Travel Management

The Travel Authorization Form can be found in the Forms Cabinet.

Ask your travel authorizer if a new form needs to be completed. You do need to update MyTrips with your revised travel details.

All students, faculty and staff travelling internationally must complete travel registration as outlined in the University Travel Policy.

• All international university travel must be registered and approved by the travel authorizer before departure.
• Students who undertake university travel (as defined in the travel policy) within Canada are required to register their travel.

Registering your travel with MyTrips allows International SOS to provide you with direct, location-specific updates based on your itinerary, including these:

• Pre-trip advisory: Before you depart, International SOS will send a pre-trip advisory email with relevant information and links tailored to your destination(s).
• Real-time alerts: If there are travel updates, medical alerts or special advisories for your destination, you will receive real-time alert emails directly from International SOS.

Most importantly, registering with MyTrips helps MacEwan University track the location of students travelling abroad. In an emergency, the university can respond more quickly and effectively and provide support during developing situations.

The International SOS MyTrips tool collects travel itineraries and contact information for MacEwan University students and employees travelling internationally. This information allows MacEwan or International SOS to quickly contact you in an emergency (e.g, natural disaster, civil unrest, etc.) so that affected MacEwan travellers can be accounted for and receive the best possible assistance.

All students, faculty and staff traveling internationally must complete travel registration in accordance with MacEwan University’s Travel Policy.

All international university travel must be registered and approved by the designated travel authorizer before departure.

Students undertaking university travel within Canada, as defined by the policy, are also required to register their travel.

Log in to MyTrips using your MacEwan email address. The first time you use MyTrips, you need to register as a new user and create your profile. See the MyTrips User Guide.

Register your trip after your Travel Authorization Form has been approved and before your departure date. Remember to keep your itinerary up to date in MyTrips.

Yes. Enter as much information as you have for a given trip, even if you only know your expected travel dates and the city and country of your destination. You can save the trip and return to update it later.

Skip sections for which you don’t have complete information yet. Don’t begin to enter details for a given section until you’re ready to enter all required fields (*) for that section.

To edit a trip in MyTrips, follow these steps:

1. Log in using your MacEwan email address.
2. In your profile, click the name of the trip you want to edit.
3. Select the tab you’d like to update (e.g., flight, accommodation, train, ground transportation).
4. Make your changes and click Save within each tab.
5. When you’re done, click Save Trip Information at the top of the page to save your updates.

Yes. Once your trip details are processed, you receive an automated confirmation email from MyTrips showing which trip segments were successfully submitted.

If you need to cancel your trip, advise the travel authorizer and log into MyTrips to manually delete the trip.

If you can’t remember your password, email onlinehelp@internationalsos.com from your MacEwan email account and ask them to reset your password. If you enter the wrong password too many times, you will be locked out of your account.

Please note that MacEwan University cannot reset your MyTrips password for you.

The group leader is responsible for ensuring that students receive and complete the Student Waiver Form. Travel waiver forms are to be emailed by the group leader to the travel authorizer prior to the travel departure date.

The Travel Authorization Form includes the phrase “aspects of my travel which are not directly related or are incidental to the Purpose of Travel.”

Generally, this statement refers to travel completely unrelated to university-endorsed business travel. Examples of business travel include conferences, courses, other professional development, scholarly/creative activities, curricular faculty-led group travel and research.

Examples of unrelated travel include leisure travel that bookends or is inserted into the business travel. Unrelated travel falls outside the authorization process and therefore is not subject to hazard assessment and other controls the university has in place to meet duty-of-care obligations for employees traveling for MacEwan-approved activities. The university bears no responsibility whatsoever for this travel.

Travel not directly related or incidental to the purpose of travel does not include the following:

• meals associated with the activity
• meals, particularly dinners, not associated with the activity, but which can be expensed
• activities organized by hosting or sponsoring bodies
• sightseeing activities organized by the group leader in faculty-led curricular travel

Travel not directly related or incidental to the purpose of travel may include the following:

• sightseeing not associated with the business purpose of travel
• shopping trips outside the business activity
• sisits or excursions with friends or family
• other activities not organized by the hosting or sponsoring bodies that surround the business activity

The characterization of an activity as not directly related or incidental to the purpose of travel may impact the following:

• the response of the university’s liability insurance to indemnify you against the costs of defence and settlement for claims made against you for bodily injury and property damage
• WCB coverage for injuries you sustain during these activities

The waiver form will be shared with your group leader—who collects the Travel Authorization Form—as well as the Dean or delegate who approves the travel.

