PQE
PQE Travel Guidelines for TAMU Students, Researchers, and Faculty
(Snowbird, UT, January)
AIRFARE
Approved travel assumes a departure date of January 8th (from CLL to SLC) and return date of January 14th (from SLC to CLL). Deviation from these dates requires PRIOR approval. The cheapest, nonrefundable, coach class (or economy class) tickets on US Air Carriers should be purchased. Airfare max is set at $600.00. Use of Shuttle between College Station and IAH (if leaving /returning to IAH) is encouraged due to possibility of ice on roads in January.
Currently flights out of/into College Station are over $1000, thus not recommended. Flights out of/into Houston and Austin are in the $250 – $450 range. If driving to/from IAH (or AUS), the 4 to a car rule applies.
No expenses while on Personal Leave will be reimbursed. If your trip includes personal time then you will be required to provide an airfare QUOTE obtained at the same time you book your airfare showing the dates and destination of the business travel only. The cheaper of the two will be reimbursed. No hand written quotes are accepted, all quotes must be from a travel agent or an on-line print out. All quotes must show the date the quote was obtained. Please talk to the IQSE Business Office if your trip will include any personal time PRIOR to the travel to avoid any misunderstandings.
TRAVEL GROUPS must be approved BEFORE tickets can be purchased.
Folks without travel-mates will be added to existing travel groups, so if you have a preference, be sure to sign up by December 10.
JOIN A TRAVEL GROUP
Please use this google sheet link to join a travel group.
TAMU Employees:
Airfare expenses must be placed by Mr. Teng Ma since travel expenses will be reimbursed on a STATE account and are tied directly to IQSE accounts. Flights out of Houston or Austin will require a minimum of 4 travelers so that rental cars can be arranged according to the “4 per car” rule. DO NOT purchase airfare use your own card, it will NOT be reimbursed.
Before purchase of plane ticket will be approved, you will need to:
- Setup your CONCUR PROFILE (if not already setup)
- Submit a CONCUR TRAVEL REQUEST
- Submit your travel group members’ names to the list of existing travel groups above
- Submit your lodging group members’ names to the list of existing travel groups below
Non-TAMU Employees (e.g., Scholarship Students)
Before purchase of plane ticket will be approved, you will need to:
- Complete Student/Participant Waiver of Liability forms (click)
- Provide copies of your visa, passport with status of entry clearly visible, and I-94 card to the IQSE Business Office
- Complete Glacier(if applicable)
- Resume (if not currently enrolled in a degree seeking program at TAMU)
- Sponsor Letters (if visa is sponsored by an Institution other than TAMU) (click for example)
- Submit your travel group members’ names to the list of existing travel groups above
Note: IQSE can ONLY reimburse expenses for visitors traveling on business visas, e.g., W-B or B-1. Our accounts cannot reimburse expenses for those traveling on Tourist Visas.
Once your travel group has been approved, elect a leader for your group. The group leader will give Mr. Teng Ma the ITINERARY which you and your group have agreed on as well as the EMAIL ADDRESS and EXACT SPELLING OF EACH GROUP MEMBER’s NAME, GENDER and BIRTHDATE as it appears on the government issued ID each member will use while traveling, as well as the cell phone number of each member to allow one to receive flight updates while traveling, etc., as required by the travel agent.
Arrival in SLC on January 8th (should be early afternoon for participation in the evening conference activities). Departure from SLC can be any time January 14th, generally we recommend after 9 AM so if the roads have iced up overnight, the hotel shuttle will have time to get you safely down the mountain.
FOOD
Food expenses will NOT be reimbursed.
LODGING
Deadline for reservations is December 12. The recommended hotel and where the conference will be held is the “Cliff Lodge” Snowbird Central Reservation is open 24 hours at 1-800-453-3000).
Resort website is: PQE
Mention that you are with the PQE conference to get the discounted group rate, a mandatory resort fee along with Utah sales tax will be included and reimbursed.
Please know for reimbursement purposes Dr. Scully has approved the following arrangements.
Graduate students: 4 to a room
Post-docs (with or without graduate students): 3 to a room
Research Scientists/Professors (faculty equivalents): 2 to a room
Please make sure to break into appropriate groups as per the above or you may not be able to get complete reimbursement of your expenses.
