Travel Policy

Policy brief & purpose

Our company travel policy outlines our provisions for company-related travel. We’ll explain which expenses we’ll reimburse and how. We’ll also give instructions to our employees to track their expenses correctly when traveling.

Scope

This policy applies to all our employees. In this policy, we refer to ‘travel’ meaning a business trip to a different city than the one you’re in. We’re also counting any car, train or bus trip that lasts longer than an hour.

This policy doesn’t refer to traveling to and from the office on a daily basis for work. We reimburse commute expenses based on each employee’s contract or agreement with our company.

Policy elements

As our employee, you may need to travel for company purposes. This includes trips to:

For this kind of travel, we’ll reimburse transportation and accommodation expenses, as well as per diem expenses. All travel and all expenses must be validated by your manager before being committed.

Legal/ medical expenses

If you need to travel to countries that need a visa or other documentation to enter, we’ll cover all relevant expenses (excluding expenses for issuing passports). The same applies to medical expenses, like medical insurance for travelers, vaccinations or examinations. We’ll pay all these costs directly. Medical care fees due to travel-related accidents may be covered by workers’ compensation insurance.

Transportation expenses

When traveling for company purposes, you’re entitled to company-paid plane tickets in economy class. Executives must travel in economy class too. Should you need to travel by another means of transportation (train, boat or coach), you’re entitled to company-paid tickets in 2nd class. We’ll reimburse two-way tickets, meals (as included in the ticket price) and one luggage, plus a carry-on in case of a plane trip. You should cover additional expenses, like extra luggage or extra inflight services on your own.

Your travel must be booked at least three weeks in advance unless it’s an unforeseen trip. You must reserve your trip on your own. You must discuss with your manager and have his approval before booking your trip for the fares you’ve chosen, ensuring they’re not unnecessarily expensive.

To receive a reimbursement for any expenses regarding your trip, you must demand for a card or use the expense refund process on Spendesk.  Don’t forget to keep all receipts without which we would not be able to reimburse you.

If you plan to travel by car, we’ll reimburse all gas and toll fees based on the French administration Grid. Reimbursement can also be proceeded via Spendesk.

We’ll also pay a maximum of 30€ for expenses during your trip for food, non-alcoholic drinks or other necessities. Keep all receipts and submit them on Spendesk.

Local transportation

When arrived at your destination, prefer public transport if you are alone. Should you travel with other team members it is fine to share a  taxi to move around the area for business purposes. Always ask for receipts and we’ll reimburse fares for traveling:

Commuting to the airport after 7pm local time entitles you to take a Taxi..

We won’t reimburse transportation expenses for trips to museums or other places for personal purposes.

You can also rent a car if you plan to do many trips within the city (for example, if you're planning to see a large number of customers). In these cases, you must talk to your manager so he can give you the approval to rent a car. Keep in mind, we'll only reimburse fees for a rental car type A or B.

Accommodation

When traveling for company purposes, you’re entitled to stay at a hotel or Airbnb. When traveling to :

You must book your room on your own. We might have negotiated a contract with a hotel to achieve a discount and we would recommend you check fare and eventually book on: https://pricinghub.france-hotel.com/

The fare should  be competitive.

If you plan to stay longer for personal reasons, you’ll need to pay for the additional stay yourself, but you may be able to take advantage of the discount and return flight if incremental cost is reasonable that is not more than 10% vs normal return flight. Ask your manager to let you know.

We won’t reimburse any extra room-related charges incurred. We may make an exception if you need to upgrade your room for reasons outside of your control (for example, a malfunction that makes your room unsuitable and there’s no room of equal cost available). In this case, you should contact your manager immediately so that you can discuss a solution with him.

If you want to stay at a more expensive lodging for a particular reason (like to be closer to family who lives close by), you’ll need to pay the difference yourself.

Traveling with a non-employee

Our policy allows you to share a company-booked room with a partner, friend or family member who wants to travel with you, as long as this doesn’t incur extra charges for our company. For example, if we’ve already booked a room for you that has enough space, you can host your partner, friend or family member. Keep in mind that you’ll be financially responsible for any expenses or damages this person incurs.

We won’t reimburse any expenses for your co-traveler for the entirety of the trip. The only exception is taxi fares which don’t depend on the number of people on the ride.

Expenses while on a trip

During a business trip, you’re entitled to reimbursement for lunch and dinner at a maximum of 20€ per meal. We’ll reimburse only your own portion of the bill if you’re traveling with a non-employee, so make sure to separate your bills or ask for separate receipts.

When it comes to meetings with clients (like dinners), we’ll reimburse the whole of the bill including tips. The most senior employee participating in the meeting should pay the bill and submit the expenses for reimbursement. We count on you to place reasonable orders. If you exceed 70€ per person for one meal, you must get approval from your manager to expense the cost.

What you need to do

We ask you to use your best judgment when traveling for company purposes. Don’t go overboard with spending on food and drinks. Always ask for receipts and keep them organized.

When you’re back from your trip, submit all expenses on Spendesk within two months. If you had a reason not to submit expenses within that period, talk to your manager. They’ll be the ones to approve your expenses for reimbursement. You’ll receive the money via bank transfer within 30 days of getting your expense approved by your manager.