing 37 Slack messages about food allergies
It’s time that could be spent, well… doing the job you were actually hired for.
Pro Tip: Use tools that reduce that admin drag. (We’re biased, but Vamos exists for exactly this reason.)
Final Word: Plan Like a CFO, Travel Like a CEO
Group travel is one of the best things you can do for your team. It strengthens relationships, creates memories, and gets everyone aligned on what’s next.
But that doesn’t mean you have to blow the budget or get hit with surprise costs every step of the way.
Plan smarter. Build in buffers. Ask the annoying “what’s NOT included?” questions.
And maybe, jusssttttt maybe let Vamos handle the heavy lifting.
→ Want to start planning smarter right now? Join the waitlist at Govamos.io
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