When the corona crisis hit and companies around the world closed their doors, business travel was impacted in an unprecedented way. Overseas conferences and in-person meetings in offices across borders were suddenly out of the question. But throughout (partial) lockdowns, people worked hard on return-to-work and return-to-travel plans from their home offices. And now that…
When I went for a jog last Sunday, I ran into a friend. Of course, we ended up talking about what’s on everyone’s mind: the pandemic. Now, I realize I’m one of the lucky ones. Roadmap is doing well, given the circumstances. I have three wonderful children of school age. Last but not least, I…
You must have grown tired of all those corona discussions by now. Will travel return to the pre-COVID-19 level? Is it a W or V shape? Domestic travel in China is almost at the pre-pandemic level, but European flight occupancy is starting to slide. Breathe in, breathe out. In the past few months, we’ve talked…
I enjoy the sound of a plane’s roaring engines during takeoff. The pilot’s occasional updates while I’m reading the latest edition of The Best American Short Stories. The view of a fairylike, miniature city from the window. I love so-so airplane food. Turbulence while typing on my laptop. Small children who go through a roller…
Recently, I asked one of Roadmap’s customer about her objectives for the coming years. She smiled and told me she didn’t have any yet. Her original goals had been to cut cost, travel less, conduct more online meetings, double down on working from home, and reduce her company’s CO2 emissions. Sounds like a five-year plan,…
The summer holidays are knocking on our doors, and Europe is opening up. Italy, Greece, Spain, and France are allowing a number of people to cross their borders again. So, we can go to the beach and have a beer. Like I’ve shared before, I love going to restaurants, bars, and big (sports) events. But…
Last weekend, a team of smart, driven Roadmappers participated in the Trave/Scrum Global Travel Hackathon. Together with my co-workers Patrick, Niels, Micha, Sheruela, and Glenn, I went on a mission to empower business travelers to get back on the road. Find out what happened! Remote: different concept, same adrenaline I’ll be honest with you. I…
DENVER and AMSTERDAM, March 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — GeoSure, the leader in providing real-time, hyper-local safety information for business and leisure travelers, announced today a partnership with the award-winning corporate travel platform Roadmap, to offer users from multinational corporations new safety features with access to localized safety information for over 65,000 cities and neighborhoods worldwide, including Health & Medical risk…
Dutch innovator Roadmap has put safety information, wellbeing and teamwork at the heart of a corporate travel solution that won first prize in a recent global hackathon. Organized by non-profit body TravelScrum, the competition drew 84 teams from 64 countries to work on new products that could aid the recovery of the travel and…
I jumped on the train, wearing a face mask like I was supposed to. There were a few reasons why I went to the office. First and foremost, we are in the travel industry, so I need to put my money where my mouth is. And let’s be honest – a train ride is far…
At Roadmap, we have a long history of working remotely. Hopping online from our home offices isn’t new to us. Our team members are responsible for bringing their best to the Roadmap table – which means we attach value to two things. First and foremost: collaboration. Working together is paramount. Second: results. What have our…
After a time of travel bans, we have noticed that our customers are putting travel back on the agenda. Slowly and carefully, but still – some people are traveling for business purposes again. In most cases, we’re talking local (commuting) travel. But one of my friends who lives in Prague actually hopped on flight KL1350…
Last week, I read a great interview with John Rose in The Company Dime. John – or, as I call him, mister Rose – was a program director for the U.S. Department of Defense in Italy, president of AIG Travel Guard Assist, and COO of iJet (now WorldAware). Unsurprisingly, all eyes in the industry are…
These are surreal times. Like many countries, the Netherlands has started to shut down due to coronavirus concerns: schools are closed for the next three weeks, and my wife and I both work from home. Here’s what our morning looked like: after having breakfast together, we helped our three kids create their own little ‘study…
The business travel landscape of services and experiences isn’t a pretty view. It is awfully fragmented. Think about all the different channels business travelers need to use to get a few basic things done: finding a cab, calling a restaurant, connecting with a local co-worker, (re)arranging a client meeting. Their focus shifts, and they can…
To minimize confusion for your travelers, you should keep your program simple. But make no mistake: simplicity is not easy. It starts with getting a grip on the offers your travelers get. You need to own the content to stay in control of your travel program. Complex? You bet. But you need to hang in…
We know, we know. We’re probably the last ones to wish you a happy New Year. But our message comes straight from the heart – and it’s still January, so we hope you’ll let us get away with it. In 2020, our team will work as hard as always. We’re still on a never-ending quest…
I will kick this story off with the cheesiest thing to say that comes to mind: it’s almost that time of the year! As everyone was making Christmas plans and decorating the world in pretty lights two months in advance, which I absolutely adore, I was learning one of life’s greater lessons. With only a…
Let’s face it: today’s travel-management landscape is changing rapidly, and its increasing fragmentation and complexity are causing a fuss among travel managers. Having focused on cost savings and compliance for years, they now find themselves in the midst of a juggling act they haven’t yet mastered. In addition to negotiating deals with suppliers, they need…
