[Weekend Personal Travel]

An Internal Revenue Service (IRS) authorized certifying officer requested a decision concerning an employee's claim for reimbursement of transportation expenses that he incurred during a weekend trip away from his temporary duty station. The claimant was sent to a training session for 2 weeks. During the intervening weekend, he visited his wife and son. There were no airline costs because his wife worked for an airline and no lodging costs because he stayed with friends. He claimed reimbursement for the limousine transportation to and from the airport. GAO held that the employee may not be reimbursed transportation expenses associated with his personal weekend travel, since that travel was not to the employee's headquarters or place of abode from which he commuted daily to his official station. That his expenses for the weekend were less than he would have incurred had he remained at his temporary duty station does not change his entitlement. Accordingly, payment of the claim was not authorized.