Making Travel Arrangements

Travelers and Delegates are expected to book the least expensive, practical itinerary regardless of the booking or payment method. Travelers have three options for booking travel. All travel must be entered into a Request and approved prior to ticket purchase:

      1. Concur Travel Online Booking Tool (Most Preferred): 
        Travelers are strongly encouraged to use the Concur Travel tool to book air, rail, hotel, and rental car travel. Trip details will automatically populate the Request.  After the request is approved, the traveler is automatically ticketed.

          • Booking via Concur Travel adds a $3.50 added cost per transaction
          • Concur allows for booking of flights and rail passage and automatically applies UMBC-contracted discounts with Amtrak and Delta, American, United, and Southwest airlines.
      2. Booking via USM Contracted Travel Management Company, ALTOUR (Second Preferred):
        Travelers may contact ALTOUR directly to obtain an unofficial quote. The quote must then be entered manually into a Request. Once the Request is approved, ALTOUR will be notified and will issue the ticket accordingly.

          • Booking over the phone with ALTOUR adds a fee of $24 for domestic travel and $26 for international travel
          • Hours for New Bookings or Changes Prior to Departure:
            🕗 Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (EST)
          • After-Hours Support (for emergencies only):
            Available 24/7 outside of normal business hours for urgent travel issues such as flight cancellations, delays, or schedule changes.
          • Email: travelon@altour.com
          • Phone: 800-333-2115
      3. Booking Independently via Third Party websites (Discouraged):
        Travelers may choose to book travel on their own, but are strongly discouraged from doing so. The traveler will bear the cost of booking travel on a personal card until they receive reimbursement. The full itinerary and cost must be manually entered into the Request. Reimbursement will only be processed after travel is complete and proper documentation—including a receipt showing method of payment—is uploaded to the Expense Report.
  • Considerations for planning travel:
    • Complex International travel is defined as a round-trip ticket itinerary containing more than 5 segments (including surface segments) or a round-trip ticket itinerary containing more than 2 business-required lodging stop-overs. Stop-overs required for overnight or next-day connections required by airline schedule are not treated as business-required. For assistance in booking complex international travel contact ALTOUR.
    • Travelers and Delegates should book refundable tickets in instances when cancellation may occur. Nonrefundable tickets, while less expensive, have more restrictions.
    • UMBC will not reimburse for tickets that had no cost such as “free” tickets or points redemption.
    • You may book lodging in Concur or with ALTOUR, but if traveling to a conference or event that offer discounted travel arrangements, book the travel arrangements through the conference or event site to ensure the group discount is included and no additional fees are incurred.