Chapter 12: Travel and Funding

Travel Funding Opportunities

Travel funds may be available through:

SGA Conference Funds

Travel Advance Process

Reference: Travel Advances -- Georgia Tech Research Corporations

To request a Travel Advance, complete the following form: TARequest.pdf

Once the form is signed, upload it to your spend authorization. After your spend authorization is fully approved, you will receive the funds.

The total amount of the travel advance must be repaid to GTRC within 15 days of the trip completion date. When the traveler returns, they submit their receipts to Georgia Tech accounts payable. Once Georgia Tech reimburses them, they can then pay GTRC.

Travel Policy

Full checklist: IC_travel_checklist_students_091222.docx

Your support staff is here to answer your questions and help you arrange your travel.

  1. For students, your faculty advisor or the person funding the trip must provide written approval for you to travel, along with the account to be charged for the expenses.

  2. Once you have the above information, submit a request to [email protected] with a copy of the approval email, the conference name, dates of travel, and any other pertinent information.

    • A Faculty Support Coordinator will reach out to assist with your plans and submit a Spend Authorization, which permits you to travel. The Spend Authorization must be completed prior to any travel.
    • Airfare must be booked through GT's travel agency, Travel Inc. Do NOT book airfare yourself or you will not be reimbursed.
    • You may book your conference hotel yourself. The use of AirBnB, VRBO, or other home sharing services is not permitted in the United States. Such services can only be used for international travel.
    • If you are sharing a room with someone else, you must request that charges be separated at check-in. Each person's expenses must be under their own name.
  3. You may arrive a day before the conference begins, but you cannot stay beyond the date the conference ends unless there are no flights out the day the conference ends (written documentation required in that case).

  4. Book your own conference registration and submit the receipt with your expense report upon return. You cannot be reimbursed for registration until the conference is over. This includes virtual conferences.

  5. Allowable expenses: registration, hotel room charges and tax, airfare, baggage charges, transportation (with tip as needed), and meals. If the conference provides a meal, you cannot claim that meal as an expense on that day, even if you choose not to eat it.

  6. A conference agenda must be included with your expense report.

  7. Unallowable expenses: room service charges, minibar, movies at the hotel, and any purchases of a personal nature (e.g., toothpaste or a hairbrush).

  8. Keep all receipts for expenses while traveling. Receipts must show PAID.

  9. Expense reports must be submitted within 10 days of the date of return from the trip.

  10. For any other travel-related questions and submission of post-trip expense reports, email [email protected].

Q&A

Q: Can a faculty advisor pay for a student's conference-related expenses (registration, hotel) on their credit card and be reimbursed later?

A: No. Faculty cannot use their personal card for other travelers' expenses. The alternative is to request a cash advance for the students so that they are not using personal funds. See the Travel Advance Process section above for details.


Q: What happens if the conference registration payment is more than 90 days before the conference travel is completed?

A: You may still submit the conference registration expense even if it was paid more than 90 days prior to travel. However, the expense report must be submitted after the travel is completed.

Per policy, note the following guidelines:

Table of Content