Congratulations on your Librarian Professional Development award! This overview is intended to assist you in the proper use of your funding for any travel-related expenditures. It offers a few tips for arranging your travel as well as submitting claims for reimbursement. If, after reading this information, you still have questions about the University Libraries' policies and practices related to travel, please feel free to contact Linda Taketomo in Library Business Services at taketomo@library.ucla.edu or 310/206-9768.

What Are UCLA's General Travel Policies?

University travelers are required to exercise judgment and prudence when incurring travel expenses. All travel on behalf of the UCLA Libraries must be arranged through the UCLA Travel Center, a non-profit service of UCLA. The Travel Center maintains an extensive web page with up-to-date information. The web address is:

http://www.travel.ucla.edu

Travelers are required to obtain original receipts for lodging, car rental, and registration payment receipts. These receipts must be submitted regardless of amount. Travelers are also required to obtain original receipts for any single expenditure of $75 or more.

If travelers plan to submit a request for hotel reimbursement, they need to provide an original itemized receipt from the hotel. This means that travelers may not book their lodging through online sources (such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity, etc) since these services cannot provide itemized hotel receipts. Neither the hotel nor the internet service can provide the required type of receipt if reservations are booked through any internet travel service. The traveler can not be reimbursed, and it is unfortunately beyond LBS’s control to rectify this situation once it has occurred. This is the traveler’s responsibility to be sure not to use online travel sources.

Lodging is not reimbursable if the lodging site is within a 50-mile radius of the traveler’s residence or office (unless approval from UCLA Travel is obtained). The traveler will need to provide justification for the stay. Please contact Claire Bellanti in advance of your trip so she can obtain approval.

University travelers are expected to take the most economical form of transportation available (for example, choosing a higher fare in order to obtain an airline upgrade is prohibited), and travelers are encouraged to use the University's preferred vendors whenever possible. Travelers must claim actual meal expenditures and will be reimbursed up to a daily limit of $64 for domestic travel ($64 includes meal tips, tips for housekeeping, baggage, etc.). Please do not assume you should receive $64 per day no matter how little you spend. If you are submitting a receipt and it has more than one person’s meal, add up your own portion and annotate it. Deduct alcohol and its related tax and tip from bill. Travelers must be on travel status for more than 12 hours in order to be reimbursed for meals in connection with a trip of less than 24 hours (limit is $42 per day).

The current mileage rate for use of one's privately owned automobile is 50.5 cents per mile.

Mileage reimbursement shall not exceed the equivalent economy/coach fare plus transportation costs to and from the terminals when surface transportation is used in lieu of air travel. Prior to the trip, travelers should obtain a quote from UCLA Travel and provide this information with their reimbursement request.

Requests for exception to any UCLA travel policy must be submitted to Claire Bellanti, Director of Library Finance and Enterprise Services, 22480 YRL (phone: 310/206-4213, email: Claire Bellanti) prior to any expense related to that exception.

What Is the UCLA Travel Center?

The UCLA Travel Center was established to serve the campus's business travel needs. It is staffed by UCLA employees and is equipped to book travel reservations, issue tickets, process travel reimbursements, and assist with other details of travel, including the campus corporate card program, taxation issues, and foreign documentation requirements. The Travel Center Web Site is full of useful information including such things as international calling codes, information on immunizations, travelers' advisories, currency conversion calculators and many more. Visit the Web Site at the address listed above.

How Do I Make My Travel Arrangements?

The first step is to complete a Traveler Profile and submit it to the UCLA Travel Center. To set up your profile, go to the UCLA Travel Center Web Page at the address above and click on Travel Resources. Then select Travel Profile. This will bring up a Profile. Print out the profile, fill it in and fax it to the Travel Center or you may complete and submit it online. If you need to amend your profile, you will need to resubmit it but will only need to include your name and the changes that you wish to make.

The profile is VERY important: The information you provide is entered into a secure travel reservation system, so that Travel Center staff will know your seating and meal preferences, frequent flyer account numbers, document delivery addresses, etc. This saves you time on the phone and reduces the possibility of errors. All profile information is maintained in strict confidence.

The Traveler Profile also contains information about billing procedures for your airline tickets: To prevent you from having to pay for the ticket with your personal funds and then having to wait for a reimbursement, Linda can issue a PAC order to Travel for state fares and published fares. Please forward Travel’s email (with the link to your itinerary) to Linda and indicate that you have reviewed the itinerary and the reservation can be ticketed, and also indicate the purpose of your trip and the account to be charged.

