How do you arrange travel?

The Institute will pay for your reasonable travel from home to VCU and back, no more than the price of a round trip coach airplane ticket. Those who drive can be reimbursed, as described below. For the rest, it would be best (trust me on this) if you arranged travel through VCU. That eliminates out-of-pocket expenses and reduces painful paperwork. If you have already purchased a ticket, that's OK. You will be reimbursed (see below).

Another possibility is to consider going with others who happen to be in your area. Once I know where people are coming from, I will forward this information to everyone so you can arrange rides if geography and car space permit.

If you happen to live near Richmond, rejoice! You just saved a trip.

• Contact Melissa Korzecke (804-827-0335 or MLKorzecke@vcu.edu) to arrange plane, train, or bus travel. You can come to her with a detailed itinerary in hand or none at all.
   
• The two of you will need to fill out a Travel Authorization form. History tells us that it's best if Melissa does the filling and you do the supplying of information.
   
• You will probably need to hand in boarding passes, so be sure to keep them. No need for a Travel Expense Reimbursement form.

• All: Contact Melissa Korzecke@ (804-827-0335 or MLKorzecke@vcu.edu). She will take you through the intricacies of filling out the required Travel Authorization form. This must be done well in advance of travel (see What we need from you soon).
   
• Those traveling by plane, train, or bus: Keep something that demonstrates you paid for the ticket -- a receipt, a credit card statement, or a canceled check. A printout of an itinerary won't do. And keep your boarding passes!
   
• Those traveling by car: Keep track of the mileage. At present, you can be reimbursed for 24.5 cents/mile, if over 150 miles in a day, or 50 cents/mile, if under 150 miles in a day. There's a complicated set of rules (p.92) for food and lodging, should that be necessary. Note that food and lodging is for you, not for your driver, should you be so lucky to have one.
   
• Out of pocket expenses: Keep itemized receipts! This is especially important for motel rooms.
   
• All: As soon as possible after your arrival, turn in a completed Travel Expense Reimbursement form to Melissa Korzecke or to the Life Sciences office. Attach all receipts, boarding passes, etc. If you must wait for a credit card statement or canceled check to become available, wait, but understand that the form must be submitted within 30 working days after travel to be reimbursible.

• Flyers: Go into Richmond International Airport (RIC).
   
• Trainers: Go into Richmond Staples Mill Station (RVR) or (somewhat closer to VCU) Richmond Main St. Station (RVM).
   
• Bussers: Go to the Boulevard station.
   
• Drivers: Go to luxurious Gladding Apartments. Here are driving instructions from the North or West and from the South or East.

Rooms in luxurious Gladding Apartments will be available any time Tuesday, June 1. We hope you can get here before dinner (which we'll take care of), sometime around 6 pm. Gladding will close at noon, Wednesday, August 11.

Some may wonder, "Am I allowed to leave the Institute during the summer?" Note that the "I" in BBSI stands for "Institute", not "Institution". One major appeal of the life of academic research is that you are FREE! There are no attendance lists, no time cards. (People have 80+ hour work weeks because they WANT to.) If you can get done what needs to get done, with creativity and thoroughness, then you'll gain the satisfaction and opportunities that comes with accomplishment. If you can do that AND take a break, all the better.

There will no doubt be excursions now and then to play in D.C. or on the beach, for example. These will be organized by you at your pleasure. But we'll be happy to help in any way we can.

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