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Travel & Safety

Denison strongly recommends that all students avail themselves of the travel information available below. In particular, students should carefully consider the safety information included in State Department travel advisories for the country in which they are pursuing off-campus study and/or for any other country to which they are planning to travel during their time abroad.

 

Denison reserves the right to withdraw its approval for study on an off-campus program if a State Department travel warning or a CDC or WHO travel advisory is in place for the program location at the start of the program. Withdrawal of approval for an off-campus study program bars a student from receiving Denison credit for the program and from applying financial aid to the program costs. To make certain that a student may make an informed decision regarding participation on a program, the issue of potential loss of Denison approval for an accepted program will be brought to the student’s attention as far in advance of the program start date as is feasible.

In the case of a State Department travel warning or a CDC or WHO travel advisory arising after a program has started, Denison will work closely with the educational partner and other informed parties to determine an appropriate course of action. In the case of requiring that a student return home, Denison will pursue reasonable steps with the educational partner to mitigate the financial and academic impact of such an action.

Most program providers will build in insurance coverage as part of their program fee.  Some programs, however, do not and encourage students and their families to make certain that their private insurance will provide adequate coverage while the student is abroad.  In either case, Denison covers all students participating in an international off-campus program with supplemental international emergency medical and evacuation insurance coverage. All students at Denison must be covered by domestic health insurance for ongoing and chronic conditions and non emergency health events.

 

We insure our students through EIIA International Travel Insurance.

It is also highly recommended that at least one parent/guardian obtain a passport so that travel will not be unduly delayed in the case of a medical or personal emergency.

Denison's ITS Team offers the following advice to students and faculty traveling internationally.  We ask that you note the precautions listed below regarding the risks you face using electronic devices abroad.

Computers

Best - Travel With Less Data
Take a new of freshly rebuilt computer and only load the data you will need for your term abroad.  Encrypt the computer and if possible, travel without USB drives.  

Good - Travel Encrypted
If you must take your regular notebook computer, verify that all software is up to date, that your data is backed up and encrypted, and remove data this is classified.  

Cell Phones

Best - Find One There
Use a phone you won't need to use again.  This might be a loaner you borrow in the country, an unlocked phone with a local SIM card, or a phone you buy or rent at the airport or hotel.

Good - Have a Plan
If you must use your own phone, back it up before you leave and ensure it is updated and secure.  When you return, reset your device to factory defaults and restore from your backup.

Precautions when Traveling

  • Don’t plug your phone into charger kiosks, there could be a hostile computer on the other end of that innocent-looking wire. 
  • Watch for those looking over your shoulder or potential thieves.
  • Don’t leave your devices unattended. Hotel safes should not be considered secure.
  • Use a Duo configuration other than phone call or text, such as the Duo mobile app or a U2F token. 

Special Considerations for China

  • Access to services we expect, like Gmail, G Suite, and Wikipedia, are often filtered or blocked. 
  • Skype connections may be monitored by the government.
  • Those using VPNs report that they are often cut off for hours at a time, or blocked.
  • Hotel staff and government officials can access hotel room safes.

When You Return

  • Change your BigRedID password.
  • If you brought your computer, save any documents created while traveling to an external source, and wipe/restore the computer.