Resources for Travelers
Get Informed. The U.S. State Department has a Students Abroad page with resources for student travelers, including a Traveler's Checklist, specific country pages where you can Learn About Your Destination such as the locations of embassies and consulates, the visa requirements, and advice about local laws and specific circumstances. There is also a link to register for the Smart Travel Enrollment Program, as all independent travelers are required to do.
Get Enrolled. All Salem students who are U.S. citizens are required to register with the U.S. State Department's "Smart Traveller Enrollment Program", which helps ensure travelers receive updates and security messages about their destination and helps protect travelers in case of emergency. Students traveling on faculty-led programs will be enrolled as a group, but all students traveling through a separate organization should enroll themselves.
Get Insured. Students traveling to international locations must have comprehensive health insurance that provides coverage while traveling abroad. Health insurance plans vary in how they cover medical expenses that occur during travel. Students may need to purchase additional health insurance coverage for their duration of their travel to supplement their regular health insurance. Cultural Insurance Services International is one vendor that specializes in health insurance for students traveling abroad and recommended by Salem College's partner organizations such as AIFS and BCA Study Abroad.
Get Ready! Think ahead to what you will need to pack and what documents you will need to have. Consider a sample pre-departure checklist, and use what you learn in Salem's pre-departure orientation (described below) to build on it and create one of your own. If you rely on medication, follow the tips on "How to make sure you travel with medication legally" to determine what documentation you need.
Pre-Departure Orientation
Two pre-departure orientations are scheduled each semester, and each one takes a little over an hour. The orientation consists of two parts:
1) Preparing for Travel, a guide to researching your destination and thinking about the financial, cell phone, technology, health and clothing needs you will have during travel. Supplemental resources to the slideshow presentation include:
- Know Before You Go, a worksheet to help you think about what you will need to take with you and arrange before departure.
- The Five C’s for Safer Travel by Carrie Pasquarello, which provides advice for researching the Country, City, Culture, Climate, and Crime of your destination.
- Tips for Keeping Your Valuables Safe While Traveling, by Christy Woodrow, which provides advice (and links to some useful products) for securing your money and possessions during travel.
2) Code of Conduct, a review of essential policies from the Student Travel Handbook including tips for maintaining safety during travel, alcohol and drug use, reporting sexual misconduct, and the rules and responsibilities for students during travel.
The slideshow presentation for the orientation is available to anyone logged into Google with their Salem email address.