International Travel for Students and Grads This Summer

Post-grad travel? Summer internship? Revenge travel is kicking in for students of all ages, and they are including international trips in their summer plans.

This year’s group of approximately two million U.S. college graduates have spent the last two years pursuing their academic and professional ambitions despite campus closures, online classes and remote internships.

Now, revenge travel is kicking in for students of all ages: high school, college and newly graduated. Whether it is a chance to see the world before the 9 to 5 starts or an internship to add market value to classroom education, students are including international travel in their summer plans.

Travel Protection Across the Globe

What makes the best gift for a student planning to travel? A Global Rescue membership, which provides 24/7 travel advisory services and emergency medical evacuation services. It certainly came in handy when Jordan Glovsky, a rising sophomore at the University of Arizona, was in Africa on a summer internship.

“Jordan was living in Cape Coast, Ghana and working in a hospital,” said Eileen Glovsky, his mother and a change management consultant. “He had met a number of gap-year students and traveled to Togo for a weekend with this multi-lingual group of young men and women.”

At some point during his trip, he started to experience severe pain while breathing.

“Local shoppers noticed his discomfort and immediately stepped in to assist. Initially Jordan went to a local clinic, but the services were less than adequate,” Glovsky Eileen said.

Jordan went to the U.S. Embassy for assistance. The helpful staff directed him to a local private hospital and called Eileen. Jordan also called Global Rescue.

“The embassy was really happy that we had Global Rescue to assist us,” Eileen said.

Glad to Have Global Rescue

Eileen and Jordan were also happy to have Global Rescue.

“Global Rescue reached out to me to let me know they were working with Jordan and would assist him while in the hospital,” Eileen said. “This was extremely helpful since he was in a French-speaking country. One of his traveling companions who spoke French did stay with him, but having someone to translate medical information was very helpful.”

Multiple tests were run in an attempt to identify the issue, but nothing specific was ever identified. Global Rescue kept the family in the loop the entire time.

“Results and medical history questions were posed to me (with Jordan’s permission) so I could be an active participant in decisions about his care and the decision to travel back to the U.S. for further diagnostic testing,” Eileen said. “I was pleased with how communicative Global Rescue was through the whole process. I never felt the need to jump on a plane to join Jordan.  I knew he was in good hands as I got about three calls a day to keep me posted.”

While Jordan was able to take a commercial flight home, the last-minute scheduling would’ve been cost prohibitive for Eileen. She estimates his flight home on a commercial airliner after his hospital discharge would have cost more than $5,000 without a Global Rescue membership.

“Global Rescue offered to meet him at the airport in Boston. They even called a few days after he arrived back to check in on him,” Eileen said. “I can’t tell you how much it meant to have Global Rescue as a partner.”

Jordan, now a certified AEMT, hasn’t done much traveling in the past two years, but the Glovsky family will continue to purchase Global Rescue for lengthy or adventure-specific trips or destinations with insufficient medical care or security.

“Even if you think you have coverage from a travel program (business, school, Peace Corps) invest the money in Global Rescue,” Eileen said. “You won’t be dealing with a third party to figure out what services you have. The program that Jordan was a participant in allegedly had coverage, but I never heard from them until he had been transported back to the U.S.”

Graduation Gift Idea

A Global Rescue membership may have saved the life of Lily Goodman, whose parents called Global Rescue when she started vomiting blood on a school trip to China. Global Rescue’s medical experts translated records and correspondence between Lily’s family and the Chinese doctors, providing a detailed review of all medical reports.

It was essential for Maredith Richardson, who lost her passport in Paris the day the pandemic lockdown ended. Global Rescue streamlined the replacement process for her. Tenn Hildebrand, studying abroad during a gap year, was bitten by a wild dog shortly after he arrived in India. Global Rescue provided translation services, reviewed medical records, and helped him obtain and administer the medication he needed.

Global Rescue student travel memberships are annual memberships available to full-time students under the age of 35. Students will have access to updates on restrictions, quarantines and hotspots; experts who can provide immediate information regarding appropriate nearby health care facilities all over the world, and emergency medical evacuation services to a hospital of choice. An annual student membership starts at $289.