Travel on University Business or Study

BEFORE YOU BOOK ANY TRAVEL 

1. Complete the Travel Related Training modules available on UoR Learn
2. Familiarize yourself with the University Travel Policy 
3. Book your travel in accordance with Code of Practice 38 (International) / Code of Practice 32 (Fieldwork)
4. Check Travel Insurance features and benefits below
5. Note Insurance claims assistance services below

 

1. TRAVEL TRAINING AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE GUIDANCE 

To enable you to plan and prepare for your trip there is now a suite of web based training modules available on UoR Learn.  This training has been designed and supplied by Another Day, a leading risk advisory firm. They have been developed around the specific risk issues and needs of Higher Education Institutions and therefore contain generic guidance & content.  For this reason some of the roles and processes described may not be aligned to UoR’s own.  University of Reading travellers should ensure they follow our policies and procedures.

The following links will take you to the recommended travel training modules:

Module 1 : General Safety Awareness

Module 2 : High Risk Security Awareness

Module 3: Remote Working & Medical Travellers’ Guide

Module 4: Research Travellers’ Guide

Module 5: Female Travellers’ Guide

Module 6: Managing Travel Risk for Managers and Academics

Students can access the learning by setting up an account direct with the training provider, Another Day.  Using their university email address they will be able to set up their own account and have access to all of the available modules.

Clicking on one will begin the learning process, which consists of a number of videos with subtitles interspersed with assessments. On completion, the user should be able to download a certificate or have it emailed to them.

International Travel Response for Schools & Functions

Unfortunately, there are circumstances where travellers can find themselves in need of emergency support whilst overseas. Should you be the first person notified of such an emergency, the International Travel Emergency Response Checklist will help you to decide how to manage or escalate the situation promptly and efficiently and ensure you have captured essential detail.   This can be used by anyone at UoR who takes the initial call from staff / students or their next of kin / overseas contacts etc who are notifying them of a serious/major incident. 

Once initial emergency responses are complete, you can Report an Incident to initiate a Health and Safety investigation.

Training is available for all staff through UoR Learn.  Activating the Major Incident Plan eLearning and is for anyone who may need to activate the Major Incident Plan.  This will help staff understand what this process is and how it can support those managing an ongoing incident e.g., missing person, serious accident / injuries necessitating an emergency response or hospitalisation, death, disease outbreak etc.

2. TRAVEL POLICY 

The new Travel Policy came into effect from 1 August 2023 and is based on the set of Sustainable Travel Principles published in 2022 and developed with input from a range of colleagues and the Students’ Union. The policy includes measures to reduce business flights and encourage colleagues to consider the carbon footprint of all their travel decisions.

Travel Policy 

Travel Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

3. TRAVEL BOOKING PROCESS

For information on BOOKING TRAVEL, please see I want to buy > Travel including flights and train tickets.

To be recognized as "on business for the University of Reading" you must be a Director, Employee or Student of the Insured contracted to the UK Entity i.e. if a student you must be registered in the UK for insurance cover to be valid.  

Before you travel "on the business of the University" you must:

1. Read The University's Safety Code of Practice 38 on Overseas Travel and where it is fieldwork then Safety Code of Practice 32 also applies
2. Risk assessment is important and wherever you are travelling you should also review the Risk Assessment page.
3. After reading COP38, you will need to complete the international travel risk assessment TRA1.  This will need to be authorised by your Head of School or Function. For a current view on political, social, and travel information in countries A to Z, select the Travel Advice link on the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office website. Where the FCDO advises against all travel, or you are travelling to a sanctioned country, you will need to seek further authorisation from the Vice Chancellor before booking travel.  Your local Health and Safety Coordinator can provide further advice on risk assessment.
4. If you are a member of staff at University of Reading (UK) travelling "on business" you must also complete the online Overseas Staff Travel Form. Please connect to the VPN first, if off-campus.
5. If you are a student at University of Reading (UK) or RUMAL travelling, please complete the online risk management form for students on RISIS (under 'Actions' select 'Student Risk Management').
6. Although not mandatory it is recommended that ideally, UK (non-fieldwork) travel should be risk assessed.  For guidance please refer to UK travel risk assessment TRA2  - This relates to off-campus activities for staff and post-graduate students conducting UK travel for business purposes.  This is likely to be for conferences and any non-fieldwork type activities such as meetings at other Universities/Institutes. It does not include personal travel or day to day commuting to one’s place of work.
7. Any overseas travel including fieldwork trips, planned to Sanctioned or High-risk Territories, as listed later on this page,  must be declared to our insurers as there may be an additional premium due to ensure cover is in place.  Before booking any travel please complete the Security Questionnaire as soon as possible and submit this to the uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk  at least 21 days prior to departure to the Sanctioned or High-risk territory.

  

COVID CANCELLATION CLAIMS UPDATE

Cancelling or cutting your trip short as a result of contracting Covid is covered by insurance,  provided you did not know you had the illness or were not in the process of testing at the time of booking your trip.  It is no longer a mandatory requirement for travellers to provide a PCR test to justify a claim for Trip Cancellation. If the traveller feels unwell and believes they have Covid symptoms, AIG will accept a photo of a self administered lateral flow to justify a traveller has contracted Covid

 

SANCTIONED AND HAZARDOUS TERRITORY TRIPS  

Sanctions consist of a wide range of political and/or economic measures which are put in place by international, regional and state bodies with the aim of influencing the behaviour of a particular country’s regimes, individuals or groups. The types of sanctions measures put in place can vary widely including (inter alia): financial restrictions, import/export restrictions and travel bans.

