The Department of Foreign Affairs list travel advice for almost all countries in the world on their website. Check the advice for the country you intend to visit. It is worth checking the advice at an early stage of planning for the trip, as well as closer to the departure date in case of any late security changes to the country being visited. Don’t forget to check the contact details for the local Irish Embassy or Consulate in the country you intend to visit.

Register the details for the travelling group on the DFA’s Citizens’Registration System. This means they will have a record of the group and will be able to contact you quickly should an emergency arise in the area you are travelling in. We encourage everyone to register, but it’s especially recommended for people travelling to more far flung or unusual destinations which may bring with them higher risks.

Ensure that everyone has a valid passport and that the passports have adequate time left on them before they expire. Check what the requirement is with the host country and your airline as these requirements can vary. Some countries require passports to have at least six months left on them from the date of planned departure before allowing entry into the country.

Check well in advance and engage with the Embassy or Consulate of the country you are travelling to, to find this out (bear in mind the local Embassy may be based in London). Leave sufficient time to make the necessary applications.

Do any of your group intend on travelling on a passport other than an Irish one? If the answer to this is yes, are the entry requirements for these travelers different? For example: Do they need a visa for entry, although Irish passport holders may not? Depending on their residency
status in Ireland, such a student might also require a re-entry visa to come back to Ireland. The Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) will be able to advise on this.

Ensure that you have contact details for the families of all those travelling in case any need to be contacted in the event of a crisis. Provide your contact details to them too.

If the trip is within Europe, ensure that all those travelling have valid European Health Insurance Cards. These can be applied for through the HSE website. It is important that these are applied for well in advance of the trip as it can take some time to process these applications

Ensure that an adequate supply of relevant medication is brought by any student with particular requirements, in case of any issues surrounding availability upon arrival or potential delays on your return. Depending on the medication that a student may require they may need to bring a photocopy of the prescription with them so they can show it at an
airport, or use it to get re-supplied should their baggage be lost. Also check with a doctor at least eight weeks before the trip what vaccinations may be required.