The State of Corporate Travel and Expense 2026

Business travel is stronger than ever. Corporate travel frequency, perceived value, and the desire for personal interaction are at historic peaks — and poised to keep growing. Skift and Navan have conducted global surveys of business travelers and travel and finance managers in each of the past seven years, and now more than ever, both cohorts indicated that corporate travel is essential to their business.

Yet, travel and expense pain points remain prevalent. Travelers and managers still struggle with their platforms and solutions, and companies can’t afford to compromise. To maximize the value of employees’ time and the ROI of corporate travel, companies should seek all-in-one solutions that integrate modernized travel and expense tools, as well as advanced data, AI, and automation functionality.

In this report:

• 90% of survey respondents said business travel is an essential investment or necessary cost: Learn why the perceived importance of corporate travel is up 8 percentage points from last year’s report.
• Nearly half (48%) of all travelers surveyed took 6 or more business trips in the past 12 months, up from just 40% in each of the past two years: See what road warriors are doing back on the trail.
• 80% of travelers said they book off-platform sometimes: Explore the reasons they are out of compliance, even when they don’t want to be, and what managers can do to help stem this challenge.
• Only 36% of managers said that the speed and helpfulness of their travel provider was “excellent”: Check out areas for improvement and what can be done to improve customer support.
• 76% of travelers said they trusted AI for straightforward T&E tasks, up from 59% in 2023: Learn why this trust is growing, and what companies can do to leverage the power of AI for travel and expense.