Have you heard of the "Safe Travels" label? The best way to enjoy your Erasmus

Travelling during Erasmus or during your stay abroad with a mobility grant is something that any student should do, as it's the best time to discover other countries, languages and cultures alongside people like you. That's why the WTTC has implemented the Safe Travels stamp to facilitate the safety of tourism facing the covid pandemic. Don't know what it is yet? Let us tell you about it!

What is the Safe Travels stamp?

Despite the fact that the global situation hasn't always been ideal for travelling, we see that in the end life goes on and tourism is progressively recovering all over the world. And although you should always travel taking into account the specific situation of the country, you can't miss out on living a unique experience and explore as much as possible during your Erasmus, can you?

This is the origin of the Safe Travels stamp, which is a recognition granted by the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) to companies in the tourism industry and which, through certain protocols created based on WHO recommendations, guarantees the health safety and well-being of tourists in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some of the measures taken to ensure hygiene and sanitation that are set out in the protocols are listed below.

Safe Travels protocol in hospitality companies

• Preparation of manuals to guarantee sanitary practices.
• Hygiene measures: correct hand washing, use of masks and gloves, correct cleaning and disinfection.
• Social distancing measures to control and avoid crowds.
• Implementation of technologies to avoid physical contact.

Safe Travels protocol in airlines

• Health assessment and advice at airports.
• Preparation of staff to respond to any queries from passengers and ensure compliance with measures and protocols.
• Strict hygiene measures in all areas: mandatory use of face masks, availability of antibacterial gel.
• Social distancing measures in waiting rooms and monitoring to avoid crowding.
• Implementation of technology and facilities such as auto check-in to avoid physical contact and speed up the process.

Safe Travels protocol in travel agencies and tour operators

• Elaboration of a prevention plan against covid-19.
• Hygiene measures: proper hand washing, use of masks and gloves, proper ventilation and cleaning and disinfection of surfaces, as well as availability of antibacterial gel.
• Measures of social distancing and limitation of people.
• Implementation of automated registration and payment systems.
• Confirmation and control of sanitary measures taken by food and other service providers.

Where can you find establishments with the Safe Travels label?

This seal is currently being awarded to companies that apply for it and meet the requirements, but there are no official lists by city or country. However, you can see if your destination city stamp is listed in the Safe Travels section of the WTTC website.

In addition, many official tourism websites of individual countries and cities include listings of establishments that have the Safe Travels label. Check the official tourism website of your destination city!

Safe Travels stamp countries in Europe

• Austria
• Bosnia Herzegovina
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Iceland
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• North Macedonia
• Portugal
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• Ucraine
• UK

Travel safely and live your Erasmus experience with no worries

If, in addition to travelling safely, what you want is to avoid any kind of incident during your stay abroad, such as lost luggage, delayed or cancelled flights, illness or sports injuries, among others, the best thing to do is to have a student insurance policy that will cover you for these kinds of unforeseen events. If you don't know where to start, don't hesitate to take a look at IRIS Global's specialised student insurance, which includes a multitude of covers so you don't have to worry about anything during your adventure.

In addition to the general coverage, a number of special coverages for covid-19 have been added recently. Here is an example of some of them:

• Medical assistance during your stay.
• Medical advice during the trip for covid-19.
• Medical, pharmaceutical and/or hospitalisation expenses abroad and in the country of origin.
• Medical remote consultation.
• Hotel stay due to covid-19.

As you've seen, you won't have to worry about anything in case of illness or injury, the student health insurance takes care of you no matter what! Don't forget to check all the coverage on the IRIS Global website and use the code ERASMUSU_10 that we at Erasmusu have secured for you to get a 10% discount on your insurance. Enjoy the greatest adventure of your life!

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