Field notes
Weekend travel and the business-purpose note
Saturday departures and Sunday returns are not automatically improper — but travel expense applications need a clear business-purpose note.
Weekend flights appear often in samples of travel expense applications. Some are legitimate — Monday client workshops with limited weekday seats, or trade shows that open on Sunday. Problems arise when the application is silent on purpose and the calendar shows leisure destinations adjacent to the meeting city.
A short business-purpose note from the approver, dated before travel, usually resolves the question. After-the-fact emails written only when audit sampling begins carry less weight. If personal days are combined with business travel, the application should state which lodging nights are personal and excluded from reimbursement.
In engagements across Seoul headquarters, we also check whether airfare was split correctly when personal legs were added. A single ticket covering personal and business segments needs an allocation method that matches policy — otherwise the entire fare may be held.