🌍 Travelling for IFT

Connecting with people in person is such an essential part of the remote working experience at IFT. Magic happens when people get together.

Here you'll find helpful information to make your travel abroad experience more efficient while being compliant and accountable to project resources. These guidelines apply to anyone travelling for or sponsored by IFT away from their usual working location.

Some of these points might not apply to offsites as they're usually centrally organised with their particular budget.

Your travel budget comes from your project's budget. Raise a travel request SpiffWorkflow and check out Events and meetups before booking your trip.

Here's the instructions on how to create a travel request.

Before travelling abroad:

  • Head to the official government pages to understand the risks in a country and the latest restrictions applicable to you, including re-entry requirements.
  • Keep in mind that government guidelines may change frequently and that they can impact your travel plans severely.
  • Be aware of and account for any extraordinary events which may impact your travel, such as natural disasters, political unrest, wars, riots, epidemics, pandemics and any other extraordinary events.
  • Consider booking timeframes and select cancellation and insurance policies accordingly.

💸 Expenses while travelling

It's hard to cover every case within a guide. We trust you to use your best judgement when travelling for company purposes and proactively report back anything you consider relevant.

Don't go overboard with spending on bookings, food, and drinks. Keep accountability and transparency in mind. Always ask for receipts and keep them organised. IFT will reimburse for all reasonable expenses while travelling in accordance with this section.

What are reasonable expenses

  • Reasonable expenses examples:

    • Flights, ground transportation, accommodation, and workspace, if needed, as described below, as long as these are approved by project leads.
    • As a general rule, a max trip average of USD $85/day/person for meals. However, this will depend on the destination. If you're dining together with other core contributors, you can submit one bill - just make sure to add their names in the comments section when you file the expense.
    • Laundry charges for trips longer than five days.
    • When required and justified for the trip, expedited service fees, travel visas, and inoculation fees necessary for the destination are reimbursable.
    • Reasonable mobile, roaming, or hotspot connection fees to allow you to work while travelling would be covered. However, we suggest purchasing a local SIM card or eSIM providers, such as Airalo.

  • Non-reimbursable expenses examples:

    • Travel programs, airline upgrades, fast tracks, or premium services.
    • Airline/accommodation no-show, cancellation, or rebooking fees.
    • Convenience products, alcohol, cigarettes and fees for the use of the gym, spa, and other facilities.
    • Travelling companions' hotel, flights and meals.
    • Room service (except for meals within the daily limit) or in-room movies/entertainment.
    • Mobile, roaming, or hotspot connection fees for personal use.
    • In-flight entertainment
    • Any personal expenses and fines, custom charges, etc.

If there are any issues or you believe that you should get reimbursed for any of the expenses above, please speak to your People Partner, who can review your request on a case by case basis. Ultimately, it will be in IFT’ sole discretion to determine whether an expense is a “reasonable expense” and whether it will be reimbursed.

Whether using a card or requesting reimbursements, you're responsible for submitting your expenses correctly as a traveller. We currently process expenses together with payroll or invoices. When you're back from your trip, follow the instructions on How to file expenses or get reimbursed for uploading your receipts in a compliant and timely manner to keep our finances healthy.

🛩 Getting there

Usually, the earlier you plan your trip, the cheaper and better it's going to be. We suggest preparing 4 to 6 weeks ahead to have enough time to communicate your plans and stay within budget. We understand that sometimes last-minute bookings are unavoidable, however, please be mindful of flights and accommodation costs and always look to book the most reasonable option.

Commuting rates and guidelines

  • Sometimes it's more convenient to travel by train or bus within Europe. So keep that in mind as an option when you're looking at routes.
  • We travel in economy class with carry-on luggage included. You can add one checked luggage for trips longer than 5 days or when you're carrying additional baggage for IFT or the event.
  • For flights that are 12+ hours, premium economy is permitted, but please ensure that the overall cost is still reasonable (if the price is more than 2x the economy price, please do consider alternate options).
  • For moving around, choose the most affordable ground transportation option. In some places, traffic is unpredictable, and public transport is more reliable. In others, car rental, and ride-sharing, such as Uber or local equivalents, are better to move from/to the airport and share the ride with others travelling with you.

💡 Pro-tip: in-flight entertainment might be limited. You might want to bring a book or download media, music, or documents offline beforehand. For some people, commutes are a great way to disconnect or do some reading or focus work.

💻 Where to stay and work from

You can book your stay at a 3-4 star hotel or an Airbnb. We generally recommend hotels for solo or two person trips and Airbnbs for groups or project travel.

An Airbnb can be more practical for spending quality time together and setting up a coworking space in the dining or living room, than a hotel. It's also more convenient to coordinate meals and share rides to/from the event or airport when we're staying together.

If you are organising a project off-site, reach out to your People Partner who can help with logistics and bookings of an AirBnb.

💡 Pro-tip: it's useful to check the wifi speed of your accommodation before confirming a booking.

🚨 Emergencies

In case of an emergency, we'll use the emergency information provided in BambooHR.

📌 Useful resources

Some insurers specialising in global travel insurance:

International prepaid SIM cards:

If you are a Budget Owner or a member of the Service Units team, you may find this Travel report useful.