Student Organization Travel

Travel is so much fun! You get to go places with your friends and represent the University doing things you enjoy! What’s not to love? Travel planning, not so much fun. It takes planning and organization and money, and if you don’t have these things, you’re in for a bumpy ride!

But SOFO is here to help you make the travel as smooth as possible. The general process is very simple: determine who is traveling, make sure you have money, fill out a form, and get pack you bags. In practice, it takes advanced planning, a little flexibility, and a lot of communication.

First things first

• Make sure you have the money – before you can travel, you need to be sure you have approved funding for the expenses. Clubs that travel often may have Travel Blocks in their budget, but you need to be sure. Check with your club treasurer. If you need additional money, plan to request contingency funding from SBAC well in advance of the travel dates. Also, if you need quotes for travel expenses, complete the travel form and indicate that you need quotes for your SBAC contingency request. SOFO can provide actual quotes that will make the contingency request process run more smoothly.
• Know who will be traveling – a travel roster is required. If your roster is still being finalized, have a tentative roster available when you submit your travel request. Then provide a final roster to your advisor, the Club Sports office, and SOFO ten (10) days before you travel. It is used to confirm hotels and transportation needs.
• Submit your Travel Request form – this should be done at least 14 days in advance of your trip. Requests for post-season travel for sports teams should be made as soon as a team qualifies.
• Complete a Travel Request for each trip your club takes – we need to know any time you travel, even if it is a day trip.
• Paying travel expenses – SOFO uses the details provided in your Travel Request form to secure reservations and provide you with a means of payment, so provide all the detail you can. If you need to pay for any expenses ahead of your travel, please use the SOFO Request Form to request a DB Card or payment of an invoice.
• Meeting with SOFO – some travel will require the travel leader(s) to meet with SOFO because of the complexity of their travel needs. You will be contacted by SOFO if a meeting is required. But any student group can meet with SOFO if you have questions or concerns.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions. During the business week (Monday through Friday), SOFO staff are available by email, by appointment, and sometimes even for walk-in visits from students. It’s our job to help you understand the processes relating to your organization funding, travel, expenses, and revenue, and we’re happy to help!