More and more people are traveling these days, both domestically and internationally, as travel is much more widely available than it was just 10 or 20 years ago. Today there are more planes in the air, more trains traveling from one place to another, and more motor vehicles on the roads than ever before, all of which cost much less if overused. Still, though, travel costs can reach quite significant heights when you’re traveling for business, pleasure, or to see family frequently. And not everyone likes to travel all the time, so finding alternatives to some of that necessary travel is a prospect many frequent travelers are sure to enjoy.

Fortunately, advanced technology comes not only in the form of trains, planes, and automobiles, but also in the form of various communication tools. With a good conference call program, particularly one with video conferencing capabilities, frequent travelers can cut some of their travel by shifting the load periodically to a conference meeting. Ultimately, this results in less travel, and there are actually a total of three creative ways to reduce your travel obligations with the use of conference calls.

1. Closing deals without leaving the office: In business, there are many times when one of the parties making a deal will have to travel to where the other party is located. And considering that some companies go out of business on a regular basis, this can mean a significant amount of travel, which equates to a significant amount of money. While you may not be comfortable signing a large deal via conference call, it may be beneficial to close smaller deals this way. Whether you choose a video conference or a simple audio conference, it will save you travel and money.

2. Keep up with your colleagues abroad without leaving your home: Nowadays, many people have colleagues abroad as globalization is growing at an exponential rate. It is almost impossible for such people to keep up with them in person on a regular basis. And for those who have it it definitely isn’t cheap. These people can save some money and keep up regularly by holding regular conference calls with their colleagues abroad.

3. Interview potential associates without leaving your headquarters: In larger companies, managers often look for important associates in places other than the city in which the company is located. These individuals are usually found through networks and/or associations, which makes finding them easy, but interviewing such individuals is not so easy, as it usually requires a great deal of travel. These days, however, many managers and business owners are interviewing prospects via conference calls, which is much more efficient in terms of cost and time.

Conference calling programs can save time and money for all different types of people, especially considering that there are multiple free conference calling programs to choose from. Reduce your travel obligations and save some money by using conference calls more often.