Travel Tips
Basics:
You have an overall cap on each travel item. Be sure you
know what it is. Most participants have just two trips: to/from Norman
for the REU itself, and one trip to a professional conference.
OU places caps on each reimbursable travel item. Be sure
you know what those are!
Food and gas receipts are NOT needed. Food costs are covered
as Meals & Incidental Expences (MI&E) at the Federal government per diem
ratesfor the city/state applied to that day of
travel. Ask me if you're not sure how to determine the relevant city/state
for your trip. Go to http://gsa.gov/ and
click on Per Diem Rates - it's the first one under "Most Requested
Links" in
the upper left of the page. Gas is covered within the mileage reimbursement,
which is $0.55/mi as of Jan 1, 2009.
Going
To/From Norman:
If you fly, you will typically be reimbursed for mileage
to/from your home airport, any parking/toll receipts, and any normal
baggage fees (excessive weight fees... probably not; distribute
that weight!).
If you drive, your mileage will be determined by putting
your departure (e.g. home) and destination (e.g. Traditions checkin)
addresses into randmcnalley.com. Mileage for business trips is usually
capped at what it would have cost to fly, but because you are here for
10 weeks you can justify needing a car. Plus your overall trip is
capped. Thus, OU has allowed mileage reimbursement (and any other costs)
to run up to the cap I've placed on your travel. If you stay in a hotel
on your drive here, be sure to find one at or under the federal per diem
rate for whatever city/state you are staying overnight in. Hotel can
only be reimbursed the night before you arrive (coming here) and the
night you depart (going home).
If your flight turns sour, allow the airline to re-route
you as they will be doing for your fellow passengers. If your delay is
due to weather, and thus any extra expenses like overnight hotel are
not covered by the airline, be sure to keep the receipt and do your best
to secure a room at less than the government
per diem rate for that city/state.
Summary for getting to/from Norman:
- day/time/address you departed from (e.g. home)
- why: you are considered to be in official travel status from
the time you left home to the time you arrive at your destination
- note the airport name/city
- license plate number of the vehicle that took you to the airport
- why: the person who took you can be reimbursed for mileage
- receipt for parking (if applicable)
- receipts for any tolls (if applicable)
Going To/From a Professional Conference:
Conferences are unbelievably expensive, so watch out! Use
the spreadsheet I provided to help you plan your travel. If you pay up
front for anything that could have been directly billed or done by PO,
you may be reimbursed, but only after the travel is complete.
Flying is as above. But conferences have some extra expenses.
Things that can be paid by purchase order:
How POs work: 1. you request a unique PO # from me for each
item! 2. put that # into the PO payment blank. 3. Important!!! e-mail
the receipt/confirmation to me!
Things that can be directly billed:
- airfare, if I book it for you
We don't get any special deals unless you are originating or destinating
in Oklahoma. Look around at flight schedules
and prices (keep in mind your conference allowance) and then send me
the flight information that is your ideal itinerary. I'll use our travel
agent to try to book that flight. I'll send you information of a ticket
that is on hold for you to check. IMPORTANT: You'll need to check over
the ticket we put on hold - check the spellling of your name and that
all the cities/times/dates are correct and get back to me w/in 24 hours
or the ticket (price) is lost!
Things that must be paid up front and reimbursed after
the trip is complete:
- hotel at the conference site
- remember: use an official conference
hotel/price or you must stay under the general federal per diem
rate for that city/state
- your hotel receipt must show that (1) YOU stayed in the room
- your name is on the top - and that (2) YOU paid all or part of
the bill.... the latter is tricky... we don't know your credit
card number and receipts don't typically show WHO'S credit card
it was... so get the hotel to show this some how... some hotels
can do separate bills if they know ahead of time that you need
one
- the receipt must show zero balance / or the payment you made.
This might mean revisiting the front desk to check out, even if
they nominally have a leave-the-key-in-the-room option... you must
turn in a receipt that shows PAID!
- any driving costs like tolls, parking, etc.
- remember, gas is wrapped into the mileage rate
- if you drive to the conference location, your cost will be capped
at the cost of what airfare would have been b/c a car was not technically
necessary to get you there
- most of you will just drive to an airport. You may receive 2 round
trips if someone drops you off. Or you can receive parking at your
home airport - keep the receipt!
- food costs
- you'll receive the MI&E rate for the city/state of the conference
site
- any costs for things like printing a conference poster and buying a
mailing tube to transport it in
- it is no problem to carry these poster tubes on the airplane!
They fit in overhead bins. Put the poster tube on the x-ray
belt along with everything else you're carrying on. If you
choose to mail it ahead (call your hotel for info) any cost
for that will come out of your conference allowance.
Summary for conference travel:
- day/time/address you departed from (e.g. home)
- why: you are considered to be in official travel status
from the time you left home to the time you arrive at your
destination
- note the airport name/city
- license plate number of the vehicle that took you
to the airport
- why: the person who took you can be reimbursed for mileage
- receipt for parking (if applicable)
- receipts for any tolls (if applicable)
- hotel receipt clearly showing that YOU stayed in
that roome and what YOU paid and a zero balance
- tip: when you check in, be sure all the names are on the
receipt or ask if they can create separate bills upon checkout
Copyright © 2009 - Board of Regents
of the University of Oklahoma
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