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Travel Guide

Guide for Making Travel Arrangements

Please use the steps below to assist in planning for conference travel. Please note that all expenses (except for airfare) will be covered upfront by the traveler and will be reimbursed after the itemized receipts have been submitted to UROC staff members. 

If you plan to attend a conference:

  • Complete and submit a travel request form to one of our UROC staff members 60 days prior to the conference. 
  • Complete any registration forms associated with the conference. Note the deadlines for registration and, if you intend to present a paper, proposal submission.
  • Determine the exact dates and times that you wish to attend. Be sure to consider when you want to arrive at the location, which will influence when you want to leave Merced. For example, if a conference in Seattle begins at 1 p.m. on a Thursday, do you want to leave early Thursday morning (which may be inconvenient) or Wednesday night (which will involve another overnight stay and add to your expenses)?
  • Meet with UROC staff members to make travel arrangements. We will schedule flights and assist in reservations at a hotel for you. In most cases, your tickets and confirmations will be sent to the UROC office, which you will need to coordinate with.
  • Make arrangements as soon as possible, preferably at least two months in advance. Flights will be less expensive, early registration and hotel reservations are priced lower, and so forth. This will benefit you, because the less money you spend per conference, the more conferences you can attend, and the further that $1,000 will take you.

If you plan to visit graduate schools:  

  • Thoroughly investigate and select the programs you would like to visit. Seek advice from faculty members, graduate students in your lab and UROC staff members.
  • Determine dates and times of travel. While weekends might interrupt your schedule the least, consider staying for at least one weekday so you can attend a class meeting (assuming the professors allow visitors into their classrooms).
  • Contact the departments and arrange visits with faculty members and graduate students there (you must show evidence of this before being approved for travel funding).
  • Meet with UROC staff members to make travel arrangements. We will schedule flights and assist in reservations at a hotel for you. You might look into staying with graduate students during your visit. Departments often encourage strong candidates to visit, and will help you make accommodations and pay for travel.

Important traveling points to remember:

  • UROC travel funds can only be used for travel within the United States.
  • All travel and travel expenses must be pre-approved by your program coordinator.
  • Once registration, airfare, and hotel accommodations have been confirmed, you are responsible for any charges for changes or cancelations. Please do remember this and plan accordingly.
  • If possible, try to take extra money and/or a cash card along for contingencies: getting snowed in at the airport and needing to buy food, missing the shuttle and having to catch a cab, for example. 
  • UROC can only reimburse you once you have submitted all your original and itemized receipts and documentation of the travel you have taken. It typically takes six to eight weeks to receive a reimbursement check from the university after your receipts have been turned in. The sooner you turn in your receipts the sooner you will be be reimbursed.
  • Do not pay for another traveler unless you do not expect to be reimbursed for that expense.
  • Do not pay for alcohol on the same tab as your meal. Ask for a separate receipt. 

UROC travel funding will not pay for or reimburse:

  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Personal purchases (books, souvenirs, etc.)
  • Cost of meals beyond $50 per day limits ($15 for breakfast, $15 for lunch and $20 for dinner)
  • Tours, excursions and non-conference-related events and entertainment
  • Car insurance or GPS add-ons if you rent a car
  • Tips you give to service providers
  • Family or friends accompanying you (guests are not allowed on sponsored trips)
  • Personal phone calls, movies or room service at your hotel room