Corporate travel policy template

1.1 This policy sets out how people travelling on [Company name] business plan, book, pay for and claim for their travel, and how the company looks after them while they are away.

1.2 It applies to all employees, and to contractors and guests whose travel [Company name] pays for, including travel booked for them by [the travel team / our travel management company].

1.3 Choose the option that meets the business need at a reasonable cost, with the traveller's safety and wellbeing taken into account. If in doubt, ask [the travel manager] before booking.

1.4 This policy is owned by [role, for example the Finance Director] and applies from [date]. It replaces any earlier travel policy.

2.1 These trips need approval from [the traveller's line manager] before they are booked:

• every trip
• international trips only
• trips expected to cost more than [$2,500] in total
• trips to a destination at US State Department advisory Level [3] or above (see Traveller safety)

2.2 A booking that breaks this policy must be approved by [the travel manager / the budget holder] before the ticket is issued. Whoever asks for approval gives the reason for the exception.

In TripDesk365: A booking that breaks a blocking policy rule cannot be ticketed until it is approved, and asking for approval needs a written reason. The approver sees every rule the booking breaks.

2.3 Nobody may approve their own travel. [Approvers must hold the budget for the cost centre being charged.]

In TripDesk365: The person who asked for an approval cannot give it, and a policy rule can name the role, such as Travel Manager, that must approve it.

2.4 Approvers answer within [one working day]. A request not answered within [72 hours] lapses and must be raised again.

In TripDesk365: An approval request expires after 72 hours by default, and an expired request does not let the booking be ticketed.

3.1 Book all air travel[, hotels and car rental] through [our travel management company / our booking tool / the travel team].

3.2 Travel booked any other way is reimbursed only if [it was approved in advance / it cost less and the trip was registered with the travel team before departure].

3.3 Each traveller keeps a profile with [the travel team]: their name exactly as on the passport or ID they travel with, date of birth, gender, mobile number, loyalty numbers and, where they have one, a Known Traveler Number or Redress number.

In TripDesk365: A booking cannot be ticketed until each traveller's date of birth and gender are recorded, and a traveller's loyalty numbers are kept on their profile.

3.4 Every booking records the cost centre it is charged to and [the project code / the purchase order number / the purpose of the trip].

In TripDesk365: A corporate client's bookings can carry a cost centre, and fields such as a project code or PO number can be made required: until they are filled in, the booking cannot be ticketed.

4.1 Book air travel at least [14] days before departure for domestic trips and [21] days for international trips, unless the need for the trip could not have been known earlier.

In TripDesk365: An advance-purchase rule, one for domestic and one for international trips. Checked when a trip is priced in TripDesk365.

4.2 When a trip has to be booked at short notice, say why in the booking.

4.3 When a trip needs approval, hold the fare while approval is sought rather than waiting to book.

In TripDesk365: A booking that needs approval can still be held; only ticketing waits for the decision.

5.1 Economy is the standard cabin for business travel.

In TripDesk365: A maximum-cabin rule. Each policy rule is set either to warn the traveller or to require approval before ticketing.

5.2 On flights scheduled at [6] hours or more, travellers may book:

• premium economy
• business class
• business class on overnight flights only

In TripDesk365: An exception to the maximum-cabin rule for the cabin you allow, on flights of at least the length you set, and if you choose only on overnight flights. It applies when the fare states its flight time.

5.3 Choose the lowest logical fare: the cheapest fare that fits the trip's timing, with no more than [one] connection each way and connection times that are realistic for the airport.

5.4 A fare above [$amount] needs approval.

In TripDesk365: A spend-ceiling rule with a fixed amount: a fare above it is flagged, as a warning or as a breach that needs approval before ticketing.

5.5 Basic economy fares are [not allowed / allowed only on day trips without checked bags], because they usually cannot be changed and may not include a seat assignment or a full-size carry-on bag.

In TripDesk365: A no-basic-economy rule, set to warn or to require approval.

5.6 Refundable fares:

• are required for all flights.
• are not required: book the lowest logical fare and rely on the airline's change rules.

In TripDesk365: A must-be-refundable rule, set to warn or to require approval.

5.7 Use the company's preferred airlines where their fare and schedule are reasonable: [list].

5.8 Do not book [airlines the company does not use, for example for safety or contract reasons: list].

In TripDesk365: A blocked-airline rule, set to warn or to require approval.

5.9 Checked-bag fees are reimbursed for [trips of [3] nights or more / trips that need equipment]. Pay them in advance where that is cheaper.

5.10 Paid seat selection is reimbursed [on flights over [3] hours / when no free seat is available]. Extra-legroom seats are [not reimbursed / reimbursed on flights over [6] hours].

5.11 Travellers may join airline and hotel loyalty programmes and keep the points they earn, but loyalty must never be the reason to choose a more expensive option.

6.1 Choose a hotel at or below [the nightly limit for the city in the company's rate list / $[amount] a night], close to where the work is.

6.2 Use the company's preferred hotels where they are available; their rates include [breakfast / Wi-Fi].

6.3 Choose properties with a 24-hour front desk and secure room access, and avoid ground-floor rooms where possible.

6.4 Cancel unused rooms before the hotel's cancellation deadline. No-show charges caused by not cancelling are [not reimbursed].

6.5 Short-term rentals are allowed only with [the travel manager's] approval, and only where they meet the same safety standards as a hotel.

7.1 Take the train where it is practical, for example for journeys of [under 4 hours] city centre to city centre.

7.2 Rent cars of [intermediate] size or smaller, and accept or decline the rental company's insurance as set out in [the company's insurance guidance]. Return cars with a full tank.

