Need travel safety tips? There’s an app for that.


Planning to travel outside of Canada for research purposes or to attend a conference? Many students and faculty will be travelling during reading week or making plans now for the summer. McMaster offers several resources to help keep you informed and safe while travelling.

First is the travel safety and planning page on the Human Resources website, which includes checklists, risk evaluation tools and instructions for to who to call in case of an emergency.

McMaster has also partnered with International SOS (Mosaic login required), a service that provides training and an emergency assistance program to provide travel, medical and security assistance 24/7 across the globe.

“Making International SOS available to McMaster faculty, staff and students is a key component of McMaster’s strategy of risk mitigation when international travel is concerned,” says Peter Mascher, Vice-Provost, International Affairs. “Both the country-specific Daily Digests and the mobile app are invaluable tools when travelling abroad.”

Download the International SOS Assistance App and log in using McMaster’s membership number, available on the HR website (Mosaic login required).

“International partnerships are integral to the success of our research enterprise and these tools are incredibly useful for our research community on their travels,” says Karen Mossman, acting Vice-President, Research. “Speaking from experience, they’re not only great resources, but also provide great peace of mind when out of the country.”

Used by many universities and large businesses worldwide, International SOS provides the following assistance services:

  • 24/7/365 access to doctors, nurses, security experts
  • Multi-lingual support
  • Destination specific information and advise
  • Medical, dental and security provider referrals
  • Inpatient/Outpatient arrangements and monitoring
  • Evacuation Co-ordination
  • Repatriation

Additional information is available at https://www.internationalsos.com/