Expense Account Quandary

I am sure anyone who has ever traveled for work purposes have walked the fine line of "should I charge this or not?" The company I work for has been very good in terms of reimbursing me on time, and have never found question with the expense reports I have submitted. On the other hand, I have always made sure that everything is above board and I always err on the side of caution.

I have two more business trips next month. The first one is just for three days, with airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, and taxi fare all easily accounted for. The next one however is of a different nature, a two-week training stint at a rather remote location.

Even with the simple trips, I find myself wondering, when does the clock start ticking? When I get to the airport on a Sunday morning? Do I charge the Starbucks coffee that I so desperately need to stay awake for my 6:45 AM departure? A part of me thinks that I would not be purchasing it if I were still at home in my bed sound asleep. How about when I am in transit and having lunch at the airport? Does that go on my expense report? I would still be having lunch regardless of where I am. However, I would not be paying an arm and a leg for meal #7 at the fast-food chain near my house.

It starts getting complicated when a weekend is involved. Obviously, the hotel stay gets charged back to the company since I cannot fly back home for the weekend break. Here comes the million dollar question - do I get to charge my meals? What about transportation? Am I expected to walk everywhere over the weekend or stay in my room? What is protocol?

I am sure the answers to the above questions vary per company, per trip, per person submitting, and who signs that expense check. I hope that it is taken into consideration that I am not charging for the weekend away from my family.