To make arrangements, call UCLA's Travel Center at extension 62639 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. A Travel Consultant will pull your travel profile, and can work with you to fill your travel needs, including hotel and car rental reservations, obtaining documentation for foreign travel, and answering questions about UCLA policies. If you wish, instead of telephoning the Center, you can obtain information and make travel requests via e-mail (travel@finance.ucla.edu); information such as flight availability, fees, etc. will be returned to you in writing via email. There is also a web reservation request form at : http://www.travel.ucla.edu/new/Res_Request_UCLA_UCOP.html

When booking business reservations through UCLA Travel with a personal stopover, travelers are required to charge a personal credit card and will be reimbursed for the business portion of the trip upon their return. At the time the reservation is booked, travelers should obtain in writing (email or itinerary) the price of the direct business flight from the UCLA Travel agent, and travelers should provide this information when they submit their request for reimbursement.

You should normally return the same day the conference or class ends, unless a flight would be difficult late in the day.

If you choose a Saturday stay-over (and your conference/meeting does not begin before and last through the weekend), obtain alternate airfare information without the Saturday stay-over to show proof of lower fare. Travelers should ask UCLA Travel to price the airfare both with and without a Saturday night stay and ask UCLA Travel to email the pricing information to be able to document the savings. If you choose a Saturday stay and will not request reimbursement for any expenses, the airfare documentation (described above) is not required.

University travelers are encouraged to take advantage of University of California State (YCAL) fares for both domestic and international destinations. These fares are unrestricted, are not subject to limited seating, and may be changed or cancelled at any time without airline-imposed penalty. For a complete list of international destinations and fares, please visit UCLA Travel Center's web site.

These fares are available only for business travel and must be booked through UCLA Travel. All air fares to be reimbursed or prepaid by UCLA must be booked through UCLA Travel. Travelers are encouraged to make reservations in advance in order to take advantage of discount rates. Please note that Campus Travel now charges $25 for domestic tickets $150 or less, $30 for domestic tickets over $150, and $30 for international tickets. This charge will also be billed to the Library. The Library will cover the service fee. If changes are made to the ticket for any reason, and there is an additional service fee charged, the second service fee should be paid by the individual either using part of their Librarian Professional Development funds or personal funds.

You may use Campus Travel for any travel arrangements other than airfare, such as train, hotel, and car rental.

Whom Do I Call When I Have an Urgent Problem or a Sudden Change of Plans?

Outside the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., the UCLA Travel Center offers two options to travelers. Those who are en route and have need of immediate, emergency assistance may contact the 24-hour emergency phone number listed on your travel itinerary (1-800-235-8252) or you may leave a voice mail message at the Center’s main number (310-206-2639).

How Will I Get My Tickets?

Your eticket and confirming itinerary will be emailed to you immediately upon completion of the reservation.

What about Reimbursement for Travel Expenses Other Than My Airline Ticket?

Please itemize your expenses (e.g., hotel charges, ground transportation, etc.) on a Quick Travel Form and submit it along with required receipts, to Linda Taketomo at Library Financial Services. You can obtain a copy of the Quick Travel Form at the following web address:

http://www.library.ucla.edu/committees/laucla/proffdev/QuickTravel.xls

Linda can assist you with any questions. Approved reimbursement claims will be processed for payment by Travel Accounting within 10 days of receipt. Reimbursements will be forwarded electronically to your checking account, if you are on direct deposit.

If a non-University Library department handles prepaid expenses (registration, airfare), please provide with your Quick Travel form a copy of your registration form and itinerary along with the PAC order numbers they were paid on since this information is required in the new travel reimbursement system.

If you wish to have UCLA pay your registration fee directly to the vendor:

• Five weeks before the registration deadline, submit your registration form to Linda
• Indicate which account should be charged.

 Otherwise, you can pay with your own personal funds (credit card, personal check, etc). After the trip has been completed, submit a Quick Travel Form with receipts and a copy of the registration form.

