Travel
Whether you’re planning a short trip or an extended stay, we’re here to help you prepare. From understanding local conditions to ensuring personal safety, our resources and guidance make international travel smoother and safer. We also work closely with trip leaders to coordinate group travel and provide tailored support every step of the way.
And if the unexpected happens, we’re here for you. We provide 24/7 assistance in the event of an emergency, helping you navigate medical, security, or logistical challenges so you can focus on what matters most.
International Health, Safety, and Security (IHSS)
IHSS is your partner for safe, successful travel. Before you leave, we help you prepare for a healthy, secure trip. While you’re abroad, we’re here to support you—whether you need advice or urgent assistance. And when you return, we continue to be a resource for your next journey.
Explore our resources and services outlined below, and familiarize yourself with the planning requirements. To simplify your process, we provide predeparture resources, including detailed checklists for students and faculty and staff to guide you every step of the way.
Stay informed. Subscribe to the IHSS newsletter for the latest health, safety, and security updates.
Register Your International Travel
Registration in advance of travel is required by University Policy 8.5 and crucial for your safety, security, and compliance with federal regulations.
Who Needs to Register?
All Cornell community members (students, staff, faculty, and volunteers) traveling outside the United States on Cornell-related business.
Not Required to Register:
- Domestic or international visitors coming to Cornell (even if their visit is Cornell-sponsored)
- Domestic travel within the United States
- Personal travel unrelated to Cornell business
How to Register:
- Log in with your NetID at travelregistry.cornell.edu
- Complete all required details accurately and submit your planned trip before your departure date
- Save your confirmation email and enter your international trip ID number into your Concur expense report. (If applicable, students should follow instructions for Non-Employee Expense Reporting.)
By registering your itinerary, emergency contact information, and travel purpose, we can provide you with valuable resources and timely assistance during any incident, crisis, or emergency abroad. Preregister as soon as you have your travel plans in place.
Important: Starting November 1, 2024, international travel that is not preregistered will be classified as non-authorized and business-related travel expenses will not be reimbursed.
Questions? Email IHSS at intlsafety@cornell.edu. We're here to help!
What Qualifies as Cornell Travel?
Cornell Directed or Supervised Travel:
- Travel that is fully supported and supervised by Cornell with institutional oversight (e.g., international Cornell faculty-led courses)
Cornell Facilitated or Supported Travel:
- Travel where Cornell oversight is not exercised but is undertaken to further academic or professional objectives related to Cornell
- For students, it includes approved exchange programs, internships, in absentia status, field research, and study-abroad programs. This also includes, but is not limited to, travel that is funded by Cornell, such as travel grants and scholarships.
- For faculty, it includes research collaborations, academic conferences, sabbatical activities, fieldwork, grant-related travel, visiting scholar appointments, editorial board meetings, peer review activities, visiting appointments, and alumni events.
- For staff, it includes professional development, training programs, institutional partnerships, recruitment activities, and alumni activities.
See University Policy 8.5, Risk Management for International Travel, for additional information. Reach out with questions: intlsafety@cornell.edu.
Digital Privacy and Device Searches
Learn what to expect at U.S. borders, how to assess your risk, and how to protect your digital privacy when traveling internationally.
Services for Travelers
We invite you to take advantage of the wide range of travel-related services offered by IHSS to anyone traveling abroad on Cornell-related international travel.
Before You Leave
- Predeparture Orientations: Cornell provides two short, online, and free orientations for students and Off-Campus Activity Leaders planning international travel for academic purposes. These sessions offer essential information to help you manage your health, safety, and security responsibly while abroad.
- Travel Services for Students at Cornell Health: Travel Services provides pre-travel consultations, immunizations, and health guidance. During your appointment, medical professionals will review your itinerary and health history, assess your immunization needs, and provide prevention and treatment recommendations.
- Elevated-Risk Travel Review: Students and faculty/staff traveling with students to elevated-risk destinations must submit a petition with a detailed travel plan and risk mitigation strategy. The International Travel Advisory and Response Team (ITART) reviews petitions to ensure you are prepared and that health, safety, and security measures are in place before granting approval.
