Sometimes, certain policies at work might seem bizarre or even somewhat irrational, but employees have no choice but to abide by them.

For this redditor, it was the change in their company’s travel policies that they didn’t think was smart; or cost-efficient, at least. An avid traveler themself, the OP had no trouble coming up with an affordable itinerary for work-related travels, but the company told them to use an agency instead, to which they maliciously complied. Scroll down to find the full story below.

Creating affordable travel itineraries is a hobby that can really come in handy at times

Image credits: Gustavo Fring / pexels (not the actual photo)

This employee knew how to create affordable travel itineraries for business trips but was told to use a travel agency instead

Image credits: cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image source: tenderbabyribs

Many people find trip planning stressful and traveling – expensive

Image credits: Vlada Karpovich / pexels (not the actual photo)

For some people, myself included, working on travel itineraries is a favored pastime, whether or not they have the potential to be realized. Who knows, maybe some time in the future they will? Or maybe a friend could really use that travel itinerary you had for Norway, as they don’t enjoy planning nearly as much?

Some statistics regarding travel planning suggest that more people than not are actually not that fond of trip planning. According to a survey carried out by CivicScience, roughly seven-in-ten Americans say that they find planning and booking arrangements somewhat or very stressful. (Though having a trip planned is reported to significantly increase their level of happiness and energy levels.)

For those choosing air travel, for instance, the main stressor seems to be airport procedures, followed by the possibility of delays or cancellations and the cost of tickets respectively. But the latter is a common issue no matter the means of transportation, as traveling by a car or a train can be equally as—if not more—costly.

According to a 2024 travel report from Deloitte Insights, while people’s intent to travel remains similar to that of 2023, travelers now have to adjust their budgets to account for inflation or shorten some of their planned trips if not cancel them altogether.

“After two straight years of strong gains, the number of Americans planning to take leisure trips is taking a dip this summer,” the report reads in part. “The biggest deterrent is cost, and the share of non-travelers who say it is just too expensive right now jumped to 34%, from 26% in 2023.”

It’s safe to assume that it’s not only individuals, but companies, too, that wouldn’t mind cutting the costs of traveling if they had the chance to. In the OP’s mind, one way to do it was to use the itinerary they had created themselves, instead of turning to the travel agency for assistance. But since that was no longer an option, the redditor had no choice but to choose the costly convenient accommodations provided by said agency, leaving the company to cover a bill that was bigger than the OP’s monthly paycheck.

The OP revealed that their company still has a contract with the travel agency

Fellow netizens shared their reactions and discussed similar situations in the comments

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