The following page is intended to provide faculty a quick guide regarding business travel on behalf of the College. If you have any questions regarding travel please contact the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration’s office at 413-597-4775.
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The Office of the Controller provides resources and information to assist with the booking of college affiliated travel. Information about preferred vendors and guidelines for travel can be found on the Travel and Business Expense Guidelines page.
It is recommended that all college affiliated travel be booked and charged to a college purchasing card. More information about college purchasing cards including how to obtain a purchasing card can be found on the Purchasing Card Program page.
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When traveling to foreign countries some additional paperwork may be required. The Dean of the Faculty's office can support you with all the necessary paperwork and documentation required by the government or entity of a foreign country. For information and support with travel documents, please contact the Assistant Dean of the Faculty.
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It is recommended that any individual traveling on college business register their trip with the MyTrips service. Information on registering your trip is provided below, see "Trip Registration".
If any proposed travel involves visiting a location that has experienced a significant recent event or has a travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State, then the trip may require Senior Staff approval. Please contact the Dean of the Faculty with any questions about the approval process or how to seek approval for a proposed trip.
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Any travel involving students requires that the trip be registered with the college's MyTrips service. See "Trip Registration" below for more information.
If any proposed travel involves visiting a location that has experienced a significant recent event or has a travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State, then the trip may require Senior Staff approval. Please contact the Dean of the Faculty with any questions about the approval process or how to seek approval for a proposed trip.
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In order to support the college community with their travel and to respond appropriately in an emergency, the college has partnered with International SOS to provide a service, MyTrips, that allows for the college in real time to assess if anyone traveling on behalf of the college is impacted by a global event or natural disaster.
The MyTrips service requires an initial registration but then only requires for an electronic travel itinerary to be forwarded via email to register future travel. Please note that the email address used to register with MyTrips must be the same as the email address from which you forward the itinerary from in order for emailed itineraries to be registered in the system. The MyTrips Introduction document provides an overview of the initial registration and handy tips for navigating the service.
Once travel is registered with MyTrips, you will receive regular updates via email for your travel destination to include information about upcoming events as well as medical advisories and areas of concern. In addition, you will be provided with the specific contact information for International SOS during your travels should you need support in the event of an emergency.
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The college provides insurance that covers employees traveling on college business and provides limited coverage for deviations or personal side trips that may accompany college affiliated travel.
International SOS
International SOS - Williams is the college's trusted partner and international security concierge. International SOS is the primary point of contact for any emergency that occurs while traveling on behalf of the college to include medical emergencies or evacuations. Registering your trip as described above with MyTrips ensures that International SOS is aware of your travel and you receive the appropriate contact information should you need their support while traveling.
International SOS can also support you prior to a trip with information about security concerns, preferred housing accommodations and general guidance about traveling safely to certain locales. The International SOS support desk can be reached by calling 1-215-942-8478. Simply identify yourself as associated with Williams College.
Business Travel and Accident Insurance
The College does provide insurance for accidents that may occur while traveling that result in injuries to employees. This insurance is provided by Zurich American Insurance Company. Should an emergency or injury occur, International SOS should be contacted. Zurich has delegated authority to International SOS for managing benefits under the plan. For more information, the plan summary provides detail on the coverage.
Health Insurance Coverage
College employees who are enrolled in a college health plan are covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield while traveling abroad for emergency medical events, if the trip duration is less than 180 days.
The College has also purchased emergency medical insurance for all students, faculty, and staff to include spouses and dependents in case the individual's health insurance coverage lacks support. This coverage is provided for emergency medical situations only and is secondary to the individual college health plan coverage or individual health care coverage each traveler has.
If you are not enrolled in a college health plan, then please contact your health insurance provider to confirm your coverage. Please notify the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration, as well, at 413-597-4775.
Please note, if you will reside outside of the United States for more than 180 days as part of your planned college business travel, please contact the college benefits office. You will be required to adjust your health plan coverage.
Spouses and Dependents
Spouses and dependents that are accompanying employees on college related business travel are covered by the various insurance programs offered by the college. If you have any questions about coverage, please contact the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration at 413-597-4775.
Personal Travel / Deviations
If you are planning any personal travel as part of your college business travel itinerary, please notify the Associate Vice President for Finance and Administration so that insurance coverage can be confirmed. Personal travel as part of a sanctioned college related trip will be covered if it is less than 7 days in duration, would not have been taken if not for the planned college related travel, and is taken during the course of the college related travel.