Travel
Preparing for and Responding to Emergencies
One of the most important steps you can take to stay safe abroad is to register your travel with the U.S. State Department (https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/) prior to departure. You do not need to be a U.S. Citizen to register. Situations like the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami and the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict demonstrate the importance of State Department registry. Also, as a result of your registration, you will be able to receive emergency information from the relevant Embassy or Consulate via e-mail. If you are enrolled with the Office of Study Abroad, your travel will automatically be registered with the U.S. State Department.
Other common non-health emergencies usually involve loss of access to funds or theft of important documents. Follow the Office of Study Abroad recommendations for obtaining money abroad.
While you are probably already an expert in many subjects relevant to your target country, it is important to familiarize yourself with the latest information regarding safety and security in that location. A variety of government and institutional resources are readily available:
- OSA’s Advice on Getting/Keeping your Money
- OSA’s Advice on Important Documents
- U.S. State Department Country Background notes
- The U.K. Foreign & Commonwealth Office Consular Reports
- Australian Department of Foreign Affairs
- Canadian Office of Foreign Affairs
- "Know Before You Go" (A Checklist of Pre-departure Tasks for Travelers)
- MSU’s Global Access Database
- Additional MSU Resources regarding international travel