Today’s road warrior is not your average business-traveler Joe. Milking the company’s funds by raiding the minibar, ordering twenty-dollar juices, or booking expensive plane seats ‘just because you can?’ Not the road warrior’s style. In fact, contemporary business travelers are often more frugal and environmentally conscious than their employers. They will go the extra mile…
‘Keep it simple,’ ‘lean and mean,’ ‘less is more:’ the plea for simplicity has seeped into our language and culture over the years, and it is here to stay. Even more so, it has made the leap into the corporate travel world, where it’s already a hit among forward-thinking travel managers. Against the backdrop of…
Dear travel managers, Yours might be one of the most exciting jobs in the world. Seriously. You have the ability to affect the lives of many traveling employees, and that must be really cool. At the same time, it’s quite the task, which means yours is one of the hardest jobs in the world, too…
If you’re somewhat familiar with Roadmap, you might know we are a tad crazy. If you’re not, we’ll tell you right now that yes, we are nuts, but in a good way. Why? Well, here’s the thing: stepping into the business travel arena as a Dutch startup company, convinced you can improve traveler happiness, requires…
Last week, I met a fellow entrepreneur who asked me, “What do you think the travel industry will look like 10 years from now?” It was a triggering question in a lot of ways. Considering how little the industry has changed in the past few years, you probably won’t expect any major transformations in the…
Starting something new is exciting. It’s an adventure of sorts, a dive into the unknown – all that cheesy jazz. The reason I’m digging up these phrases is that I recently started a new job – or, more specifically, an internship at Roadmap. And sure, I was thrilled and all. But in all honesty, before…
Date: July 30, 2019 Press Release: For Immediate Release Global manufacturer ITW has chosen Roadmap, the award-winning Dutch travel management platform, to deliver a simple, fluid and efficient experience to its valued business travelers. Cathy Sharpe, Director, Strategic Sourcing, Global Travel & Expense Management Services at ITW, says: “At the moment, the business travel…
At Roadmap, we always have a lot of fun preparing for GBTA. Every year, our design team builds a new demo app (to demonstrate what is on our roadmap in the coming year), determines our theme for GBTA, drafts the booth (4040) design, and – last but not least – creates our yearly outfits. I…
Roadmap is officially a toddler! And we’re quite the kid, if we may say so ourselves. At the ‘age’ of 4, we can share some impressive figures: more than 4 billion was spent on travel through our systems in 2019, 17 of our customers are big corporations, and our team consists of nearly 30 people.…
A few months ago, I treated myself to kitesurfing lessons in Bonaire. Why? Well, here’s the short version: I didn’t want to buy a motorcycle at 48. But as it turned out, kitesurfing was a disaster of sorts. During the first lesson, I twisted my ankle. The result: I was stuck in my hotel room…
Two weeks ago, we decided to celebrate Roadmap’s new website launch by hosting a fancy company dinner. I took the liberty of picking an Amsterdam steak house, ensuring unlimited Heinekens for everyone. With two things I absolutely love – steak and beers – what could possibly go wrong? Well, this: it turns out I was…
The key to sustainable value of a travel program is productivity and traveler satisfaction, which can be improved in four steps: Define traveler segments into value groups Define the groups of travelers that you service. Consider a differentiated offering for these different groups. Understand which groups you can leverage suppliers for, and those that…
I had an interesting conversation with a travel manager this week. His observation was that today’s traveler journey is crappy and the user experience is so frustrating it often makes business travelers break out in tears. And that he – the one offering them the tissues- is the target of all the complains. This guy…
The other day, I read a very interesting but worrying story in the New York Times. It said that business travel is bad for you. It’s bad for your health and your home situation, and it can even cost you your job. Wait, what…? Yes, that is what it said. So one day you are…
One of my best friends is opening a new shop that is all about delivering great, healthy food. Its customers will feel more energized and look better. More importantly, they will become more productive. True, it is more expensive than ‘normal’ food. But you know what? It is not. Because if putting in a few…
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 1st, 2018 – Roadmap, the all-in-one mobile travel platform for large enterprises, has raised a Series A round of 4 million Euro. The round was led by Newion Investments and the Roadmap founders. Newion Investments focuses on B2B enterprise software companies with a global reach in early stage and is well…
Can you imagine being happier when cut off from your online oxygen? At Roadmap, we can. Even more so, we lead the way to digital detoxing. During my MBA I was inspired by a guy that was writing his thesis on ‘internet and happiness.’ This was back in 2008. Web-related emotional failure had not yet…
When we founded Roadmap, we were dreamers. We were not the best traveler app in the world (yet!). We did not have a lot of customers (yet!), and when we went to the GBTA in Orlando dressed in our awesome Roadmap shirts, we realized that nobody was expecting us. We had spent all our money…
I just got back from the best holiday ever. And it’s because a week into it, I learned an important lesson from my three children (7, 5, and 2 years old): they are at their happiest when they get dedicated attention and are approached in a positive way. Looking at your cell phone two hundred…