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Travel

Student Travel

Students are encouraged to attend conferences to present research and network with others in the field. Below are work-related travel policies. The key detail to remember when travelling is to choose the most economical options.

Pre-requisites for Travel

All travel must be preapproved by the Director; there are no exceptions.

Travel is typically permitted for several events such as:

  • presenting/disseminating research at conferences
  • attending summer schools that are related to the member's research area
  • fieldwork requiring travel on site
  • funding-related workshops and retreats

However, travel approval is at the discretion of the Director and is contingent on adequate research funding.

Conference Travel

Individuals who are presenting a paper accepted at a conference will typically be approved for travel on the supervisor's research funds. However, it is expected that lab members should apply for additional travel support (e.g., ECE conference travel awards, contact Debie Fraser for details, and conference-specific travel awards) to supplement research funds. Given funding limitations, grad students and postdocs typically attend one conference per year unless extra travel funding can be found through other sources. Unless there are special circumstances, all conference abstracts must be submitted to supervisor(s) for review and approval at least two weeks before the abstract deadline.

Preparing for Travel

After obtaining approval for travel, please:

  • Review the Queen's University Travel and Expense Reimbursement Policy. The policy will mention several exclusions that will be ineligible for reimbursement.
  • Review the Off Campus Activity Safety Policy. Register your travel using the Safe Travel Activity Registration Tool.
  • Reserve travel and hotels. Reservations should be made as far in advance as possible, ideally early enough to take advantage of any discounted conference fees/hotel rates/airfare. Accommodation and flight reimbursements will be based on the timing and duration of the conference scientific program. If personal arrangements (e.g., detours, extended stays) need to be made, a discussion is needed prior to booking. Additional documentation may be needed, and only conference-related costs will be reimbursed. If multiple lab members are travelling to the same venue, you are asked to share a room with same-gendered lab members. You may work those details out on your own; feel free to reach out to folks from other labs or on room-share forums for the conference as well.
  • Check if it is necessary to apply for visas for the country that you are travelling to, and be sure to apply for them well in advance.
  • Pack appropriate clothing for the weather (e.g., warm clothes, hat, sunscreen, etc.).
  • Pack appropriate personal protective equipment if required for fieldwork or site visits (e.g., hard hat, steel-toed boots, safety glasses, coveralls, or long-sleeved shirts, etc.).
  • Pack appropriate documentation (e.g., insurance certificate for car rental, driver's licence, passport, visa or permits, etc.).
  • Create an appointment within the MItHRIL calendar with the duration of travel, travel details, and emergency contact information.
  • Notify your emergency contacts regarding your travel plans.

The Queen's University International Centre (QUIC) has a good website with tips about how to prepare for travel, called Safety Abroad & Emergency Support.

Off Campus Activity Safety Policy (OCASP)

All research and other University-related travel requires that you complete and file a safety plan before you travel. You can do this at the OCASP 2.0 website. For low-risk activities (e.g., a business trip to a city or town somewhere in Canada or abroad in a "safe" country), each individual can simply register for the Emergency Support Program. This tells Queen's where you are and what you're up to while on business. For high-risk activities, you need to provide more information and get sign-off from supervisor(s).

While Travelling

While travelling, keep all receipts and boarding passes. Please also save the conference program and any mention of your participation.

You can be reimbursed for actual charges for meals; however, per diem is possible if the meeting/conference does not provide any meals. Please keep costs down by taking advantage of all meals provided by the conference. You will not be allowed to charge for meals provided by the conference; for example, if the conference provides breakfast, don't submit a charge for breakfast.

In Case of Emergency

In case of emergency, you can call the following numbers:

  • Queen's Emergency Report Centre: 1-613-533-6111 (collect calls accepted)
  • International SOS (you will need the Queen's University membership number): 1-215-942-8478 (collect calls accepted), or use the free ISOS App to live chat.

Tell them you are a Queen's employee or student, and they will help.

After Travelling: Travel Claims and the Expense Reimbursement System (ERS)

Follow travel-related reimbursement instructions for reimbursement. The idea of this is to keep the reimbursement process consistent, clear, and justifiable for the project being charged. Queen's University's policies on travel and reimbursement can be found at https://www.queensu.ca/secretariat/policies/finance/travel-and-expense-reimbursement-policy.

There are two kinds of claims: 1) travel expense claims, and 2) claims for expenses; these are two different types of reports.

You can only claim the costs of your travel by creating an expense report after you return from your travel. To do this, use the online Expense Reimbursement System at my.queensu.ca (under the My Applications tab). If you have to pay for some expenses long before you travel (e.g., purchase an airline ticket), then you can file a travel advance request.

When you are ready to submit, click the "submit" button and choose your supervisor's name (e.g., Matt).

Adding a Delegate

If you ever need an assistant (e.g., a departmental administration person) to have access to view your expense reports, you will need to add their name to your "Expense Delegates" list within your Concur profile settings.

  1. Log into ERS and go to "Profile Settings" by clicking on "Profile," located in the upper right of your screen.
  2. On the Profile Options page, click on "Expense Delegates," located on the left side of the page under "Expense Settings."
  3. On the Expense Delegates page, find/add the person you wish to have access.
  4. Check off the required boxes; when you select "Can Preview for Approver," a check mark will automatically appear in "Can View Receipts."