Travel
Travel should be booked through the Travel tab in the Pioneer Travel & Expense system or by contacting a Christopherson Business Travel (CBT) agent directly. Register for the next Pioneer Travel & Expense overview class to learn how to book travel and create your travel expense reports.
Travel Promotions: No current promotions
How to Book Travel
-
Frequent Travelers
Getting Started
All travelers must have a Pioneer Travel & Expense account and profile before booking trips.
- How to log in
- How to set up your profile
- Verify your email address
- Configure your travel preferences in Pioneer Travel & Expense
- Frequent travelers can customize preferences for flights, hotels, rental cars, and more.
Booking a Trip
All travel should be booked using the Pioneer Travel & Expense online booking tool or by booking through Christopherson Business Travel directly. The only exception is for conference hotels with a negotiated rate that can only be accessed when booked through the conference.
International Travelers
If you are traveling internationally, you are required to submit a travel request through Pioneer Travel & Expense to ensure Enterprise Risk Management has a record of your trip should an international incident or emergency occur.
For international trips involves multiple travel legs, our travel partner, Christopherson Business Travel, can generally get better pricing on flights than you can get by booking on your own.
While Traveling
Travel Support
Full travel support for flight cancellations is provided when airfare is booked through Pioneer Travel & Expense or Christopherson Business Travel.
Managing Receipts
You can take photos of receipts for travel expenses on your mobile device and submit them directly to your Pioneer Travel & Expense account. Do this using either the Concur mobile app or by emailing and attaching receipts through your DU email account.
When Your Trip Is Complete
Completing and Submitting Your Expense Report
- Reconcile all expenses within 30 days.
- IRS regulations require that expenses submitted more than 90 days after being incurred will be reported as taxable income to the employee.
- Expenses are reconciled by creating and submitting an expense report in Pioneer Travel & Expense.
Expense Reports for Trips
Please include all expenses related to your single trip in one expense report. A completed report provides you and your business officer with the total cost of the trip. Examples of trip expenses include:
- Conference registration fees
- Airfare
- Hotel charges
- Ground transportation charges
- Meal expenses
Non-Travel Expense Reports
Non-travel expenses should be submitted monthly in a single report.
-
Infrequent or New Travelers
Getting Started
If you have not traveled for the University recently, we recommend working in tandem with your unit’s Business Officer or your supervisor to ensure compliance with University policies and procedures.
All travelers must have a Pioneer Travel & Expense account and profile before booking trips.
Booking a Trip
All travel should be booked using the Pioneer Travel & Expense online booking tool or by booking through Christopherson Business Travel directly. The only exception is for conference hotels with a negotiated rate that can only be accessed when booked through the conference.
International Travelers
If you are traveling internationally, you are required to submit a travel request through Pioneer Travel & Expense to ensure Enterprise Risk Management has a record of your trip should an international incident or emergency occur.
For international trips involves multiple travel legs, our travel partner, Christopherson Business Travel, can generally get better pricing on flights than you can get by booking on your own.
While Traveling
Travel Support
Full travel support for flight cancellations is provided when airfare is booked through Pioneer Travel & Expense or Christopherson Business Travel.
Managing Receipts
You can take photos of receipts for travel expenses on your mobile device and submit them directly to your Pioneer Travel & Expense account. Do this using either the Concur mobile app or by emailing and attaching receipts through your DU email account.
When Your Trip Is Complete
Completing and Submitting Your Expense Report
- Reconcile all expenses within 30 days.
- IRS regulations require that expenses submitted more than 90 days after being incurred will be reported as taxable income to the employee.
- Expenses are reconciled by creating and submitting an expense report in Pioneer Travel & Expense.
Expense Reports for Trips
Please include all expenses related to your single trip in one expense report. A completed report provides you and your business officer with the total cost of the trip. Examples of trip expenses include:
- Conference registration fees
- Airfare
- Hotel charges
- Ground transportation charges
- Meal expenses
Non-Travel Expense Reports
Non-travel expenses should be submitted monthly in a single report.
-
Group Travel
Getting Started
Travelers who will be paying for expenses on the trip must have a Pioneer Travel & Expense account before booking group travel.
Booking a Group Trip
You may use the group travel form to book when there are 10 or more people traveling together. You may also call Christopherson Business Travel at 866-371-3580 rather than using the online tool to ensure everyone is booked together. This includes arranging groups traveling from different cities to one location.
Please be sure to assemble a full list of all travelers prior to booking, including full legal names and dates of birth.
All travel should be booked using the Pioneer Travel & Expense online booking tool or by booking through Christopherson Business Travel directly. The only exception is for conference hotels with a negotiated rate that can only be accessed when booked through the conference.
International Travelers
Policy Change: It is no longer necessary to submit a travel REQUEST prior to booking international travel.
For international trips with multiple travel legs, our travel partner, Christopherson Business Travel, can generally get better pricing on flights than you can get by booking on your own.
While Traveling
Travel Support
Full travel support for flight cancellations is provided when airfare is booked through Pioneer Travel & Expense or Christopherson Business Travel.
