Travel Process

A travel request must be completed prior to each travel status instance (each trip). Instructions on creating a travel request can be found here.

1. Log into Firefly and click on the Concur Request, Travel, and Expense tile.
2. Click on Requests and follow the instructions listed here. Note: the request can be created by either the traveler or by a delegate, however the traveler will have to submit the request. This step cannot be delegated.
3. Once the request is submitted, it will go through an approval process – supervisor approver and financial approver must approve the request (additional approval needed for international travel and other unique situations). These steps are automated – no action is required by the traveler.
4. An email confirmation will be sent when the travel request has been approved, at which time all travel arrangements can be made.

Lodging, Airfare, and Car Rental

Log into Concur to utilize the booking tool or contact Fox World Travel to book travel arrangements. The four-digit Request ID will be needed from the approved travel request. 

Helpful hints:

1. Accommodations booked in the Concur booking tool will not automatically appear in a travel request. Airfare, lodging and car rental should be manually entered in the segments tab of the travel request whenever applicable.
2. Airfare accommodations booked in the Concur booking tool have fees that vary; a $5 fee is applied when booking with the Concur online; a $20 fee (domestic) and $26 fee (international) is applied when booking with a Fox World Travel agent. No fee is applied in the Concur booking tool for hotels or car rental.
3. Airfare accommodations reserved through other vendors using a personal credit card is acceptable; however:

• Same day price quotes are required if electing to book outside the Concur booking tool. Contact the University Travel Office for further details.
• Expenses cannot be submitted until after the last date of travel.

Conference Registrations

The University-issued purchasing card (known as a “P-card”) is available to pre-pay for conference registrations. Other travel expenses must be pre-approved by the traveler’s respective campus purchasing card office before a traveler may use a P-card for travel purchases. These purchases must also comply with the University Purchasing Card Policy with the traveler’s respective campus amendments.

Helpful hints

• Start an expense report from the approved travel request a few days prior to departure. This will allow expenses captured with the Concur mobile app to be added to the expense report during travel.
• Research destinations for travel advisories and risk alerts.

Recommended downloads

• Concur mobile app and update the employee profile to link the app/mobile device to the travelers Concur account.
• Conferma App: if lodging reservations are booked through the Concur booking tool with the company-paid credit card, this app will provide confirmed payment information and uninterrupted check-in.
• TripIt Pro: organizes travel plans, creating a master itinerary for each trip. Access and connect to TripIt through the App Center within Concur.
• If traveling internationally, the Mobile Passport enables U.S. citizens to save time during the entry process at most major U.S. airports.

Helpful hints

• Use the Concur mobile app to capture electronic images of receipts and upload them into Concur.
• Ensure all receipts are itemized, including:
  • the item(s) purchased;
  • the name of the business where the transaction took place;
  • the transaction date/time; and,
  • the amount of the transaction.
• Employees should pay for their own expenses. Ask for separate tickets if traveling with a group.
• If receipts are listed in any language other than English, the business name, location, date, and individual items must be translated by the traveler prior to uploading them into Concur. Associated prices can be converted through Concur to the U.S dollar equivalency.
• Meal receipts are no longer required with the per diem model. Do not upload meal receipts into Concur. If traveling on grant funding, contact the sponsored programs office for receipt requirements.

Log into Firefly and click on the Concur Request, Travel, and Expense tile.

From the Concur main screen:

• If this is a new expense report, click on the Requests tab and locate the approved travel request for the completed trip. Click on the Expense link to the right of the row. Follow the instructions listed here.
• If the traveler or a delegate already created an expense report, click on the Expense tab and locate the expense report. Click on the tile for that report and continue editing.

For assistance with expense reporting and allowable trip expenses, contact Accounts Payable/Payment Services Office.