After all reservations are made, you will get an itinerary with the details of your trip. Keep this for reference and to confirm rates as you check in the hotel, get a rental car, etc.
If you are flying, you need to arrive at the airport about one hour before your flight is scheduled to depart. If the flight is full, you could be bumped from your seat if you arrive too close to boarding time and if you arrive too late, you could lose your seat completely.
When you check in at the ticket counter, they will need a picture ID and will ask if you packed your bags yourself and if they have been with you at all times. The counter agent will give you seat assignment boarding passes for each leg of your flight eliminating the need to check in at each boarding gate. You will also have to have your checked bag cleared through security. They may open it and move your stuff all around. Locking a bag will just delay this portion. Checking bags and going through the security checkpoint are not times to be joking around about security.
You will go through a security checkpoint where your carry-on bags will be scanned and you will walk through a metal detector. Just do what they ask you do. It is customary for them to ask you to remove your shoes first.
About 20 minutes before the flight, you will board the airplane and the flight attendants will give you instructions about the flight.
When you change planes at DFW, you must catch a shuttle from the American Eagle terminal to the main terminal to catch the next leg of your flight. You will ride a shuttle either from the plane to the main terminal or from the Eagle remote terminal to the main terminal. This process is reversed when flying out of DFW to Abilene.
Arriving at your destination, you will follow the signs to Baggage Claim to get any luggage you checked when you got your boarding pass.
Rental Car
After you have picked up your luggage, find the rental car company. It may be located in the airport or it may be located off-site. If off-site, there is usually a board with hotels, rental car ads, etc. with a telephone to call.
You must be 25 or have special permission from the rental agency to rent a car. You must have a driver’s license and a credit card in your name.
You may decline most additional insurance since ACU’s insurance will cover you. The only exception to this is Collision Damage Waiver. You DO need to add this to the coverage at an additional fee.
You want to bring the car back full of gas, so don’t pay for the gas up front.
After picking up your luggage, there are several options to get to your hotel:
Taxi – immediate, sometimes expensive. If there are two or more travelers, this can be as inexpensive as any other option since usually, there is one price for as many passengers as will fit.
Hotel Shuttle – usually the best price if there is only one person. You will probably have to wait until a scheduled time to leave.
Limo – If there are several people riding together, this also might be cost-effective since it is one price for as many as will fit
Arriving at the hotel, you will check in with your ProCard and verify the room rate. There are always taxes added to the total. If you are traveling in Texas, you can get the state tax waived if you have a form AND you present it when you check in.
Usually, any telephone calls made from the room are expensive. Sometimes, there are even charges for local and for 800 number calls. You are allowed a five-minute phone call each day so you can stay in touch with your family. Or, you may make a ten-minute call every other day, etc. It is best to use a telephone calling card instead of simply charging it to your room since it will be much cheaper. The ACU personal calling card has a rate of $0.13/minute with no connect charge on the "backend" (a good deal!)
Your supervisor may give you an 800 number to use for calling back to campus in order to check voice mail and/or to speak to someone on campus business.
Instead of using your in-room phone, walk down to the lobby and find a public pay phone. Use a calling card or one of your ACU phone cards to make the call. This will avoid most of those nasty "connect" charges applied to calls going out from your room phone!
Returning to the airport also requires planning to arrive at least one hour ahead. Transportation is similar, but you can get help from the hotel as to the best price and for scheduling transportation.
While you are traveling, get a receipt whenever you spend any money at restaurants, taxis, etc. While a receipt is not mandatory unless the amount is over $20, it is always beneficial to have receipts when possible. It also helps you to remember if you always ask for a receipt. Please be reasonable with your expenses. Excessive amounts must be explained to your supervisor or they may be disallowed.
Travel advances are a way to get some cash for the trip so that you don’t have to use your own money up front. Travel advances are simply an advance on what you would normally expect to spend on business expenses. The money is not yours to “use up”. You must account for it on your expense report when you return.
Tipping - Anyone who assists you with your luggage expects a tip; at the outside gate of the airport, and also at the hotel. Also, taxi drivers expect tips. Many of these people do not even make minimum wage; they make their money on tips ... just like waiters and waitresses. Be prudent, but do keep these people in mind.
When you return to the office, you must complete an expense report and turn it in to your supervisor for approval.
ACU Expense Report Excel Template (to complete a travel/business expense report for ACU reimbursement)
Potential Problems
“I missed my flight.”
Was it your fault, weather cancellations, mechanical problems, …
If it was your fault, you are liable for whatever it takes to get home.
If it was due to weather delays, mechanical problems, etc., work with the airline to get scheduled on a later flight. If you cannot get a flight that same day, ask them if they are going to pay for your hotel bill that night and for meals. They don’t always offer, but may if you ask.
“The hotel didn’t have a room for me.”
If you have a confirmation number, give it to them. If they don’t respond, ask for a manager to help sort out the problem.
Checkout time is before conference end
Leave your bags with the Bell Captain’s desk. They will give you a claim check which will allow you to pick up your luggage when you leave. Appropriate tip: ~$1.00 per bag
