When our work takes us on the road for in-person programs, we keep travel billing simple: a single, pre-approved flat fee based on a good-faith estimate of the trip's costs, not a receipt-by-receipt reimbursement. If you have questions that aren't answered here, please contact us.
The Short Version
Before any travel happens, we send you an itemized estimate covering transportation and lodging. You approve it in writing (generally via email). We then invoice that approved amount as a flat travel fee. That number is final—whether our actual costs end up higher or lower.
We only bill for transportation and lodging. Meals and other incidentals are on us.
How We Estimate Travel Costs
When we know the dates and location of an in-person program, we research the actual costs available at that moment:
- Transportation (flights, train, taxi/rideshare to and from the station or airport) priced at current rates for the travel dates
- Lodging priced at the rate available when we build the estimate
- Local ground transport estimated based on typical pricing for that route and time
We send you the line items, you review and approve, and the approved total becomes the travel invoice for that trip.
Why We Do It This Way
Two reasons, both of them practical:
1. It's simpler for everyone. Receipt-based reimbursement creates real administrative work—collecting, categorizing, submitting, reviewing, approving, reconciling. A flat pre-approved amount removes all of that. You know the travel cost before the work begins, and it doesn't change.
2. It absorbs the messiness of real-world travel. Travel rarely goes exactly as planned. A train gets canceled and we rebook on a flight. A schedule shift across multiple clients means upgrading to a later, pricier ticket. When that happens, we absorb the difference rather than coming back to you with adjustments. The flat-fee model is what makes that possible.
In practice, our actual costs almost always exceed the estimate. We're comfortable with that tradeoff because the predictability is worth it—for us and for our clients.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we see receipts for the actual travel?
The invoice isn't tied to actual receipts—it's a flat fee based on the pre-approved estimate, and the actual costs will almost always differ (sometimes higher, sometimes lower). The estimate itself is fully itemized, so you can see exactly what's included and what each line is based on. If your accounting process needs additional documentation of the estimate, we're happy to provide it.
What if the actual cost ends up lower than the estimate?
The invoice still reflects the approved estimate. The flat-fee model works in both directions: we don't ask you to true up when actuals run high, and we don't credit back when they run low. Across engagements, we're almost always the ones absorbing an overage.
What if something unexpected comes up mid-trip?
If a genuinely new expense arises that wasn't part of the original estimate—something neither of us anticipated—we'll flag it and ask for written approval before incurring it. If you approve, that one gets handled with a receipt. But for anything within the normal scope of the trip, the original estimate stands.
Would you prefer to bundle travel into the program fee?
Some clients find it cleaner to receive a single all-in number for the engagement rather than a separate travel line. We're happy to do it either way—just let us know what works best for your accounting process.
If anything here is unclear or you'd like to talk through how this would apply to a specific engagement, please reach out.