Before You Go With Students
International Travel: Before You Go With Students
A Cal Poly faculty/staff trip leader must be present for the full duration of the trip and is responsible for completing the Group Travel Request. Additional faculty/staff trip leaders complete the Additional Trip Leader Registration.
Deadlines
Please review the deadlines for receipt of completed Group Travel Requests. Late requests may be submitted after the deadline with accompanying justification and documentation. Exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis. It is recommended that travelers begin the request process early to allow time for review and approval by the department/division and college that is authorizing the trip and to secure all approvals before fees are collected and/or expenditures made.
Below are steps to completing the International Group Travel Request process. The International Center works in partnership with faculty and staff to maintain compliance with CSU and Cal Poly policy and to follow standards of good practice in international educational programming.
International Group Travel Process Planning
- Contact your department and college for preliminary approval for your proposed group trip.
- Review CSU and U.S. Department of State information to determine risk level of destination(s). If you intend to travel to a High Hazardous Country/Region, be prepared to provide detailed justification for the travel and to provide ways in which you will mitigate risk for the group.
- Determine if any visas or residence permits are necessary and if so, what types. Consider that students with different citizenships will need to review visa/entry requirements for their travel to the proposed destination/s. Determine if vaccinations will need to be obtained.
- Determine if you will work with a service provider/vendor for If so, will your department/unit collect fees for the program and pay service providers/vendors directly? This will require a fee approval before fees are collected from students and you will need to work with the International Center well before the deadlines to ensure timely approval of the fee and to finalize contracts with the service provider/vendor.
- After your proposal is approved, students must register with the International Center. Registration is required for all participants (including alumni and volunteers, if applicable). Consult early with the International Center if you will have participants who are not current Cal Poly students. Student travel is subject to academic and disciplinary review, and all students who are approved for group travel will be assessed a $200 International Travel Student Fee.
Submitting a Group Travel Request
The faculty/staff group trip leader will need to complete all registration forms and signature documents in the Group Travel Request, including:
- Group Travel Proposal Form
- Export Compliance Form
- Foreign Travel Insurance (FTIP) Form
- Emergency medical and safety plans: see the Sample Emergency / Contingency Plan
- Onsite Support Documentation
- If working with a service provider, provide the International Center with a copy of the proposal/bid at the earliest possible opportunity. This will facilitate timely completion of the contract, noting that all contracts for international programs must be reviewed by the International Center and subsequently approved by campus legal counsel and President Armstrong.
- Typically, the University requires one (1) faculty/staff trip leader for every twenty-four (24) students. Additional faculty/staff trip leaders are required to complete the additional trip leader application which includes individual submission of a Travel Proposal Form, Export Compliance Form, and FTIP form. All faculty/staff trip leaders are required to attend an Group Trip Leader Workshop each year a trip is offered.
Once Approved
- All faculty and staff must submit a Concur Travel Request with the approved Group Travel Packet attached (found in the Documents section of your application on abroad.calpoly.edu).
- Submit a finalized group roster and ask students to complete the student application for group travel. The International Center will use the student applications to complete a disciplinary and academic review. The International Center will make a final determination in consultation with the faculty/staff leader(s) if a student who is on academic or disciplinary probation or under disciplinary review is allowed to travel on a Cal Poly approved international trip. Travel and provider expenses may be non-refundable.
- After students are approved for group travel, the $200 International Travel Student Fee will be posted to each student (unless waived for presentations at international conferences or international competition advancement). This fee supports our efforts in maintaining standards of good practice in the planning and delivery of non-study abroad international programs. Specifically, the revenue helps cover the cost of program administration on international trips, including the development and maintenance of safety modules, program proposal review, planning and delivery of in-person and online pre-departure orientation workshops for students, faculty and staff, maintenance of software programs, student advising, and emergency response while abroad.
- Once the itinerary is confirmed, please share it with the International Center. Please do not plan on driving vehicles abroad with Cal Poly students.
- All trip participants will be enrolled in the mandatory full Foreign Travel Insurance Program (FTIP) insurance. Insurance fees can be paid by students or by a department or other funding source.
- Determine if you should have additional insurance coverage, noting that certain high-risk activities are not covered under the CSU mandated international travel insurance. Please review the insurance coverage and contact the International Center with any questions.
- Encourage all trip participants to enroll in the STEP program (non-U.S. citizens are advised to enroll in STEP Travel & Alerts: https://step.state.gov/step/).
- Verify your passport and student passports are valid and remain valid for at least 6 months after the planned return date and there are no stamps in passports that may present problems for this trip. Verify that each traveler has a visa or residence permit if required.
- Encourage participants to contact their credit card company to let them know they will be traveling abroad.
- Encourage participants to copy and/or take a photo of the first page of their passport. The FTIP insurance cards will be attached to each student's application on abroad.calpoly.edu. Students should provide their emergency contact with copies of their passport and insurance and verify how they should be contacted in an emergency.
- Encourage participants to enter emergency numbers into their cell phone and have a list of credit card and bank phone numbers if their wallet is stolen.
- Contact your cellular service provider prior to departure to verify your service and charges while abroad. Faculty/Staff leading a group of students abroad are required to have access to cellular service.
- Continue to evaluate the safety and security of your destination(s). If there are any questions, contact the International Center immediately.