Safety Considerations

The University has partnered with the Travel Risk Management Company, Healix International, to offer our staff and students medical, safety, and security advice, referrals, emotional support, and routine or emergency assistance when travelling or living abroad.

Healix can be contacted from anywhere in the world (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

All students undertaking an overseas study program will be registered with Healix once their travel details have been recorded by the University’s Travel Team via the Business Travel Request (BTR). This is a mandatory requirement for anyone taking part in an overseas program, and you will not be covered by Healix or the UniSA Travel Insurance policy if you have not completed a BTR.

Study Tour Students

Group travel is arranged with the Travel Team on behalf of the group, and you will receive an email from the UniSA Travel Team when the flights have been booked and the next step is for the student to complete the BTR.

• If you’ve been approved to book travel on either side of the tour, you must include these additional travel details in the BTR when instructed to complete it as above.
• If your flights are not being booked as part of the group, you must complete the Business Travel Request (BTR) form individually instead to register your travel and itinerary before you depart.

All other Study Overseas programs

• All students undertaking an overseas study program have the option of booking their travel through the University’s Travel Team. If you choose to book with the Travel Team, your travel request will be via the BTR and will be added to Healix. You’ll still need to register any additional travel you do using the Business Travel Request (BTR) form.
• You can also elect to book your travel independently. If you do so, you must register your full travel details (itinerary, etc.) with the Travel Team using the BTR. This is a mandatory requirement – you will not be given final approval to travel until your details have been registered with the Travel Team, and with Healix.

You’ll have support from Healix prior to departure, when you are travelling, and during your Global Opportunities experience for both emergency and non-emergency situations.

All Global Opportunities students must visit the Smartraveller website prior to departure.

As part of your Pre-Departure actions, you’re required to subscribe to the free Smartraveller updates for your destination(s). You can opt-in for:

• Receiving travel advice updates by email for your destination (strongly recommended)
• Receive SMS critical alerts for your travel destinations (all students must subscribe to this option)
• Receive a daily email with all updates from the previous 24 hours

The Smartraveller website contains important information including:

• An overview of the safety issues in each country (environmental, criminal, political, etc)
• Travel and health advice and bulletins
• Insurance and medication information
• Local laws to be aware of
• Passport and visa information, and
• Local contacts and information about registering your presence with an Australian Embassy overseas.

Have a look at the full listing of overseas Australian posts (e.g. embassies, high commissions or consulates) available here and note the one that will be nearest to you. In an emergency situation, you may need to contact them for assistance.

Additionally, DFAT’s 24 hour Consular Emergency Centre (CEC) in Canberra provides emergency consular services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you can call from anywhere around the world to get assistance.

If you’re unable to contact the Australian Embassy, High Commission, or Consulate in an emergency you can contact the CEC from anywhere in the world on +61 6261 3305. The CEC is also an advisory line for concerned family members in Australia and can be called on 1300 555 135 for the cost of a local call in Australia.

Solo travel can be rewarding like no other experience. It’s an incredible way to challenge yourself and think on your feet, and when you succeed (which you inevitably will), you’ll know that it was through your own strength and tenacity alone. That being said, it’ll be no surprise that travelling alone comes with its own set of risks and challenges.

From small things like trying to use an airport bathroom with nobody to guard your luggage, to more complicated situations like taking extra precautions for your personal safety, there’s much to consider.

It’s also important to be aware that, while there is a slow move towards global gender equality, there are still unique challenges faced by different members of the community, particularly for those who present or identify as female.

• Smartraveller provides general advice here for women travellers
• We like this article for tips on safe solo female travel, and
• You can also check out the UniSA page on women’s safety

Solo female travel doesn’t have to be a daunting or scary prospect, but it’s important to do some research on the places you’re going, and to look at the overall level of safety as well as living conditions. We also recommend you take a moment to consider in advance:

• Access to contraception or birth control.
• Access to personal hygiene products. For example, did you know that tampons aren’t readily in available many countries?
• How to deal with unwanted attention. For example, some people choose to wear a fake wedding band as an easy deflection prop.
• Clothing norms and expectations. Like it or not, there’s no escaping the fact that, in the wrong environment, some clothes have the potential to cause offence or attract the wrong kinds of attention.

Irrespective of gender, it’s still important to do some research on the places you’ll be visiting. Solo travellers can often be targeted for crimes such as muggings, pickpocketing, or scams, so it’s good to plan ahead! Always look at the Smartraveller website for the places you plan to go.

Here are some more resources for those looking to experience travel solo:

• 10 Travelers on What It Really Means to Be a Traveler of Colour
• 6 important lessons for first time Black female solo travelers
• Solo Female Travel Tips: Advice from Women Who Know
• 10 Tips for Men Traveling Alone

LGBTQIA+ students will no doubt already be well aware that some locations are more welcoming and accepting than others, and that there are more things to be aware of on top of the usual safety considerations and precautions.

Even countries that might at first seem to be similar to Australia in terms of progressive politics can still have outdated attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community. Make sure you’re fully across the laws of the country you’re visiting and know your rights! Laws aside, you may find some different levels of acceptance even within the same country, particularly between urban and rural areas.

Some further considerations (though by no means is this an exhaustive list!) are:

• Dating apps – these can be used as targeting tools for LGBTQIA+ violence. Be careful of location tracking or meeting up with strangers.
• Documentation – try to travel with documents that reflect who you currently are, including photo, name, and gender marker.
• Luggage - make sure that anything you pack is permitted in the country you’re going to. This may include medication, toys, or other items that you require.
• Community - networking via LGBTQIA+ travel social media groups can be a great way to find out what your destination is like, as some places might have anti-LGBTQIA+ laws but still be considered a relatively safe destination for travel. It’s also a great way to connect with like-minded individuals, and more easily find the LGBTQIA+ community once you arrive.
• Services – look at specialised services for the LGBTQIA+ travel community, such as tours or accommodation platforms. Do some research and find LGBTQIA+ friendly businesses before you leave. Consider using the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association as a resource.

Check out this article, How to Pick Where to Study Abroad as an LGBTQIA+ Student, for an more in-depth look at some of the questions you might need to consider with for your overseas study program.