Travel Policies

These policies apply to all Advanced Research Training Course personnel (directors, faculty, lecturers, other staff), as well as to any student whose participation in a course provides for reimbursement of travel expenses.

  1. General Policy Information
    • Current mileage and per diem rates are indicated on the Travel Reimbursement Request form.
    • Requests for travel reimbursement must be submitted within 60 days of your departure from . Forms submitted after 60 days will not be processed.
    • Documentation is required for reimbursement. All receipts (original, scanned or electronic) must show proof of payment information and be submitted along with the reimbursement form. Email forms to education@mbl.edu
      • Any receipts that are not written in English must be submitted with an accompanying translation and currency conversion. Please use for conversions. The will only reimburse in U.S. dollars.
    • Rental cars are not reimbursed by
    • Overnight accommodations are not covered.
    • U.S. Visa fees are not covered by the . 
  1. Commercial Airlines or Railway
    • Fox World Travel – We strongly encourage course participants to use our partner, Fox World Travel to book flights which are directly billed to . The Education office will contact course participants with instructions for making reservations using this service.
    • Booking on your own – Include the following considerations when booking your travel:
      • Use U.S. based carriers when possible
      • Reserve early for lowest fares
    • Rates: Transportation is limited to round-trip coach class transportation only. does not reimburse flight change fees, upgrades or costs incurred for layovers.
  1. Personal Vehicles
    • Mileage (the rate includes the cost of fuel)
      • Mileage to and from airports, or to and from the , will be reimbursed at a rate set forth by the and indicated on the reimbursement form; the total amount reimbursed may not exceed the cost of economy airfare.
      • Documentation – Miles traveled should be indicated on the Travel Reimbursement Request Form and accompanied by a route map (Google Maps; MapQuest, etc.) to verify the distance traveled.
    • Parking –Attach receipts for airport/railway parking at point of origin to your reimbursement form.
    • Local Travel – Personal travel such as to restaurants, movies, etc. is not reimbursable.
    • Damage to Vehicle – Not covered by
  1. Ground Transportation
    • To Woods Hole from local airports – Ground transportation reimbursement to and from Logan Airport (Boston) or TF Green Airport (Providence) will be reimbursed at the cost of a bus ticket; original receipts for travel must be submitted. Service to Woods Hole is via or
    • Ground transportation expenses at point of origin
      • Reimbursement – Ground transportation reimbursement to and from the airport at your point of origin will be provided as follows:
        • Travel by taxi, limo, shuttle, Uber/Lyft, etc. will be reimbursed for mileage only, at the rate set forth by the . Claim this expense on the Personal Vehicle Mileage line on the Travel Reimbursement Request Form.
      • Ground transportation expenses incurred for personal travel such as to restaurants, movies, etc. are not reimbursable.
  1. Meals
    • Meals incurred on travel days will be reimbursed at the listed rate or based on receipts not in excess of the daily rate.
  1. Taxability of Travel Reimbursements to Non-employees
    • Taxability is determined by traveler’s citizenship and whether the purpose of travel is to perform service for .
    • There may be withholding of income tax from the reimbursement for non-US citizens (per the U.S. IRS)
    • Taxpayer identification must be provided before payments are issued.
      • a. U.S. citizens complete IRS form W-9
      • b. Non-U.S. citizens complete IRS form W-8BEN and coordinate with ’s Foreign National Coordinator to register in the FNIS (Foreign National Information System) to determine applicable income tax rates.