When organisations invest in travel perks, they’re not just providing savings for holidays, they’re investing in healthier, happier, and more inspired teams. As employers continue to look for meaningful ways to support their people, employee benefits are evolving. Competitive salaries and traditional workplace perks remain important, but employees are increasingly looking for benefits that contribute to their lives beyond the workplace. Travel is one such benefit.
A well-timed break can provide an opportunity to switch off, spend quality time with family and friends, explore somewhere new and return to work feeling refreshed. By making travel more accessible and affordable, employers can help their people make the most of their time away, while demonstrating that their wellbeing extends beyond the working day.
The value of switching off
Modern working life can make it difficult to truly disconnect. Busy schedules, competing priorities and the ability to stay connected wherever we are can all make it harder to take a genuine break. Taking time away from work provides a valuable opportunity to step back and recharge. Whether it’s a long-awaited family holiday, a weekend city break or simply a few days somewhere new, having something to look forward to can make a meaningful difference to how people feel. A travel benefit can help turn those plans into reality by reducing one of the biggest barriers to taking a break: cost.
A benefit employees can actually use
The strongest employee benefits are those that fit naturally into people's lives. Travel is inherently personal. One employee might dream of a beach holiday with their family, while another might prefer a European city break, a solo adventure or a weekend in the countryside. Unlike benefits that only appeal to certain lifestyles, travel offers almost unlimited possibilities. That makes it a particularly versatile addition to an employee benefits programme. Giving employees access to better-value travel means they can potentially make their holiday budget go further, whether that means upgrading their hotel, travelling for longer or simply saving money on a trip they were already planning.
Supporting wellbeing beyond the workplace
Employee wellbeing isn't just about what happens between 9 and 5. Time away from work can provide space to rest, reconnect and enjoy experiences that might otherwise be put off. For employees with families, holidays can also create valuable opportunities to spend uninterrupted time together. For employers, supporting this time away sends a positive message: your people matter, both at work and outside it. And because travel benefits can be used throughout the year, they can provide ongoing value rather than being a one-off perk.
Helping employees get more from their salary
With the cost of holidays continuing to be an important consideration for households, helping employees access better-value travel can make a benefit feel particularly tangible. Rather than simply offering another discount that might go unused, a travel membership can give employees access to savings across hotels, flights, holidays, car hire, activities and more. That can help employees make their existing holiday budget work harder, potentially turning the same amount of money into a better hotel, an extra night away or another trip later in the year.
Creating something to look forward to
There’s also value in having something on the calendar to look forward to. Planning a holiday can be a source of excitement long before the suitcase is packed. From choosing a destination to finding the perfect hotel and planning what to do when you arrive, travel gives people something positive to anticipate. For employers, providing a travel benefit can therefore contribute to a broader culture that encourages people to make time for themselves, use their annual leave and enjoy life outside work.
A benefit with broad appeal
One of the challenges of creating an employee benefits package is finding perks that work for a diverse workforce. Travel can help solve that problem. Employees can use it in different ways, at different times and at different budgets. It can support everything from a short domestic break to a major family holiday, making it relevant across different ages, lifestyles and circumstances. And because the benefit is ultimately about helping people enjoy their own time, employees can choose what value looks like for them.
Making travel more accessible with utc.travel
Through its partnership with The Law Society, utc.travel gives eligible employees access to a dedicated travel membership designed to help them get more from their holidays. Members can access preferred prices across a wide range of travel, including hotels, flights, holidays, car hire, experiences and more. With access to more than 1.5 million hotels worldwide and savings of up to 40% on selected travel, the membership is designed to help employees make their travel budget go further.
For employers, it’s a simple way to add a lifestyle benefit that employees can use throughout the year, without adding another complex programme to manage. Because ultimately, an employee benefit should do more than look good on a benefits page. It should make a genuine difference to people's lives. And sometimes, helping someone take that much-needed break, explore somewhere new or spend more quality time with the people they love can be one of the most valuable benefits of all.
Through the Law Society’s partnership with The Ultimate Employee Benefit by utc.travel, firms can move beyond annual leave, transforming travel into a tangible investment in well-being, retention, and performance.
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