Planning Travel

When you travel on Cornell business, we want everything from your booking to your expense reporting to run smoothly so you can concentrate fully on successfully completing the business objectives of your trip. The resources provided here are designed to help you navigate the complexities of business travel and comply with applicable regulations.

Types of Travel

All types of travel must conform to the rules described in the travel policy and the associated procedures found on this website. Specific rules apply to each type of travel. See the individual types of travel in this section.

The most common type of travel is short-term travel. You are in short-term travel status when you travel at least 50 miles away from home for 12 hours or more while conducting university business, where one or more overnight stays occurred. Short-term travel is generally less than 30 days.

Colleges or operating units may establish additional guidance or further limit reimbursements for any type of travel. 

See University Policy 3.2, Travel Expenses, for high-level policy information and definitions.

See Pre-Trip Approvals for a quick reference to what needs approval before traveling.

See Sponsored Travel for help navigating the complexities of traveling on sponsored funds.

See International Travel for Cornell’s requirements before traveling internationally.