International SOS: 24/7 Travel Assistance

All faculty, staff, and students traveling abroad for WPI-Sponsored international travel are covered by International SOS (ISOS), a 24-hour travel assistance program. ISOS membership is provided by WPI and is administered by ISOS. This medical and security assistance program provides emergency response, as well as online services and travel information.

International SOS (ISOS)* membership includes:

• 24/7 medical and security consultation
• Hospital referrals
• Travel medical insurance
• Emergency evacuation assistance
• Access to up to five (5) emotional support counseling sessions by phone, video-call or face-to-face. * Availability of face-to-face counseling depends on traveler's destination and availability of English speaking counselors. 

*In order to be pre-authorized to use International SOS, travelers must register their trip through the WPI MyTrips Travel Registry. 

Contact International SOS

International SOS is available 24/7 to provide medical or security assistance before or during travel.  When possible, please contact International SOS first for a referral before seeking healthcare abroad.  

Philadelphia Assistance Center
1-800-523-6586
1-215-942-8478

Philadelphia@internationalsos.com
onlinehelp@internationalsos.com

Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to visit the International SOS WPI Members Portal to review destination guides and travel advisories, to familiarize themselves with the services provided and how to activate coverage in the event of an emergency. WPI, its trustees, employees, agents, subsidiaries or affiliates, are not responsible for the quality of any services provided by International SOS.

Furthermore, WPI students, faculty and staff traveling abroad on registered WPI-Sponsored international travel will be covered by WPI's international travel medical insurance plan, administered by International SOS. Coverage by International SOS as well as the medical insurance plan applies to registered WPI-Sponsored travel (*requires registration in the MyTrips registry). 

A copy of the International SOS member card is available for download from the International SOS member portal.

Before you leave, call International SOS to prepare for:

• Travel security concerns: "Can you tell me which neighborhoods I should avoid when booking a hotel?"
• Vaccinations: "Are there any required or recommended vaccinations for my destination?"
• Entry requirements: "Am I able to acquire a visa on arrival, or will I need to get that in advance?"

While abroad, call International SOS when you:

• Need a local doctor or emotional support: "I haven't been feeling well, can you refer me to an English-speaking doctor?"
• Need advice: "There is a large protest gathering outside my hotel.  Can you tell me what is going on?"
• Need document assistance or legal advice: "My passport was stolen. Is it safe to go to the local police?"

In an emergency, call International SOS immediately to:

• Reach WPI: "One of my travel partners didn't return home last night. Would you alert the right people at WPI?"
• Provide help if your safety is at risk: "The flood water is getting pretty high. What should I do?"
• Monitor your condition: "I'm at the hospital but I am not sure what they are saying. Would you speak to them?"

Examples of when to use International SOS while traveling

Pre-Trip Guidance & Advice

International SOS can provide WPI travelers with various forms of pre-travel advice and guidance. Below are a few of the benefits for WPI affiliated travelers:

• Country-specific reports
• Pre-Trip consultation on the following:
  • passport/visa requirements
  • necessary immunizations
  • safety and security information, including local laws
  • medical assistance, including guidance on traveling with prescription medication to your destination
  • questions or concerns about travel, medical, and/or security issues in your destination

WPI travelers who would like to speak with International SOS prior to traveling can contact them via email  or phone at 215-942-8478. Members should reference WPI's membership ID listed above.

What is the International SOS Assistance App?

The assistance app is a pro-active risk management tool that provides WPI travelers with:

• Location-specific information to enable them to make informed decisions while abroad;
• Real-time safety and security alerts, based on a traveler’s itinerary or geographic location, to notify travelers of any event(s) that could potentially affect their travel, personal health, or safety;
• Quick access to dial International SOS;
• The ability to live chat with International SOS operators and case managers; and
• An instant check-in feature allowing students to report their wellbeing and location back to WPI in the event of an incident.

Who has access to the International SOS Assistance App?

All WPI students, faculty and staff who register their WPI-Sponsored international travel in the MyTrips Travel Registry will be expected to download the International SOS Assistance app on the mobile device they will utilizing aboard.

Download instructions are provided to all eligible travelers within the International SOS Members Portal.

How does the International SOS Assistance App know what alerts to send?

The app provides information based on the traveler’s itinerary registered in Mytrips, the traveler’s last known GPS location, or the countries that a traveler has subscribed to within the members portal or app.

Please visit the International SOS Members Portal to research your destination, and the various alerts and notices active for your location. 

Travel Medical Insurance

WPI has contracted with AIG to provide international health insurance for students, faculty, and staff for the duration of their time outside of the U.S. This coverage provides a comprehensive program of insurance benefits and services that covers 100% of the medically necessary doctor's visits and emergency care overseas. Travelers should review the entire summary of benefits (contact globaltravel@wpi.edu) for details regarding the full policy, benefits, and exclusions.

