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Before the Trip

Next Steps

  1. Look at the finished Pre-Authorization Travel Form. If the faculty member chose “University” as the Primary Beneficiary, follow the instructions below. If they chose “Student,” go to Student Benefit via GradStar.
  2. Review “Basic Knowledge” below.
  3. If the only expense you will claim is registration, skip to the section called “Registration” below. It is the last section before “After the Trip.”
  4. Review “Advanced Knowledge” below.
  5. If you plan to share a room, read “Sharing a Room.”
  6. If you plan to request money before the trip to pay for meals and lodging, follow “Requesting Money in Advance” below.
  7. If you are not requesting money for meals and lodging but want UNC to pay airfare directly, follow the steps under “Airfare (Web Travel)” below.
  8. If you plan to travel internationally, follow “International Travel” below.
  9. After the trip, follow the steps under “After the Trip” below.

Basic Knowledge

  • UNC can pay for your airfare and registration directly.
  • Any money you receive before the trip must be accounted for after the trip.
  • You can receive money before the trip for actual and/or estimated lodging and meals. See “Before the Trip” below.
  • Any expenses you pay for yourself can only be reimbursed after the trip.
  • Make sure to get receipts for everything (except meals). Credit card statements will be rejected!
  • Do not pay anyone else’s travel expenses – room, airfare, meals – as you will not be reimbursed.

Advanced Knowledge

  • Don’t assume you’ll be paid back for a non-standard expense; please ask your contact. Example: coach airfare will be repaid, but not flight insurance.
  • Meals: Please read the Procedure on Per Diem Rates for information about meal reimbursements. See Understanding Per Diem if you need more details. You will have to provide a lodging receipt to claim meals, even if you are not claiming lodging.
  • Lodging: There are limits on what you can claim for lodging. Please see Procedure on Lodging Accommodations for details.
    • NOTICE RE: AIRBNB – If you plan to use Airbnb or any other non-hotel lodging, you must fill out the Third-Party Lodging Request Form. Include the approval from travel in your Travel Prompter request.
    • Sharing a room? Please see below.
  • Driving: If you plan to drive, please read the Procedure on Ground Travel for information about mileage rates.

Sharing a Room

You can only be reimbursed for your half of the cost. The other person in the room must claim the other half of the cost on their travel expenses.

  • If the hotel will allow it, please try to split the payment at the hotel and get both names on the hotel bill.
  • If the hotel only allows one person to pay, the other person will have to provide evidence (for example, a Venmo receipt) showing that they paid the person who paid the bill.
    • Example: Jadwiga and Nandi share a room and paid $1000. Jadwiga paid for the entire room. She can only claim $500. Nandi will have to pay Jadwiga, get a receipt, and claim the other $500.

Requesting Money in Advance

An advance is a loan given before the trip. Beginning in 2024, these will be processed by giving you a temporary profile in Concur.

  1. If you want money before the trip, please submit your request through the Travel Prompter (pre-trip). Your travel advisor will request Concur access for you with themselves as a delegate so that they can assist you.
    • You can only request money for: meals, lodging, and local air trips (for airfare that cannot be booked via World Travel/Concur.)
    • You do not have to provide exact amounts, just estimates.
    • You will book your flight in Concur rather than through the process below.
    • Please follow the “After the Trip” instructions below within 30 days of your return.

Airfare (Web Travel)

If you are NOT requesting an advance, UNC can still pay airfare directly on your behalf.

  1. Fill out the travel prompter.
  2. Wait for a response from your contact.
  3. Fill out the new Travel Request Form and submit it to World Travel at uncch_travel@worldtravelinc.com to arrange your flight. They will ask for a CABS number; see step 4.
  4. Once you have chosen your flight from the options World Travel provides, send the itinerary (with cost estimate) to your ESE travel contact. They will provide the agency with the CABS number.

International Travel

  1. Follow the extra steps required for international travel. You must provide the RASR international travel approval with the rest of your documentation.
  2. Travel insurance: Fill out form 1409.1.1f (up through the “Insured Status” column) and give it to your travel contact. This allows the department to pay directly so you don’t go out of pocket. Please include both the city and country you are traveling to under “Host Country.”

Registration

UNC can pay your registration directly. Use the Travel Prompter (pre-trip) to request this. Your travel contact will respond with further instructions. Reminder: if you pay for registration yourself, you can only be reimbursed after the trip or event.

After the Trip

You have 30 days from the end of your trip to request reimbursement and/or provide documentation for an advance.

Next Steps

  1. Gather your receipts.
    • A credit card or bank transaction is not a receipt, although it can be used as proof of exchange rates.
    • A receipt shows what was paid for, and that the expense was paid.
    • See “Required Documents” below to see what the requirements are for different expenses.
  2. Fill out the post-trip travel prompter (International Travelers should use this Travel spreadsheet instead. Make sure to check all the tabs!)

Required Documents

Airfare: If you paid for your own airfare, provide the receipt showing how much you paid. The flight must be in your name.

Ground transportation: If you drove your personal car, provide the origin, destination, and mileage of each leg of the trip. For rental cars, provide the rental receipts, any gas receipts you paid for, and a justification for renting a car rather than using public transportation or taxis. For taxis or rideshares, list the origin and destination of each trip and include receipts if you can. Write the tip on the receipt if it’s not already included.

Hotel: A booking or reservation is not a valid receipt. The hotel receipt should have your name as the occupant and list out the charges. If you used AirBNB, Vrbo, or a similar service, provide the Third-Party Lodging Request Form and the approval email from travel.

Meals/Per diem: Meals are reimbursed at a fixed rate called per diem. For domestic travel, list each date and which meals out of breakfast, lunch, and dinner you are claiming on that date. Do not claim any meals that were provided by the hotel, the conference, or a host organization. For international travel, include the city and country you were in on each date. No receipts are necessary unless the sponsor itself requires them. For a more in-depth explanation, see Understanding Per Diem. You will have to provide a lodging receipt to claim meals, even if you are not claiming lodging.

Medical: If you are traveling internationally, you may be reimbursed for necessary vaccinations and prescriptions (such as antimalarial drugs). Provide receipts.

Other: Baggage fees, internet access, laundry (only for long international trips), parking, phone calls, phone cards (international only), poster printing, and other miscellaneous expenses must be accompanied by receipts. Tips to airport or hotel employees are covered under incidentals, which are given with per diem.

Passport/visa fees: Provide receipts as best you can. This may include photo fees, mailing/shipping fees, etc. Multiple-entry visas will be reimbursed via a different mechanism and can be reimbursed before the trip.

Registration/Abstract submission: Most conferences send email confirmations when you pay. You can print those to PDF to submit as receipts.