Travel Resources

Insurance

Medical Insurance

Please note that everyone who participates in any Transylvania-affiliated education abroad program will be required to provide proof of medical insurance prior to departure.

Travel Insurance

Any student studying abroad on a faculty-led program, as well as on any GlobalTransy program that does not include insurance and on summer grant-funded travel, will be required to purchase travel insurance from Cultural Insurance Services International . This policy provides thorough coverage for your time abroad, including up to $2000 of Trip Cancellation. Please review the CISI Summary of Benefits for more information on your coverage, and for CISI contact information.

Once a student has been registered for a trip abroad, the Office of Global and Intercultural Engagement will enroll the student in CISI, and the cost of the policy will be billed to their student account.  Cost depends on the amount of time abroad. 

Once a student is enrolled, they will receive an email from CISI containing their participant ID card, policy brochure, claim form, and Consulate letter.  Students will also be prompted to create your MyCISI account, where you can print documents, upload a trip itinerary, locate a provider, and obtain various resources.  

More Resources

HEALTH AND SAFETY

• International Travel Information
• U.S. Embassies and Consulates
• Advice for Safe and Healthy Travel for Students 
• Travelers’ Health Topics
• Travel Medicine Clinics
• Advice From Parents

TRAVEL RESOURCES

• How to apply for a passport
• Information for air travelers
• Time and temperature for any country
• Currency converter

Passport and Visa Information

Passport Information

Information for New Applicants:

If you are not a U.S. citizen, contact your embassy or consulate.

If you are a U.S. citizen:

1. Passport Information 
2. Application Forms 
3. Complete the passport application form. DO NOT SIGN FORM until you return it to the passport office.
4. You will need to make an appointment at a U.S. passport office.  The one nearest Transy is:
   U.S. Postal Service
   Main Office, 1088 Nandino Blvd.
   Phone for appointments:  (859) 231-6721
   Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

(From campus: take West 4th St. to Newtown Pike, turn right. Stay on Newtown Pike past The Marriott at Griffin Gate and past New Circle Road. Turn left at the second traffic light on Nandino Blvd.—go about 1 mile. U.S. Post Office is on the left).

Items to Take:

• A certified copy of your birth certificate, issued by the state, city or county office of vital records.  It must have a raised, embossed, impressed, or multicolored seal and the date the certificate was filed with the state or country office. Please note that hospital birth certificates and baptismal certificates are NOT acceptable.
  • There are four ways to obtain your birth certificate:
    • Phone (502) 564-4212 OR order with credit card at (877) 817-3632
    • Stop in the Office of Vital Records at 275 E. Main Street IE-A, Frankfort, KY 40621
    • Request by mail to the office listed above
    • Via internet through Vitalchek 
• Two identical official passport photos: “2×2”, color
• A valid driver’s license or government-issued photo ID
• Two payments are required:  one for $110, payable to U.S. Dept. of State (debit card or check) and one for $25, payable to Postmaster (debit, credit or check)

NOTE:  It can take several weeks to process passport applications, so apply early.  As soon as you receive your passport, sign it and complete the information on the inside cover.

Information for Passport Renewals:

If you have been issued a U.S. passport within the past 15 years, and your most recent passport was issued after your 16th birthday:

1. Obtain form DS-82 from Passport Office or online .
2. Mail your completed form, accompanied by the following:
   -Your most recent passport
   -Two recent, identical 2″ x 2″ passport photos (color)
   -Check or money order payable to U.S. Dept. of State in the amount of $110 with FULL NAME and DATE OF BIRTH  typed or written on the front of the check
   -Mail in padded envelope via Express Mail to:
   Routine National Passport Processing Center
   P.O. Box 90155
   Philadelphia, PA 19101-0155

Visa Information

Visas are travel documents that may be required by the country of your destination.  The requirement is based on your citizenship and/or the length of time and purpose of your stay in the country.  Please check requirements by going to the website of the country’s embassy to the United States.