Managing Receipts
You can take photos of receipts for travel expenses on your mobile device and submit them directly to your Pioneer Travel & Expense account. Do this using either the Concur mobile app or by emailing and attaching receipts through your DU email account.
When Your Trip Is Complete
Completing and Submitting Your Expense Report
- Reconcile all expenses within 30 days.
- IRS regulations require that expenses submitted more than 90 days after being incurred will be reported as taxable income to the employee.
- Expenses are reconciled by creating and submitting an expense report in Pioneer Travel & Expense.
Expense Reports for Trips
Please include all expenses related to your single trip in one expense report. A completed report provides you and your business officer with the total cost of the trip. Examples of trip expenses include:
- Conference registration fees
- Airfare
- Hotel charges
- Ground transportation charges
- Meal expenses
Non-Travel Expense Reports
Non-travel expenses should be submitted monthly in a single report.
-
Guest and Student Travel
Getting Started
Any employee who will be paying for expenses on the trip must have a Pioneer Travel & Expense account and profile before booking.
Booking a Trip
All travel should be booked using the Pioneer Travel & Expense online booking tool or by booking through Christopherson Business Travel directly. The only exception is for conference hotels with a negotiated rate that can only be accessed when booked through the conference.
International Travelers
If you are traveling internationally, you are required to submit a travel request through Pioneer Travel & Expense to ensure Enterprise Risk Management has a record of your trip should an international incident or emergency occur.
For international trips involves multiple travel legs, our travel partner, Christopherson Business Travel, can generally get better pricing on flights than you can get by booking on your own.
While Traveling
Travel Support
Full travel support for flight cancellations is provided when airfare is booked through Pioneer Travel & Expense or Christopherson Business Travel.
Managing Receipts
You can take photos of receipts for travel expenses on your mobile device and submit them directly to your Pioneer Travel & Expense account. Do this using either the Concur mobile app or by emailing and attaching receipts through your DU email account.
When Your Trip Is Complete
Completing and Submitting Your Expense Report
- Reconcile all expenses within 30 days.
- IRS regulations require that expenses submitted more than 90 days after being incurred will be reported as taxable income to the employee.
- Expenses are reconciled by creating and submitting an expense report in Pioneer Travel & Expense.
Expense Reports for Trips
Please include all expenses related to your single trip in one expense report. A completed report provides you and your business officer with the total cost of the trip. Examples of trip expenses include:
- Conference registration fees
- Airfare
- Hotel charges
- Ground transportation charges
- Meal expenses
Non-Travel Expense Reports
Non-travel expenses should be submitted monthly in a single report.
Tips and Information
-
Best Practices
Booking
For the best rates, we recommend booking flights at least two weeks in advance.
By booking through Pioneer Travel & Expense or a Christopherson Business Travel agent, flights are paid via the University's Purchasing Card. Paying with a personal card (out-of-pocket) requires waiting until the trip is complete to be reimbursed.
Airfare is automatically booked to the DU Agency Card. Hotel stays and car rentals should be reserved and paid for using a University of Denver Purchasing Card.
Selecting Fares and Travel Insurance
Basic Economy fares are highly discouraged. These flights are not available in Pioneer Travel & Expense because this fare is not in the best interest of the traveler or DU. For more information on this policy, please review the DU Travel Policy.
Travel Insurance is not an allowable purchase. Too often, this insurance does not cover cancelations or changes made by the traveler and only offers coverage if the airline changes a flight. Coverage for this is already included in the price of the ticket bought through Pioneer Travel & Expense or an agent.
-
Benefits and Perks of Pioneer Travel & Expense and Christopherson Business Travel
Convenience
- Online booking
- Mobile apps (Concur app and Trip-It Pro)
- Agent assist (fees may apply)
- 24 hour support (from Christopherson Business Travel — must book within the DU program)
- Flight updates
- Expense report integration (travel itinerary, car charges, and supplier e-receipts automatically entered)
Special Rates and Discounts
- Contracted rates with select airlines
- DIA parking discounts
- Enterprise/National car rental discounts
-
Unused Tickets and Change Fees
Airlines may issue credit vouchers for unused tickets. These credits will appear in the Travel tab of your Concur profile.
-
Contact Christopherson Business Travel
Individual Travel
- Phone: 800-285-3603
- Email: University.Travel@cbtravel.com
Group Travel
- Phone: 866-371-3580
- Email: universitygroups@cbtravel.com
Emergency After Hours
- Domestic: 800-285-3603
- International: 682-233-1914
Travel Apps
-
Concur Mobile
Concur helps keep your expenses organized while traveling on behalf of DU.
-
TripIt Pro
TripIt Pro is a free app provided to all benefited DU employees ($50 annual value). It organizes all your travel plans into one easy-to-use itinerary and provides travel updates (such as check-in reminders, closures, flight changes, gate changes, and delays).
Current DU Travel Restrictions
For current COVID related travel restrictions, visit https://www.du.edu/coronavirus/faqs/travel-visitors.