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.
There are one or more caps on each reimbursable
travel item. Be sure you know what those are!
Food and gas receipts are NOT needed. Food costs are covered
(for any travel event lasting over 18 hours) 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 $0.51/mi as of Jan 1, 2011.
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 any hotel/taxi/etc. receipts
and be sure to get a room at or below the government
per diem rate (find Per Diem information on http://gsa.gov/)
for the city/state you are in. Call me or my assistant and we'll help
you as much as we can.
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 / drove you to Norman
- why: to reimburse 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 usually be paid by purchase order:
How POs work:
1. you request a unique PO # from me for each item! PO numbers are
sort of like check numbers, in that every PO (or check) has a unique
number.
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 somehow... 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. your
residence)
- why: you are considered to be in official travel status from
the time you walk out your front door to the time you walk back
in your home!
- 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 room, what YOU paid, and that you paid (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
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of Regents of the University of Oklahoma
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