Safety and Legal Issues

Safety is an understandable concern and is best approached with a balanced perspective. Crime can happen anywhere, including the United States, and the media plays a key role in intensifying fear. An unreasonable amount of fear will limit your experience; disregarding safety concerns will put you at unnecessary risk. As a study abroad student, you should remain aware that you might stick out, especially when you first arrive.

Always remember that there are things you can do to minimize your risk. The following are precautions you can take to help ensure that your study abroad experience is a safe one:

Read and evaluate all materials provided by your program or university that relate to safety, health, legal, environmental, political, cultural, and religious conditions in your host country.
You should read through the Travel Advisory for the country(ies) to which you are traveling and know that the advisory level can change: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html.
Register with the U.S. Consulate or Embassy having jurisdiction over the area in which you are living (see Pre-departure Logistics).
Pay attention to the local conditions. Stay informed about local and regional news, read newspapers with good international coverage and analysis of local issues.
You should have valid identification (e.g., a student ID card, a photocopy of your passport, or a driver’s license) with you at all times. Also, leave photocopies at home of all your personal documents (passport, credit cards, etc.).
Your foreign language skills, clothing, body language, and your speech will make you recognizable as a foreigner. Your time might be well spent observing the locals and identifying various ways in which their appearance and demeanor are different from what you are used to. As you adapt to your new surroundings and carry yourself with more confidence and like a local, less attention will gradually be drawn to you.
Avoid protests or potentially violent situations or places where Americans are known to congregate. In the event of disturbances, do not get involved.
Be street smart. Remember that adjusting to city life is part of the cultural adjustment process, since most cities where students study abroad are much larger than Middlebury, Vermont.
Do not carry anything of value in a backpack. Zippers can be opened or material cut with a knife and wallets lifted without anyone seeing or realizing it. Backpacks are also easy to set down, making it easy for anyone to pick them up and walk away. Instead of putting your passport or money in a backpack, buy a small flexible bag that you can hang around your neck and/or a money belt to hide inside clothing. This is absolutely necessary when you change money at a bank. Thieves watch these places and trail their targets after seeing that they have received money. Should you carry a handbag, wear it across your body rather than under your arm, and with the clasp against your body. Do not carry money or valuable papers in your pocket.
Thieves have a great many tricks that require you to let go of your bag: a person may ask you for directions, obliging you to set down your bag to look at a map, and an accomplice picks up the bag and walks off with it; someone “accidentally” spills something on your coat then courteously insists on helping to clean it off while an accomplice comes along and carries away your belongings.
If you must withdraw or exchange money, do it at a time when you can go directly home afterwards instead of between classes or before going out at night. In general, never have a large amount of cash on you.
Do not carry house keys, your address, credit/debit cards or personal identification number (PIN), in the same place.
Keep your residence locked and report any suspicious persons hanging around your building or campus.
Make sure your family at home and your resident director, host family, and/or foreign university official knows how to contact you in case of emergency. Leave your itinerary if you are traveling.
Avoid walking alone at night. Go places with friends rather than alone, and do not go to someone else’s home alone or invite anyone to yours. Cultural differences and language difficulties can lead to “misunderstandings.”
Traveling with host country friends, as opposed to American friends, will provide you with an extra degree of safety.
Be wary of impairing your judgment through the excessive use of alcohol, and do not use illegal drugs.
Minimize the display of money, jewelry, cameras, or other valuable items.
Be wary of motorcycles. While walking along the street, carry your purse and/or bag on the inside next to a building. Motorcyclists can grab your purse/bag or cut it away in a matter of seconds.
Familiarize yourself with your neighborhood, locate your nearest police station and hospital, and be sure you have any emergency phone numbers.
Don’t allow yourself to be vulnerable. Take the same precautions you would at home regarding giving out your name and address to unknown people. North Americans are notorious for talking to strangers and lending a helping hand. When a stranger requests the time, a light, or directions, either ignore the request or oblige from a safe distance, paying close attention to your belongings.
Regarding road travel, be aware that driving customs vary a great deal, and in most countries pedestrians are not given the right of way. Find out which roads are safest and whether it is safe to travel on overnight trains and buses. You are advised not to drive at all while abroad.
If, during your stay abroad, there is a serious event involving casualties (whether or not it has put you personally at risk) that is likely to gain international media exposure, we urge you to contact your family by phone, messaging, or email, to reassure them that you are okay. Remember that what may seem like a relatively minor local event to you could cause alarm back home.

Middlebury has partnered with Global Rescue LLC to provide travelers with access to an intelligence platform (GRID) that ensures that you are well informed and prepared before and during your travels. For more information on Global Rescue, please visit www.globalrescue.com.

Contact Global Rescue Operations Center 24 hours a day by calling:+1 (617) 459-4200 (collect calls accepted) or emailing operations@globalrescue.com.

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