When I want to travel in a way that differs from the company's policy, I just do it and pay any extra cost myself. Any cost that would have been incurred anyway, like a taxi when I actually arrived instead of when I would have arrived if following the company's rules, I just expense anyway, with an explanation of why this expense is here even though it's in time I was paying for myself. I've never seen anyone have a problem with this. If it costs the company no more than if I followed the rules, and I'm happier, what's the harm?

Last week I had a meeting at the Hyatt SFO starting at 8 a.m. I would have had to get up before 6 a.m. and been sleepy all day. So I stayed the night before at my own expense (got the HYCARD promo--thank you FT!--and finished requalifying for Diamond for 2006). I expensed the amount of parking charge I would have had had I arrived at 7:30 a.m., even though the receipt that supported it was a hotel folio. No problem.