Travel request form
A travel request is a proposal before commitment—an employee asking "may I go to this conference?" before the ticket is bought. This form captures where, when, why, and how much, with a dropdown for travel mode instead of free text so a travel coordinator can plan transportation without calling every approver. No automatic approval happens here; a manager still reads the request and decides whether to fund the trip.
The form beside this text is live. Fill it in and submit it — it validates exactly as it would for a real respondent, and saves nothing.
Travel dates are two fields, not one date range
Separate departure and return date fields mean a coordinator can calculate trip length and schedule ground transportation without parsing a range or asking follow-up questions. A single "travel period" field leaves when the employee is coming back ambiguous.
Transportation is a select, not free text
A dropdown for car, train, flight, or other lets a travel coordinator know at a glance which carrier is being considered and what lead time is needed. Free text produces "maybe Amtrak?", "flight probably", and "not sure yet"—none of which are actionable.
No card required.
Travel Request Form
Live previewHow to build this form
5 steps in the editor. Nothing here needs a paid plan.
- Add text and email fields for the employee's name and contact details.
- Add a text field for the destination and two date fields—one for departure, one for return—so the trip dates are clear.
- Add a required long text field for the business purpose of the trip.
- Add a number field for estimated cost, keeping it as a single number so it can be compared against a budget without parsing currency or separators.
- Add a dropdown for preferred transportation method (car, train, flight, other) and a text field naming the manager or approver, then export the CSV to the approval workflow.
Fields in this form
9 fields, using 6 of the 19 field types available.
| Question | Field type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Short text | Yes |
| Yes | ||
| Destination city | Short text | Yes |
| Departure date | Date | Yes |
| Return date | Date | Yes |
| Business purpose | Long text | Yes |
| Estimated total cost | Number | Yes |
| Preferred transportation | Select | Yes |
| Manager/Approver name | Short text | Yes |
What goes wrong with this form
Specific to a travel request form, not general advice about forms.
One date field instead of separate departure and return
A single date field for when the trip "starts and ends" leaves the return date ambiguous and forces a coordinator to call and ask. Two fields—departure and return—are what make the trip dates clear enough to book ground transportation and set an out-of-office message.
Transportation as free text
Free text for travel mode produces "maybe plane", "car if traffic is ok", and "flying out Tuesday"—a mix of uncertainty and detail that a coordinator cannot sort. A select field with car, train, flight and other is what makes transportation mode clear.
No approver name field, so the request has no routing
Without a field naming who should approve the trip, the request has to be forwarded manually to the right manager. Adding an approver name or manager field tells your approver whose request this is.
Questions about this form
How do I create a travel request form?
Add destination and travel dates—separate fields for departure and return. Add the business purpose in a text field, an estimated cost as a number, and a dropdown for transportation mode (car, train, flight). Name the approver so the right person knows to review it. Export to CSV or send by webhook to your approval workflow.
Does this form book the trip?
No—it collects the request: where, when, why, and how much. A manager approves the request, and a travel coordinator or the employee books the actual flights, hotels and transportation outside the form.
Can an employee request a trip for more than one week?
Yes—the date fields are separate, so a departure in January and a return in February both work. The form does not limit trip length; that is a business rule your approval process enforces.