COVID-19 Travel Health & Safety — Office of Education Abroad

Planning Travel (all trips)

Monitor the CDC, WHO, and US Embassy country-specific pages on your destination. These pages will be the first to be updated if your country's level or entry requirements change.
Please see CDC guidelines on travel, including guidance on vaccinations (recommendations for US citizens, permanent residents, immigrants; recommendations for non-US citizens, non-US immigrants.
Check your destination's entry requirements on the US Embassy's country-specific COVID page. This page will have information on what kind of test you will need to enter, if you will need to quarantine, what policies you must follow in-country, etc. Please note that UofL has no control over vaccine requirements or COVID-19 protocols or other entry requirements of host countries and/or program providers, nor does UofL have control of re-entry requirements into the U.S. upon return (e.g., COVID-19 testing required for U.S. entry), and it is the traveler's responsibility to ensure they are meeting all requirements.
Highly Recommended: purchase “Cancel/Interrupt for Any Reason” insurance coverage from CISI.
Read our CISI insurance policy and the CISI COVID FAQ. Be aware of what CISI will and will not cover in case of illness, cancellation, trip interruption, and trip delay. NB: CISI will not cover cancelling your international program due to fear of contracting COVID-19. Cancel for Any Reason insurance is the only policy that would cover this. UofL's CISI policy does not cover personal time; our policy only applies to your international flights and the official study abroad program/business travel dates.
Ask your Program Provider for their cancellation and refund policies. Note any important dates they give you.
Before purchasing a flight, check the airline’s cancellation and refund policies. How strict or lenient are they? It’s best to avoid surprises! Consider purchasing a higher price ticket if it has a better refund policy.
Purchase flights directly from the airline. Third-party resellers often have poor or no refunds.
Airlines may have additional COVID regulations, and they have the sole authority to decide who they allow to board their aircraft. Please check with your airline to ensure you follow these regulations. Double check one week before departure.
Have a plan if your destination requires quarantine upon entry. Some ideas are: Netflix, books/ebooks/audiobooks, podcasts, cards, puzzles, any crafts that are easily packable, etc. The Louisville Free Public Library offers access to eBooks, eMagazines, downloadable audiobooks, streaming music and movies online, and online courses – all free with a library card! Get a library card online here.
Look into what food delivery options will be available to you in your location in case of quarantine.
Thoroughly read all policy information you receive from your program provider, host university, co-op employer, conference organization, etc. Ask questions if something is unclear and make a plan to follow all requirements. UofL has no control over these requirements and it is the responsibility of the traveler to ensure they follow all guidelines.
Request your Program Provider’s plan for if you must self-isolate in country upon arrival.
Check with your program provider, host university, co-op employer, conference organization, etc. for the support that is in place if you test positive for COVID. Do they provide or help coordinate meals if you have to quarantine?
The week before departure, limit your contact to people in your home or other small "bubble." Avoid crowds or other large gatherings. This will reduce the chances that you will have to delay or cancel your trip or program due to a positive COVID test.
Have a plan in case you test positive for COVID at the end of your program and must isolate before returning to the US.
Make a plan to get a COVID test 24 hours before your return to the US; talk with your program provider to see if they are able to assist you.
Familiarize yourself with requirements to follow during and after travel.

During Travel (all trips)

Airlines may have additional COVID regulations, and they have the sole authority to decide who they allow to board their aircraft. Please check with your airline to ensure you follow these regulations. Double check one week before departure.
Inform yourself of and follow all local ordinances related to COVID-19. While our office and your provider will provide you with resources to understand these ordinances, it is ultimately your responsibility to be aware of and adhere to them.
Wear a mask in public (some countries require surgical masks. See CDC guidelines on masks)
Wash your hands often
Monitor your temperature daily with a thermometer
Carry and use a small hand sanitizer
Limit the number of people you come into contact with abroad
Do not travel while sick
Continue to monitor the CDC, WHO US Embassy country-specific page on your destination, and your UofL email. We will reach out if there are any important changes.
Continue taking the same basic steps to look after your health as you would in the US: stay hydrated, make sure you're getting enough rest, eat a balanced diet, and explore your city and local parks to exercise, etc.
Before any excursions or side trips during your time abroad, monitor symptoms and take a COVID test.

