When you manage virtual teams, or you run a virtual company, you should regularly bring the teams together for face-to-face meetings. Nothing supports creativity and builds trust more than in-person meetings. While the reason is clear why face-to-face meetings are important, the question is how can you easily bring people together which are based in different locations? Today we want to share a Virtual Team Case Study of 10 travelers which are looking to coming together for a retreat.

Virtual Team Case Study – Where do we meet?

Imagine, you have 10 members of a virtual team or company in the following locations:

• 1 team member in Madrid / Spain
• 1 team member in Nairobi / Kenya
• 1 team member in Hong Kong / China
• 1 team member in Dusseldorf / Germany
• 1 team member in Johannesburg / South Africa
• 5 team member in Washington / US

Objective: The team wants to come together for a retreat. Where do we meet? The Objective of the virtual team case study is to fine a cheap location to meet.

Additional considerations:

• Travel period is 11th to 18th of June 2018
• Meeting location should need preferably little efforts for visa applications
• Accommodation should be a 4 star business hotel with a good rating and within 2 km of the city center
• Compare three locations per the following continents: North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia

What is the best place to meet?

Looking at the starting locations, a logical consideration is that Washington will be the cheapest place to fly to. Bringing 5 travelers to one place should be cheaper than bringing 10 travelers to one location. Isn’t it?

We entered all starting locations into TroopTravel it is surprising that Washington is NOT the cheapest location. Apparently, for the flights dates entered, flying 10 people to New York is cheaper than 5 people flying to Washington.

Virtual Team Case Study – Flight Comparison Results

Prices, stopover and travel time are accumulated for the total group one economy class round-trip flights (Source: TroopTravel)

North America

1. New York, US – 10 travelers – 2,919 EUR , 7 stopovers and 183 hours travel time
2. Washington, US – 5 travelers – 2,969 EUR , 14 stopovers and 183 hours travel time
3. Toronto, Canada – 10 travelers – 3,988 EUR, 13 stopovers and 187 hours travel time

South America

1. Sao Paulo, Brazil – 10 travelers – 7,442 EUR, 19 stopovers and 317 hours travel time
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina – 10 travelers – 7,615 EUR, 26 stopovers and 362 hours travel time
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -10 travelers – 8,037 EUR, 25 stopovers and 352 hours travel time

Europe

1. Madrid, Spain – 9 travelers – 4,279 EUR, 16 stopovers and 281 hours travel time
2. Alicante, Spain – 10 travelers – 4,493 EUR, 30 stopovers and 364 hours travel time
3. Toulouse, France – 10 travelers – 4,916 EUR, 28 stopovers and 382 hours travel time

Africa

1. Johannesburg, South Africa – 9 travelers – 5,263 EUR, 23 stopovers and 364 hours travel time
2. Nairobi, Kenya – 9 travelers – 5,497 EUR, 16 stopovers and 310 hours travel time
3. Cairo, Egypt – 10 travelers – 5,658 EUR, 30 stopovers and 295 hours travel time

Asia

1. Manila, Philippines – 10 travelers – 6,231 EUR, 30 stopovers and 461 hours travel time
2. Singapore, Singapore – 10 travelers – 6,420 EUR, 16 stopovers and 355 hours travel time
3. Hong Kong, China – 9 travelers – 6,767 EUR, 18 stopovers and 322 hours travel time

It is surprising, that New York is cheaper than Washington. The results from Europe look promising as well in terms of overall travel cost.

The TOP 5 Cheapest Locations in terms of flights are:

1. New York, US
2. Washington, US
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Madrid, Spain
5. Alicante, Spain

Virtual Team Case Study – Hotel Cost

The main cost item of the overall group travel cost are the hotel costs. Let’s compare the cost of one person staying 6 nights in a 4 Star Hotel with at least a “good” customer rating and within 2 km from the city center.

Prices include 7 nights (11th-18th of June 2018) for a single room occupancy in a 4 Star Hotel with at least 8.0 (out of 10) rating and within 2 km from city center. (Source: Trivago)

North America

1. New York, United States –  1,365 EUR @ Avalon Hotel * 10 Travelers = 13,650 EUR
2. Washington, United States – 1,190 EUR @ The Fairfax * 5 Travelers = 5,950EUR
3. Toronto, Canada –  910 EUR @ NGE Stays – Downtown Suites * 10 Travelers = 9,100 EUR

South America

1. Sao Paulo, Brazil –  315 EUR @ Novotel Sao Paulo Jaragua* 10 Travelers = 3,150 EUR
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina – 245 EUR @ Patios de San Telmo * 10 Travelers = 2,450 EUR
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 273 EUR@ Arosa Rio Hotel * 10 Travelers = 2,730 EUR

Europe

1. Madrid, Spain – 766.85 EUR @ INTUR Palacio San Martin * 9 Travelers = 6,901.65 EUR
2. Alicante, Spain – 539 EUR @ Abba Centrum Alicante Hotel * 10 Travelers = 5,390 EUR
3. Toulouse, France – 588 EUR @ Luxury Appart’Hotel Haut Lofts * 10 Travelers = 5,880 EUR

