Skip to main content
Ethnic Studies Department Ethnic Studies
  1. HOME
  2. People
  3. Faculty Resources
  4. Financial Affairs
  5. Travel
  6. Travel Policies and Procedures

Ethnic Studies Travel Policies and Procedures

Guidelines for Travel Arrangement and Reimbursement

Please follow the guidelines outlined in this document to ensure that you receive full reimbursement for your expenses.

Pre-authorize Travel and Obtain an Event Number

It is necessary to establish a travel event number prior to traveling to ensure that the trip is authorized by the university. Without the preauthorization, you are traveling at your own risk in case of an accident. Please provide them with the following information:

  • Complete the Faculty Request for Leave form - once the leave is approved, this form will be routed the Financial Analyst
  • If you are a first-time UC business traveler, please provide your mailing address and social security number to set up a traveler ID in the TravelLink system.
  • Estimated budget

Travel Arrangements

Air Travel

Travelers may arrange for their own flights and get reimbursed after the event, or request prepayment(s) in advance by booking through Connexxus:

  • https://travel.ucop.edu/connexxus/
    • Connexxus is a secure Web portal for booking university business travel. It automatically applies UC-negotiated prices with airlines, hotels, and car rental companies. Connexxus also provides a UC employee discount on select California rail travel.  Some benefits include:
      • UC-dedicated travel agents who know campus travel policies
      • Direct UC San Diego billing to reduce out-of-pocket expenses
  • For additional information about the Connexxus please click here.
  • You may access Connexxus directly through their secure portal.
  • You must always remember to submit a passenger receipt or itinerary to the Financial Analyst for processing (even if you are directly billing your ticket to an index number).
  • The direct billing of an airline ticket to the University's Central Billing Account cannot be used for personal travel.
  • For additional information, see UCSD Air Travel Guidelines.

For foreign travel

The "Fly America Act" is a federal regulation that requires the use of U.S. carriers for travel that will be reimbursed from federal grants and contracts. Please click on the link below and read about the Act before making arrangements for UC related air travel, find out about the funding type and, if applicable, ensure the booking is in accordance with the Act. Fly America Act.

Car Rental

Rentals should be arranged through a company with whom UC has an agreement. For rental car agencies with UC agreements and step-by-step car rental instructions, click here.

UCSD maintains University agreements with these companies that includes a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) and Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) at no additional cost. As such, when booking a reservation, please decline any CDW or SLI coverage offered by the agency.

Personal Car

If you use your private automobile for official university business, you will be reimbursed at the current rate for the date of Travel. Please keep track of your mileage.

Lodging

Lodging maximum per night is $275 this is excluding taxes.

Meals

Please turn in all of your itemized receipts at the end of your trip. Travel requires itemized receipts. To calculate the actual amount to claim for reimbursement. If actual meal expenses exceed the maximum, you can claim only the allowable amount, which is $79 per full day for travel lasting 1 - 29 days.

Please Note:
  • Do not pay for another person's meal. Each traveler may only be reimbursed for their own meals.
  • If food is provided at the conference, you will not be eligible for the full day's reimbursement.

Per Diem or Foreign Travel

Per Diem is a daily amount to cover expenses for both meals and lodging for UCSD employees when traveling overseas on official UCSD business. You have the option of either submitting actual receipts or requesting a per diem. The Ethnic Studies Department requires documented proof of expenses for meals and lodging via receipts and other documentation (this could be satisfied with a written itemization for meals) to ensure that the per diem paid equitably reflects the amount that the traveler actually expended. Ground transportation is reimbursable and is not included in per diem.

Please contact the Financial Analyst for the per diem rate or, click here.

Reimbursements

  • Please submit the original receipts within 10 days of the trip's return date.
  • Airfare -- itinerary is required with receipts
  • Rental car
  • Ground Transportation
  • Hotel
  • Registration fees
  • Meals -- itemized receipts
  • Other -- such as parking, internet, phone, fax, ATM fee, books purchased at a conference, etc.

If any receipt does not state the form of payment, please provide a credit card statement as a back-up document. Please show the actual foreign currency conversion for that day. The Ethnic Studies department will use the foreign currency conversion rate of the first day of your trip unless you notify us otherwise. (Calculator: OANDA Currency Converter)

Any expenses deemed "excessive" by the Travel Office may be rejected.