Please note that these procedures are specific to the Darden College of Education and Professional Studies (DCEPS). There is additional information on the University Travel website pages. These processes are similar for faculty and students.
Pre-Approval Required for Domestic and International Travel
Before you travel, please submit a preapproval travel request through Chrome River by clicking the following link: . Travel will not be approved without a preapproval submitted and you cannot receive reimbursement without a preapproval in place.
If you need assistance, you can review the training documents on the website, visit the links below, or email DCEPS Central Fiscal to assist you: dcepsfiscalrequests@odu.edu
Helpful Links:
****Please use the budget code associated with your department, unless you have received expenditure approval from another department. ****
***Approved prepaid travel expenses can be paid up to 90 days in advance***
(Ex. Conference registration and airfare)
Registering for a Conference
Registrations for conferences can be paid up front. It is strongly preferred that you have the DCEPS fiscal area pay for the registration directly after your travel has been approved. You no longer need to make an appointment with the fiscal technician to do so. Please email DCEPS Central Fiscal (dcepsfiscalrequests@odu.edu) your preapproval travel report and conference invoice to request payment.
Note: You cannot register more than 90 days in advance of the conference.
Transportation
Airfare and train arrangements can be made through one of the University's approved travel agents noted below. This means that the costs can be paid up front through the university instead of you paying out of pocket and being reimbursed following the travel. Once the reservation is finalized, the travel agency will email you a confirmation. After that, our Fiscal department will process the payment for the booking.
Please keep a record of your boarding passes. These must be uploaded to your final expense report as proof that you traveled even if you are not seeking reimbursement for the flights. These can be screenshots of electronic boarding passes.
Domestic
When traveling from within the contiguous United States (not Hawaii, Alaska or outlying territories), please contact Covington Travel at 804-747-4146.
(Margaret M. Scott, margarets@covtrav.com • Hours: Mon–Fri 10:30am – 7:00pm Eastern Time).
International
If you are traveling internationally or outside of the contiguous United States, please use one of the following travel agencies:
- CI Azumano Travel 757- 461-0022 or 757-213-0362, corpagents@ciazumano.com
- Fellowship Travel 1-800-235-9384
- Stephanie Lawnhorn slawhorn@fellowship.com (Agent)
When contacting the travel agency, you will need to provide the following information:
- Full name as it appears on the ID to be used at check-in
- Date of birth
- Seating preference: aisle, middle, window
- Applicable frequent flyer number(s):
- Cellphone contact number
- Email address
- Gender
- Known Traveler Number for TSA pre-check (if applicable) and
- If international travel, passport number, exp date, and name on passport.
Travel Registry for International Travel
If you are traveling internationally and the travel is funded by , then you must register your trip before you leave with the Risk Management Office. This registry addresses insurance compliance. You can register here: Travel Registry Requirement | . Domestic travel no longer needs to be registered with Risk Management.
Lodging is a reimbursable expense. Travelers are responsible for booking their own hotel reservations and paying upfront costs. Please request a bill that shows a $0 balance on the hotel letterhead at the end of your stay. You will load this into the Chrome River Travel System to be reimbursed.
There are guidelines for acceptable hotel rates based on city location and time of year. You can justify spending over that amount to some extent – but not lavishly. Exceptions are typically made if the conference hotel at which you are staying has rates that exceed the allowable rate. Be aware when you are booking. The hotel rates are set by the U.S. Government and can be found here: GSA Travel Per Diem
*Airbnb or similar lodging is NOT a reimbursable expense.
Guest/Visitor Lodging
Hotel reservations for guests of the college are required to be booked at Springhill Suites across the street if rooms are available. This will not be a reimbursable expense to the traveler and therefore must be booked by the Department. The Department is responsible for costs. The hotel will handle direct billing for the fiscal office to process payment. Early booking is highly recommended. Hotel reservations during weekend and peak times vary.
Rental Car
Reimbursement for expenses related to car rentals is limited to official business use only. It is highly recommended that travelers utilize the University's Enterprise Rental Car contract when renting vehicles for out-of-town University-related business or local travel that is expected to exceed 200 miles per day. For additional information, please visit the Rental Vehicles website.
Car rentals may be arranged through commercial rental agencies. The traveler must choose the most economical contractor and type of vehicle available and obtain any commercial rate or government discount available when renting the vehicle. Please keep your receipt to upload for reimbursement.
Personal Vehicle
Reimbursement for expenses related to personal vehicle use is limited to official business use only. If you are using your own vehicle for business, there are specific policies that apply. Travelers must complete training for personal vehicle use. Reimbursement rates are determined based on whether using your car was more cost-effective than renting a car. For further details, please see information on Rental and Personal Vehicle Use - .
Getting to and from places while out of town on business can include use of taxis, Uber/Lyft, shuttles, or ferries. Please keep your receipts to upload for reimbursement. Also be aware that there are limits on the percentage of tip you can provide – usually less than 15%.
Here is more information about filing reimbursement expense reports: Filing Reimbursements - ).
The amount that you will be reimbursed for travel meals is based on the city in which you are traveling, whether it is a travel day, and if the conference/host provides certain meals. You do not need to keep receipts as the amounts are set. However, you will want to look these up before you travel so you can get an idea of what your budget can handle.
Business meals are also handled through Chrome River. These require an itemized receipt (no alcohol), a list of attendees, last 4 digits of credit card used (non-cash payments), and a brief description of the business covered.
*Meal expenses not involving an overnight stay are not reimbursable (except for business-related meals and overtime meals).
Filing for Reimbursement
After returning from your trip, you must submit an expense report in Chrome River to get reimbursed. You can pull in your pre-approval report to help populate the final expense report, but it will not pull over any documents that you have uploaded for the pre-approval. It is important to note that you need to have an approved expense report filed within 60 days of your travel. This 60-day period includes resolving any errors and obtaining final approval; it's not just the submission of the report. If you miss this deadline, we won't have alternate funds to reimburse you. Be sure to allow enough time to address any issues that may arise from your claim.
Itemized receipts, a receipt showing method of payment/zero balance (if paid via credit card, last 4 digits of card must be on receipt), Business Related Meal Form, and boarding passes are required examples of required documents.
See here for more information on Filing Reimbursements.
Non-Employee Enrollment in Chrome River
For non-employee travel reimbursements to be processed, individuals must be set up in Banner as a vendor with a University Identification Number (UIN) assigned and then set up in Chrome River to receive reimbursements. All non-employees must complete the Chrome River Enrollment Form for Non-Employees.
Here are the requirements:
- Non-Employees already set up in Banner as a vendor
- Non-Employees not currently set up as a vendor in Bann
*This information also applies to students who are not employed at the college.
Chrome River Training
Training is held periodically. Dates are announced on the Chrome River Training website. If you would like to sign up for the next training, send an email to travel@odu.edu.