Owner needed. Effective 24 March 2025, unverified in Notion, and it names five contact people — at least two of whom no longer appear in the workspace. See the migration note at the foot before publishing.
To make business travel efficient, cost-effective and safe, with company standards that comply with project and budget requirements. The aim is to keep travel management as simple and streamlined as realistically possible while achieving that.
All travel requires approval from the relevant budget owner or designated approver.
Confirm trip details with the budget owner before booking. That gives the approver context and creates the record. Once approved, book through TravelPerk.
Booking no longer requires admin approval on the platform, but requests are expected during normal business hours on weekdays so they can be processed without delay. Submissions on TravelPerk are assumed to carry the necessary authorisation, and remain subject to the rules set on the system. Team members are expected to act responsibly and are accountable for irregular costs.
Timing. Prices move. Submit the authorisation request as soon as the need for travel arises.
All flights are booked exclusively through TravelPerk.
Advance booking. Billable project flights at least 7 days ahead wherever possible; short-notice bookings need extra care to stay within benchmarks and project budgets. Non-billable flights at least 14 days ahead. Internal events with known dates — the retreat, quarterly gatherings — are booked well ahead with the organising committee.
Platform policy. Dynamic budget capped at 10% above the cheapest option, no maximum budget set, booking window more than 7 days before departure, economy cabin, with premium economy allowed on flights over 6 hours.
Class of service. Under 6 hours, basic flex economy. Over 6 hours, a more comfortable seat selection is allowed. Domestic flights are basic economy unless a specific exception is approved — and where TravelPerk's domestic options are limited and the best-priced flight is not on the platform, contact the travel manager to coordinate.
Special cases. Flexible booking is permitted for uncertain schedules. Seat selection is allowed within the approved budget.
Extra costs from personal preference — additional baggage, purchases on the plane or at the airport unrelated to the trip — are paid by the team member. Collaborators who are not team members but travelling for ATÖLYE have flights booked by project managers on TravelPerk.
Book through TravelPerk, prioritising ATÖLYE's hotel partners. The company covers standard room rates only; upgrades or extras need pre-approval.
| City | Partner |
|---|---|
| Dubai | 25H and Hyde |
| Abu Dhabi | The Edition |
| Istanbul | No partner at present, following the office move |
Travellers may book other hotels in these cities where prices are better. Platform settings: dynamic budget capped at 10% above median price, no maximum, booked more than 7 days before check-in. Airbnb bookings go through TravelPerk's Concierge module.
All team members travelling on company business are expected to buy standard travel insurance before departure, covering the destination and the whole trip. Submit the invoice for reimbursement. High-risk destinations or specific activities may require additional cover — check before you go.
For destinations where malaria, yellow fever, typhoid or similar are prevalent, take the necessary vaccinations and medication before travelling. ATÖLYE will support travellers in unfortunate circumstances but is not liable for problems arising from a traveller's own negligence.
Expense reports are due within 5 business days of the trip ending, per the Expense Policy. The latest acceptable submission is the first day of the month for the preceding month.
Receipts are required for everything — flights, hotels, meals, incidentals. Where possible, receipts should be addressed to the corporate entity. Personal entertainment, personal phone calls and other non-business expenses are not reimbursed.
Paid in advance, based on destination and scope of work, covering three daily meals and inner-city travel.
| Destination | Per diem |
|---|---|
| UAE and Qatar | 75 USD per day |
| Saudi Arabia | 75 USD per day |
| Europe | 50 EUR per day |
| Turkey (travelling in from elsewhere) | 30 USD per day |
The UAE rate does not apply to team members based in Dubai working in the UAE.
The authorisation provider or the traveller's coach must notify finance before travel begins so the allowance can be deposited. Receipts must account for the full per diem received — anything unspent or unreceipted is returned to the company or deducted from monthly pay. Receipts and payment slips are due within 5 days of return, whether a company or personal card was used.
Alcohol as part of a meal is covered. Otherwise it is not, unless approved in advance for business purposes. Individual clients may have their own requirements around alcohol and pork on project expense receipts — align with the Project Manager.
For team members resident in Turkey travelling internationally on billable project work, to offset local currency disadvantages the per diem does not cover. Paid through payroll as an addition to monthly salary, in TRY equivalent, added to net salary after tax.
| Destination | Lead level and above | Everyone else |
|---|---|---|
| UAE and Qatar | 50 USD per day | 30 USD per day |
| Saudi Arabia | 100 USD per day | 60 USD per day |
| Europe | 50 EUR per day | 30 EUR per day |
Taxi and rideshare may be used locally where necessary, reimbursed with receipts. ATÖLYE uses Uber corporate in Dubai and prefers Bolt in the Netherlands. Public transport is better for the environment and often faster in large cities such as Istanbul. Rental cars are permitted for business needs with prior approval and must be booked via TravelPerk. Train travel is encouraged, especially within Europe, and also booked via TravelPerk.
Adhere to this policy and conduct yourself ethically while representing the company. Comply with local laws and regulations, and hold to ATÖLYE's Code of Ethics regardless of geography, without being disrespectful to local cultures and values. Any deviation from the policy must be communicated and approved in advance.
Contact the designated travel emergency contact. Before departing, make sure your personal emergency contact details are current in the HR system. The company will assist with emergency evacuation and medical support if needed.
ATÖLYE offsets the carbon footprint of corporate travel, and travel-related emissions are tracked in detail through the travel management platform.
| For | Who |
|---|---|
| Flights and hotels | No single owner for general TravelPerk travel; local hotel contacts in Istanbul and the UAE |
| Expense approvals | Mevlüt Demir |
| Emergencies | Local contacts for UAE, and for Turkey and elsewhere |
| Exceptional circumstances | The P&C and Finance & Operations directors |
Migration note — resolve before this is published. Carried from Notion on 17 September 2026. Four things need a decision:
- No owner. This governs money and safety and needs a named one.
- Named contacts are stale. The source names five people by name; at least two no longer appear in the workspace. Names have been replaced by roles above so the page does not carry dead references — put the current names back.
- TravelPerk versus Navan. This policy assumes TravelPerk throughout, while Tech & Ops has a "Navan (coming soon)" page. If the platform is changing, most of sections 1–3 and 8 change with it.
- Section 7 supersedes the International Allowance page. That page is marked superseded and should be deleted once this is confirmed.
The source also referenced the HR system as Personio; changed to a generic reference, since the current system should be named once and correctly.
content/policies/travel-policy.md. Change the content and bump reviewed in the same commit — that is the whole review process. Migrated from Notion: source page.