This policy sets forth the expectations, guidelines, and procedures for costs associated with travel undertaken on behalf of the Foundation. Each team member’s responsible for being attentive to the reasonable and effective use of resources and money. Generally, the quality of travel, accommodations, and related expenses should be governed by what is reasonable, appropriate, and customary to the Foundation and the travel purpose involved.

Overview

GitLab Foundation team members must obtain written approval for all GitLab Foundation-related travel in advance of booking arrangements (this does not apply to all-team travel such as GTLF team meetings):
1. Team member speaks with their manager and send an email about potential travel and shares the following information:
  1. Dates of Travel
  2. Location of Travel
    1. This includes deviation requests (traveling to/from somewhere other than the team member's home state)
  3. Purpose (who, what, and why)
2. The manager responds by approving or denying the trip
3. Team member books the travel via Navan
4. Send calendar invite to the Team Calendar
  1. Title the event: “Team Member Name at XYZ” (Elicia at MIE Conference)
5. Team members are responsible for sharing details of work-related trips or meetings on bi-weekly team meetings.

Guidelines

Planning travel in advance can help you get cheaper fares when booking and arrangements should not be booked less than 21 days from the travel date if traveling domestically and not less than 45 days from the travel date if traveling internationally. It is recommended team members plan well in advance.
Flights, Trains, and Rental Cars must be booked through Navan (see onboarding guide). We strongly encourage team members to book hotels through Navan, but utilizing third-party vendors is appropriate in specific circumstances (e.g., a discounted hotel rate for an event).
1. Team members should use their company-issued credit cards for all travel unless they are combining with personal travel.
The Foundation will cover all work-related travel expenses up to designated thresholds. This includes lodging and meals during the work-related part of the trip. Depending on your travel distance, it can include one day before and one day after the work-related business.
- For example, if you are attending a three-day conference in a jet-lag-inducing location, the company will cover your lodging and meals for those three days as well as one day before and one day after.
The Foundation will cover travel costs to and from a destination or airport. This includes public transit, ride-sharing services (Lyft, Uber, etc.), or personal vehicle mileage between one's home and airport, bus/rail station, or work-related meeting.
The Foundation can accommodate custom requests. It may be OK to stay longer on your trip for personal reasons. However, the Foundation will not cover the extra non-work-related days. Check with your supervisor to confirm your plans.
Understand the guidelines of our **Expense Policy** before you travel.
Be informed of the organization’s Business Travel and Accident Policy.
Always bring your foundation credit card when traveling on behalf of the Foundation.
International Requirements:
1. Visit the U.S. Department of State website and look up the country you plan to visit. This will inform you about important information, including:
  1. Passport validity
  2. Vaccinations
  3. Restrictions
  4. Safety and Security (please contact the Director of Operations if the security level is 3 or above to obtain additional guidance).
2. Register with the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) and add your trip information.
Always have proper identification when traveling domestically and internationally.
- Team members traveling internationally should check that their identification and passports are current with at least six months of validity and three blank visa pages. Employees may never travel on a tourist visa when traveling on Foundation business but rather obtain a business visa (or equivalent) as necessary before the scheduled departure date. Expenses associated with obtaining a business visa or passport, e.g., certified copies of birth certificates, for Foundation business travel are reimbursable.
Save your receipts (e.g., by snapping a picture or keeping a hard receipt):
- Itemized receipts are required for any expense over $50 when using your foundation credit card.
  - Itemized receipts must contain the following information: business name, date of transaction, item(s) purchased, price of each item(s), and total bill amount, which must match the transaction amount (you may write the tip on the receipt).
- If you use a personal credit card for any travel expenses, they generally will not be reimbursed until the trip has been completed. Itemized receipts are required for all expenses incurred with a personal credit card, regardless of the amount.
Hotels generally expect you to present a physical credit card upon check-in. This credit card will be kept on file for the duration of your stay. Even if your lodging was pre-paid by the Foundation or using a Foundation credit card, the hotel may still require a card to be on file for incidentals.
When your trip is complete, please file an expense report or submit expense receipts within 30 days.
Team members are responsible for any increases in ticket prices related to personal reasons, except for sickness and family emergencies. Changes made to existing flights for personal reasons should be paid with a personal credit card.
GitLab Foundation will not cover expenses incurred by personal guests.

