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Checklist for Group Travel Abroad

This checklist is designed to guide faculty and staff who are leading or organizing group trips abroad. Group travel is defined as faculty or staff traveling on the same itinerary with three or more students. These are the areas of responsibility for each international trip:

  1. The International Travel Registry
  2. Traveler Compliance
  3. International Health Insurance
  4. Risk Assessment / Mitigation
  5. Trip Leader Training
  6. Cultural Training (optional)

After reviewing this checklist, contact the appropriate Office of Global Safety and Security (OGSS) staff member to engage in collaborative planning:

  • For group trips of Undergraduate students (or mixed student status): contact Andrea Mendoza
  • For group trips of Graduate or Professional students: contact Beth Osterlund

The International Travel Registry

  • Â鶹´«Ã½ requires all university-sponsored student travel – graduate and undergraduate – to be registered with the university. With this information, Â鶹´«Ã½ can provide timely information and support in case of an emergency abroad. Trip leaders / organizers should start by reviewing the instructions for Enrolling a Group Trip. Group travel should be registered at least six weeks prior to departure. 

Traveler Compliance

  • Trip leaders or trip organizers are responsible for monitoring the completion of their travelers’ trip requirements within the ITR. Some schools, such as Medill and Kellogg, have “trip organizers” that plan and manage group trips.
  • Â鶹´«Ã½’s goal is to strive for 100% compliance regarding signature documents such as the Student Agreement and the High-Risk Release (if applicable). While these requirements are not time-consuming for students, trip leaders or organizers should set a firm deadline, monitor progress, and issue reminders. Instructions for monitoring compliance and composing reminders are provided below.

Monitoring Group Trip Compliance as a Trip Leader
Monitoring Group Trip Compliance as a Trip Organizer

International Health Insurance

  • All Â鶹´«Ã½ undergraduate, graduate, and professional students on group trips abroad will be covered by GeoBlue’s student blanket policy. GeoBlue is Â鶹´«Ã½’s provider for international medical assistance and health insurance. Students will receive information and links to plan details through the International Travel Registry.
  • Benefits-eligible Â鶹´«Ã½ employees are covered for the duration of the trip under the GeoBlue Employee business traveler policy. Read about the plan eligibility, limitations and complete the one-time registration to access information on doctors, clinics and hospitals in the trip destination.

Risk Assessment / Mitigation

  • Read the applicable U.S. Department of State (DOS) and consider the potential risks associated with your trip as well as reasonable mitigation strategies.
  • For higher risk locations or activities, we may wish to seek travel security advice from our intelligence assistance provider, Crisis24, during the planning stages. Contact the applicable OGSS staff member listed above.
  • If the trip involves undergraduates, and the destination is on the restricted travel list, the trip leader must apply for Travel Permission.
  • Develop a pre-departure orientation or handout to advise students on foreseeable risks and how to get help in an emergency while abroad.
  • Have at least one trip leader register the trip with the U.S. Department of State’s  to receive local safety updates from the nearest embassy or consulate.
  • Confirm your safe arrival with your departmental contact and encourage participants to check-in with their families.

Trip Leader(s) Training

  • Regardless of the destination or duration of a university-sponsored trip abroad, faculty and staff trip leaders are required to participate in a one-hour emergency preparedness and response Trip Leader Training, remotely or in person. See OGSS Events for specific dates and times. Returning trip leaders are expected to participate in training at least every two years.

Cultural Training

Â鶹´«Ã½’s Intercultural Learning Initiative (NILI), through the Office of the Vice President for International Relations, offers an optional, but recommended training program. This program provides students, faculty, and staff with crucial tools and skills they need to thrive in culturally diverse and unfamiliar settings. Trip leaders, both new and experienced, can benefit from NILI’s offerings and participate in one of the quarterly staff workshops, or request a customized training.   

Through practical frameworks and interactive activities, trip leaders will:  

  • discover their own cultural preferences, leading to greater self-awareness; 
  • gain access to resources and learn more in depth about their destination; 
  • decrease risks associated with cultural miscommunication and misunderstanding; 
  • anticipate situations that may arise prior to and during travel 

Quarterly staff workshops are free. Fees apply for customized trainings and depend on the format and length, but are offered at manageable rates. Contact Janka Pieper and Jennifer Gerrard for more information.