Travel Procedures

Before You Travel

1. Obtain written permission and funding approval from your supervisor or PI. Written approval should contain:
   • Brief description of the travel
   • Project and task
   • Dollar amount approved
2. Review UC San Diego Travel Policy for any changes since you last traveled.
3. Submit a Travel Request. It must be completed and approved prior to booking.
   • Ask your divisional administrative assistant (Desiree Harpe or Tammy Gillespie) to create a travel request for you.
     OR
   • Create a Travel Request for yourself in Concur.
4. Book travel arrangements through Concur, including airfare, hotel, and rental car.
5. Use a Travel & Entertainment Card to book additional arrangements such as conference registrations. Note that if you choose to pay for registration using a personal credit card, you will not be reimbursed until after the travel has been completed and the expense report has been submitted and approved.

During Your Travel

1. Use a Travel & Entertainment Card to avoid out-of-pocket expenses.
2. Record expenses.
   • For short-term travel in the continental U.S. (29 days or fewer), use the Meals and Incidental Expenses (M&IE) method. You may submit a log of daily meal expenses in lieu of receipts. The amounts you claim must be based on actual expenses and cannot exceed the maximum daily limit.
   • For long-term U.S. travel (30 days or more) and travel outside the continental U.S., use the Per Diem method.
3. Retain all required receipts.

After You Travel

1. Prepare a Travel Expense Report.
   • Ask Desiree or Tammy to prepare a report for you.
     OR
   • Create a Travel Expense Report for yourself in Concur. Please be aware that preparing your own report can be difficult if you're not familiar with the process.
2. Send receipts to Desiree or Tammy.
   • Photos and scanned receipts are acceptable.

UCSD policy requires travel expense reporting within 21 days of completion of travel. This includes the time needed for processing, review, and approval. Reimbursements issued after 45 days may be treated as taxable income and reported on the employee’s W-2.

Travel Tips

• Concur is the preferred method of booking, because the University has negotiated discounted rates and enrollment in insurance is automatic.
• If you are flying on federal funds:
  • Be aware of the Fly America Act.
  • Change Fees are usually not covered. Get written approval from your PI and Fund Manager before incurring any change fees.
  • Federal funds will not reimburse you if the trip is cancelled and the ticket was non-refundable. Reimbursement may be made using unrestricted funds with PI approval.
• Before making international travel arrangements, check with your PI or Fund Manager to confirm that foreign travel is allowed on the funding source.
  • Some funding agencies require written approval for foreign travel.
  • Some funding agencies forbid foreign travel.
• Extra insurance is usually not covered because UC has its own travel insurance. If you think you need additional insurance, check with your fund manager to see if it can be reimbursed.
• Travelers may only pay for their own travel expenses.