Travel Information

URI travel information links:

Must Do's for Travel

Submit a Travel Authorization Report (TAR) form on URI financials before you book flights, accommodations, etc. This form documents all your expected payments and charges you may incur during your trip so it is important to try to be as specific as possible.
Once your TAR is approved, enroll in international travel insurance at Cultural Insurance Services International.
File your plans on the Putnam Lab Travel Form
Once you have returned, you must submit a Travel Expense Report (TER) form ASAP (~1-2 days after returning). This form confirms the exact amounts you spent and what you need to be reimbursed for. Make sure to submit photocopies of all reciepts and convert to USD if you traveled internationally.

Before Travel

For travel with/for URI you will have to get access via eCampus to the URI financials login: access form. You will be requesting access to the travel and expense module only.

To access the URI financials e-campus website you need to be on the URI VPN.

Signing up for VPN access

Use the URI ITS Security Services' guide to get VPN access. If the Cisco App is not listed among your apps, email the IT service desk and say you need VPN access in order to access Peoplesoft Financials for university sponsored travel (CC Hollie).

Signing up for PeopleSoft Financials

For access to PeopleSoft Financials, submit the PS Financials Request for Security Access form, and check the T&E user box. For student access, a supervisor and a delegate must be provided on the form. The supervisor should be the student’s professor, and the delegate should be an administrative person from within the department. Email completed forms to financials_e-campus@etal.uri.edu. Once you’ve received approval, log into e-Campus and select the “Change Password” option from the main menu. The user must change their password in e-Campus to create a user ID and password in PeopleSoft Financials that will mirror the e-Campus credentials. Once in PeopleSoft Financials, travelers will use the Travel and Expense Module to add delegates, create a travel authorization (TA), and set up direct deposit to expedite the reimbursement process.

Adding, editing, or updating delegates for reports

In the case that there are changes in staffing in the fiscal department, please use the instructions below to update the delegates assigned to approving or looking over your Travel Authorization and Expense Reports in e-campus financials.

Travel Authorization Form Instructions

At least 1 month before travel you will need to fill out a Travel Authorization form. Confirm with Hollie what will go on it (i.e. all expenses), the cost, and which funding program it will come from. This will need to be submitted and then approved before travel. Enter trip expenses that will be incurred, estimating with the best information available at the time the TA is created.

Information needed to complete a TA includes:

Destination and approximate travel dates
Funding source for each expense (Chartfield String which may be different per project, funding source, etc.)
Business purpose/justification of travel
Cost estimates for all anticipated expenses (e.g., airfare, lodging, registration)
Payment method for each expense (e.g., URI TCard, personal cash/credit card)

Steps for TAR form on URI financials

Connect to URI VPN and login to URI ecampus Financials
Select Employee Self-Service > Travel and Expenses > Travel Authorizations > Create/Modify
To find an existing TAR select "find an existing value" or to create a new TAR select "add a new value"
Enter your student ID into the Empl ID search bar and you will be directed to the create TAR form

** at anytime you need to save what you have done, click the "Save for Later" option above the entry form **

Please name your travel file in the following format. YYYYMMDD_NAME_DESTINATION where YYMMDD is the date of departure

Select the reason for your trip from the "Business Purpose" drop down menu (ex: Research)
Write in the "Description" the general reason for your trip (ex: field research)
Search the "City" that most or all of your trip will be taking place by selecting the magnifying glass icon next to the search box (ex: Papeet, French Polynesia for Mo'ore'a)
Enter your exact travel dates in the "Date From" and "Date To" boxes (ex: October 12th 2023 to November 12th 2023)
Begin entering each individual expense that you expect to have on your trip under the Projected Expenses section

First, enter the "Date" your Trip begins e.g.,flight, transportation, accommodation, etc. would begin (ex: October 12th 2023)
Next, make a selction under the "Expense Type" drop-down menu (ex: foreign travel: airfare), foreign is anything overseas (flights, hotel, ferry) and domestic is anything in US for transport (train, taxi, etc)

it is helpful to slightly overestimate if you can, so that actual expenses are not more than estimated

In the "Description" section, be as detailed as possible with flight information, accomodation, dates, etc. (ex: Roundtrip flight from BOS to PPT on 10/12/2023 and return flight from PPT to BOS 11/12/2023)
Select the type of payment from the "Payment Type" drop-down menu (discuss this with Hollie beforehand) but usually you will select cash paid-by-employee or employee personal credit card for reimbursement (ex: cash paid by employee).
Enter in the estimated or confirmed amount you will pay for this item in the "Amount" box (ex: $900.00 USD)
For the "Billing Type" you either choose the billable option (used for all grants, most comminly used) or internal option (being paid for by an internal department or granting agency) (ex: billable)
Under "Accounting Details" you will be adding your chartfield string numbers that attach your TAR to a specific funding source/project so take your time here. First, next to "Chartfields" expand the selections by pressing the small column icon to the right which will extend all of the categories you need to fill out, there are 14 total listed. Also, in this section there are drop-down menus that go very slow, so when you enter in a number make sure you are making a selection each time or it may not register.

An example for Mo'orea is: Account = 5746 (46 is for international)  Fund = 500  Department = 2014  Program = 0000  Bud Ref blank  PC Bus Unit = URIPS  Project = 000XXXX  Activity = Research

Continue adding your expenses for the rest of the trip by pressing the + sign to add new expenses until all are done. Add expenses for the following areas if needed:  Baggage  Flights  Round trip ferry (put under “other”)  Taxi: Foreign in Tahiti as well as to and from domestic airports  Lodging  Per diem: “RIPerDiem1/2Day” Number of days Daily amount = $25
The total will continuously update as you add new expenses
Once finished select "Summary and Submit" at the top right of the page above the "Actions" selection box. Review your expenses and press submit. You will recieve a confirmation email upon submission and Hollie and Colleen Travis will both need to approve the TAR or comment on what is missing before you recieve a final email.

File Putnam Lab Travel Form

Start your TER as soon as any expenses have occurred

Start a folder on Putnam Lab Travel google drive that contains all of your expenses in a google sheet and images of all of your receipts.

While Traveling

Keep ALL receipts! Request receipts when not given them. DO NOT charge food/beverages to the hotel. Food/beverages need to be on a separate invoice.

"Travelers are required to submit expense reports with original receipts attached in addition to submitting the electronic form with receipts attached online. The report should be forwarded to the URI Travel Office, 103 Carlotti Administration Building."

Once Returned

You will have to fill out the Travel Expense Report (TER) form. Use the Images of all receipts and attach them to the TER under the associated item and this will be submitted via the online form.

"In order to be reimbursed for travel expenses, the traveler must scan all itemized receipts, attach them to an TER in the online travel module and submit the ER for approval. We highly recommend travelers set up their bank accounts in the module to receive direct deposits for travel-related reimbursements."

Steps for TER form on URI financials

START YOUR TER AS SOON AS YOU HAVE INCURRED YOUR FIRST EXPENSE Update your TER Here

Connect to URI VPN and login to URI ecampus Financials
Select Employee Self-Service > Travel and Expenses > Expense Reports > Create/Modify
To find an existing TER select "find an existing value" or to create a new TER select "add a new value"
Enter your student ID into the Empl ID search bar and you will be directed to the create TER form