To fill out a travel information form, gather your government ID, itinerary, lodging, and emergency contact details before you open the document, then work through each section in order and submit it through the channel your organization specifies. Doing it in that sequence avoids the back-and-forth that delays authorization and keeps your trip on budget.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
Most forms ask for the same core information regardless of whether you are using a Word template, a Google Form, or a travel platform like Concur or Navan. Pull these together first.
Your government-issued ID. Airlines operating under TSA Secure Flight collect your full name, date of birth, sex, and Redress Number (if applicable) exactly as they appear on the ID you plan to use at airport security.1eCFR. 49 CFR 1560.101 – Request for and Transmission of Information to TSA Your form has to match that ID character for character. If your passport says “Katherine” but you go by “Kate,” enter “Katherine.” A mismatch can flag you for extra screening or keep you off the plane. If you have a Known Traveler Number for TSA PreCheck, keep it handy; forms usually have a dedicated field.
Your itinerary. Have departure and arrival airports or stations, carrier names, flight or train numbers, and scheduled times for every leg of the trip. If you have not booked yet and the form is part of pre-approval, use proposed dates and destinations so the approver can judge cost and timing. Show each connecting segment separately on a round trip.
Your lodging. Have the full street address of every hotel, rental, or host residence, plus the confirmation number from the booking platform. This is what the organization uses to reach you in a local emergency and what finance checks against per diem benchmarks. GSA held the standard CONUS per diem rates for fiscal year 2026 at the same level as FY 2025.2U.S. General Services Administration. GSA Releases FY 2026 CONUS Per Diem Rates for Federal Travelers Your employer may apply GSA rates or set its own caps, but either way lodging details are what auditors look at first.
An emergency contact. You need a name, relationship, phone number, and email for someone who is not traveling with you. For international travel, U.S. consular officers have a statutory duty to notify the next of kin when a citizen dies abroad.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 U.S. Code 2715b – Notification of Next of Kin; Reports of Death Accurate contact information on file speeds that process and helps your employer meet its duty-of-care obligations.
Filling In Each Section
Templates vary in layout, but the blocks are nearly always the same. Work through them in order; in digital forms, earlier fields often auto-populate later ones.
- Traveler information: full legal name, employee or student ID number, department, job title, and the ID details above. Double-check spelling against your passport or driver’s license.
- Trip purpose and authorization: a brief description of the business reason, such as a conference name, client meeting, or research site visit. Some forms include a cost-center or project code so expenses route to the correct budget. Ask your manager for the code if the form requires one.
- Transportation: flight numbers, carriers, departure and arrival times, and any ground transportation like a rental car or shuttle. If you are driving a personal vehicle, note estimated mileage so finance can apply the IRS standard mileage rate for reimbursement.
- Lodging: hotel name, full address, nightly rate, confirmation number, and check-in and check-out dates.
- Estimated expenses: airfare, hotel, meals, ground transport, registration fees, and incidentals, broken out line by line. If your organization follows GSA per diem rates, your meals and incidentals estimate should match the published rate for the destination city.
- Emergency contact: name, relationship, phone, email. Some forms also ask for a secondary contact.
If you are working from a Word or Google Docs template, save the completed form as a PDF before submitting. PDF locks the layout and prevents accidental edits. Name the file something the reviewer can find quickly, like “LastName_TravelForm_April2026.”
Extra Fields for International Trips
A border crossing adds material a domestic form never touches. If the template has an international section, expect these fields. If it does not, attach the information separately, because your organization needs it either way.
Passport and Visa
Record your passport number, country of issuance, and expiration date. Many countries require at least six months of remaining validity at the time of entry, so check before you submit. If the destination requires a visa, include the type, number, and validity dates, and attach a scan of the approval page if the form accepts uploads.
Vaccination and Health Records
Some countries require proof of specific vaccinations. Yellow fever is the most common: travelers arriving from or transiting through countries with yellow fever risk may need to present an International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, known as the “yellow card.”4Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) The CDC recommends consulting a travel medicine provider at least four to six weeks before departure to allow time for multi-dose vaccines or malaria prophylaxis.5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Need Travel Vaccines? Plan Ahead Note on the form which vaccinations you have completed or scheduled, and carry a copy of your official records.
STEP Enrollment
The State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program lets U.S. citizens register international trips so the nearest embassy or consulate can reach them during a natural disaster, civil unrest, or a family crisis back home.6U.S. Department of State. Smart Traveler Enrollment Program Enrollment takes about 20 minutes and covers your destination, travel dates, and local contact information. Some employers require STEP enrollment as a condition of approval. If yours does, note the confirmation on the form.
Accommodation Requests
If you need disability-related accommodations for the trip, the travel form is usually the right place to flag them. Federal agencies use a dedicated accommodation process that involves an interactive discussion between the employee and manager to identify limitations and appropriate support.7U.S. Department of Transportation. Reasonable Accommodations Private employers and universities tend to handle it less formally, but the principle holds: raise the need early so the organization can arrange it before departure.
Be specific. A checkbox labeled “accessibility needs” tells the coordinator almost nothing. “Ground-floor hotel room and wheelchair-accessible shuttle from airport to conference venue” gives them something to book. If the form has no dedicated field, add the detail in the comments section or email the travel coordinator directly.
How to Submit and Confirm Receipt
Submission channels vary by organization. The common ones:
- Travel management portal. Platforms like Concur, TripActions, or Navan have built-in workflows. You fill out the form inside the system, attach supporting documents, and submit; the system routes the request to your manager and then to finance.
- Email to a shared inbox. Smaller organizations often use something like travel@company.com. Attach the PDF and put the trip dates and destination in the subject line so the reviewer can prioritize.
- Physical submission. Some academic institutions still accept printed forms at a department office. Keep a photocopy before handing over the original.
Whichever channel you use, get a confirmation of receipt. An email reply, a portal timestamp, or a signed acknowledgment slip proves you submitted on time if questions come up later.
One note on sensitive fields: forms often ask for passport numbers, dates of birth, home addresses, and health records. If a field asks for something you would rather not disclose, such as a Social Security number, ask whether it is truly required or whether an employee ID number can substitute.
After You Submit
Most organizations route travel requests through at least two reviewers: your direct supervisor, who confirms the trip is necessary, and someone in finance, who confirms the budget can absorb it. Higher-cost trips or travel to high-risk destinations often add another layer. Routine domestic trips typically turn around in a few business days; international travel involving visa processing or security review can take longer.
If the form comes back with questions, the reviewer will usually flag the specific field that needs correction, such as an incomplete hotel address, a missing cost-center code, or an expense estimate above the department cap. Fix the flagged items and resubmit promptly. Waiting until the last minute to resolve an approval issue is the most common reason business travelers end up booking flights at inflated prices.
Once the request is approved, save the confirmation with your completed form. That pair is the documentation you will need to file an expense report after the trip and the record auditors will ask for if they review travel spending later in the fiscal year.