Prepare

Preparing for traveling abroad requires careful planning and organization to ensure a smooth and enjoyable journey, from securing necessary documents to researching cultural norms and packing essentials.

Preparation Timeline

9 Months Out

  1. Do you have a passport?
    You must have a passport to leave the U.S., so go ahead and check that off your list. And, if you’ve got one already, make sure your passport is valid for at least six months past your planned return date. Visit the Travel.State.Gov website to start the process.
  2. Do you need a visa?
    While you’re at it, check to see if you will need a visa to visit any countries on your agenda. You’ll want to check on this early enough, so you have plenty of time to go through the process before your planned departure date.
  3. Start saving
    It’s never too early to start saving for your trip. Go ahead and start planning and being aware of your finances now so you can take full advantage of your time abroad.

Health & Safety

Following Best Practices

The University endorses the recommendations and best practices established for health and safety in the field of education abroad by NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Forum on Education Abroad. We align ourselves with those best practices by having our professional staff and faculty participate in risk management training, give conference presentations, and hold leadership positions in a variety of professional associations. That active engagement provides our office and greater community with experience and knowledge to create policy and practices to best support the health, safety, and security of our students. 

While abroad, we expect our students to: 

  • Stay informed on developments in the country/countries where they spend time. 
  • Continue to check their U of A email and respond to program leaders appropriately. 
  • Make sure that the emergency contact information that they provide in their HogsAbroad application is up to date. 

Insurance While Abroad

All students participating in a study abroad program are required to have comprehensive international health insurance. To ensure consistent coverage for all participants, the Office of Study Abroad & International Exchange enrolls every study abroad student in the University of Arkansas' Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) policy. This coverage includes 24-hour emergency assistance, medical coverage abroad, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, and security evacuation.

Enrollment in the CISI policy is mandatory for all study abroad participants and cannot be waived, regardless of whether another international insurance policy is included through a study abroad provider or whether the student's personal or U.S. health insurance provides international coverage. The CISI insurance premium will be charged to the student's Workday account. Students are encouraged to review the policy benefits and understand their coverage prior to departure.

International Independent Travel Registration

Students approved to travel on an approved study abroad program are NOT required to complete this independent travel registration; their information will be gathered through the online application process.

International Travel Registration Instructions

All University of Arkansas students, faculty, and staff traveling internationally for University-related purposes are required to complete a travel registration.

This process allows the Office of Study Abroad & International Exchange to review and clear your travel in accordance with University policy, as well as provide support while you are abroad. Registration ensures we have accurate information in case of emergencies and allows us to communicate important updates if needed.

Important: During the travel registration and review process, you may receive emails about required actions, travel clearance, or other updates. These messages will be sent from messages@via-trm.com. Please add this email address to your safe senders list and check your spam or junk folder if you are expecting a message.

Proxy Registration

If a Proxy will be completing the registration on the traveler's behalf, the traveler must first log into their HogsAbroad account and authorize the Proxy user before the Proxy can access or complete the travel registration.

How to Complete Your Travel Registration

Please follow the steps below when creating your travel registration:

  • Plan Name
    • Enter your name as the plan name (e.g., John Smith). This field is required.
  • Plan Type
    • Select the appropriate plan type. If you select “Other,” you will be prompted to complete the Plan Description in the next question.
  • Transportation and Housing
    • These sections may be skipped; however, we strongly encourage you to complete them. Providing this information allows our office to better support your safety and respond more effectively in case of an emergency.
  • SafeCheck Enrollment (Required)
    • You must enroll in SafeCheck. This system is used for important communications and emergency check-ins while you are abroad.
  • Complete All Required Forms
    • After submitting your initial answers, you will be taken to a new page where you will see any remaining required items. Your travel cannot be reviewed or approved until all forms have been completed and submitted.

Faculty & Staff: Spend Authorization Requirements

If you are submitting a Spend Authorization, the dates must align with your HogsAbroad travel dates.

  • Your Spend Authorization dates must fall within your HogsAbroad travel dates.
  • This means your Spend Authorization cannot start before your HogsAbroad start date and cannot end after your HogsAbroad end date.
  • Example:
    • If your HogsAbroad travel dates are June 1–June 10, your Spend Authorization can be:
      • June 1–June 10 (exact match)
      • June 2–June 9 (within the range)
    • But it cannot be:
      • May 31–June 10 (starts too early)
      • June 1–June 12 (ends too late)

Need Help?

Kristen Collier Wright Office of Study Abroad & International Exchange

For Students

All students traveling outside of the United States on a U of A related activity are required to register their travel with the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange. Itineraries, purpose of visit, and host organizations are shared with the International Education Advisory Council, travel office and appropriate college administrators upon request.

This would include but is not limited to the following activities:

  • Internship
  • Research/grant
  • Professional conference attendance
  • Traveling with a registered student organization (RSO)
  • Traveling with faculty on cultural or athletic events

Traveler Registration

For Faculty & Staff

All faculty and staff traveling outside of the United States on a U of A related activity are required to register their travel with the Office of Study Abroad and International Exchange. Travel Authorizations will not be approved in BASIS for international travel until the trip has been registered, so travelers or their designated proxy should take care of this before airfare is purchased.

This would include, but is not limited, to the following activities:

  • Teaching or Research
  • Professional conference attendance
  • MOU development
  • Recruiting
  • Traveling with students on cultural or athletic events

Traveler Registration

Attend a Study Abroad Event

Events

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