UVM has partnered with Collegiate Travel Planners (CTP) to provide our affiliates with travel booking and support services. The use of CTP also allows UVM to fulfill our duty of care for our travelers by offering risk mitigating features and improved reporting compared to our previous internal travel authorization process.
UVM and CTP’s contracted rates and UVM’s Travel Policy are built into Lightning, the online booking tool, providing cost savings and an efficient booking experience. CTP offers discounted rates on airfare and rental car bookings, and peace of mind with 24/7 live agent support to travelers while underway.
There are many benefits of using CTP such as:
- Fulfilling UVM’s duty of care requirements and enabling the discontinuation of the Travel Authorization process in PeopleSoft effective 4/1/2024.
- Providing our faculty and staff with personalized assistance, 24/7 support, and a dedicated account manager to address any travel-related inquiries or concerns.
- Allowing employees to enter their frequent flier information and earn points for flights booked through CTP.
- Offering reduced fares. NOTE: When booking online, the only cost for CTP services is a $4 per ticket administrative fee.
- Ensuring compliance with the Fly America Act for those using federal funds
- Facilitating group travel reservations.
- Allowing UVM employees to use this booking tool to arrange travel for visitors, guest speakers, applicants, etc.
- Tracking unused tickets and transferring the ticket to another UVM employee.
Download the CTP mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play to enjoy seamless booking, effortless itinerary management, real-time updates, and traveler support! When prompted, log in using your University Single Sign-On credentials to access all the features and benefits.
Plan Your Trip
How to Use CTP
- Access the online booking tool, Lightning, with your UVM netID and password
- Download the CTP Mobile app from the Apple Store or Google Play to book, manage, and receive updates on your travel. Login with your UVM netID and password
- Use the Lightning portal to book travel needs including airfare and car rentals
- Arrange and book group travel
- The traveler or their delegate (e.g., department administrative staff) is responsible for booking travel using CTP travel agency.
- Use the CTP University Travel Request Form for more complex travel requests.
- See the Travel Policy for a definition of "Eligible Travelers" for expense reimbursement and full details of allowable and unallowable expenses for airfare, lodging, car rentals, and other ground transportation.
- A University Purchasing Card (PurCard) should be used whenever possible.
- For conference registrations, if a PurCard is not accepted or available for payment, please submit a Check Request Form to the Disbursement Center for pre-payment. Payments made with personal funds will be reimbursed after the conference has occurred.
- If a traveler chooses to pay for travel arrangements personally instead of using a UVM PurCard, they will be reimbursed only after returning from the trip.
Flights - Seat Selection and Boarding Passes
- Seat Selection with CTP Lightning Tool - As the arranger, select specific seats for your travelers on the seat map; OR skip selecting specific seats, and CTP will automatically select seats based on the requests notated in their profile.
- Boarding Passes - On the itinerary in CTP Lightning, there is a Check In Now button, available 24 hours before departure. This brings you to the airline’s website, where you can proceed with obtaining boarding passes. Alternatively, you can download the specific airline’s mobile app to obtain boarding passes.
Flights - International Travel
- International Travel with Multiple Stops
- CTP encourages travelers/travel arrangers to use the CTP travel agents to book complex international travel (complex is defined as more than one destination/multiple stops). CTP agents are able to creatively fare and ticket which an online booking tool cannot do (such as; around the world, point-to-point, through fares, open jaws, ticketing in different currencies, etc.).
- In addition, CTP agents provide consultation. For instance, if you are connecting through Johannesburg, South Africa, the airlines cannot legally ticket a schedule that is under 50 minutes connection time. However, our agents would advise a schedule with at least a 2.5 hour layover, as the customs in Johannesburg can often get messy and time consuming. They will also advise you if you are using multiple carriers when the baggage will be tagged all the way to your final destination, and when you will need to pick up your baggage and re-check them.
- Furthermore, when you book an international travel reservation with CTP agents, it is automatically sent to their International Rate Desk (IRD). IRD is made up of only CTP’s most senior and experienced international agents, and they quality control the original travel agent’s work to ensure that a more creative faring or different routing was not available that would save additional time and dollars.
- Intra-Country Flights Abroad If you are traveling abroad, and need flights within that country, please contact a CTP agent to assist you with those in-country connections. They work with partner agencies in other countries to be able to meet these needs.
Vehicle Rentals
The University’s auto rental contracts are for domestic vehicle rental only. If you need to rent a vehicle when traveling abroad, you do not need to go through CTP.
See the Automobile Rental University Operating Procedure and UVM's contracted suppliers for more details about car rentals.
Contact CTP
Online Support Team:
Phone: 877-208-1396
Email: na.online@travelctm.com
Hours: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM ET, Monday – Friday
CTP’s online support is complimentary.
Work with an agent:
Phone: 888-491-6735 / 531-242-6605
Email: uvm@ctptravelservices.com
Hours: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM ET, Monday – Friday
After Hours: 7:00 PM – 9:00 AM ET, Monday – Friday, Weekends & Holidays
To call or email your agent team during normal business hours is complimentary. We do assess a CTP service fee when you ticket a reservation with a CTP agent ($28 domestic and $30 international). After-hours calls start at $25 without ticketing and $35 with ticketing.
For questions about UVM’s interaction with CTP and UVM Travel policy, email Travel@uvm.edu
News and Notes
NEW 11/7/24 - Real ID Requirement Update: Effective May 7, 2025, US travelers must be REAL ID compliant to board domestic flights. If your driver’s license has a star or you have an enhanced driver’s license, you are ready. A passport is an acceptable form of identification and may be used in lieu of a REAL ID driver’s license.
If you have questions about the following transactions and processes, email the applicable office.
| Transaction or Process | |
|---|---|
| Invoice processing | disburse@uvm.edu |
| Non-foreign check request W-9 ACH | supplier@uvm.edu via secure file transfer |
| Foreign check requests Employee vs Independent Contractor determination | taxadmin@uvm.edu |
| Travel and expense reimbursement | travel@uvm.edu |
| PurCard issues | purcard@uvm.edu |
Mileage Reimbursement Rates
- 2025 Mileage: $0.70/mi (effective for travel taking place on and after January 1, 2025)
- Use the previous reimbursement rate of $0.67/mi for mileage incurred prior to and on 12/31/24.
- This mileage rate is intended to reimburse for fuel and general wear and tear on a personal vehicle. This rate applies to all personally owned vehicles, regardless of the fuel type.
- Ensure the dates used to report mileage on expense reports are correct to ensure the proper amount is reimbursed.