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Travel request form template

Let staff ask before they book a work trip: where, why, when, how they will get there, what it will cost and which budget pays.

21 questions · about 4 min · logic · file upload · e-signature

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Your name (required)

As it appears on your ID, for bookings.

Department

Your manager or approver (required)

What you get back

Every response lands in your results the moment it is sent. Turn on email notifications and each one arrives like this, and the same answers become a row in your spreadsheet.

From PulseFormCreator

Subject New response to Travel request

Your name
Nadia Rahman
Work email
nadia.rahman@example.com
Department
Community programs
Your manager or approver
Owen Price
Where are you going?
Brisbane
Domestic or international?
Domestic

and 11 more answers

A sample email with made-up answers.
submitted_atYour nameWork emailDepartmentYour manager or approverWhere are you going?
2026-09-22T09:41:00.000ZNadia Rahmannadia.rahman@example.comCommunity programsOwen PriceBrisbane

The first 6 of 37 columns. Export to CSV or Excel, or send each response to Google Sheets, Notion, Airtable, Slack or a webhook as it arrives, all on the free plan. The answers above are made up.

What this form asks, and why

The last column shows how many of the 12 real travel request forms we read ask the same thing.

Question Why it is there Real forms
Your name Required Asked on 11 of 12 forms. 11 of 12 forms
Work email Required Where the approval and any booking details go. 3 of 12 forms
Department Filled in from a department’s own link. 6 of 12 forms
Your manager or approver Required Named so the request reaches the right approver. 1 of 12 forms
Where are you going? Required Asked on 8 of 12 forms. 8 of 12 forms
Domestic or international? Required International trips get one more question and their own thank-you screen. 2 of 12 forms
What is the trip for? Required Asked on 11 of 12 forms, often with the event’s full name. 11 of 12 forms
Leaving on Required Dates appear on 9 of 12 forms. 9 of 12 forms
Back on Required The nights of accommodation follow from it. 9 of 12 forms
How will you travel? Required Decides which costs apply. 3 of 12 forms
Anyone else from here going? Shared rooms and cars cut the bill. 2 of 12 forms
Fares or mileage (estimate) Costs by category, as on 10 of 12 forms. 10 of 12 forms
Accommodation (estimate) Adds to the running total. 10 of 12 forms
Registration or fees Often prepaid, so finance needs it early. 4 of 12 forms
Meals and incidentals (estimate) A per-day guess is enough. 10 of 12 forms
Budget or grant to charge Required The budget or grant to charge, on 8 of 12 forms. 8 of 12 forms
Do you need a travel advance? An advance has to be arranged before the trip. 3 of 12 forms
Conference brochure or agenda Backs up the purpose, as on 3 of 12 forms. 3 of 12 forms
Will you take a work laptop or use work systems abroad? Only when “Domestic or international?” is International Shown for international trips: laptops and data abroad can need clearance. 1 of 12 forms
Travel policy Required Book nothing before approval, the rule several forms print. 3 of 12 forms
Your signature Required On 7 of 12 forms. The response records when it was sent. 7 of 12 forms

What we left out

  • Date of birth, gender and passport number. 2 of 12 forms ask a date of birth, for bookings. Collect booking details from approved travellers only.
  • A personal credit card number. 1 of 12 forms asks for one. Card numbers never belong in a form field.
  • Approval signatures. 6 of 12 forms have a supervisor line, many a second approver too. Approvers act after it is sent.

What 12 real travel request forms ask

In September 2026 we read 12 travel request forms that organisations use today (US 11, NL 1) and recorded every field. This is how often each one appears. It is part of the Form Field Index.

  1. Purpose of the trip 11 of 12 (11 of 12 forms)
  2. Traveller’s name 11 of 12 (11 of 12 forms)
  3. Estimated costs by category 10 of 12 (10 of 12 forms)
  4. Departure and return dates 9 of 12 (9 of 12 forms)
  5. Total 9 of 12 (9 of 12 forms)
  6. Budget, account or grant to charge 8 of 12 (8 of 12 forms)
  7. Destination 8 of 12 (8 of 12 forms)
  8. Signature 7 of 12 (7 of 12 forms)
  9. Department or operating unit 6 of 12 (6 of 12 forms)
  10. Supervisor approval 6 of 12 (6 of 12 forms)
  11. Second approver 5 of 12 (5 of 12 forms)
  12. Costs paid in advance 4 of 12 (4 of 12 forms)
The 12 forms we read
  1. City of Milford (Delaware) · city government, US
  2. Arkansas Division of Higher Education · state government agency, US
  3. Texas Tech University, Department of Plant and Soil Science · university department, US
  4. Research Foundation for SUNY · university research foundation, US
  5. Cook County (Illinois) · county government, US
  6. Samford University · university, US
  7. Palo Verde College · community college, US
  8. Naval Postgraduate School · federal education institution, US
  9. St. John’s University · university, US
  10. St. Peter’s Health (Helena, Montana) · hospital, US
  11. Clovis Community College · community college, US
  12. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Registry · international court (UN), NL

How the form changes as people answer

Most people see a shorter form. These questions and screens only appear when an answer calls for them.

  1. When “Domestic or international?” is International

    shows “Will you take a work laptop or use work systems abroad?”

  2. When “Domestic or international?” is International

    shows the “Request sent, …” ending

  3. As people answer

    adds up Estimated trip cost ($)

  4. At the end

    shows one of 2 thank-you screens: “Request sent, …”, “Request sent, …”

Make it yours

  1. Copy finance in

    Turn on the Connect tab’s Email me card and add finance under Also send to, so prepaid fees are booked in time.

  2. One link per department

    Add ?dept=Community programs to the link and the department is already filled in.

  3. Keep a travel register

    Connect Google Sheets and each request becomes a row with the dates, destination and estimated total.

Questions about this template

Is a travel request the same as an expense claim?

No. The request asks permission and estimates the cost before anyone books. The expense claim, with receipts, comes after the trip.

Is the total worked out for the traveller?

Yes. Each cost adds to a running total they see before sending, and the total is saved with the request.

How far ahead should staff ask?

Put your rule in the note at the top. Texas Tech’s plant and soil science department asks two weeks for a domestic trip and 30 days for an international one; the ICTY asked seven days.

Does it suit government or grant-funded travel?

Pick “Public or grant-funded” above the preview: employee number, a per diem check, the cheapest option and why a video call would not do.

Which form do you need?

The travel request form is one of the request forms. If it is not quite the job, one of these may be.

Start with the travel request form template

Open it in the editor, add your notice period and budgets, and share the link on your staff intranet.

Use this template

Updated 22 September 2026. Evidence read September 2026 from 12 real forms.