“Not all those who wander are lost.”

―J. R. R. Tolkien

But if you have ever “wandered” through Kennedy Airport during the midmorning rush, you might disagree with the master of Middle Earth. Traveling in the modern age isn’t always a mystical, magical affair. When it comes to the nuts and bolts of business travel, all you probably want to do is book your trip and get reimbursed. That’s what these guidelines are for.

One last thing: we will never forget that you are a Point B owner who is called upon to help steer the fates of major corporations every day. So when it comes to what you should expense, remember that we trust your judgment above everything else (but please read the guidelines anyway).

Cheers,

The Other Owners

Air Travel

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward…”

―Leonardo da Vinci

Obviously, Leonardo never flew the red-eye to Cleveland. Air travel is not always the delight that he imagined. When you must take to the skies for business, these guidelines and resources should make it easy to schedule and expense your flight. So when that precocious three-year-old behind you starts using your seat back as a punching bag, you can turn your eyes skyward and revel in the thought that it will all be over soon.

Ground Transportation

“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

―Jack Kerouac

No offense, Jack, but the only thing that is ever so on the road is the everlasting stream of drivers who seemingly never learned how to operate a turn signal or drive in the rain (or the sunshine, for that matter). Whether you’re traveling by car, train, bus, or rickshaw, these ground transportation guidelines will help get you where you’re going (and make sure you get paid in the process). Now put your eyes back on the road—that pothole isn’t going to evade itself.

Lodging

“When you get into a hotel room, you lock the door…there is a luxury, there is fantasy.”

—Diane von Furstenberg

A window overlooking the parking lot. Weird television channels. Eight-dollar bottles of water in the minibar. Your hotel stay won’t always match up to Diane’s luxurious description. But with these lodging guidelines and resources, you should be able to book well-established hotels that you can reasonably expense. So let the next-door bachelorette party rage on—you’ll be back in your own city in your own bed with your own remote control before you know it.

Misc. Expenses

“Miscellaneous is always the largest category.”

—Joel Rosenberg

Well, it may not be the largest, but it sure inspires the most questions, from “Can I expense those photocopies?” (yes!) to “Can I fly Wolfgang Puck in to whip me up an afternoon snack?” (probably not). So after you take care of transportation and lodging, be sure you know Point B’s guidelines on how to expense all those little things. And, to be safe, you should probably leave that full-size Elvis statue in the hotel gift shop. Sorry.