While You Are Abroad
- 24/7 Travel Assistance: Need a medical referral, security advice, or emergency support? Cornell partners with International SOS (ISOS) to provide global assistance anytime, anywhere. Access care and expertise via phone, online, or the free ISOS app. Call ISOS: 1-215-942-8478.
- Free Emergency International Travel Medical Insurance: If you are a registered traveler on Cornell-related international study or business, you are fully covered—at no cost to you—under an accident, sickness, and emergency care insurance plan that works seamlessly with ISOS.
- Emotional Support: Access mental health professionals 24/7 for short-term counseling and psychological support via phone or teleconferencing while abroad. Travelers are entitled to five free sessions per incident, per year. Call ISOS: 1-215-942-8478.
- Ongoing Communications: Once you sign up with the International Travel Registry, you will receive auto-email alerts and advisories specific to your itinerary if an incident may negatively affect your travel plans or your health and safety. In addition to these messages sent from ISOS, you can also self-register for destination-specific email alerts from ISOS.
- Export Controls: Please be mindful of export control laws and regulations to avoid civil and criminal penalties or import restrictions in certain countries such as China, Israel, and Russia. Cornell’s Export Controls Officer can help you safely navigate these regulations.
When You Return
- Care and Crisis Services: Sometimes, an incident abroad has a lasting effect that carries over after you return to campus. Student Support and Advocacy Services (SSAS) assists students in navigating difficult life events and crises. If you need emotional support and guidance, SSAS will provide a helping hand when you need it.
Support 24/7
Call ISOS 24/7 at +1-215-942-8478, or use the mobile app and reference membership #11BSCA827281 for help with any type of problem, regardless of the severity. Some common problems include:
- medical referrals
- security intelligence
- travel advice
- lost document assistance
- pretravel information
- legal referrals
- emergency evacuation
When necessary, ISOS will share details with Cornell's IHSS team so we can provide additional support.
You Can Depend on Our Expertise
IHSS is committed to keeping the Cornell community safe and healthy during international travel. We partner with global experts and monitor conditions worldwide to provide timely support when you need it most. Our expertise includes:
- Dedicated Support Personnel in Ithaca: IHSS works with a network of colleagues at Cornell to monitor world events 24/7, maintains a travel registry to know where our travelers are, and coordinates Cornell’s response to a crisis. You can reach the IHSS team at intlsafety@cornell.edu.
- Crisis Management Plans and Protocols: Cornell maintains a comprehensive International Incident Response Plan (IIRP). This plan is designed to guide responsible stakeholders at the institution with protocols and procedures for responding to a situation abroad that affects our travelers.
- Monitoring of World Events: Members of the IHSS team receive real-time safety and security alerts for all our travelers’ locations worldwide from several intelligence sources, including ISOS. The alerts are also supplemented by the U.S. Department of State, the CDC, various international government agencies, and a network of travel risk managers from 80+ higher education institutions.
- Travel Tracker: Once you register with the International Travel Registry, your itinerary and contact information is shared with Cornell’s Travel Tracking system. This tool provides IHSS with a comprehensive map view of all Cornell travelers, the ability to select a subset of those travelers using geo-filters, and options to communicate directly with anyone abroad via text or email. This system also links directly to the "check-in" feature of the ISOS app.
- International Travel Advisory and Response Team (ITART): A group of senior-level administrators, known as ITART, meets regularly to discuss travel policies and ongoing situations abroad. They are on standby to convene and respond in the event of an emergency affecting the Cornell community abroad.
- IHSS Forum: The IHSS Forum is a network of over 70 Cornell employees with responsibilities involving the international travel of our community. The group meets twice a semester and is in regular contact regarding resource updates, current events, and travel crisis management policy and procedures. Participants are also responsible for the dissemination of critical information to their respective units. To join, please email intlsafety@cornell.edu.
Contact Us
Please email intlsafety@cornell.edu.