Nelson Institute Travel Guidelines

Policies and procedures for planning, booking, and paying for travel on Nelson Institute business.

Planning your trip
Payment methods
Air travel and using Concur
Driving
Registration fees
Lodging
Meals and incidental expenses
Traveling outside the U.S.
Getting reimbursed
Accessibility accommodations
Other links (including combining business & personal travel)

Planning your trip

Travelers are expected to follow all internal travel approval procedures prior to making trip reservations. You are also responsible for following travel policy, retaining required receipts, and submitting expense reports in a timely fashion. Your best resource for travel planning is a Nelson administrator.

Robin Higgins at LinkUW https://linkuw.wisc.edu/request/ or email help.linkuw@wisc.edu
Laurel Fletcher lkfletcher@wisc.edu
Jill Folkerts capps@wisc.edu

Payment methods

Payment by UW Purchasing Card (work with LinkUW or a Nelson administrator) or My Corporate Card is preferred for pre-trip expenses such as airfare, registration fees, lodging deposits and rental car guarantees. Out-of-pocket expenses incurred while traveling are reimbursed in accordance with UW-Madison travel policy. Employees are responsible for following travel policy, retaining required receipts, and submitting expense reports in a timely fashion. Getting Reimbursed – Division of Business Services – UW–Madison (wisc.edu)

Air travel

All airfare for UW business-related travel for employees and non-employees must be purchased via the Concur self-booking tool OR through Fox World Travel, the UW contracted travel agency.

Set up your Concur Profile: Concur Travel Profile Administration – Division of Business Services – UW–Madison (wisc.edu)

Bookmark the Fox World Travel Portal and Concur links.

Fox World Travel contact information: 608-710-4172 or 844-630-3853 or UWtravel@foxworldtravel.com
Fox World Travel business hours: 7am - 7:30pm Central Monday - Friday. Additional fees apply after hours.

All profiled Concur users can book airfare on behalf of employees and non-employees (guests). Employee travelers must assign a travel assistant in Concur for another employee to make travel arrangements on their behalf.

UW System Guide: Booking for another employee in Concur
UW System Guide: Concur support and user guides

Driving

To drive an automobile for business purposes, you must first become an “authorized driver.” Driver authorization results in liability protection while driving in the course and scope of university business. For detailed information go to:

Driver Authorization – Division of Business Services – UW–Madison (wisc.edu)

Before you apply, please have the following information ready:

Your NetID and password
Your driver’s license number
The UDDS code for your department: UDDS for Science Hall is UA403900/CCR UA401500/SAGE UA402400
Out-of-state license holders will need to upload a PDF of their license

Once you've become an authorized driver, determine the best option for driving on UW business, including how to book a rental or fleet vehicle, and use of a personally-owned vehicle: Using a vehicle during UW business travel – Division of Business Services – UW–Madison (wisc.edu)

Registration fees

Registration fees for official participation at conference, conventions, training, or meetings related related to UW business are payable/reimbursable by the University. Find out What's allowed and how to pay.

Lodging

All lodging must be reserved through the Concur online system, directly with an agent at the University’s contracted travel agency, by booking directly with the lodging facility, or by booking through AirBnB. Use of other third-party booking sites (e.g. VRBO, Hotels.com, Travelocity) is prohibited.

The University has contracts with various lodging suppliers in top travel destinations, including Wisconsin. UW contract rates are only offered within Concur.

Meals and incidental expenses

Travelers are reimbursed for meal and incidental expenses (M&IE) while in travel status requiring an overnight stay. M&IE are reimbursed on a per diem basis, not for actual costs. Travelers cannot claim M&IE for other travelers.

The M&IE per diem rate varies from location-to-location and sometimes can vary from month-to-month. This Per Diem Calculator should be used to estimate lodging max rates and meal per diems that will be submitted in Workday after July of 2025. IMPORTANT: Please check your per diem rate before you travel because the calculator does not allow for backdating.

Traveling outside the U.S.

How to determine which foreign-travel expenses are reimbursable to UW-Madison travelers and what preparations need to be made for a business trip out of the U.S. Traveling to a Foreign Country – Division of Business Services – UW–Madison (wisc.edu)

Getting reimbursed

Gather your receipts and documentation. This can be verified prior to travel with a Nelson administrator (see above), or a policy check will tell you what is needed.
Request expense reimbursement services from LinkUW linkuw.wisc.edu/request
Once submitted, expense reimbursements are reviewed by a least two levels of approval. Once fully approved, the reimbursement amount is directly deposited into your bank account within 5 business days.
Travelers may seek reimbursement for airfare, registration fees, lodging, and vehicle rental reservation guarantees at the time payment is made. All other travel expenses are reimbursable after the trip is complete.
In order to maintain a reimbursement as tax-free, transactions should be submitted with all required documents within the 90 days, in accordance with our policy:
- Registration fee, Airfare, Group Airfare, Lodging, and Per Diem are all still based on the last date of travel, also known as the Arrival Date within the Item Details section of the Expense Line.
- All other travel expenses/expenses are 90 days from the transaction date.
- Tuition Reimbursement/Job-related Training are 90 days from the course end date. Enter the course end date as the Arrival Date in Workday.

Accessibility accommodations

The University understands the need to accommodate travelers with health issues or physical limitations in accordance with state and federal disability accommodation laws. Please contact your Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) if you need a disability-related accommodation, or a Nelson administrator who can contact the DDR on your behalf.