Safety abroad

thailand, boats, ocean

UBC’s Student Safety Abroad program supports safe experiences abroad by:

  • Offering advice for assessing and mitigating risks
  • Making it easier for UBC to assist you if you encounter critical incidents
  • If you’re intending to go to locations with increased travel warnings, offering a clear and simple process for adjudicating your travel proposals
  • If you’re intending to go to locations with increased travel warnings, providing tools to prepare you for regional hazards

If you’re traveling outside of Canada for university activity — including conferences, research, volunteering, service learning, varsity sports, and studying abroad — you need to connect with Student Safety Abroad.

In most cases, you will be travelling to regions where all you will need to do is register your travel details, emergency contacts, and review pre-departure materials to prepare you for a safe journey.

However, if you’re traveling to a location with an increased travel warning, you will need to get permission to travel and undertake additional preparation for risks associated with your location.

Learn more: Student Safety Abroad

International SOS

International SOS is a medical and travel security assistance service provided to UBC students travelling abroad. The company provides the following services:

  • A website to find extensive health and security information about your destination that you can access before you leave and at your destination
  • An email and mobile app service that will send messages to you with the latest news about developing security or health threats in the region you are visiting
  • Doctors and security experts you can call while you are away to get professional medical or security advice over the phone. (Note: If you have an acute illness or injury that requires the care of a physician, you must call your own travel insurance provider first).
  • When necessary, help with emergency medical care that goes beyond the coverage provided by your travel insurance provider.

UBC students can access the University’s membership number by contacting a Go Global advisor at goglobal.okanagan@ubc.ca.