Keeping safe while you're off-campus
Calvin College will do its best to provide a safe and healthy environment for you during your off-campus program, but we cannot eliminate all dangers and risks. Listen to and heed the advice of persons connected with the program—the Health Services travel nurses, your instructor(s), and persons invited by Calvin to assist in your orientation. These people are experts—take advantage of their knowledge! By following their advice, you can lessen the chances of an incident, accident, or illness.
Here are some of the most important general guidelines:
Food and drink in non-western countries*
- Eat only peeled fruits and vegetables; do not eat food cooked at the roadside or at a market stall.
Drink only bottled or boiled water. - Don’t accept bottled drinks that have been opened out of your sight. Ask the server to bring the bottle to your table unopened. (“Bottled” water has been known to come from the kitchen faucet!)
- If you are of legal age and choose to drink alcoholic beverages (assuming this has not been proscribed by your instructor), be aware of your limits and of your heightened vulnerability. Your reflexes will be slower and you are more likely to appear to be a good target for pick pocketing, etc.
Keep an eye on your beverage. (Drugs can be slipped into it while you’re gone.) - Wash your hands frequently.\
*These guidelines generally do not apply in western European countries.
- Keep your passport, credit cards, insurance card(s) and money in a money belt or neck pouch that is tucked away under your clothes except when you need it.
- Be aware of your surroundings; don’t get so involved in looking at the sights that you become an easy mark for a pickpocket or mugger. Getting on and off trains, buses, etc. are times when you’re in a crowded place and could be easily distracted. Be especially vigilant at such times.
- Travel light. The more luggage you have, the more vulnerable you are to theft. Mark your luggage both inside and out with your name and a contact phone number, and mark it distinctively, so that you can spot it quickly as yours if someone tries to walk off with it.
- Have at least two sources of money (ATM card, traveler’s checks, debit card) in addition to cash, and keep them separately. If you lose or are robbed of one source, you will still have a way to get money.
- Make a photocopy of your passport ID page, credit cards, tickets and other travel documents, and keep the copies in a separate place. Give a copy to someone at home, too, as a back-up. You can also scan it and send it to yourself as an e-mail attachment, making the information on it accessible if you have web access.
- Leave expensive jewelry, cameras and other valuables at home.
- Do not travel alone away from the group. This is especially essential for women!
- Read up on the area that you’re planning to visit; the more knowledgeable you appear, the less you look like a potential target.
- Complete the Independent Travel form before you travel on your own, so that your instructor(s) has/have as much information as possible about your plans. If your plans are somewhat indefinite when you leave on a trip, keep in touch with the instructor(s) or someone at home by phone or e-mail periodically if possible.
- Do not travel late at night unless you have someone meeting you at the train station, airport, etc. Be cautious about going out in town late in the evening.
- Ask “deskies” at your hotel or hostel about areas to avoid; they are usually reliable sources of local information.
- Follow your instincts—if you hail a taxi and you feel uncomfortable about the driver, send the taxi on its way.
- Stay on major streets as much as possible after dark. If you see people loitering in your path, turn back and head to a place where there are people around.
- If traveling abroad, you must have medical insurance that covers you outside the United States. If your own policy doesn’t provide foreign coverage, check with the Off-Campus Programs office about policies that do provide this and can be purchased on a short-term basis. Be sure you know the regulations of your insurance coverage regarding prior approval for care. Keep your insurance card or a copy of it with you.
- Students on Calvin programs are insured by a college policy through MEDEX against medical or political/security evacuation (only). Be sure you have your MEDEX card with you, especially when traveling away from the group. The coverage lasts the length of the program. If you need longer evacuation coverage, the easiest way to do this is to purchase an International Student Identification Card, available in the French/German Department office. The card not only provides evacuation insurance, but also can help you get student discounts as you travel independently.
- If you require medical attention while away from home, you will be asked for payment at the time of service. This can usually be done via credit card. The MEDEX policy will guarantee payment to a hospital, with reimbursement from you at a later date. To get reimbursement from your insurance company, you’ll need receipts—be sure to get them!
- If you have a medical condition that should be known when receiving medical attention, wear a med-alert necklace or bracelet.
- Keep a phone card and contact information for your instructor(s) with you at all times.
- Avoid large crowds, especially if they are politically motivated. In the event of civil unrest, keep a low profile. If you are away from the group, try to contact the nearest embassy or consulate of your home country for advice.
- If you have a chronic medical condition (diabetes, asthma, food allergies, etc.), be sure you give full information to your instructor(s) BEFORE the group leaves for the program destination, so that they can be helpful if needed.
- Female students will sometimes encounter harassment, but uncomfortable situations can usually be avoided by taking the following precautions:
- Dress conservatively. While short skirts and tank tops may be comfortable, in some cultures they also encourage unwanted attention.
- Avoid walking alone at night or in questionable neighborhoods.
- Do not agree to meet a person whom you do not know in a non-public place.
- Be aware that some men from other cultures tend to mistake the friendliness of North American women for romantic interest.
- Avoid eye contact with unknown men.
- Remember that no one has the right to take sexual advantage of you, no matter what you do or don’t do. If you are victimized in this way, be sure to get help from your program director and/or another person in authority. This is important for your physical and mental well-being and to protect others from becoming victims in the future.
