Faculty and staff often work beyond the physical borders of campus, traveling across the country and world. According to Penn Global, nearly a third of faculty members conduct research or teach in about 180 countries worldwide. There are a few steps anyone representing Penn outside of West Philadelphia should take, and they differ depending on destination.

For domestic travel, employees should book through one of the University-approved services, Concur or World Travel, says Hilary Easley, director of Penn Travel Services. Doing so ensures swift communication in the event of an emergency.

“Let’s say there’s a group in New York for a week. If they booked through Concur or World Travel, I have a way of pulling up a quick report,” she says. “I know where they are. I know to reach out.”

If that’s not possible, individuals should provide details to someone in their department—conference dates and locations, for example, or research site particulars. Easley also recommends carrying the Penn Travel Emergency Card, which includes contact information for Penn Travel, World Travel, the Penn Police, and the appropriate number for international calls. (To obtain a card, email travel@exchange.upenn.edu.)

“I print them by the thousands. I’m constantly carrying them with me, giving them out. It’s really important,” Easley says. “We can’t do anything if we don’t know where people are.”

International trips have slightly stricter requirements to account for more comprehensive benefits. Faculty, staff, and students participating in Penn-affiliated international travel are asked to register in the Global Activities Registry, which automatically enrolls them with Penn’s third-party provider, International S.O.S. (ISOS).

“ISOS is engaged for medical-care coordination and transport, safety, and security,” says Artemis Koch, executive director of Penn’s Global Support Services. “It’s an on-the-ground resource to intercede in any emergency.” Anyone on Penn-affiliated travel can access ISOS help.

Penn Global and Risk Management maintain information about every traveler’s whereabouts on any given day. These offices also chair a Global Incident Management Team, a group of more than 15 individuals ready to respond to any event or emergency abroad. The University Crisis Management Team, of which Easley is a part, is Penn’s equivalent for domestic events.

“In an emergency, Penn Police have the ability to contact all team members quickly,” Easley says. “Immediately our phones ring, we get texts, then we all get on a call to discuss the best course of action.”

The recent natural disaster in Puerto Rico posed an interesting challenge; the island is a U.S. territory so it doesn’t technically fall under Penn Global’s purview. But because of its location, some of the procedures required to help are similar to international locations, and some of the international travel resources have been made available.

Koch and Easley say the teams are working together to understand such anomalies—like Guam, also a U.S. territory but located in the middle of the northern Pacific Ocean. Most importantly, they stress that people traveling on behalf of Penn have many available resources, for domestic travel and working or traveling abroad.