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Looking after yourself abroad

When you’re abroad, you may need some help to make sure you’re staying safe and looking after yourself.

Find out how you can keep safe in an emergency and how to deal with any wellbeing issues that you may face.  

Emergencies  

If you are in immediate danger or need instant medical attention, please contact the emergency services of your host country.

If you have an emergency abroad, please tell the University as soon as possible:

Dealing with an emergency

It’s unlikely that you’ll have to deal with an emergency during your time abroad. However, if you do, then there are some things you can do to keep yourself safe and make others aware of your situation.

  1. Ensure the safety of you and those around you by raising the alarm, calling appropriate emergency services, and following local authority advice.
  2. Maintain regular contact with key people (your host university, the Global Opportunities Team at Leeds and your family) and keep them informed of your whereabouts and movements.
  3. Seek help locally, if you need it, from your host institution (Accommodation office, Study Abroad office, parent department).
  4. Inform the British Embassy in your host country, or the local embassy for your nation if you are not a British national. Let them know your location and contact details and follow advice from the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) about safe and unsafe areas.
  5. Plan in collaboration with embassy representatives, on-site coordinators and the Global Opportunities team at Leeds.
  6. Communicate all decisions to key people and keep everybody informed of where you are, including your arrival at a safe location.
  7. Check your Leeds email regularly for updates from the University of Leeds.
  8. Keep a low profile and be cautious.
  9. If possible, avoid travelling alone.

The University of Leeds travel insurance policy includes emergency response and support. Contact information can be found on the travel insurance page.

Preparing to travel

An emergency such as a natural disaster, outbreak of war, civil unrest, or a threat to your personal security isn’t always something you can prevent or avoid, but you can make sure that you are fully informed of all risks and have mitigated those risks as much as possible.

Prepare yourself by researching the cultural, environmental and political conditions in your host country and set aside an emergency travel budget should you need to return home in case of a family or wider emergency. All exchange students are subject to the laws of the host country, and you should familiarise yourself with these as early as possible.

Here are some things you can do to keep yourself safe and prepared for any situation that might arise during your placement.

On your phone

Before you go abroad, we ask that you download the SafeZone app, which you can use to contact the 24/7 University of Leeds Security Team, or local emergency services.

Risk awareness form

Prior to your departure, you will have completed a risk awareness form. Once you have completed and submitted a satisfactory form, keep a copy for yourself. By completing the form, you should have access to:

  • contact details for local emergency services and embassies or consulates saved on your phone
  • locations of your local doctor’s office and hospital
  • how to report a crime in your host country
  • a contingency plan, should you have to leave your host country with short notice
  • whether there are any upcoming events in your host country that could trigger political instability or civil unrest
  • the chances of encountering a natural disaster, and the procedure to follow if one may arise whilst you’re abroad

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) website

The Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) website  has a wealth of foreign travel advice and checklists tailored for different needs and regularly updates their travel advice following any significant incident that might affect British nationals visiting or living in the area.

The information for British nationals abroad offers vital advice on staying safe abroad. Bookmark this page on a device for future reference.

Use the Travel Advice section of the FCDO website to get an insight into legal matters in the host country and to sign up for email alerts from the FCDO for your host country.

Contact at your host university

Save the name and contact details of your study abroad adviser at your host institution on your phone. It is always important to ensure that you have a contact in the host country if you need it in case of emergencies upon your arrival.

If you are not sure who your contact in your host country is email the Study Abroad team: outgoingstudyabroad@leeds.ac.uk.

Passport emergency contact page

Remember to fill in the emergency contact details in your passport. This will help government officials to get in touch with next of kin in case of emergencies.

We strongly advise you to take a photocopy of your passport (both the information page and any relevant visa pages) with you and leave one at home in case you need to replace or request a new passport while abroad. 

Health and insurance

Make sure that you have appropriate health insurance cover for the whole duration of your study placement. See more information on our travel insurance page.

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, make sure you research whether and how you will be able to obtain any required medication while abroad. Speak to your GP about taking prescription medications with you and be sure to research local restrictions on carrying medication into your host country.

Check the National Travel Health Network and Centre advice about travelling with medicines and contact the embassy, high commission or consulate of the country you’re travelling to if you need more information.

After you’ve arrived

When you’ve arrived in your host country, there are lots of ways you can ensure your own safety and minimise risks.

Stay in touch

Get in touch with a family member as soon as you get to the country to let them know that you have arrived safely. Update your new contact details and address on Minerva and share them with your family and friends in the UK.

If you plan to travel during the year, remember to let a friend or a family member know about your plans in advance and leave them your contact details, insurance policy details and itinerary.

Attend orientation events 

Find out about your host university’s orientation meetings and pay close attention to the safety advice given. These meetings will usually cover any local risks they know of, personal health and safety tips, and details of who to contact locally in the event of any problems or an emergency.

Be alert

Pay attention to how local students behave and don’t be afraid to talk to them about safety precautions or ask them about local customs.

Observe the normal patterns and behaviours in your community, take notice of behaviours that may deviate from that norm and trust your instincts. If it doesn’t feel safe, it probably isn’t. Remember that it’s better to be over-cautious as you get used to a new environment.

You can keep yourself safer by using reliable transport and by being aware of pickpockets. Don’t display money or any other valuable items while travelling. Think about wearing a money belt to keep money and documents safe and wear it somewhere you can always see it.

Taking care of your wellbeing abroad

 The University has a range of general advice about health and wellbeing that you may find useful when you are living abroad.

Counselling and wellbeing support

The Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service is there to support you at times of any emotional, psychological or mental health difficulties, even whilst living abroad.

Culture shock

Even if you are going to a country with similar values, systems and standards of living as your home country, you may find differences. Being suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes can leave you feeling disorientated, nervous, doubtful and/or anxious. This is called culture shock.

Culture shock is an ongoing process of cultural adjustment. Everyone experiences it differently and it can crop up at any point during your year abroad. One of the best ways of dealing with it is to talk about how you are feeling, especially with other study abroad students who will understand what you are going through.

Remember that our Student Counselling and Wellbeing Service remain open to you while you are abroad too.

Harassment and misconduct

Bullying, violence, sexual misconduct, harassment and abuse can happen to anyone, anywhere in the world and are never okay. Cultural sensitivity does not mean you must tolerate behaviour that makes you feel unsafe or breaks your personal boundaries. Trust your instincts and always prioritise your safety.

If you experience harassment or anything else that makes you uncomfortable, make use of the support services available to you. You can talk in confidence to the following contacts:

Contacts

Experiences and opportunities