Please follow the steps below to create a new trip:  

1. Log into the platform with user that has an Admin or a Pro profile, or as a user with Travel Manager permissions, navigate to the Travel page, click on the Trips link and then on the Add New Trip +.

2. The trip has a few sections as listed below:

2a. Traveler details

Use the dropdown list or type the name of the traveler. 

2b. Trip plans

Enter the From and To destinations and the relevant travel dates. Click on the Add another destination + link to enter an additional leg to the trip. You may also add time off. 

Note: The next section will present the selected options.

2c. Trip details

Enter the trip name, a reference (optional), and the reason (optional).

2d. Travel policy

It is highly recommended to add the travel expense policies before populating the policy section.   

The various expense policies will be listed and you can enable/disable (i.e., moving the toggle switch left or right) one or more budgets.

If expense policies were not created, you can add budgets by clicking on the 'Add budget +' link. The added budgets are 'ad-hoc'. In other words, they are NOT saved on the platform and are not as flexible as the policy budgets (e.g., define the budget type). 

Notes:

• The Traveler budget is separated from the Booking budget (i.e., a budget that an executive assistance or a coordinator will use to book flights and or hotels).
• You can drag a budget from the Traveler budget to the Booking budget area and vice versa.
• If you plan to assign a Travel Manager you should assign at least one budget to that person otherwise you will get an error message as the platform won't be able to generate a card for that person.
• You can edit an existing budget by clicking on the pencil icon. 

Use case: Transportation where you can provide a larger budget for the first and the last day of the trip as the airport transportation might be bit more expensive when compared to the budget allocated to the daily shared rides.

2e. Expense cards 

The last section provides a bird's eye view of the budgets that are going to be created for the trip. The assigned budget will include a total amount, aggregating all the sub budget components from the travel policy section. The section will also present a Decline Limit to help safeguard the company and ease the mind of the traveler. Charges beyond the decline limit will simply be declined.

To add/assign a travel manager, slide the toggle button to the right.  If a Travel Manager (i.e., an executive assistance or a coordinator that uses budget to book flights and or hotels) is assigned, an additional budget/card will be created. 

If a Travel Manager is assigned, two budgets will be created, and you will be able to assign a travel manager. The budget/card will be assigned to that person.

Note: It is possible to generate a trip without issuing virtual cards. To accomplish this please slide the toggle switches to the left of either the Traveler or the Travel Manager in the Expense Cards section of a generated trip. 

f. Additional Information

You might need to provide additional information if custom fields were created on the platform. The data needs to be populated in the relevant areas according to the guidelines/directions set forth by the finance department. The mentioned fields will 'roll' onto the card/budget and its future transactions to streamline coding and reconciliation activities.   

3. Submit

3a. Click on the Submit button to create the trip.

3b. Enter a five-digit code, sent via SMS, to verify the financial activity.

The trip request will go through the relevant approval flow and given it is approved by all parties, at some point a trip budget will be created. 

Note: If policies were not added and or if both, the toggle button of the Traveler and Travel Manager were not turned on, you won't be able to 

4. Edit, Duplicate, or Cancel the Travel

The newly created trip will appear on the Travel page and the virtual card under the Cards & Budgets.   

You can click on the 3-dots icon next to trip to Cancel, Edit or Duplicate (i.e., use it as a template for another trip in case several employees need to travel to the same location) it. 

5. You can also navigate to the upper right corner of the trip dashboard click on the 3 dots icon, and select one of the following options: 

6. You may filter the travel page to locate a specific trip. One of the columns is named Status and a trip can be in one of the following states:

7. As with any budget/card on the platform, an Admin/Pro can navigate to the Cards & Budgets page and perform the following functions on a Card:

Note: The Traveler and the Travel Manager need to be verified users (i.e., users who logged in from an invited email) otherwise the trip can not be created.