Foreign Travel:
Foreign travel charged to an SAO grant or contract generally requires preapproval by the sponsoring agency. We must allow 6-8 weeks for this process, so please discuss with your admin person as early as possible.

Lodging Limit:
We recommend that you check the allowable lodging limit for your destination to be sure your hotel is within the limit. Click here for more information.

Early Departure:
Usually travelers depart on the day of or the day before their meeting or observing run is scheduled to begin. If you need to leave more than one day ahead, please explain why in the Special Requests box.

Cash Advance:
Normally the only time an employee can request a cash advance is if he/she has pre-paid a conference registration fee using a government credit card or personal funds. Predocs, Postdocs, and Visiting Scientists can receive advances because they're not entitled to government credit cards.

Sponsored Travel:
If an outside organization plans to sponsor your travel, SAO requires the sponsor to complete an SAO Sponsored Travel Commitment Form Letter. Depending on the traveler's status (employee, fellow, etc.) certain SI clearance and reimbursement restrictions may apply. More details may be found at: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/fm/forms/Sponsored_TravelRequirements_and_Process.pdf

Travel Reports:
Travel reports are always due within five working days of return.

Policies:
See SI's Travel Handbook at: http://prism2.si.edu/support/travel/pages/travelforms-docs.aspx.

Misc.:
An FAQ covering a few travel-related items is at: http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/tr/faq/faq.html