Split bill 4, 3, or 2 ways at checkout. Itemized receipt showing travelers name and proof of payment must be submitted for reimbursement.
NOTE: This has been a problem in the past, so please do not leave the hotel without a receipt that lists your name and is specific to your 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4 of the room. Your reimbursement will not be processed until you can provide an appropriate receipt.
TRAVEL GROUPS and LODGING GROUPS may be the same, but do not have to be. Folks without roommates will be added to existing groups, so be sure to sign up by December 10, if you have a preference.
JOIN A LODGING GROUP
Please use this google sheet link to join a lodging group.
REGISTRATION
The conference website (PQE) can be used to register for the conference and to pay the registration fee. A discount is provided for early registration, so please do so as soon as possible.
RENTAL CARS (ONLY TAMU monthly Employees can rent/drive rental cars)
No rental car expenses will be reimbursed for Salt Lake City / Snowbird Area. Flights out of Houston or Austin will require a minimum of 4 travelers so that rental cars and must be approved PRIOR to travel. Please do NOT under any circumstance park a rental car at any airport; therefore you will need two one way rentals. You will need the Rate Identifier to receive the State of Texas Contracted Rental Car rates. Enterprise Rate Identifier number is UTS711. AVIS Rate Identifier number is F999711.
Please note, Avis doesn’t offer one way rentals to IAH or AUS; however, Enterprise will, but there is a trick to get their website to process the request (i.e., don’t select one-way rental on the reservation page, but instead select return to different location and enter correct pickup/return locations). Please do not accept the optional coverage such as Loss Damage Waiver, Additional Liability, Personal Accident Insurance to name a few.
GAS, PARKING, TOLLS
If your transportation includes a rental car please save the fuel and tolls receipts.
SHUTTLE
It is NOT recommended that you rent a car due to the dangers of ice and snow avalanche in the mountains. A shuttle is available between Salt Lake City Airport and Snowbird Resort. Rate: $86.00 per round trip, this charge will show up on your hotel receipt and will suffice as your receipt. They provide 24 hour service, by reservation only early morning or late night. Should be booked at the same time as making your hotel reservations once your airfare has been booked.
DURING TRAVEL
The best way to insure that the maximum travel reimbursement is received is to save all receipts and travel documentation. If a receipt is torn or damaged where the dates or amounts are not legible they may not be acceptable for reimbursement. All receipts must be original with your name, proof of payment, name and address of the hotel, name of conference showing dates of conference. No Personal Expenses, No Alcohol, and No Tips!
AFTER TRAVELING
**Due to IQSE having moved out of the College of Science and under the Provost’s office, all travelers will need to include the IQSE travel form with their receipts.
TAMU Employees
Will Submit Expense Reports through Concur (see CONCURExpenseReport.pdf for more information)
Non TAMU Employees (Scholarship Students)
Will submit a reimbursement request letter, IQSE travel Form, all itemized receipts, in their own name (where applicable), showing proof of payment to the IQSE Business office. Additional paperwork (e.g., Glacier Forms, Student Waiver of Liability forms, copies of visa, passport with status of entry clearly visible, I-94 card, visa sponsor letters, resume, etc.) may be needed for non-employees depending on each person’s unique circumstances. Please check with the IQSE Business Office PRIOR to travel in order to avoid any misunderstanding re: what we can and cannot reimburse and what is needed in order to be able to reimburse travel expenses. For example, if traveling on a travel visa not sponsored by TAMU, it MUST be a business visa (WB or B1).
All reimbursement requests/expense reports will need to be submitted by 8:00 AM, February 13, or expenses may not be reimbursed. It is okay (and you are encouraged) to submit earlier than this as reimbursement requests/expense reports will be processed in the order in which they are received.
NOTE RE: PERSONAL TRAVEL
No expenses while on personal Leave will be reimbursed. This includes airfare, rental car, parking, fuel, etc. If your trip includes personal time then you will be required to provide an airfare quote obtained at the same time you book your airfare showing the dates and destination of the business travel only. The cheaper of the two will be reimbursed. No hand written quotes will be accepted. All quotes must be from a travel agent or on-line with the date being prior to or same as actual date of purchase of the personal itinerary. The auditors must be able to see the date quote was obtained.
Contact yzh@tamu.edu for more information