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Workflow Template

Travel Request and Approval Workflow

Captures employee travel requests, routes them to the traveller's manager for policy review, escalates high-cost trips ($3,000+) to finance approval, and notifies the traveller at each stage until the trip is authorised for booking.

Travel requests stall in inboxes when a manager forgets to reply, finance approval for a big trip gets buried, and the traveller is left guessing whether their booking is safe to make. This workflow captures the request once, routes it automatically to the manager and, for trips of $3,000 or more, on to finance, while updating the record status at every stage. The traveller gets an email at submission, rejection, or authorisation, so the team spends less time forwarding requests and answering 'is this approved yet?' questions.

Business Outcomes

  • Reduces time spent manually routing travel requests between managers and finance
  • Improves visibility into where each trip request sits, from submission to authorisation
  • Cuts down on status-check emails by notifying travellers automatically at each stage
  • Helps apply consistent cost-based escalation so high-cost trips reach finance review
  • Supports faster turnaround on low-cost trips that don't need finance approval

Workflow Steps

Steps

  1. 1
    Create Travel Request Recordcreate record

    Creates the travel request record from the submitted form data.

  2. 2
    Set Status to Submittedupdate record

    Sets the trip status to Submitted on the new record.

  3. 3
    Send Acknowledgement Emailsend email

    Emails the traveller an acknowledgement with their reference number.

  4. 4
    Set Status to Manager Reviewupdate record

    Updates the trip status to Manager Review as the request enters manager approval.

  5. 5
    Manager Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval

    The traveller's manager reviews the request against travel policy and approves or rejects it.

  6. 6
    Route on Manager Decision

    Routes the workflow based on the manager's approval decision.

    approval_status: "approved"→Check Estimated Cost Threshold
    approval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to Rejected (Manager)
    Default→End
  7. 7
    Set Status to Rejected (Manager)update record

    Updates the trip status to Rejected following manager rejection.

  8. 8
    Notify Traveller of Manager Rejectionsend email

    Emails the traveller that their travel request was not approved by their manager.

  9. 9
    Check Estimated Cost Threshold

    Routes to finance approval if the estimated cost is $3,000 or more, otherwise proceeds to authorisation.

    estimated_cost: "3000"→Set Status to Finance Review
    Default→Set Status to Authorised
  10. 10
    Set Status to Finance Reviewupdate record

    Updates the trip status to Finance Review as the high-cost request enters finance approval.

  11. 11
    Finance Approvalrequest approvalrequires approval

    Finance reviews the high-cost travel request and approves or rejects it.

  12. 12
    Route on Finance Decision

    Routes the workflow based on finance's approval decision.

    approval_status: "approved"→Set Status to Authorised
    approval_status: "rejected"→Set Status to Rejected (Finance)
    Default→End
  13. 13
    Set Status to Rejected (Finance)update record

    Updates the trip status to Rejected following finance rejection.

  14. 14
    Notify Traveller of Finance Rejectionsend email

    Emails the traveller that their travel request was not approved by finance.

  15. 15
    Set Status to Authorisedupdate record

    Updates the trip status to Authorised now that all required approvals are complete.

  16. 16
    Notify Traveller of Authorisationsend email

    Emails the traveller that the trip is authorised for booking.

Fields

Show all 11 fields

FormBusiness Travel Request Form

  • Traveller Name*· Text
  • Traveller Email*· Email
  • Department*· Text
  • Destination*· Text
  • Travel Type*· Choice
  • Departure Date*· Date
  • Return Date*· Date
  • Purpose of Travel*· Long text
  • Estimated Cost*· Number
  • Project or Cost Centre*· Text

Other fields

  • Trip Status· Choice
  • Traveller Name*
  • Traveller Email*
  • Department*
  • Destination*
  • Travel Type*
  • Departure Date*

Forms

Business Travel Request Form

10 fields

Data Views

Travel Requests

traveller_name, destination, departure_date, estimated_cost +1 more

Dashboard Widgets

Trips by Trip Status

Recommended integrations

Setup the following integrations to extend workflow capability.

  • Send email in the workflow

    AWS SES logoAWS SES
travel requestbusiness travel approvaltravel authorizationtravel workflowexpense management

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Similar Categories

Human Resources

FAQs

What happens if a manager rejects the travel request?

The record status is set to Rejected and the traveller receives an email letting them know their manager did not approve the request. The workflow ends there for that request, and the rejection is recorded on the record's timeline for later reference.

What happens if the estimated cost is under $3,000?

Once the manager approves the request, the workflow checks the estimated cost and, if it's below $3,000, skips finance review entirely. The status moves straight to Authorised and the traveller is notified the trip is cleared for booking.

Can this handle trips that need finance approval?

Yes. Any request with an estimated cost of $3,000 or more is automatically routed to finance after manager approval, with the status set to Finance Review while it waits. Finance can then approve or reject it, and the traveller is notified of the outcome by email.

What if finance rejects a high-cost trip after the manager already approved it?

The status updates to Rejected and the traveller gets an email explaining that finance did not approve the request. This keeps the record accurate even when a trip clears one approval stage but not the other.

Who is involved in approving a travel request?

The traveller's manager reviews every request against travel policy as the first approval step. For trips estimated at $3,000 or more, finance reviews the request as a second approval step before it can be authorised.

Can we change the $3,000 finance escalation threshold?

Yes. The cost check step can be edited in the workflow editor, or you can describe the change you want in plain English, such as raising or lowering the threshold. Earlier versions of the workflow are kept, so you can review what changed.

What does the traveller see throughout the process?

The traveller submits the request through a public form and doesn't need an account to take part. They receive an acknowledgement email with their reference number at submission, then a follow-up email at rejection or authorisation, whichever applies to their request.

What if we want to add more approval stages or fields?

Additional steps, such as another approval stage or extra fields on the request form, can be added by describing the change in plain English or editing the steps directly in the workflow editor. Because earlier versions are kept, you can compare the updated workflow against the original.

How do we track where a specific travel request stands?

Each request is a record with a reference number, a current status, and a timeline showing what has happened so far, from Submitted through Manager Review, Finance Review if applicable, and on to Authorised or Rejected. Table views and dashboards let the team see records grouped by status at a glance.

Does connecting Stripe automatically add payment collection to this workflow?

No, connecting Stripe on its own doesn't change this workflow. A payment step would need to be added deliberately if the team wants to collect payment as part of the travel request process.

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Travel Request and Approval Workflow | assess.one