7.3 Use licensed taxis, ride-hailing services or public transport. For late-night arrivals or unfamiliar cities, [book a car in advance].

7.4 Business mileage in a personal car is reimbursed at [the IRS standard mileage rate for business use / $[rate] a mile].

7.5 Do not drive for more than [8] hours in a day, or straight after an overnight flight; use a car service instead.

8.1 Meals and incidental expenses are reimbursed:

• at actual cost, with receipts, up to [$amount] a day
• as a daily per diem, without receipts for meals

8.2 Where the company pays per diems, it uses the rates the US General Services Administration (GSA) publishes for each location in the continental United States, which change each federal fiscal year (each year from 10/01). For Alaska, Hawaii and US territories it uses the Defense Department's rates, and for other countries the State Department's.

8.3 On the first and last day of a trip, the meals and incidentals allowance is [75%] of the daily rate, as in the federal travel rules.

8.4 Deduct meals that were provided, for example in a conference fee or a hotel rate.

8.5 Alcohol is [not reimbursed / reimbursed only as part of approved client entertainment].

8.6 Per diems and reimbursements can have tax consequences. [Finance] confirms the company's approach with its accountants.

9.1 Before a trip is approved, check the US State Department travel advisory level for every destination country, and the advice of the traveller's own government if they are not a US citizen.

In TripDesk365: Each booking shows the State Department advisory level for every destination country, with the date the State Department last changed it.

9.2 Travel to a destination at advisory Level [3] (Reconsider travel) needs approval from [a senior manager]. Level 4 (Do not travel) needs approval from [an executive] and a written risk assessment.

9.3 Travellers check passport validity, visas and entry and health requirements, including vaccinations, for each destination before booking.

In TripDesk365: Each destination on a booking links to the State Department's page for that country, which covers entry and visa rules for US passport holders.

9.4 Travellers share their itinerary with [their manager] and [a family member or friend], and keep a copy they can use without a phone signal.

In TripDesk365: The itinerary can be emailed to the travellers, added to a calendar, and shared as a private link.

9.5 Travellers keep a working mobile number and an emergency contact on file, and carry [the company's 24-hour assistance number].

9.6 [The travel manager] can see at any time who is travelling and where.

In TripDesk365: A travel map shows travellers departing in the next 24 hours, in the air, or landed in the last 6 hours. Positions are live where flight data has them, and estimated from flight schedules otherwise.

9.7 If a flight is cancelled, diverted or badly delayed, travellers contact [the travel team] to be rebooked rather than buying a new ticket at the airport, unless they are told otherwise.

In TripDesk365: When a cancellation, a delay of 90 minutes or more, or a diversion is reported by the live flight-data feed or recorded on a booking, the traveller and the person who booked are emailed (where their addresses are on file) and the operations team gets a work item.

9.8 After an incident near a traveller, [the travel manager] contacts them within [2] hours and records that they are safe.

9.9 Travellers are covered by [the company's business travel insurance], including medical treatment and evacuation abroad. Check what it covers before travel to a higher-risk destination.

10.1 Submit expense claims within [30] days of returning, through [the expense system].

10.2 Attach an itemized receipt for every hotel bill and for any other expense of [$75] or more.

10.3 Pay with [the company card] where possible. Approved claims paid on a personal card are reimbursed within [10] working days.

10.4 The company does not reimburse [personal travel or trip extensions, fines and penalties, upgrades bought for personal reasons, costs for family members, or lost personal items].

11.1 Tell [the travel team] as soon as a trip changes or is cancelled. Unused tickets and hotel nights are the company's money.

11.2 A newly issued air ticket can often be cancelled without a penalty for a short time after it is issued; for a ticket a US agency issues and reports through ARC, this void window usually closes at the end of the next business day. After that, the fare rules decide what can be refunded or changed.

In TripDesk365: A ticketed booking shows when its free-cancellation window closes, in US Eastern Time, with ARC holidays taken into account.

11.3 Ask for changes through [the travel team], not directly with the airline, so the booking and the company's records stay right.

In TripDesk365: A refund, a void, a date change or a name correction can be requested from the booking, and the request goes to the operations team's queue.

11.4 An unused non-refundable ticket often leaves a credit with the airline. [The travel team] keeps track of credits and uses them for the traveller's next trip before buying a new ticket.

11.5 Changes made for personal reasons are paid for by the traveller.

12.1 Before booking, consider whether the meeting could be held by video call.

12.2 Prefer non-stop flights and economy class where practical: connections add distance, and premium cabins take more space per passenger, so their estimated emissions per passenger are higher.

12.3 [The travel manager] reports the estimated CO₂e of the company's air travel [every quarter].

In TripDesk365: An estimated CO₂e figure for every itinerary, using the UK government's (DESNZ) 2025 conversion factors, and a total per client for any period.

12.4 Any reduction targets or offsetting are set out in [the company's sustainability policy].

13.1 An exception to this policy needs a written reason and approval from [role] before the ticket is issued.

In TripDesk365: Asking for approval of an out-of-policy booking needs a written reason, and the approver sees it beside every rule the booking breaks.

13.2 In an emergency, travellers do what keeps them safe and explain afterwards; the company will not refuse a reasonable cost incurred to keep someone safe.

14.1 [The travel manager] reviews out-of-policy bookings and approval decisions [every quarter].

In TripDesk365: Every approval request and decision is recorded with who made it, when, and the reason given.

14.2 Repeated or deliberate breaches of this policy may mean expenses are not reimbursed, and may be handled under [the disciplinary policy].

14.3 Where the law or a client contract sets a stricter rule, that rule applies.

14.4 This policy is reviewed at least [once a year], and after any serious incident involving a traveller.