Penn’s Travel Resources
Penn Global – Guidance for Traveling Abroad
Booking travel via Concur booking tool or with dedicated World Travel Agents is easy and convenient. World Travel, Penn's preferred travel agency, is recommended for Penn staff, faculty, students and non-affiliate guests to make direct billing air, car and hotel reservations.
If attending a conference, check hotel rates through the organization's site as they may offer competitive discounts and ensure close proximity to the event.
The Bank of America Travel card is a payment method for authorized faculty and staff for business-related travel expenses. The travel card can be linked to your Concur profile for simplified expense reporting.
Highlights of using World Travel
World Travel is the preferred Travel Management Company (TMC) for the University of Pennsylvania. Travel needs are met by agents dedicated to the Penn account, whether reserving through the Concur on-line booking tool or by calling the agent directly.
Benefits of World Travel to Penn travelers include:
- As a method of best practice, use Penn direct bill for airfare, rather than using a credit card
- Book online in Concur or directly with an Agent
- Concierge Service to accommodate Group Travel Arrangements – this option gives you the ability to have WT Agents manage the reservation with given guidelines and thresholds by a department or program. For a nominal fee, they will work directly with your guests, travelers or incoming students to book air travel
- Duty of Care - knowing where our travelers are in case of weather emergency or domestic/international incident
- Low price guarantee for airfare
- Management of unused tickets available for rebooking
- Penn Negotiated Rates for Airlines, Hotels, Rental Cars applied automatically
- Quality Control process on every trip booked
Travel Policy Exceptions
Penn policy states that the lowest logical fare should be selected for air, rail and ground transportation with prior approval from your direct supervisor.
Higher cost fares (business class, limo service or fares booked outside of policy) require a statement of business justification and approval from Jason Presley, or Greg Tausz, before making the reservation. The approval must be forwarded to the business office to approve the World Travel payment request.
Getting Started with Access
Individuals new to Penn (GSE) must request that their Concur travel and expense account be activated by contacting a business office representative and complete the initial steps to set up your account for submitting an expense report or booking travel.
Concur/World Travel Booking Fees
The Concur online booking tool is best used for domestic air travel, easy point to point foreign air travel, hotel bookings and car rental reservations.
For more complex international air or group travel, working with a World Travel agent is recommended. While reservations made through a World Travel agent will incur a service fee, they are experienced with Penn's domestic and international travel guidelines and provide excellent customer service.
Penn Global Services
My Trips (International Travel Registry), sponsored through Penn Global – International Travel Guidance, is Penn’s central resource for collecting traveler information for pre-travel preparations or in the event of an emergency. This safety feature allows authorized travelers to use International SOS and traveler medical insurance as well as assist individuals and groups, as needed.
International SOS is for students, faculty and staff traveling on behalf of Penn-affiliated academic or business. The ISOS membership includes 24/7 medical and security consultation, hospital referrals, travel medical insurance and emergency evacuation assistance. Travelers must register in Penn's My Trips (International Travel Registry) to receive services.