Plan Your Trip
Your hotel and flights are arranged through the BYU-Idaho Travel site. Below is everything you need, in the order you'll do it.
What you can get reimbursed for
- Hotel — your lodging for the conference.
- Food during travel — your meals while traveling to and from Rexburg. Most meals during the conference itself will be provided.
- Mileage — if you drive your own car to the conference (reimbursed per mile, which covers gas plus wear and tear).
- Flights — booked and paid directly by the university, so there's nothing to reimburse — you won't pay out of pocket for airfare.
Getting to Rexburg
Most of us are driving up from Utah, so carpooling is the plan — it's the easiest and most economical way to travel together. If anyone wants to drive up by themselves, that's completely fine — but the talking in the car is part of the experience, so ride together if you can. Coordinate with the group to share a ride. One attendee is expected to fly.
Where you'll stay
AGMs stay in a nearby hotel. You're welcome to share a hotel room or have your own — if you share, only one person reserves the room (everyone else leaves lodging off their own booking). You'll reserve your hotel after your Spend Authorization is approved (see Before the trip, Step 2). BYU-Idaho keeps a list of local hotels.
Before the trip
Click each step for the details.
Step 1 — Create your Spend Authorization
A Spend Authorization is your pre-approval to spend on the trip. Create it in Workday as soon as the dates are set.
How to create it (quick version):
- Log in to Workday and open the Expenses app (or search "Create Spend Auth").
- Choose Create Spend Authorization.
- Enter the dates of the trip.
- Give it a description (e.g., "AGM Conference").
- In Business Purpose, choose I: Employee Travel.
- Click + Add to enter each expense item (lodging, meals, mileage, airfare). Add them all before submitting.
- Check your Cost Center (see note below).
- Click Submit, then complete the questionnaire — it won't route for approval until the questionnaire is done.
What to include in your estimate:
- Hotel — your estimated lodging cost (or none, if you're sharing a room someone else is reserving).
- Food — estimate your meals at an average of $25 per meal. Count the meals you'll need across the trip. You'll keep your receipts and reconcile the actual amounts after the trip.
- Mileage (if driving) — you don't charge for gas. Instead, you're reimbursed per mile, which covers gas plus wear and tear on your car. Estimate your round-trip miles.
- Flight (if flying) — your estimated airfare (you can look this up in Deem — see Step 2).
Step 2 — Once approved, book your hotel and flight
When your Spend Authorization is approved, book your travel in Deem using the Book Travel button on the BYU-Idaho Travel site.
- Hotel — reserve your room. If you're sharing, only one person books it.
- Flight (if flying) — look up your airfare and book it in Deem.
During the trip
- Pay with your own credit card for your expenses.
- Keep all your receipts.
After the trip
You reconcile your receipts by creating an Expense Report in Workday.
- Connect the report to your approved Spend Authorization — most of your trip details carry over automatically.
- Enter the actual amounts (especially your meals).
- Attach each receipt (your photos are fine), add any needed memos, then submit.
Questions on reconciling? Accounting Office, (208) 496-1997, expensereports@byui.edu.
Who to call for help
Questions on any step? Start with your ADI. For the specifics, BYU-Idaho Travel has a team for each part:
- Spend Authorizations — Travel Administration, (208) 496-1974 or (208) 496-1975, traveladmin@byui.edu
- Booking hotels & flights — Procurement, Travel, and Contract Services, (208) 496-2340, traveloffice@byui.edu
- Expense reports & reconciling — Accounting Office, (208) 496-1997, expensereports@byui.edu
- Emergencies — (208) 496-TRIP (8747), or call your ADI.
More detail and quick-reference guides are on the BYU-Idaho Travel site.