Managing Travel
View, track, and manage travel requests and bookings across your organization.
The Trips page shows all travel requests in your organization. You can view, filter, and manage trips from a central location.
Viewing Trips
The Trips page provides powerful tools to find and organize travel:
- Filter by Status - View trips by their current status (Draft, Submitted, Pending Approval, Approved, Booked, Completed, etc.)
- Search - Find specific trips by traveler name, destination, or trip details
- Sort - Organize trips by date, traveler, total cost, or status
- View Details - Click any trip to see full details including bookings, approvals, and policy compliance
Trip Statuses
Understanding trip statuses helps you track where each request is in the workflow:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | Trip created but not yet submitted for approval |
| Submitted | Trip submitted and awaiting approval |
| Pending Approval | Trip is being reviewed by approvers |
| Approved | Trip has been approved and can proceed to booking |
| Rejected | Trip was denied by an approver |
| Booked | Travel has been successfully booked |
| Completed | Travel has been completed |
| Cancelled | Trip was cancelled |
Trips move through these statuses automatically as they progress through the approval and booking workflow.
Trip Details
Each trip shows comprehensive information:
- Traveler Information - Who is traveling
- Travel Dates - When the trip occurs
- Destinations - Where they're going
- Estimated Budget - Total expected cost
- Cost Code - How the expense should be allocated
- Bookings - Linked flight and hotel bookings with details
- Approval History - Who approved/rejected and when
- Policy Compliance - Whether the trip meets your travel policies
Understanding Policy Compliance
The trip details page shows which policies apply and whether the trip meets them:
- Compliant - Trip meets all policy requirements
- Requires Approval - Policy violations triggered approval workflow
- Policy Violations - Specific rules that were violated
Creating Trips
Trips are created by employees through the Helix app (the main booking interface). They simply chat with Helix to request travel, and trips are automatically created in the portal for approval and tracking.
As an admin, you can view all trips in your organization, but travelers create trips through the Helix app, not the admin portal.
Filtering and Searching
Filter by Status
Use status filters to focus on specific stages of the travel workflow:
- View all Pending Approval trips to prioritize reviews
- Check Booked trips to see confirmed travel
- Review Completed trips for historical data
Search Functionality
Search across multiple fields:
- Traveler name - Find trips by employee
- Destination - Locate trips to specific cities or countries
- Trip details - Search within trip descriptions or notes
Sorting Options
Organize trips by:
- Date - See newest or oldest trips first
- Traveler - Group trips by employee
- Total Cost - Identify highest or lowest cost trips
- Status - Group by workflow stage
Best Practices
For Travel Admins
- Review Regularly - Check trips page daily for pending approvals
- Monitor Trends - Use filters to identify patterns in travel requests
- Track Compliance - Review policy compliance to refine policies
- Communicate - Use trip details to understand traveler needs
For Approvers
- Check Status - Filter to "Pending Approval" to see what needs your attention
- Review Details - Click into trips to see full context before approving
- Track Decisions - Review approval history to maintain consistency
For Finance Admins
- Export Data - Use trip data for expense reconciliation
- Track Costs - Monitor estimated budgets vs. actual costs
- Cost Code Analysis - Review cost code usage across trips