The information below is provided to help arrange travel and accommodations for invited speakers, whether part of a conference, workshop, or delivering a lecture.
Student assistants working with faculty should contact Kristin Brown for general advice. If your event involves Federal Department of Education (DOE) funding, contact CMES Department Administrator Alison Howe for guidelines that must be followed. Faculty and staff members should make travel or accommodation arrangements directly, according to the following guidelines:
Travelers should book the lowest-priced, non-stop coach class airfare available on a US Carrier (when available) using Harvard’s preferred travel agency, BCD Travel. Reservations should be made early to receive advance purchase discounts.
Using BCD Travel enables CMES to take advantage of Harvard’s negotiated discounts and to cover the cost directly. Travelers will not be inconvenienced by paying for their airfares out of pocket or by waiting to be reimbursed. Travelers purchasing airline tickets with other travel agencies are required to submit evidence that their ticket is no more expensive than a comparable ticket purchased through BCD Travel. For this reason, guests in CMES-sponsored events are discouraged from making arrangements through sources other than BCD Travel.
BCD Travel
http://www.bcdtravel.com/
Reservations: 617-496-8000 (Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm EST)
Participants can contact BCD Travel directly to make their travel arrangements. The ticket will be issued once it has been approved using Harvard’s online payment system. To arrange for approval, participants should ask the agent to email the proposed itinerary to Kristin Brown and ensure that the fare is the lowest-priced, non-stop airfare with a US carrier available.
BCD Travel can also make travel arrangements for groups. Contact them to set up a Booking Group ID that must be cited each time arrange travel is arranged for or by a group member.
Participants in CMES events may rent a car for the purpose of traveling from their home to and from Cambridge when driving is less expensive and more convenient than airline or rail travel. Please be sure to review Harvard’s policies before instructing a participant to make arrangements.
If the participant uses his/her own vehicle, s/he may be reimbursed for its use (this figure is
updated periodically). When requesting reimbursement please provide documentation of the driving distance by printing out a
MapQuest (or alternative online) directions including the start and end points of travel.
The closest parking is in Broadway Garage. CMES visitors can purchase a one-day permit online. Enter ‘Middle Eastern Stud.’ for department and ‘3013’ for department code. Please note, parking is limited and is first come first serve. Availability cannot be guaranteed.
Standard-rate rail travel may be used for participants in CMES events. First-class rail travel is not allowed.
Harvard has negotiated rates with many Harvard-area hotels. The nightly room rate for participants in CMES events should not exceed $200.00. When reserving hotel accommodation please request the Harvard rate and ask that the invoice includes a detailed booking reference indicating the guest's name and event title.
Invoices should be sent to:
Anna Kreslavskaya
CMES Financial Associate
38 Kirkland Street, Room 105
Cambridge, MA 02130
Copyright © 2009 The President and Fellows of Harvard College
