Free tool

Travel policy builder

Answer a few questions about how your organization travels and get a clear, numbered draft travel policy, ready to edit and take to your finance lead or board.

Step 1 of 6

Your organization

Used throughout the policy.

A role, not a person, for example “Chief Financial Officer” or “Director of Operations”.

Who the policy covers

Step 2 of 6

Booking and approval

How trips are booked
Who approves trips before booking

For example “international trips, or trips estimated above $5,000”. Leave blank if none.

For example “the Executive Director”.

For example “the Board Chair or Treasurer”.

Step 3 of 6

Flights, hotels and ground

Class of air travel

Only used with the second option above, for example “8 hours”.

Hotel standard
Ground transport

Step 4 of 6

Meals, mileage and receipts

How meals are paid
Using a personal car

For example “30”.

For example “$25”. Leave blank to require receipts for everything.

Step 5 of 6

Grants, safety and personal travel

Include these sections

For example “the 24-hour line of our travel management company, then the Director of Operations”.

Step 6 of 6

Exceptions and review

For example “the Chief Financial Officer, in writing, before the expense”.

For example “every year”.

Your draft policy

Your draft appears here as you answer.

You can edit the draft before copying or downloading it: the text below the heading is editable.

About this tool

A starting draft, not a finished policy

The builder turns your answers into plain policy language. It is a first draft: review it with your finance lead, your board (or its finance or audit committee) and, where needed, your counsel before you adopt it.

Grant-funded travel

If you include the grant clause, the draft says that where a grant or contract has its own travel terms, the traveller follows whichever is stricter. For federal awards, travel costs are covered by the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.475: 2 CFR part 200 on eCFR . Always read the award itself.

Mileage

The draft refers to the IRS standard mileage rate rather than a number, because the rate changes. The current rate is on the IRS site: IRS standard mileage rates .

Per diem

If you pay meals by daily allowance, many US organizations use the GSA rates: GSA per diem rates .

Bring your travel program under one roof

Tell us about your organization and how you travel. A person reads every enquiry and replies.

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