International travel medical insurance is a benefit provided to university travelers while outside of the U.S. at no additional cost when travelers have registered their travel through the WPI MyTrips Travel Registry. This ensures enrollment and coverage. 

Spouses and dependents:

• WPI travel benefits extend to legal spouses and dependent children traveling with current faculty and staff on WPI-Sponsored travel. The travel itineraries for legal spouses and/or dependents can be registered in the MyTrips Travel Registry.

Please note, WPI-Sponsored travel does not include:

• Personal travel such as vacation
• Personal travel of 7 days or more before or after WPI-Sponsored travel
• Group travel organized by students, without administrative oversight and unrelated to a recognized student organization or the purpose of travel does not meet scope and mission of WPI

Travel Insurance

In addition to health Insurance, WPI encourages all travelers to consider buying supplemental insurance options to cover trip interruption and cancelation costs, such as canceled flights, travel disruptions, and lost luggage. Trip insurance is not required or arranged by WPI and must be purchased on an individual basis. There are many options to choose from regarding travel insurance. Please see this informative article by Rick Steves, the travel writer, about travel insurance- including trip cancellation insurance, things to watch out for, and links to the most common travel insurance companies.

This article from the New York Times covers what travelers need to about about trip insurance as more international destinations begin to reopen.  The ''travel insurance industry has introduced a spate of new policies covering the [COVID-19] disease.''

If a travel cancellation or disruption loss does occur, first please contact your travel agent or the airline to seek a refund or make alternate travel arrangements based on existing tickets. 

For individual Trip Interruption, Trip Cancellation or Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) insurance plans begin your research by viewing the guidance provided by the U.S. Dept of State, the following individual options. *Note: WPI does not endorse any particular insurance company and your selection is an individual decision based on your own research, considerations and preferences. 

1. Travel Insured
2. Insuremytrip

To assist in understanding the location specific risks associated with your travel, and to provide recommendations for preferred medical facilities, safe areas for lodging, and ground transportation providers, International SOS can provide you with a travel security brief.  

Please use the template below to email International SOS. You are encouraged to review a draft of your email to International SOS with the Associate Director of Global Risk Management (globaltravel@wpi.edu) to ensure key review elements are not omitted prior to emailing the template to International SOS.

Travel Security Brief Template

If you have had an incident abroad, we encourage you to let us know. This allows you to put the incident in your own words and it helps us provide better support to our international traveling community.

Emergencies:

+1-215-942-8478: International SOS​

​ +1-508-831-5555: WPI Police

Non Emergencies and reporting of incidents:

geodutyofficer@wpi.edu: Global Experience Office Duty Officer

+1-508-831-5433: WPI Campus Police

+1-215-942-8478: International SOS

Calling International SOS 24/7 

Call International SOS as soon as possible in an emergency situation. They can assist with arranging medical transportation and care, monitoring your condition following a medical issue, initiating a medical or security evacuation if appropriate, and provide advice relating to your health, safety, security, lost documents, or need for legal assistance. 

• Dial the international access code for the U.S. (usually 001).
• Then dial 215-942-8478 (call collect, if possible).
• Identify yourself as a WPI traveler.

International SOS accepts collect phone calls. To call collect while abroad, dial 0170 and you will be connected with an international operator.

International SOS works closely with the Global Experience Office to immediately notify us of any issues requiring the coordination of WPI support.

Evaluating Incidents

Call the local emergency services if:

• There's risk to life, limb, or eye (then call International SOS as soon as possible to ensure appropriate care and assist with payment)

Call International SOS if:

• You need urgent or same-day assistance.

Email GEO if:

• You're letting WPI know that you're safe, despite a recent in-country emergency.
• You want to report a health, safety, or security incident that doesn't need immediate or same-day action.

Reporting Your Status to WPI

In the event of a major security incident, GEO will reach out to registered travelers that may be affected to see if you're safe and healthy. You can help by letting GEO know you're okay! Please send us an email to geodutyofficer@wpi.edu.

If you aren't sure if a local event constitutes a "major security incident", consider if you think it will make international headlines. If you aren't sure, err on the side of caution and get in touch by email.

Your Domestic Emergency Contact Information

GEO may contact your designated emergency contact person(s) in the event that you:

• are unable to speak for yourself.
• have been missing for more than 24 hours.
• are perceived to be a danger to yourself or to others.
• are in a location where there has been a significant health, safety, or security incident and we haven't been able to contact you.

With thanks to various Pulse members for the layout and content.