Flights

Flights must be booked in Navan in basic economy (though economy plus may be used if purchased if basic economy options are unsuitable (don’t allow you to select a seat, bring a carry-on, etc.). Please note that types of tickets vary from airline to airline.
1. Flight segments that exceed 6 hours may be booked in business class
Planning flights far in advance can help you get cheaper fares when booking flights, and should not be booked less than 21 days from the travel date when traveling domestically and not less than 30 days when traveling internationally
Fees associated with flight cancellations are not eligible for reimbursement unless the Foundation requests a change to your itinerary after you purchased the airfare. Team members are responsible for any increases in the airfare ticket price related to personal reasons, except for sickness and family emergencies. Changes made to existing flights for personal reasons should be paid with a personal credit card.
Flight fees for the first checked bag are allowable
Lost, stolen, or delayed baggage or replacement of baggage contents is not eligible for reimbursement. The GitLab Foundation maintains a Business Travel Accident Policy, and you will need to submit a claim (please see policy for additional information). Please reach out to the Director of Operations before submitting a claim.
Frequent flyer programs
1. Participation in frequent flyer programs must not influence airfare selection if it results in an out-of-policy option.
2. Team Members may use personal frequent flyer miles or points for upgrades on business travel, however, Team Members will not be reimbursed for charges.
Navan Policies: The flight policy in Navan is set up as a “Dynamic Policy,” which calculates a fair market price for every search based on travel dates and destinations. Any purchases exceeding 30% of the Dynamic Policy will be flagged for further review by the team member’s manager or CFO.

Trains

Trains must be booked in Navan in economy class
1. Train segments that exceed 6 hours may be booked in business class.
Trains should not be booked less than 14 days from the travel date
Fees for the first checked bag are allowable
Lost, stolen, or delayed baggage or replacement of baggage contents is not eligible for reimbursement. The GitLab Foundation maintains a Business Travel Accident Policy, and you will need to submit a claim (please see the policy for additional information). Please reach out to the Director of Operations before submitting a claim.

Hotels

We strongly encourage team members to book hotels through Navan, but utilizing third-party vendors is appropriate in specific circumstances (e.g., a discounted hotel rate for an event).
1. Airbnb’s may be booked through their platform. Booking through Airbnb is permitted if it is cheaper than a hotel stay for your trip.
The maximum rate is $300/night, or equivalent, before taxes. If you are unable to find a suitable hotel in this range, please contact the Director of Operations for assistance.
1. If attending an event, the established rate for the venue where the event is being hosted is allowable and will override the maximum rate above.
Lodging folios are required for reimbursement.
1. Itemized receipts will be required for any expenses charged to the room over $50. (i.e., if you order dinner for $51.00 and have it charged to the room, you will also need to submit the itemized receipt in Divvy). If they are under $50, please list what each meal or charge was for.
Lodging, parking, and in-room internet/WiFi access are allowable charges (though they are sometimes offered for free)
Navan Policies: Hotel room policy only allows booking of hotels up to a maximum rate of $300/night

Ground Transportation

Parking at airports or train stations for the duration of Foundation-approved travel is allowable; a receipt is required and must include start and end dates and the daily parking rate.
Mileage for personal vehicles in the U.S. is incurred at the current U.S. Internal Revenue Service rate.
Taxis and other modes of public transportation or ride share, such as Uber, are reimbursable.

