How to correctly record travel time for client visits

Why travel time often gets overlooked

I’ve been there myself. You head out for a meeting, focus on the appointment and simply forget to track the drive. Later, when creating the invoice, that hour is suddenly missing. Most people who visit clients regularly know the feeling.

Travel time is working time. Full stop. Still, many only record it half-heartedly or skip it entirely. It’s not just about fairness toward the client – it also affects your own calculations.

What actually counts as travel time?

Basically everything from leaving your office or home until you arrive at the client’s location. And the return trip. The key is clear boundaries: pure driving time or also waiting at the station? I keep it simple and count everything connected to getting to the client.

Some only bill the actual driving time. Others include time spent looking for parking or setting up the laptop. A clear internal rule helps here, especially in teams.

Real-life situations

Imagine driving 45 minutes to a client in the next city. Once there, you spend another ten minutes finding a parking spot. After the meeting the drive back takes 50 minutes. That’s almost two hours that often disappear if not tracked.

Another example: you take the train and work on your laptop during the ride. Some clients accept this as full working time. Others only want to see the pure travel time. That’s why it pays to clarify this upfront.

Tracking travel time cleanly with Jomawo

In our work time tracking you can create separate categories for travel time. This makes later reporting much easier.

I recommend creating a dedicated entry for every client visit and marking the drive time as its own item. This way you immediately see how much time was pure project work versus travel.

Practical daily steps

1. Start the timer the moment you leave.
2. Stop upon arrival and label the time as “travel time”.
3. Record the return trip separately – even on the same day.
4. Optionally track breaks or waiting times as their own category.

It sounds obvious, but discipline is often missing. That’s why I got into the habit of starting the timer right when I get in the car. Works surprisingly well.

Billing travel time – what’s allowed?

Opinions differ here. Some freelancers charge travel time at their full hourly rate. Others use a reduced rate or cap it at a certain distance. Transparency is key.

I always mention it directly in the quote or contract. That avoids unpleasant surprises on the invoice later.

One tip from many user conversations: set a clear cap, for example maximum two hours per leg. This builds trust with the client.

Further tips and internal links

If you’re often on the road, you’ll also benefit from our 5 tips for efficient time tracking in everyday life. It covers similar everyday pitfalls.

And if you’re still looking for solid free time tracking, feel free to try Jomawo. The travel time feature was deliberately kept simple.

In the end, consistently tracking travel time gives you much clearer numbers at the end of the month and fewer discussions with clients. It saves both nerves and money.