Please check the latest FCDO update of ALL financial sanctions imposed in the UK here sanctioned countries

If you are travelling to one of the sanctioned countries listed below, you must complete the Sanctioned territories referral questionnaire before you travel.  This will allow insurers to screen the information for any potential sanction breaches in advance and confirm whether cover can be provided.  Travelling to such countries can increase the risk of travel, so our insurers need to consider carefully the full details of your planned activities before travel commences. The questionnaire should be completed as soon as possible, at least 21 days prior to departure and sent to uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk.

• Belarus
• Crimea Region of Ukraine
• Cuba
• Iran
• North Korea
• Russia
• Sudan
• South Sudan
• Syria

University of Reading Financial Sanctions Policy

In addition to Sanctioned countries, our insurers also require the university to declare trips to high risk territories.  Due to these increased risks our insurers need to consider carefully the full details of your planned activities before travel commences. If you are travelling to any of the following destinations please complete the Security Questionnaire as soon as possible and submit this to the insurance office at least 21 days prior to departure

• Afghanistan
• Belarus
• Chechnya
• Iraq
• Israel ( including Gaza, West Bank & Occupied Palestinian Territories
• Libya
• Somalia
• Yemen
• Any other Territories whereby UK FCDO advises against All Travel
  
  

 

UPDATE FOR TRAVELLERS TO QATAR

If you are intending to travel to Qatar on University business there have recently been some significant changes to the entry requirements.  As a result of these changes the University Travel insurance will not be accepted by Qatar facilities and will no longer respond in the event of a medical emergency and provide cover for any associated costs.

All visitors to Qatar must now obtain health insurance covering their intended stay in the country from accredited insurance companies listed by the Ministry of Public Health in the State of Qatar and failure to evidence Qatar Healthcare cover will result in denial of entry.  For further information please visit the Ministry of Public Health FAQs webpage.

Please also visit the FCDO website for full details of  Entry requirements - Qatar travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).   If you require any further information please contact the insurance office  uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk

The cost of buying this additional insurance can be claimed back via expenses.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

DANGEROUS SPORTS & ACTIVITIES

During your free time whilst on your trip overseas you may wish to participate in sports and other activities such as cycling, scuba diving, skiing.  There are generally no activity exclusions under the policy however it is recommended that the traveller use a reputable company who hold sufficient insurance.

There is one stipulation in relation to any diving undertaken in excess of 25m depth, primarily whereby diving is for research purposes.   Please contact the insurance office uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk  A copy of the risk assessment is required by insurers before cover can be confirmed.

It should also be noted that the Personal Liability section of the policy excludes claims arising whilst in operation of mechanically propelled vehicles and/or watercraft

if you have any particular details you are unsure about please contact uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk to discuss.

INCIDENTAL HOLIDAY COVER

Insurers accept that from time to time insured persons will request extension of the Travel Insurance to provide cover in respect of Holiday trips in conjunction with a formal business trip. It is considered  reasonable to extend a business trip, before or after such trip for a number of days relative to the business duration.  Incidental holidays do not intend to accommodate what would normally be considered to be stand-alone holiday cover.

If you have any particular trip details you are unsure about please contact  uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk to discuss.

Business trip duration (days)	Holiday duration (days)
Less than 5	0
5-12	2
13-21	5
22-35	8
36-50	12
51-65	16
66-80	20
81-100	23
101-365	25
Over 365	28

Cover includes stopping off in another country.

 

MEDICATION

If you take regular medication (prescribed) please ensure you take an adequate stock when you travel overseas. This travel insurance policy will not pay for asthma inhalers (for example) if you forget to take them.

The UoR Travel Policy covers any eventuality of a traveller feeling unwell or suffering an accident whilst abroad - protecting against unforeseen eventualities. 

Any traveller, as soon as feeling unwell, should contact the AIG Emergency Assistance line - their medical team will support where possible and appropriate, will arrange Guarantee of Payment with local medical facilities - thus removing the financial onus from the traveller.

The policy covers pre-existing treatments IN FULL - provided that:-

a) A medical practitioner has not advised against travel

b) The trip is less than 12 months

c) The treatment is not deemed as routine and ongoing (for example, regular testing/medication and monitoring of a condition).

So if someone has a pre-existing condition and unexpectedly feels unwell, the policy would respond for an costs incurred for testing of treatment. 

It would be advisable (if possible) to split medication between carry on and hold luggage to minimise any disruption caused by luggage being delayed etc and similarly enough medication should be taken for the trip duration with surplus in case any go missing etc.

We highly recommend you download the TravelApp, which will give you access to full travel, security and medical assistance services which includes a medical equivalency function so they can check the local name of the drug if needed to buy more whilst abroad and also provides access to full travel, security and medical assistance services. 

PURCHASE CARDS 

If you experience a problem with your university purchase card and need the limit extended or if you have any issue with your purchase card, you can contact the team on:

Email: purchasecards@reading.ac.uk

Tel: +44 (0)118 378 6135

Open 9.00am - 5.00pm Mon-Thurs UK time) & Friday 9.00am till 4.30pm.

Further information

For any other assistance please contact the Insurance Office on 0118 378 8309 or by email:  uor-insurance@reading.ac.uk.

International students who are required to travel abroad whilst at the University can obtain a Certificate of Insurance from the Insurance Office before applying for a visa from the appropriate embassy.

Up to date information about the use/benefits of the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) can be found on the Department of Health website