Frequently Asked Travel Questions

Following are some commonly asked questions and their answers to assist you both in making your travel plans and in preparing your travel reports.

Can I get a hotel?

The University will only reimburse a hotel stay if pre-approved by the programmer with whom you have been working on setting up the class, and if the destination is 40 miles or more from your home location.

Can I get a rental car?

In some cases a rental car is appropriate due to the distance traveling or materials that are needed for the case. Though in many cases a taxi will be sufficient, a rental car can be obtained with programmer approval. Just make sure to rent an economy/compact/intermediate sized vehicle and use the appropriate University contract.

What is the University contract for rental cars?

The University has a contract with Enterprise, National, Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty car rentals for discounted rates and to cover LDW. Please use these vendors where available. You can make your car reservation on AggieTravel to ensure the appropriate contract is used and that you will get reimbursed.

Can I bring my spouse?

UC Davis CPE will not pay for spouse expenses for traveling (unless they are also an instructor). Please make sure to separate the expenses out for your spouses and pay for those directly. If there is no difference between the cost of you traveling alone and your spouse traveling with you, UC Davis CPE will reimburse the full amount.

Can I drive instead of fly?

If it is programmer approved, then it is appropriate to drive instead of fly, but you are limited to the cost that UC Davis CPE would have paid if you had flown. This includes any additional lodging or meals that are necessary for you to drive along with the mileage cost compared to the cheapest available airfare ticket.

How much can I spend on meals?

The University meal limit is $62. No amount over this will be approved. You are required to report actual expenses, not a per diem as part of your reimbursement request.

Who needs to approve my travel?

Your AggieTravel routing should already be set up without your need to take action. Following you inputting all of the necessary information, uploading receipts and attaching the accounting for the programmer who approved your travel, your electronic document will route first to the same programmer to electronically approve, then UC Davis CPE Financial Services, before routing to UC Davis Accounts Payable for final approval and payment.

Do I need receipts?

You need all airfare, lodging and hotel receipts. You will also need any receipts for expenses that are $75 or more.

How will I get paid?

You will get paid via check or direct deposit depending on your election. Direct deposit is the quickest method to be reimbursed for your travel expenses, but you need to input the appropriate information here: https://afsapps.ucdavis.edu/direct-deposit/ by clicking under the Employee Reimbursement and Student Refunds section and inputting your Kerberos ID and password.

When will I get paid?

You can view the status of your current travel report by logging into Aggie Travel and viewing your reports. When you see your report marked paid, you know to expect a check in the mail or direct deposit depending on your elections. Direct deposit is a more expeditious payment option.

Where can I get help?

A variety of online self-help tools has been developed and located here: https://cpe.ucdavis.edu/instructors/travel and should be your first reference point when troubleshooting an AggieTravel expense reimbursement request. A document titled “Where to Find Help” has been developed specifically to assist you in locating who to contact with your issues. This will generally be the programmer or UC Davis CPE Financial Services (support@fs.ucde.org) depending on your issues.

Is there another way to get reimbursed?

The UC Davis AggieTravel system is the only method by which to generate a reimbursement check for an employee traveler. This requires you to log in to the system, input your individual expenses and submit for review and approval. When the process is completed, a check will be issued.