Health, Safety and Insurance

Going to another country will very likely affect your health in some way. To prepare for this, we recommend that you bring any prescription or over-the-counter medications that you normally use (and some you usually do not use, such as traveler's diarrhea medicine), and an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses. Also bring a copy of the prescriptions for the medicines that you will be bringing. If you will be abroad for a long time and will need to fill a prescription, be sure to have the generic/scientific name of the drug written on it.

We also recommend that you make an appointment with the University Health Center Travel Clinic to determine whether you will need any vaccinations. Please make appointments at least six weeks in advance.  Some immunization sequences may require travelers to allow several weeks to a few months or longer for medicines to take full effect. The web page of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can give you a general idea of the vaccination recommendations and general health precautions for the countries to which you may be traveling. You can also consult Travel Health Online for country-specific health and vaccination information. However, the clinic will be able to advise you personally on all vaccinations appropriate for the activities in which you will be participating, and on vaccinations, such as Tetanus, that you may need to update. Make an appointment at that clinic at least two months before departure by calling (706) 542-5575.

It is also very important to be sure that you are covered by insurance while traveling abroad. You should verify this with your regular insurance provider. It is also wise to purchase supplemental travel insurance (which is not included in most policies) that includes benefits for medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. The International Student Identity Card carries these insurance benefits and may be a good addition to your regular insurance policy. Students on UGA study abroad programs are covered by the UGA Study Abroad Insurance Policy. Other students going on non-UGA programs may opt to purchase this insurance at the cost of $1/day. Optional insurance for non-credit activities abroad (this is one policy option) and other brochures for this and other study abroad insurance policies are available in the Study Abroad Library in 110 E. Clayton St., Suite 300 Bank of America Building.

Staying safe and avoiding crime in a foreign country is easy if you use common sense. Follow the laws of the country you will be visiting. Realize that the legal system in many countries is not like that of the U.S. - innocent until proven guilty, but rather, guilty until proven innocent. Therefore, you would do best to avoid anything that has the vaguest possibility of being illegal.

Listen carefully to the advice of your program director and read orientation materials carefully. Buy a tour guide book for the countries you will be visiting and read up on their recommendations. In many countries, street crime such as pickpocketing is much more common than in the U.S., and tourists are targeted. Do your best not to dress like a tourist and, whenever possible, avoid locations where many tourists gather. Use a money belt or neck pouch under your shirt to carry your money and passport and never let your guard down. Carry little cash, cashing traveler's checks only when necessary, and leave an emergency credit card at home. When using traveler's checks, keep the stubs separate from the checks and keep track of which checks you have used. Leave copies of the stubs at home as well. Take a photocopy of your passport and put it in a safe place apart from your passport. Do not carry a wallet in your back pocket and never in a backpack. Never pull out large sums of money in public. In crowds be aware of your body and do not let yourself get surrounded by questionable people, even if they are children. For more information on safety abroad and general travel advice, see the U.S. State Department's web page Tips for Students.