What to do if you test positive for COVID while abroad (all trips):

Inform your program provider, host university, host family, co-op employer, conference organization, etc. Follow any guidance they provide.
Defer to program provider/host university for class instruction while you are quarantined.
Self-isolate in your dorm/bedroom/hotel room.
Group trips: Best practices is to have a minimum of two faculty/staff members on your trip so that one can remain with a student should they get ill, and this is especially true during COVID. The second group leader could be another professor, a support staff, or a GTA. One alternative is to work with a program provider or other host with a contact who could stay with the ill student. Come up with a plan of what you will do if a group leader gets ill.
Inform CISI and UofL Office Study Abroad & International travel
CISI will cover or reimburse: testing costs if you have symptoms; healthcare; lodging, food, and transportation (including return flight) up to $2000 reimbursable due to medically necessary quarantine. CISI COVID FAQ.
Meals: Program Providers or host university international center should be providing food service to students. Employees, check with your host to see if they provide any accommodation.
Delay any travel plans. If you have to delay your trip back to the US, CISI’s quarantine coverage can apply to your return flight, and their trip delay benefit covers up to $500. Trip delay is covered as a reimbursements, so save any receipts!
If at any point you have trouble breathing, persistent pain or pressure in chest, new confusion, inability to wake or stay awake, or pale, gray, or blue-colored skin, lips, or nail beds, depending on skin tone, seek emergency medical care. CISI can assist you.
You will need to test negative or receive documentation of recovery from a physician stating you are medically fit for travel before you can travel back to the US. Your program provider, host university, or CISI may be able to assist in finding a local physician, or you may be able to telehealth with your American PCP. Campus Health is unable to in this matter.

Group Trips

Read all information the planning travel, during travel, testing positive for COVID, and returning travel sections, as the information pertains to group trips as well.
Best practices is to have a minimum of two faculty/staff members on your trip so that one can remain with a student should they get ill, and this is especially true during COVID. The second group leader could be another professor, a support staff, or a GTA. One alternative is to work with a program provider or other host with a contact who could stay with the ill student.
Talk your travel plans over with your local contacts. Will they be able to support you if a traveler were to test positive? Are there resources they know of in-country that could assist in such a situation? Do they have a place to get a PCR test if a traveler has symptoms but tests negative on a rapid test?
Have a plan in place if a group leader tests positive for COVID or is ill.
Have a plan for meals if a traveler will need to quarantine.
Determine designated quarantine accommodations at all stopping points of the trip. It doesn't have to be finalized reservations, but group leaders should have a list of potential lodgings if the need arises.
Travel with rapid take-home COVID tests. Have enough so that travelers can test before excursions, if any symptoms present themselves, and for re-entry to the US.
Where possible, make travel arrangements through Anthony Travel. In cases where travelers purchase their own airfare, encourage them to purchase directly from an airline and read all cancellation policies.
Highly Recommended: advise students to purchase “Cancel/Interrupt for Any Reason” insurance coverage from CISI.
Have a plan in place if a student tests positive at all stopping points of the trip.
CISI will cover or reimburse: testing costs if you have symptoms; healthcare; lodging, food, and transportation (including return flight) up to $2000 reimbursable due to medically necessary quarantine. CISI COVID FAQ
If any traveler has to delay their trip back to the US, CISI’s quarantine coverage can apply to the return flight, and their trip delay benefit covers up to $500. Trip delay is covered as a reimbursements, so save any receipts!

Returning Travel (all travel)

The US government requires proof of a negative COVID test (or proof of recovery from COVID-19 within the past 90 days) to enter the country. The test must be administered no more than one day before your departure date. For more information, read the CDC order and FAQs.
Travelers may be subjected to temperature checks at port of entry, and may be detained or quarantined. If you are detained at the border, contact your third-party provider and the Office of Study Abroad and International Travel as soon as you can.
Follow all CDC and local government recommendations on testing and self-isolation after international travel. The current CDC recommendation is to get tested 3-5 days after travel and to stay home for at least 7 days (assuming negative test result). It’s safest to stay home for 10-14 days.
Refer to UofL Campus Health Services' Self Isolation Guide, found here.