Travel Advisories

Important Information on Foreign Travel 4.22.03

All international travel involves risk, particularly in our post-September 11, 2001 world. Anyone who is planning a trip abroad is advised to check the U.S. State Department (DoS) website, http://travel.state.gov/ for DoS travel warnings on areas where the risks of travel are heightened, sometimes severely, public announcements, and consular information sheets. DoS’s web site also has useful information on medical issues, visas, personal safety, local customs, and other issues that should be known and considered before making a decision whether to travel, and before making and during a trip abroad. See particularly, the DoS World Wide Caution at http://travel.state.gov/travel/wwc1.html and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Public Announcement at http://travel.state.gov/travel/sars_announce.html. Health risk information (including about SARS) also is available from the Centers for Disease Control at http://www.cdc.gov/ and from the World Health Organization at http://www.who.int/. Travelers should check the DoS, CDC, and WHO web pages and information from their Embassy or Consulate at their destinations both before and frequently during their trips. Local conditions and security concerns may change quickly. Check with the Office of Sponsored Research at 617-253-2492 regarding travel embargoes, export controls, and sponsor restrictions.

Travel to certain areas of the world has always involved a number of health risks, and members of the MIT community should consult with their personal doctors and arrange for various inoculations, advice on avoiding air, water and insect-borne illnesses, respiratory protection and emergency prescription medications and materials (such as antibiotics and sterile needles and syringes for administering medication, with prescriptions to demonstrate legitimacy), which may be advisable before departure. Individuals should also check with their health insurance providers and also determine their life and travel insurance coverages before departing to be sure they have appropriate coverage for their trips and know how to access it. Contact MIT Medical Health Plan at http://web.mit.edu/medical/p-main.html or 617-253-1322. For other health plan, life insurance, and travel business accident and emergency medical travel insurance information, contact the MIT Benefits Office at http://web.mit.edu/hr/benefits/contact.html or 617-253-0500 and the MIT Insurance Office at 617-253-2823.

It is wise for travelers to note emergency contact information for their destinations before departing, such as Embassy and Consulate contacts and locations, medical services, and communications services (e.g., does the individual need an international cell phone).

It is always a good idea for travelers to leave copies of their passports and visas with their department heads or department Administrative Officer before departing, along with a travel itinerary noting dates, times and modes of travel to and from and within their destinations. Individuals may also wish to leave copies (at their option) with Campus Police Chief, John DiFava, if they want their contact information to be available to MIT on a 24/7 basis in case of emergency. Travelers should have with them the Campus Police emergency number (617-253-1212), which is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals may register with, and enroll in the warden system at, the U.S. or their home country’s Consulates nearest their destinations to take advantage of emergency assistance. Travelers also should bring extra copies of their passports, visas and other travel documents with them on their trips, and keep such copies in a separate location from the originals. Such copies are important if the originals are lost.

Individuals who are not American citizens need to be particularly careful about their visas and other immigration documentation for returning to the United States, and may want to confer with the International Students or Scholars Office, as applicable, before departure. Such individuals should take information with them on how to contact their Embassies and Consulates and should check information available through them, as well as through the U.S. Department of State web site, before and during their trips.