Health and Safety Abroad
Traveling abroad is fun, but anytime you travel to another country, it is important to take precautions and to take charge of your health and safety. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Responsibilities of participants
Participants should:
- Read and carefully consider all information provided by the Career Center/Study Abroad Office
- Get familiar with safety and health conditions in host countries.
- Obtain and maintain health insurance coverage and liability insurance (when traveling abroad through partner universities)
- Discuss health insurance regulations with the Career Center/Study Abroad Office
- Inform parent/guardians/families, etc. about their participation in the study abroad program, update contact information and provide emergency contact information
- Understand and comply with the terms of participation, codes of academic and ethical conduct, and emergency procedure
- Obey host country laws
- Research local conditions and culturally customs before travelling
- Become familiar with the procedures for obtaining health and law enforcement services in the host country
- Express any health or safety concerns to the program staff or site director
- Avoid substance abuse of all kinds
- Behave in a manner that is respectful of the rights and well-being of others
Responsibilities of the Career Center/Study Abroad Office
- Monitor possible changes in country conditions. Provide information about the situation of the host country to the participant and offer advice.
- Develop and maintain emergency preparedness and crisis response plans.
- Provide students information about health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in the host country.
- Discuss with student’s emergency response measures before departure.
- Explain to the student the role of and assistance provided by the on-site resident director or program coordinator.
- Inform the student of possible issues that may impact on her/his safety.
- Make sure the student has health insurance (including emergency evacuation and repatriation) or inform her/him on how to obtain such coverage.
- Discuss with students’ applicable codes of conduct and the consequences on noncompliance.
- In cases of serious health problems, injury, or other significant health and safety circumstances, maintain good communication between all the parties involved (participant, SMWC staff, parents, program directors, etc.).
- Inform participants and parents that some aspects of the study abroad experiences are beyond the control of the office. The Career Center/Study Abroad Office:
- Cannot guarantee or ensure the safety of participants or eliminate all risks from the study abroad environments.
- Cannot monitor or control all the daily personal decisions, choices, and activities of the participants.
- Cannot prevent participants from engaging in illegal, dangerous, or unwise activities.
- Cannot ensure that US. Legal standards overseas or pay for legal counsel
- Cannot ensure that home-country cultural values and norms will apply in the host country.
- Cannot fully replicate home campus support services at overseas locations