International Travel Orientations

  All written materials describing the trip should be approved by your group’s advisor or sponsor before being distributed

  Follow the travel policies and guidelines for undergraduates (if applicable)

• Yale University International Travel Policy for Yale College Students and Travel Restrictions
• Yale College Group Travel Guidelines

  Remind participants to apply for their visas and passports (see 7 Planning Tips)

  Set the trip cancellation/refund policy and make all participants aware of it

• Advise participants to consider purchasing travel insurance, especially if the trip could be cancelled due to unforeseeable circumstances (e.g., a hurricane or civil unrest)

  Schedule a group info session with Yale Travel Health

• Participants’ cost to attend with a group is $50 compared with $100 for an individual travel consultation

  Require travelers to get necessary immunizations (see 5 Health Tips) and to understand how their health insurance will work (see 9 Pre-departure Tips)

  Determine if Yale travelers or AYA groups visited the region recently, or if Yale alumni live there

• Can they provide recommendations to make planning easier for you?

• Try contacting the Association of Yale Alumni or using Yale Travelogue

  Don’t plan to rent a vehicle for you to transport the group

• Look into contracting with a transportation service or use public transportation or taxis

• Read more on the risks of renting/driving a car abroad

  Complete the Emergency Contact Information sheet for each of your destinations prior to the orientation; use the information to help students fill out their emergency contact cards (see below)

  Provide travelers with a detailed itinerary

• Include flight numbers and carriers; name, address, and phone number of all accommodations; methods of travel between sites; other pertinent details
• Travelers should give a copy to their parents/guardian

  Designate an alternate leader in case you are sick or injured during the trip

  Make sure all travelers have filled out a FrontierMEDEX card

  Urge travelers to complete the Yale College Student International Travel Orientation

• Or discuss the orientation as a group so all travelers have the same knowledge and expectations

  Discuss crime, culture, health issues, etc. as they pertain to your destination

• Help the other travelers know what to expect (especially if you’re familiar with the destination)
• Be prepared to answer their questions about your destination
• Use the Yale College Student International Travel Orientation, U.S. State Dept. website, FrontierMEDEX World Watch reports, ASIRT road reports, etc.

  Discuss behavioral expectations (and potential consequences) with the participants

• Don’t ignore this responsibility; discussing expectations as a group will generally lead to fewer problems, better group cohesion, and a more successful trip
• Expectations of travelers should include, for example:
  • To follow Yale’s Undergraduate Regulations or other relevant behavioral policies
  • To respect their fellow travelers
  • To not partake in illegal activity or drug use
  • To not do anything that could jeopardize the group’s safety
  • To inform you (the group leader) of any travel independent of the group
• Work with your group’s advisor to develop a complete list of expectations
• Emphasize to travelers that they are responsible for their safety and for their actions

  Register the group’s travel (you will register for all participants)

• With Yale   
• With the U.S. State Department Smart Traveler Enrollment Program; non-U.S. citizens register with their own embassies

  Obtain a cell phone for emergency use or plan to purchase one immediately upon arrival (See 7 Planning Tips)

  Email the group’s travel itinerary to the Yale College Office of Student Life

  Learn the locations of the nearest U.S. embassies and the best hospitals to use

• Best hospitals based on proximity, English-speaking doctors or translators, and Western standards of care

  Remind participants of behavioral expectations

  Show all students the locations of the best hospitals to use and primary and secondary group meeting points (central locations where everyone will meet in the event of a large-scale emergency that affects communication)

• Make sure everyone can find them; physically take the group to the sites if necessary

  Make sure all travelers know how to reach you by landline or the emergency cell phone

• Be prepared to be on call 24/7 for the duration of the trip (but rely on help from Yale administrators and FrontierMEDEX if there is a problem; you don’t need to handle it alone!)

  Know how to make emergency phone calls 

• Program the following numbers into your emergency cell phone, then make sure they work

  Local equivalent of 911

  FrontierMEDEX (1-410-453-6330)

  Yale Security (1-203-785-5555)

  Yale Health Acute Care (1-203-432-0123)

  The nearest U.S. embassy or consulate

  Think about risks of the trip and your location and how you might respond to possible problems (see 8 Safety Tips)

• Then help students understand the risks and their roles in a safe, successful trip

  Assess the trip

• Take notes to create “memories” for your organization or group, so future leaders can learn from your mistakes and successes