Study abroad safety begins with being accurately informed from the moment you're considering study abroad through to the day you return home. 

Review the following study abroad safety tips for planning independent travel. Read experiences and advice from current students on topics of safety and mental health. Explore our publications including IES Abroad's MAP for Student Health, Safety & Crisis Management — the first set of institutional standards published by a study abroad provider.

Once you've been accepted to a program, more detailed health and safety tips unique to your study abroad location will be made available in your myIESabroad account.

Study Abroad Safety Tips for Traveling

Hear from Students Abroad

Quito: Safety Tips from An Overly Cautious Person

Tabitha A. shares eight tips to be safe on public transportation and in the streets of Ecuador.

a metro train passing in front of the Eiffel Tower

Paris: 10 Metro Commandments

Christella P. outlines how to confidently navigate the Paris Metro.

Starbucks on the IJ

Amsterdam: No Time is Wasted Time — Finding Safe Spaces Abroad

Betsey B. shares tips for balancing mental health abroad.

“IES Abroad made me feel safe while being in a place completely foreign to me. I knew that whatever happened, I had people there to support me...The events organized through IES Abroad made me felt like I belonged.”
Isabel M. • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • Amsterdam