If you register via the web, please print a copy of the registration form before hitting the submit button and also print the receipt. Travel Accounting requires the registration form as well as proof of payment before they will reimburse the registration fee. The registration form will show the components of the amount paid (such as meals or extra-curricular activities) and help determine what amount should be reimbursed. A copy of the front and back of your cancelled check is required. A credit card statement is required if the registration form or receipt does not indicate that a credit card was charged.

Who Are UCLA's Current Preferred Vendors?

UCLA has negotiated preferred rates on Northwest Airlines and with selected international carriers.

UCLA Travel has preferred agreements with three rental car agencies for travelers on University business. The agreements include the highest level of Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability insurance. Travelers or arrangers must book using the UC Corporate ID number to get the negotiated rate and decline all optional insurance. Cars may be booked through the UCLA Travel Center, online or via telephone direct to the rental agency. These rates may be obtained at any time subject to availability at the individual location. Personal use of these rates is allowed when extending an approved business trip rental. Only the days used for the business portion will be reimbursed and LDW and Liability insurance for personal days may not apply.

Hertz: All rates include Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability insurance when thecorporate ID #71596 is used when reserving the vehicle. These rates apply to all University travelers while on business and can be extended for related personal travel. Insurance coverage is included for the entire trip, including the personal leg.

National: All rates include Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability insurance when the corporate ID #5400325 is used when reserving the vehicle. These rates apply to all University travelers while on business and can be extended for related personal travel. Insurance coverage is included for the entire trip, including the personal leg.

Enterprise : All rates include Loss Damage Waiver (LDW) and Liability insurance when the corporate ID #XZ32C01 is used. (For personal rentals, ID #CG6800 must be used.) These rates apply to all University travelers while on business.

The UCLA Travel Center has negotiated special rates at various local hotels and at some hotels in cities to which we frequently travel. All University travelers and guests are welcome to use these rates when traveling on University business. University travelers and guests may also be eligible for California state government rates. Please contact the Travel Center for further information.

Airport Parking

If you drive to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) when you travel, you will have many choices for airport parking. But only The Parking Spot, UCLA’s preferred partner, has a special rate for University travelers. Just show your UCLA BruinCard or other University ID, and you’ll save 25% off the regular rates.

The Parking Spot has two clean, secure, covered valet and self-park airport facilities ocated just minutes from LAX. Shuttles run continuously, so getting to and from the airport is quick and easy. The Parking Spot also offers a range of convenient services, from fax and copy services to handling your dry cleaning needs!

The Parking Spot provides:

• 24-hour access to your vehicle
• No blackout periods for UCLA rates
• Timely shuttle service to and from airport terminals
• Luggage assistance to and from shuttle
• Frequent Parker program (ask any Parking Spot employee for your free membership card)

The Parking Spot-Sepulveda 9101 S. Sepulveda Blvd. 866. SPOT LAX (776-8529)

Conveniently located next to In-N-Out Burger®

(310) 642-0947

Open 7 days a week, 24 hrs. a day.

Customer Pick-up: (866) SPOT LAX

Discounted Parking at Airports Other Than LAX

University employees are eligible for discounted airport parking through Park 'N Fly's Corporate Advantage Program. Our Park 'N Fly corporate rates will save employees up to 20% over Park 'N Fly's regular rates.

How to Obtain Benefits

To enroll in the program, click on the related link for your Park 'N Fly customized membership application. You will receive your membership card in two to four weeks. 

You will also be able to use the logon information you established to access your account online. Once you have applied online, you have immediate access to your new account and will be able to get credit for parking. To get parking credits before your new card arrives, keep your receipts and enter your parking receipt information. See the related link to access the Park 'N Fly Home Page for more information on this program. 

Other program benefits include:

• Prompt pick up at your car and at the terminal when you return
• Available shuttles 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• 24-hour lot security
• Courteous drivers who will assist with luggage
• Leisure discounts – membership can be used for leisure travel, too
• Free newspaper
• Frequent Parker Bonus Program

Corporate Card for Travel

The current UCLA Corporate Card is a US Bank Visa card and is provided to University travelers free of charge as a tool for charging business travel and entertainment expenses. It may not be used to charge personal expenses.

The UCLA Travel Center

10920 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 130
Los Angeles , California 90024
UCLA Mail Code 143348

Telephone:

310/206-2639 (during office hours)
800/235-UCLA (24 hour emergency service)
310/794-2703 (Fax)

Email: TRAVEL@FINANCE.UCLA.EDU