Health & Safety FAQs

If you need to make an emergency call when you're abroad, don't call 911 as you would in the United States; that number might not work overseas. Each country has its own equivalent. Prepare yourself in advance by checking the 911 equivalents abroad and saving the number in your phone.

You should also make note of U.S. Embassies and Consulates abroad so you know where to go if you need a replacement passport, travel visa, or other support. You can also save a link in your phone to the U.S. Department of State Emergency Resources.

If anything goes wrong while you are abroad, you should connect with your host country emergency contact, whether that is your faculty advisor if you are in a faculty-led program, your host institution’s international office, the Florence student advisors, etc. After making contact with your host coordinator, you can also contact Kent State’s education abroad office.

True emergencies are rare and involve things such as a serious illness or natural disaster. A true emergency means that there is an immediate threat to someone’s health and/or safety. True emergencies will require coordination between you, the Office of Global Education, GeoBlue, and possibly governmental agencies.

Perceived emergencies are occurrences such as a lost passport or a missed flight. While these can still be serious issues, they typically do not need to involve the Office of Global Education, and you can usually solve them yourself or with the support of a faculty leader (if you’re participating in a faculty-led program).

Sixty days before their departure date, students will have access to the Alert Traveler app, which contains multiple resources related to safety.

On the app, students will have access to features such as “Message”, where they can contact Education Abroad staff to help them with any situations they may encounter while abroad.

For emergencies, the feature “SOS” provides the emergency numbers on the student's current location, so they can directly contact local police, fire, ambulance, medical emergency, and Kent State’s emergency contacts.

The emergency numbers for your host country will be available in the Alert Traveler app, which students will gain access to 60 days before departure. The app locates students via GPS, and through the SOS feature, provides students with local police, fire, ambulance, medical emergency, and Kent State’s emergency contacts.

Kent State University provides the Alert Traveler system to help students be safe while traveling. This system will keep students informed of critical events that may impact them while abroad and will allow Kent State to better assist them in the event of an emergency. It also has an instant check-in option so Kent State can check in with students if there is a major incident in the area.

Students will receive the app activation material in their education abroad application 60 days prior to their program start date with instructions on how to download and activate the Alert Traveler app.

The Alert Traveler app sends safety and security alerts that could impact students while abroad and helps them make informed decisions while traveling. There are multiple ways Alert Traveler can benefit you while you’re abroad:

• If a serious event happens in the country you’re studying in or traveling to, you will receive a request to check in with Kent State to ensure your safety.
• You can be aware of ongoing events wherever you travel. On the app, you will receive alerts for the location of your program but you can also subscribe to a different location to see what’s happening there. You’ll learn about upcoming events like protests, worker strikes, or severe weather.
• You can discover important travel info about the location you are studying in, or get info for planning trips to other locations. This includes currency, US Embassy information, local customs or etiquette, national holidays when businesses will be closed, and much more.

For more general info on this app, watch the What is Alert Traveler? video.

The US State Department has a Travel Advisories page where travelers can choose their destination and read about current safety alerts for that country.

The Alert Traveler App, which students will gain access to 60 days prior to their departure, contains a safety map feature in which all locations have a local score.

By tapping on a city score, students can see that City’s Scorecard, which consists of an overall city safety score as well as city-wide situational safety scores. The situational score categories include Nighttime Safety, Physical Safety, Women’s Safety, Theft, Basic Freedoms, Health & Medical, and LGBTQ+ Safety.

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service to allow U.S. citizens and nationals traveling and living abroad to enroll their trip with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. You can also subscribe to receive email updates with travel advisories and other information for a particular country.

The benefits of enrolling in STEP include:

• Receive important information from the Embassy about safety conditions in your destination country, helping you make informed decisions about your travel plans.
• Help the U.S. Embassy contact you in an emergency, whether natural disaster, civil unrest, or family emergency.
• Help family and friends get in touch with you in an emergency.

You can learn more about STEP and its benefits via their website. 

It is mandatory for all students studying abroad to have international health insurance for the duration of their program abroad. The Office of Global Education enrolls students studying abroad in the GeoBlue Student Member plan for the dates they are abroad. Students will be billed for the cost of the international health insurance plan to their KSU Student Account.

Students will receive a GeoBlue ID card they can use to access healthcare services abroad. An app is also available from the Apple or Google Play stores for students to access their plan via their smartphone. Services offered online and via the app include finding a doctor or facility, scheduling appointments, translating medications, telehealth appointments, and more.

Students participating in Education Abroad programs through the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) will be enrolled in a health insurance plan through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI), not GeoBlue.

We recommend you access the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Traveling Abroad with Medicine page for useful tips and information on how to appropriately pack your medications, how much to take, where you can buy more abroad if needed, among other things. Students should always carry prescriptions and medication in the original bottle with their name listed. It is recommended for travelers to bring copies of all written prescriptions, including the generic names for their medicines.

Be sure to ask your prescribing health care provider for a note if you use controlled substances, or injectable medicines, such as EpiPens and insulin.

You should also research if your medications are legal in your host country and what steps you might need to take to bring them with you.

If you need to request a larger quantity of medication for your time abroad, the Office of Global Education can provide a letter confirming your participation in an Education Abroad program for your prescribing health care provider or insurance provider, if needed. Email edabroad@kent.edu to request a letter.

The vaccination requirements vary depending on where you are traveling. There are several resources you can check in advance:

• Visit the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) travel page for information about any vaccinations you may need, or health and safety tips for traveling to your destination.
• Visit the general Travel Vaccines page to find more information about your routine vaccines, where you can go to receive vaccinations, and more.

If vaccinations or medicines are needed according to the CDC, you should make arrangements with your healthcare provider or the DeWeese Health Center as soon as possible for appointments. Appointment openings at the DeWeese Health Center are limited and vaccines may need to be ordered, which takes time. Please note that not all immunizations are available at the DeWeese Health Center – plan accordingly.

Students with specific food allergies or dietary preferences can still participate in Education Abroad programming. Please discuss your specific need with your Education Abroad Advisor and we will work with you depending on your program and/or location choice.

There are many guides available online for navigating cities abroad if you have dietary restrictions and, in addition, your host institution or the Student Life Coordinators in Kent State’s Florence Center may be able to provide suggestions of where to eat and shop.

Under the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) a service animal means a dog, regardless of breed or type, that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a qualified individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.

Animal species other than dogs, emotional support animals, comfort animals, companionship animals, and service animals in training are not service animals.

Taking this into account, airlines are required to accept service animals, but they are not required to accept emotional support animals. For more information on traveling with service animals and ESA’s (which would have to follow the same regulations as all pets), you can access the CDC Pets and Service Animals page, and the US Department of Transportation website.

Whether your disability is visible or invisible, Education Abroad is committed to making educational experiences abroad possible for you. Early disclosure of personal needs and an open mind to different programs, locations, and services can help you identify the best opportunities abroad.

Things to consider when choosing your program abroad:

• What types of physical, academic, and mental health resources and accommodations are available in my host country?
• Are my medications controlled or banned abroad? Are there regulations on traveling with my medications, service animal, etc.?
• How does my host country view my disability?
• Are there prescriptions that I need to fill before I leave? What medications are available abroad?

Resources for you to explore:

• Identity and Education Abroad
• Student Accessibility Services
• Diversity Abroad
• Mobility International USA
• ISEP's Diversity, Inclusion & Accessibility Abroad page
• The U.S. State Department's Traveling with Disabilities page