Travel Preparation

What to do before a trip...

• Start this process at least one week prior to your trip. For international trips, please give us as much notice as possible.
   
• Fill out a Record of Absence Form (ROA) and have it signed by your supervisor if necessary. 

• Start thinking about your travel expenses
  
  • Common expenses include
    
    • Mileage
    • Meals and Incidentals (Per Diem)
    • Transportation Costs (airfare, shuttles, etc.)
    • Lodging
    • Rental Car (this expense requires additional justification and approval)
    • Gas for Rental Car
    • Airport parking
    • Conference Registration Fee
     
  • A travel worksheet can help you figure out what expenses to claim.
    • Download Travel Worksheet 
     
  • You don't have to have exact figures for each expense, we just need to know which expenses you plan on claiming so that we can estimate them for you.
   
• Some things to keep in mind when booking travel:
  
  • If you include personal time with your trip, please contact your travel specialist as soon as possible. These trips have several differences in policy from a business trip.
     
  • Contact your Travel Specialist before making any travel arrangements. If you do make your own travel arrangements, keep the following in mind.
    
    • When purchasing airfare, a comparison is not needed UNLESS you are including personal time in your trip. In that case, please provide a comparison for airfare that shows what the trip would have cost if you only travelled for business.
      
      • Quotes MUST be printed on the same day you purchase your ticket. Airfares fluctuate from day to day so the only way to get a true quote is to print it on the same day you purchase your ticket.
         
      • The University recommends using www.sidestep.com as a comparison site. This site searches most airlines as well as many other travel sites for airfare.
         
       
    • Renting a car, driving out of state, and anything that does not meet NAU policy requires additional approval before reimbursement. Please make sure to ask about these types of expenses before your trip so that we can make sure you get the maximum allowable reimbursement.
      
   
• Turn in your ROA to your Travel Specialist along with your best guess as to which travel expenses you will be claiming and an account number to bill your trip to.

This information is due at least one week prior to the start date of your trip.