How to Travel
How to Travel
Employees in travel status are expected to use good judgment when incurring travel costs. Only expenses incurred while conducting official university business will be reimbursed. Reimbursement claims must represent actual, reasonable, and necessary expenses. Travel requests must be approved in advance by the employee’s supervisor or department head.
As always, travel should be arranged using the most economical mode of transportation available, taking into consideration travel time, costs, number of people traveling together, and work requirements.
Travelers should not pay for another traveler. This is not done because when one traveler pays for another travelers’ expenses and then requests reimbursement the integrity of the audit trail is compromised and the possibility of making duplicate or inaccurate reimbursements is increased. A payables exception would be required if this occurs.
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Hotels & Lodging
Employees must always request the lowest available rate when making hotel reservations.
Employees cannot pay out of pocket for a guest’s travel expenses. The guest will need to pay and then request reimbursement.
Cleaning fees are allowable if charged by the vendor. Travel brokers such as Airbnb may be used but they may not exceed the 110.00 cap per night.
If the hotel charges one fee for both employees and non-employees. The majority expense would be the tile that is selected. If the majority of the expense is related to non-employees, then the non-employee tile would be selected. If the majority of the charges relate to employees, then the hotel tile would be selected.
Personal charges on a hotel folio are unallowable and the cardholder should contact the hotel immediately to have the charges refunded and added to a personal card. If the hotel will not refund the charge then the person who traveled will have to pay the college back through the bursar’s office and provide the card holder (if the hotel was arranged by a staff member) the deposit receipt for the expense report.
Air Travel
University of Illinois System policy states that all travel must be by the most direct route, using the most economical mode of transportation, taking into consideration travel time, expense, length of absence, work requirements, and traveler convenience. Employees must seek the lowest available fare when making commercial airline reservations. To obtain the best fares, airline tickets should be purchased as soon as department authorization is received, preferably a minimum of three weeks prior to departure.
In addition, since all travel expenses must have unit approval before being booked, University Payables will no longer require an approved exception for seat selection fees. Preferred seating will now be considered a standard air travel expense.
Flight comparisons must be conducted for any personal leg of travel or travel originating from an airport that is not in close proximity to UIUC. The comparison flight should be for the day the traveler was originally scheduled to return, or in cases where travel commenced from a different location for personal reasons, a comparison must be provided. The cost of the return flight on the extended stay must be equal to or less than the original return flight, or the cost of the originating flight must be equal to or less expensive from UIUC. If the extended stay flight is more expensive, the traveler will be required to pay with their personal credit card and submit a request for reimbursement. Flight comparisons are necessary even if payment is made with a personal credit card.
Most air travel should be in coach class however, the State of Illinois is now allowing university travelers to book business class if the scheduled flight time, including stopovers and change of planes, is more than 14 hours and approved by the unit.
Other University policies are still applicable. For business class flights not meeting the 14-hour criteria an approved accommodation will be required to be in place prior to incurring the expense.
Travel insurance is not allowed. There is a current exception for this based on cost. If the cost of a refundable airfare ticket is less than the cost of the ticket + travel insurance then then the traveler should purchase the refundable ticket instead of the regular economy fare that is not refundable. If the cost is higher, then payables will accept travel insurance cost only if they have been approved by the departments finance person before the purchase.
Car Rentals & Passenger Vehicles
Gas for car rental is reimbursable. Gas for personal vehicles will be reimbursed through the mileage reimbursement.
International Travel
International travel is defined as travel to, between, or within countries outside the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and its territories and possessions. University of Illinois System international business travel must be authorized by the department head or authorized delegate. It is the employee's responsibility to ensure their travel arrangements comply with University of Illinois policies and procedures and that their claims for reimbursement are accurate.
Learn More about International Travel
International Travel Insurance Requirement
Per the recent Policy Update: 15.1.5 International Travel Insurance from the Office of the Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Comptroller, the University of Illinois System now requires employees traveling internationally on system business to comply with the system and respective university travel policies for registration and insurance enrollment.
All system employees traveling internationally on system business must enroll in international travel insurance using the applicable university-based travel and coverage website. It is the responsibility of each individual employee to ensure insurance enrollment for their travel. Failure to enroll in international travel insurance may result in non-reimbursement of travel expenses.
Effective immediately, employees traveling internationally on system business will be required to provide documentation of insurance enrollment on their Chrome River expense report. This includes, but is not limited to, business trips, conferences, faculty exchanges, faculty-led study abroad programs, teaching, research, service, or sabbaticals.
International Travel Insurance Enrollment and Fees
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The enrollment link below is for faculty and staff engaging in university-related activities for travel abroad. After July 31, 2019, coverage will be provided to all faculty and staff free of charge who enroll. |
The enrollment link below is for graduate and professional students participating in university-related programs or activities abroad. |
Any questions related to the Travel Insurance Requirement can be directed to safetyabroad@illinois.edu.
Business Meals
Social events are not allowable for business meals. If you are unsure if the event you are having meets the business meal policy please reach out to our office. If buying food for an event that will be a drop-off at the University, it must be a true drop-off and they will not be returning for anything.
If it was an employee-only business meal which is not allowed in travel status, Per diem can be requested to supplement your meal costs in travel.