Young people are generally a pretty optimistic lot, seeing opportunity and excitement given the prospect of foreign study or so-called ‘study abroad.; Exotic locales to visit, new foods to sample, famous monuments to serve as backdrops to selfies – all of these pique the interest of the young, and young at heart. Parents, on the other hand, are sobered by stories of trips gone wrong, are more prone to hesitation, imagining the possible down-sides – they worry about travel security for study abroad students. What could possibly go wrong? A lot in their minds.
There is no right or wrong answer here. Both points of view can be true, depending. How to resolve this issue of security and travel or study abroad for students to everyone’s satisfaction? Consider the merits of this technical fix for travel security for study abroad: a smartphone app that allows check-in by the student, remote tracking managed by a professional staff, 24×7. Since everyone has a smartphone these days, and anyone under 25 certainly has one on their person at all times, this is the ideal way to keep a very long, but unbreakable, “leash” on the student.
Travel Security for Study Abroad: No Crime, Yet Punishment
One potentially overlooked aspect of travel security for study abroad is protection from overseas judicial systems (The story that follows can confirm a worrying parent’s worst fears, but also suggest a path for resolution). A notorious recent example comes not from a banana-republic run by an ex-General as one might think, but Italy. A few years back an American student, Amanda Knox, was charged with murder, and ended up spending several years in Italian prison before ultimately being acquitted of wrong-doing. A big flaw in her defense: She could not conclusively prove her alibi for the night of the crime.
A lot of twists and turns can go wrong abroad, and not all of them are what you’d expect.
Many of our clients are corporate executives, or big corporations that send their executives and employees overseas. The business community, of course, in comparison with students is a lot more sophisticated when it comes to assessing the risks of travel abroad.
Top universities and colleges that have study abroad programs are beginning to realize that in this age of iPhones and Android phones, there are many new ways to help students who are involved in study abroad programs in countries as diverse as Spain, Iran, and Russia, to have their cake and eat it too. With the contribution of cellular phones, the student is able to stay in contact with at least the home office of the University; let’s face it, many students do not exactly want to stay in constant contact with their parents. In addition, the app allows the university, as well as us to push messages out to the students, and it makes it easier than ever for that student to check in on an ongoing basis.
Many parents may not yet realize that the cell phone has made their student’s life easier in a way that is more important than the ability to watch YouTube videos and post to Instagram. But the reality is that travel security for study abroad is more possible now because of a cell phone and the Internet in combination.
To learn more about how travel security for study abroad can help your organization, reach out to us and have one of our friendly staff to explain more about the benefits. If you are a university or college administrator, we’d love to talk with you about how FoneTrac can make your own study abroad program a leader in terms of student security!