Note: Twenty-six European countries comprise the Schengen area for which a single visa is accepted by all members.  You must apply through your first country of entry.

Schengen visa countries 

Health and Safety

While you are abroad, you must exercise the same safety precautions you would at home. Don’t take the attitude that you are protected and safe because you are anonymous and no one knows you. Don’t travel with anything you are not prepared to lose. Use your common sense, avoid confrontations, try to blend in as much as possible, try to familiarize yourself with the area, ask the locals where the safe part of town is, and if you feel insecure in a certain place, don’t go there. Do not expose yourself to unnecessarily dangerous situations.

It will be difficult to fully hide the fact that you’re a foreigner. That may make you more vulnerable to theft and crime. While you can’t control everything that happens to you at home or abroad, you can sway the odds.  Your health and safety is our number one concern!

U.S. Department of State Travel Advisories

The U.S. Department of State issues travel advisories for each country of the world and provides detailed information on what the current threats are: C – crime, T – terrorism, U – civil unrest, H – health, K – kidnapping/hostage taking N – natural disaster, E – time limited event, O – Other.

The Travel Advisories consist of four levels:

• Level 1 – Exercise normal precautions        
• Level 2 – Exercise increased cautions          
• Level 3 – Reconsider travel              
• Level 4 – Do not travel                                 

Different advisory levels may exist within a single country. For example, Mexico may have one overall advisory level, but individual states or cities within Mexico may have higher or lower levels based on information specific to those areas.

Transylvania’s Policy: Courses and individuals with University funding may travel to countries with Level 1 and 2 advisories without restrictions or waivers unless there are locations within those countries listed as Levels 3 or 4 that are part of the travel itinerary. Travel to countries or areas listed as Level 3 require prior approval via a recommendation to Transylvania’s president from the International Travel and Response Committee (ITRAC).  If Level 3 travel is approved, all participants and parents of student participants are required to complete and sign waivers. Travel to countries or areas listed as Level 4 is generally prohibited, however, if the advisory level is based on COVID-19, approval may be granted. This travel should follow the same approval process as what is required for travel to Level 3 countries.

When traveling to Level 3 or 4 countries, participants acknowledge that a certain amount of risk exists in this activity. Transylvania University will not be financially liable for unrecoverable program fees, return travel costs, or other personal expenditures lost as a result of program or travel cancellation. Participants also understand and acknowledge that U.S. Consular Services and American Citizen Services may be unavailable, restricted, or canceled without notice in the travel destination. Disruptions to travel arrangements may limit or adversely impact one’s ability to arrive to – or depart from – the travel destination, as well as possibly inhibit movement within the country. It is in the traveler’s best interest to plan one or more contingencies for early departure, pack accordingly, and monitor local news and reputable information sources to ensure you are fully informed and aware of the situation in the travel location.  

All travelers are reminded to read country information  provided by the Department of State and to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program  (STEP) to receive automatic updates and alerts.

Useful Links:

US State Department Website: Travel Warnings and U.S. Consulate Information
U.S. Embassies: Web page with links to U.S. embassy information
Safety Abroad 

Physical and Mental Health Abroad

Students should consult with their primary care doctors, a travel clinic, and the CDC’s website prior to departure to insure they have proper vaccinations and medications.

Centers for Disease Control: Traveler’s Health 

The following clinics provide consultations in the area of travel medicine.  Please call for appointments, hours and fees.  These clinics do not take insurance, but will take cash, check or credit card.

UK HealthCare Travel Clinic (at Turfland)
2195 Harrodsburg Road
Lexington, KY  40504
859-257-5150

Red Point Medical, PSC
Lexington, KY  40503
(859) 223-1963
128 Southland Drive

Study Abroad and Title IX :  Transylvania is fully committed to responding to concerns of sexual/gender misconduct both on- and off-campus.  Video presented by the Office of Title IX and DPS.