International Non-Credit Travel

All sponsoring departments must notify the Office of Study Abroad (OSA) for all off-campus programs and overnight travel. Contact Suzanne Windett, 651.962.6456, smwindett@stthomas.edu, for guidance in completing the following steps.

As far in advance as possible:

• Prepare a timeline by which students are required to complete the online travel registration.  Travel registration should be completed at least two weeks prior to departure.
• Instruct students that the cost of the required CISI insurance will be billed to their St. Thomas account.
• Verify that your chosen destination does not have a Level 3 or Level 4 U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory. If there is a Level 3 or Level 4 Travel Advisory for your destination, contact OSA.  See Risk Assessment, Travel Advisories & Cancellation Policies. 
• Verify the immigration/entry requirements for your destination country (ies). Participants who are not U.S. citizens may have different requirements and may need additional time to secure their travel documents. Consult OSA with any questions.

Before selecting students or confirming student participation:

• Verify academic and conduct good standing of each applicant.
• Check conduct probation status in collaboration with the Dean of Students office.
• Academic status can be verified either via Murphy or by requesting an unofficial transcript from each student

During the semester prior to departure:

• Require students to complete the online travel registration. The registration requires that students are enrolled in CISI insurance, a comprehensive health, travel and security insurance for the time they are overseas. Sponsoring departments must ensure that all students complete this registration.  It is highly recommended that departments sponsoring travel keep a record of all travel registrations.
• Require any accompanying travelers (for example, a parent) to sign the appropriate waiver. Contact OSA to obtain the waiver. 
• If you are covered by the St. Thomas Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, familiarize yourself with the informational booklet on St. Thomas Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance coverage for faculty/staff (who subscribe to this coverage) abroad.
• Require any non-St. Thomas faculty/staff or faculty/staff who do not have sufficient coverage to obtain a medical insurance and medical evacuation and repatriation policy. Typically if the person has essential assigned responsibilities while traveling with your group, your department would cover the cost. If it is someone traveling with the group without any assigned responsibilities (for example, a parent is traveling with a music group), you will need to inform the traveling persons that St. Thomas provides no insurance while advising them to 1) check with their insurance provider here regarding coverage abroad and 2) obtain a medical evacuation & repatriation policy (see http://www.insuremytrip.com for possible providers).
• Conduct orientation sessions for students which include information on:
      - Cross-cultural issues, norms and expectations in the host culture(s)
      - A general overview of expected behavior on the program
      - Review and discussion of the Statement on Responsible Use of Alcohol Abroad
      - Travel Safety information
      - General travel information (packing tips, handling money, communication with home, etc.)
• Contact Health Services at 651.962.6750 to request that a staff member conduct a session on health & safety for your group.  St. Thomas Health Services is a certified Travel Clinic; staff can assist students in managing ongoing medications as well as identify any required immunizations for your host country, etc.
• Based on the travel registration, OSA will provide emergency contact information to Public Safety. 
• Request two copies of each student's passport (info page with photo and passport number as well as any visas obtained for this trip). Leave one set behind with a responsible person in your department and carry the second set abroad with you. These copies will prove most helpful in replacing a lost passport.