Just a couple of points to add to everything above. I've been on both sides of this issue much of my career - i.e. as a manager setting policies and reviewing/ approving T&E expenses, and as a frequent business traveller submitting my own expenses.

1. To the OP - as several others have pointed out, the only good policy is NEVER to falsify ANYTHING - creating fake/doctored receipts, intentionally "burying" or misclassifying expenses, etc. Bottom line if this is found out - which it likely will be eventually - it's virtually certain you'll lose your job. Dishonesty and creating false corporate books and records should be, and are, a terminable offense in any company or country I'm aware of.

At my last firm, my response to out-of-policy expenses was just to haircut the reimbursement amount by whatever ineligible sums were claimed, and put a note on the expense report for the employee to see what wasn't kosher.

2. Totally agree that individuals who are not themselves frequent travellers should not be setting micro-managing policies for those that are. In any job that entails moderate to heavy travel, the travel and expense policies are a major determinant of quality-of-work-life; they should be reasonable under the company's circumstances, not designed to eke out minor budget improvements at the expense of major discomfort / inconvenience to those actually doing the road work. techgirl I can't believe the picayune-ness of some of your firm's policieis, especially if it's billable to clients!

3. Per diem meal reimbursements are the way to go IMHO. Who cares if the person orders a latte, pastry, Taco Bell, room service, six beers, or whatever with the money? (Obviously if the organization has values-based rules against paying for alcohol - e.g., say you work for the State Alcoholic Beverage Commission or the Mormon Church - that's different.) But I don't think any normal company has any business trying to dictate everything you eat and drink while travelling, provided you stay within the spend guidelines and don't violate other salient policies such as getting plastered on company business or driving while drunk.