Get your work trip agreed, booked and ready for change
For employees traveling for work, and the budget holders and Finance and Procurement colleagues who support them.
Northstar Services is the fictional organization used in this example. This page covers preparing and changing a trip; claiming costs afterwards is expense reimbursement, a separate process.
The sequence in short
Before you book anything, agree the trip's purpose, dates and budget with your budget holder. Then use the approved booking route, set up any traveler support or accessibility arrangements you need, and check your documents against authoritative sources. Finally, know who to tell if plans move. The map below shows who to consult at each handoff.
Four stages of trip preparation
An illustrative sequence. It shows who to consult at each handoff; it does not start requests or track your progress.
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Before bookingWrite down why the trip is needed, the dates, and an estimated cost. Agree all three with your budget holder before reserving anything.Traveler and budget holder
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Traveler supportList any support you need on the road, such as a dietary need, a preferred seat, or a quiet room. Ask the booking route whether it can be arranged.Traveler with workplace support roles
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Documents and accessibilityCheck what the destination and your journey require, and whether you need accessible transport, step-free access or assistance on arrival. Use authoritative sources, not colleagues' memory.Traveler, with Finance and Procurement for booking questions
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Changes while awayIf a meeting moves or a connection fails, check the revised dates and costs with your budget holder, then consult the approved booking route before changing arrangements.Traveler, budget holder and central Finance and Procurement
What to coordinate, and when
Coordinate purpose, timing, cost and cover before a booking or rebooking decision. These cards identify the conversations for each stage.
Have this conversation with your budget holder first.
- State the business purpose in one sentence, for example: "Quarterly review with the Lisbon distribution team."
- Agree the travel dates, including a buffer day if the meeting could run over.
- Agree an estimated cost range for transport, lodging and local travel.
- Ask which booking route applies to this trip, and book only through it.
- Tell colleagues who cover your work which days you will be away.
Pause before rebooking, so the change stays agreed and visible.
- Note what changed: meeting date, location, or a travel disruption.
- Message your budget holder with the revised dates and the cost difference you expect.
- Consult the approved booking route before changing or cancelling a reservation.
- Tell your work contacts at the destination about the new timing.
- Keep booking confirmations together for when you file expenses.
Worked example: a meeting moves by one day
A fictional traveler from Northstar's regional sales team
Sam, a regional account manager, planned a two-day trip to meet a customer. The Tuesday meeting is moved to Wednesday while Sam is still at the airport.
- Check what changes. Sam's return leg and hotel night are both affected, and the customer meeting may now run until the afternoon.
- Tell the budget holder. Sam sends: "Customer meeting moved to Wednesday 10:00. I expect one extra hotel night and a later return. Can you confirm you are comfortable with the revised dates before I change anything?"
- Wait for the budget holder's reply. Sam does not assume the change is agreed until the budget holder answers.
- Consult the booking route. Once the budget holder agrees, Sam contacts the approved booking route to change the hotel night and return travel, rather than rebooking independently.
- Tell the people affected. Sam lets the colleague covering the Tuesday support queue know about the extra day away.
Result: the dates, cost and cover are explicit before the booking change.
Traveler support, documents and accessibility
Decide what you need early, because some arrangements take longer than others.
Support is easier to arrange before a trip is booked than after. Raise it with the booking route when you request the trip.
- Dietary, medical-comfort or seating needs that affect booking choices.
- A late-arrival or early-departure need, so the room and transfers fit your journey.
- Who should be told, such as your manager or a workplace support role, and what they need to know.
- A contact you can reach if the booking route is closed when something goes wrong.
Entry, identity and health requirements vary by destination and by traveler. This page does not set them, so check them with the authoritative source for your route.
- Confirm the identity documents you must carry, and that they are valid for the whole trip.
- Check whether the destination requires a visa, permit or advance registration.
- Ask Finance and Procurement which booking confirmations to keep with you.
- Allow time before departure to fix anything you find missing.
Accessible travel works best when each leg is planned together: transport, lodging, meeting venue and local transfers.
- Ask whether transport and lodging offer step-free access, assistance on arrival or adjustable rooms.
- Check the meeting venue's access with the host before you finalise lodging.
- Write down the adjustments you need so you can repeat them at each handoff.
- Raise any gap with Finance and Procurement before booking, not at the airport.
Preparation sheet: complete before you travel
A checklist you can copy into your own notes. Each category summarises what to have settled.
- Business purpose written in one sentence
- Departure and return dates, with a buffer day if needed
- Destination, meeting address and host contact
- Colleague covering your work while you are away
- Budget holder has agreed purpose, dates and estimated cost range
- Booking made through the approved route only
- Confirmations for transport and lodging saved together
- Estimated cost noted for comparison with actuals
- Support needs listed and raised with the booking route
- Accessibility needs checked for each leg of the trip
- People who need to know have been told
- Identity documents valid for the whole trip
- Destination entry requirements checked at an authoritative source
- Booking confirmations accessible without a data connection
- Budget holder's contact method for changes
- Destination host and cover colleague contacts
- Plan to message the budget holder before rebooking
Common questions
Who owns what, and how this page differs from expenses.
Is this page about claiming travel costs?
No. This page covers preparing and changing a trip. Claiming costs after you return is expense reimbursement, which is handled separately by Finance.
Who owns this guidance?
Finance and Procurement owns it. Ask your Finance and Procurement contact if you are unsure which booking route or budget-holder step applies to your trip.
Who is my budget holder?
The person accountable for the budget your trip is charged to. For most employees that is their department or team lead; if you are unsure, ask your manager before you book.
What if the booking route is closed when plans change?
Message your budget holder with the change and the cost difference, and hold any rebooking until the booking route is available, unless staying put would leave you unsafe or stranded. In that case, protect yourself first and tell your budget holder as soon as you can.
When is this guidance reviewed?
Finance and Procurement reviews it whenever the booking process, support routes or travel guidance change.