Africa

1. Johannesburg, South Africa – 374.50 EUR @ Faircity Mapungubwe * 9 Travelers = 3,370 EUR
2. Nairobi, Kenya – 567 EUR @ La Mason Royale * 9 Travelers = 5,103 EUR
3. Cairo, Egypt – 619.50 EUR @ Steigenberger El Tahrir * 10 Travelers = 6,195 EUR

Asia

1. Manila, Philippines – 343 EUR @ Ramada Manila Central * 10 Travelers = 3,430 EUR
2. Singapore, Singapore – 539 EUR @ Hotel G Singapore * 10 Travelers = 5,390 EUR
3. Hong Kong, China – 525 EUR @ Dorsett Wanchai * 9 Travelers = 4,725 EUR

It is quite interesting to see the price gaps in accommodation around the world. The TOP 5 Cheapest Hotel Locations out of our list are:

1. Buenos Aires @ 2,450 EUR (10 ppx)
2. Rio de Janeiro @ 2,730 EUR (10 ppx)
3. Sao Paulo @ 3,150 EUR (10 ppx)
4. Johannesburg @ 3,370 EUR (9 ppx)
5. Manila @ 3,430 EUR (10 ppx)

Virtual Team Case Study – Visa Requirements

Visa requirements is as well an important aspect when planning international group travel. For our case study, let’s assume that the starting locations define the nationality. Thus, we have the following passport holders:

1. United States – 5 Travelers
2. Spain – 1 Traveler
3. Germany – 1 Traveler
4. Kenya – 1 Traveler
5. South Africa – 1 Traveler
6. Hong Kong – 1 Traveler (considering the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport)

Let’s compare the visa requirements for each of the locations:

North America

1. New York, United States –  5 out of 10 travelers need a visa (German and Spanish passport holder need an eTA)
2. Washington, United States – 5 out of 10 travelers need a visa (German and Spanish passport holder need an eTA)
3. Toronto, Canada –  2 out of 10 travelers need a visa (German, Spanish & Hong Kong passport holder need an eTA)

South America

1. Sao Paulo, Brazil – 6 out of 10 travelers need a visa
2. Buenos Aires, Argentina – 1 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 6 out of 10 travelers need a visa

Europe

1. Madrid, Spain – 2 out of 10 travelers need a visa
2. Alicante, Spain – 2 out of 10 travelers need a visa
3. Toulouse, France – 2 out of 10 travelers need a visa

Africa

1. Johannesburg, South Africa – 1 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
2. Nairobi, Kenya – 8 out of 10 travelers need a visa (all 8 travelers can get a visa on arrival)
3. Cairo, Egypt – 9 out of 10 travelers need a visa (7 travelers can get a visa on arrival)

Asia

1. Manila, Philippines – 0 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
2. Singapore, Singapore – 0 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
3. Hong Kong, China – 0 out of 10 travelers needs a visa

It is interesting to see the impact of the visa requirements for a global group. This may have an impact in the meeting location selection. Here the TOP 3 in visa friendly locations out of our list:

1. Manila – 0 out of 10
   Singapore
   Hong Kong
   Nairobi (all visas are on arrival)
2. Johannesburg – 1 out of 10
   Buenos Aires
3. Toronto – 2 out of 10
4. Madrid 
   Alicante
   Toulouse

Virtual Team Case Study – Final Results

Bringing now the flight and hotel costs together, these are the best places to meet according to our findings. The visa requirements are mentioned as well and may impact the location selection:

Prices include flights and accommodation as shown further up

1. Johannesburg, South Africa: 8,633.50 EUR, 10 people traveling, 1 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
2. Washington, United States: 8,919 EUR, 5 people traveling, 5 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
3. Manila, Philippines: 9,661 EUR, 10 people traveling, 0 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
4. Alicante, Spain: 9,883 EUR, 10 people traveling, 2 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
5. Buenos Aires, Argentina: 10,065 EUR, 10 people traveling, 1 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
6. Sao Paulo, Brazil: 10,592 EUR, 10 people traveling, 6 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
7. Nairobi, Kenya: 10,600 EUR, 9 people traveling, 8 out of 10 travelers needs a visa (all will get visa on arrival)
8. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 10,767 EUR, 10 people traveling, 6 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
9. Toulouse, France: 10,796 EUR, 10 people traveling, 2 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
10. Madrid, Spain: 11,180.65 EUR, 9 people traveling, 2 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
11. Hong Kong, China: 11,492 EUR, 9 people traveling, 0 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
12. Singapore, Singapore: 11,810 EUR, 10 people traveling, 0 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
13. Cairo, Egypt: 11,853 EUR, 10 people traveling, 9 out of 10 travelers needs a visa (7 will get visa on arrival)
14. Toronto, Canada: 13,088 EUR, 10 people traveling, 2 out of 10 travelers needs a visa
15. New York, United States, 16,569 EUR, 10 people traveling, 5 out of 10 travelers needs a visa

The results are surprising: It is cheaper to fly 10 people to Johannesburg, South Africa than 5 people to Washington, US. If you are willing to spend around 1,000 EUR more you can choose a location on any of the continents.

If you want to do a similar analysis for your virtual team, please go to TroopTravel’s corporate page and sign up. We are releasing our platform shortly. In addition, visit us at the Business Travel Show, booth LP3 on 21st and 22nd of February in London. If you like our analysis, then please vote for TroopTravel for the Startup Disrupt Award!