Before You Begin Travel Planning or Making Reservations
Review Clark’s International Travel Policy.
Planning your Travel
- Arrange transportation to your destination.
- Arrange accommodations in your destination.
- Dormitories or hotels are the preferred accommodation when traveling with Clark Students. Air B and B’s, homestays, and hostels are not recommended when traveling on a faculty or staff-led program with students.
- Request a hotel room between floors two and seven. Some fire department ladders will not reach above the seventh floor.
- Always check the location of the nearest fire stairwell, and emergency telephone when checking in to a hotel and encourage your students to do the same upon arrival at your accommodation.
- Secure on-the-ground transportation (i.e., from the airport to accommodations and to and from sites)
- Clark University’s Travel Policy strongly recommends that faculty and staff drive only if that is the only option. It is recommended for faculty/staff led trips to contract with a local company for transportation needs.
- Clark University’s Travel Policy prohibits students from driving internationally.
- Secure any tickets for excursions and review entry requirements. (i.e. passport required, head and shoulders covered to enter).
- Once you have your itinerary including airfare and lodging, complete the Clark University Travel Registry for group travel. Email Clark’s Risk Manager for questions pertaining to completing the Registry.
Travel Documents
- Start the process to get or renew your passport/encourage students to do the same prior to arranging travel.
- It can take months to get a new passport or renew an old one; apply now.
- Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months after your return date.
- Determine if a visa is needed and the process needed for a visa. A transit visa may be necessary even if you are just changing planes on the way to your final destination.
- Check the U.S. State Department, or your home country’s embassy and determine if a visa is needed and the type of visa that is most appropriate. CIBT is a service that can help secure a visa if necessary.
- Encourage students to start the visa process as well- and remember that if international students are traveling, they may need a visa even if US citizens do not.
- International Students will need to make sure their I-20 document is signed prior to leaving the country. International Students can submit a request through the ISSO portal. International students should ensure that they have a valid US visa so that they can reenter the US.
- Register your travel with the STEP program and have students do the same. Register with the U.S. State Department through the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (if you are a U.S. citizen) and help the State Department assist you in an emergency.
- Once you have your travel itinerary including transportation and place of residence, submit Clark’s International Travel Form (REQUIRED for all Clark-related international travel).
- The form serves several purposes:
- It notifies Clark that you will be traveling and provides information that may be helpful in an emergency.
- It documents that you are traveling on Clark business for insurance purposes.
- It prompts Clark to provide you with important information prior to your travel.
- It allows Clark to meet insurance company requirements for tracking and reporting travel.
- The form serves several purposes:
Health and Insurance
- Communicate with the Office of Study Abroad regarding how to enroll in GeoBlue for International Health Insurance. Please note that this cost will be passed on to your program or department.
- Download the GeoBlue app and encourage your students to do the same.
- Review the immunizations required/recommended for your destination at the CDC website.
- Schedule health appointments early; many immunizations are given in a series over time A list of travel clinics can be found online. Travel clinics are generally fee-for-service, meaning the cost of the visit may not be covered by your family health insurance.
- Research if your medications are allowed in the country. Encourage students to do the same.
- Print and pack your Insurance Cards.
- Take your health insurance card with you and familiarize yourself with policies and procedures for using it when abroad.
- Clark also provides travel assistance through Chubb’s Travel and Medical Assistance provider and Identity Theft Protection. Use the links provided to download information about these programs along with contact cards.
Finances
- See to your cash needs (ATM card, credit cards) and tell your bank and credit card companies that you will be traveling; Encourage your students to do the same.
- Ask if they charge foreign transaction fees.
- Ask if you’ll need a PIN to make purchases abroad.
- Find out what the exchange rates are for the countries where you will be traveling.
- If you are planning on taking money out of an ATM at the airport, be mindful of where the ATM is located. If it is in an area with easy access (beyond where baggage is claimed), be careful of skimmers and other ways to snag your bank card info.
Important Documents
- Take photocopies of important documents including your passport, visa (if necessary), and itinerary; give one set to your family and take one set with you.
- Leave a copy of a detailed itinerary with details on accommodations, travel plans, and logistics including any in-country contacts with your direct supervisor.
Communications
- Confirm that your cell phone works internationally. You are required to have one that works if you are traveling with students.
- Download a VPN onto your laptop. Some countries have firewalls that will block certain websites including Google. A VPN should allow you to circumvent this.
- Make a list of emergency phone numbers and bring it with you. Include the phone number of the US Embassy for the location you are visiting as well as Clark University Police (1-508-793-7575).
- Download AlertTraveler App onto your phone, activate it using the code located at the bottom of the Profile page of the register, and turn on the “Allow to Track” to ensure you get alerts when incidents happen in your area.
Other Considerations
- Arrange with the Office of Study Abroad and Away a day and time to conduct a pre-departure orientation (especially for new programs and staff/faculty traveling with students) at least two weeks before departure.
- The Office of Study Abroad and Away needs at least three weeks’ notice of the proposed day and time of the Pre-Departure Orientation.
- Be aware that Clark University policies, rules, and standards of conduct apply while you are abroad, and remind your students of this.
- Before you depart, review the Clark Student Handbook policies and their application to Clark students when away from campus.
- If traveling to a country for the first time, research cultural differences and abide by the local laws and customs. Share any important information with the students.