Rental Cars

Rental cars must be booked through Navan.
Rental cars up to economy are allowed; larger cars are allowed if a valid business reason is provided; however, the size and type of the rental car should be appropriate for the number of people in the car and the road conditions on which it will be used. Hybrid rentals are allowed. In-car navigation systems and electronic toll payment options for rental cars are reimbursable. All other convenience options, e.g., satellite radio, are non-reimbursable.
1. Team members should purchase rental car insurance listed below at the time of booking:
  1. Loss-and-damage waiver (LDW)/collision damage waiver (CDW)
  2. Supplemental liability protection
  3. Personal accident protection
  4. Personal effects coverage
2. If there is any incident or accident, please immediately contact the Director of Operations.
3. Depending on an employee's citizenship, rental agencies could require an international driver’s license when renting a car internationally. The cost to acquire this license is reimbursable if the purpose of obtaining it is Foundation business-related.
  1. Please familiarize yourself with the country’s requirements before renting a vehicle. The Director of Operations can assist you with this if needed.
4. To maximize cost savings, employees should refuel rental cars before returning them.

Meals

Team members are able to spend up to a maximum of $100 per day on meals while traveling (including the purchase of alcohol), except for in the cities listed below:
1. Domestic: Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, DC ($150 per day)
Meals are reimbursable at the above rates but are not a per-diem rate

Internet and Cell Phone Coverage

Internet is reimbursable up to $30 per day while traveling.

GitLab Foundation will reimburse team members for international service on their cell phones on the days they travel on behalf of the Foundation. Team members should contact their cell phone carrier before traveling.

Cyber Security

Team members who plan to work while traveling should contact the Director of Operations to implement the use of NordVPN.

Vaccinations

GitLab Foundation will cover employee costs to receive country-specific vaccinations required or recommended. Team members should contact their insurance provider before submitting for reimbursement to GTLF, as team members’ health plans will cover most vaccines. You can find country-specific information here.

Insurance

GitLab Foundation provides Travel & Accident Insurance for team members traveling on behalf of the Foundation. Please know the insurance information and contact the Director of Operations for additional guidance.

Personal travel in conjunction with business travel

GitLab Foundation understands that team members may want to extend a work trip for personal reasons. Team members are responsible for additional costs and may not use their Foundation credit card for personal expenses. Personal charges will need to be separated from all work-related expenses. The following will be allowable for reimbursement:

Airfare/Rail: The Foundation will cover roundtrip airfare to and from the destination as long as the trip originates and ends in the team member’s home state (regardless of the date and arrival of departure). To ensure the prudent use of travel funds, the GitLab Foundation cannot pay or reimburse any additional costs resulting from traveler preferences or deviations.
1. If a team member is flying to or from a location other than their home state, they will need to obtain approval from their manager and Director of Operations when receiving approval for the trip and pay for the flight.
2. The team member will need to submit reimbursement for a modified trip using the following steps:
  1. Price Comparison: Price out what the roundtrip airfare would have cost GTLF using Navan and take a screenshot of the details (flights, price, date, and time of screenshot) (example)
  2. Book with a personal card: book the modified trip with your personal credit card. The trip must be booked on the same date the price comparison is made in Navan
  3. Reimbursement amount: team members will need to submit a reimbursement request via Divvy:
    1. If the modified trip is less than the price comparison, team members will be reimbursed for the cost of the modified trip
    2. If the modified trip is more than the price comparison, team members will be reimbursed for the price comparison (what the trip would have cost GTLF)
  4. Submit reimbursement request: team members will need to submit a reimbursement request for the amount (based on the above guidelines) using Divvy and attach the price comparison and the receipt for the modified trip.
Mileage: if driving to the destination, team members will be reimbursed at the rate per mile for the roundtrip (as long as the reimbursement cost is less than a flight would have cost). Deviations will require a cost comparison.
Rental Cars, Rideshares, and Taxis: costs associated will only be for transportation to and from the airport and during the days when team members are on GitLab Foundation business. Specifically, this includes:
1. Roundtrip to and from the departure airport
2. Roundtrip to and from the destination airport
3. Travel to and from meetings and events related to the Foundation
Meals: daily meal allowances will only be available during the days when team members are working or have business meetings
Lodging: team members can only expense the days associated with a business purpose. Additional days will need to be paid directly by the team member.
Events and conferences: Team members should be able to deduct entry costs for any business-related event during their vacation time but not for entry to other events.

If you have additional questions, please contact the Director of Operations.

Navan Guide