Once submitted, the group leader will follow up with you to discuss options for managing any special arrangement needs before or during travel.

Depending on the nature of your request, you or your group leader may also wish to consult with Access and Disability Resources (ADR) for additional guidance or support.

Please note: you are not required to disclose a diagnosis. However, the group leader, Dean or delegate will need enough information about your specific needs to respond appropriately.

SAMU groups should contact the SAMU Student Groups Manager and the Manager, Student Life.

Before travelling abroad, you may need specific immunizations depending on your destination(s), the length of your stay and whether your routine vaccinations are up to date.

Some vaccines take several weeks or even months to provide full protection, so it’s best to consult a travel health clinic or your family physician two to three months before departure. For information on recommended vaccinations by country, visit Government of Canada’s Travel Vaccinations.

No. Travel insurance refers to insurance that covers aspects of travel not related to health or medical emergencies such as trip cancellation, trip interruption, theft and lost luggage.

1. Contact your health insurance provider(s) for assistance and guidance.
2. Call MacEwan Security Services at +1-780-497-5555 to report the situation. Collect calls are accepted.

MacEwan is only responsible for university travel. While you are engaged in university travel, such as research, scholarly and creative activities, professional development, conferences, courses or other university-sanctioned activities, you are generally covered under the university’s liability insurance. This includes access to university resources in the event of a third-party insurance claim for property damage or bodily injury.

However, if you participate in activities that are not directly related to university travel (e.g., sightseeing before the start of an education abroad course or attending a concert after a conference day), you will not be covered by the university’s liability insurance and may be personally liable. In such cases, access to university resources may still be made available to you.

Medical emergency (while travelling internationally)

1. Contact your health insurance provider(s) for assistance and guidance.
2. Notify MacEwan Security Services and inform them of the situation.
   • You do not need to disclose the nature of the illness or injury.
   • You will be asked whether the incident was related to university business and whether your emergency contact should be notified.
   • If a traveller is missing, critically injured or deceased, the emergency contact will be notified.

Non-medical emergency (while travelling internationally)

• Contact International SOS to connect with on-the-ground support.
• Notify MacEwan Security Services and inform them of the situation.
  • You will be asked whether your emergency contact should be notified.
  • If a traveller is missing, critically injured or deceased, the emergency contact will be notified.

Emergency while travelling domestically

If an emergency occurs during university-related travel within Canada, contact MacEwan Security Services at +1-780-497-5555. Available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

No. The transportation of students in personal vehicles is prohibited. In the event of an accident that causes injury, the vehicle owner’s auto insurance is required to respond to all claims for bodily injury. Because MacEwan University cannot ensure that each employee has adequate insurance coverage, this practice is not permitted.

Where MacEwan University faculty or staff are required to travel locally with a student, the use of licensed taxis or public transit should be considered. Contracted transportation services (e.g., buses) should be used for larger groups. Please refrain from renting 15-passenger vans. The Alberta Government has released a bulletin citing a high incidence of rollover crashes with these vehicles.

If the situation is life-threatening or requires immediate medical attention, call local emergency services (e.g., 911) or request an ambulance. Once safe, notify MacEwan Security Services at +1-780-497-5555 and, if applicable, contact your health insurance provider or International SOS for additional support.

Yes, subject to appropriate departmental approvals. Vehicles may be rented and expensed in accordance with the Allowable Expenses Policy. Vehicles should be rented in the name of MacEwan University.

We are aware that there are some rental agencies who will not do this. Vehicles can be rented using the renter’s name, but please ensure that you have documented departmental approval that can be attached to the rental agreement when you submit it as an expense. This documented approval may be necessary in the event of an insurance claim.

Employees should rent vehicles for the purposes of transporting students using their MacEwan P-Card. There is no vehicle rental insurance available with the use of the P-Card.

Please note that our non-owned automobile (worldwide) policy does not provide coverage for vehicles rented in the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guam, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Libya, Macedonia, Myanmar (Burma), Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Saipan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine and Yemen. If faculty or staff plan to rent vehicles in these countries, our coverage does not respond in the event of an accident.

Yes. The university does not provide any insurance to the student to cover collision, loss or liability against third-party claims. Students renting vehicles should purchase the collision damage and loss waiver offered by the rental agency.

Yes. Any MacEwan University faculty or staff who rents a vehicle to transport students must ensure that they are properly licensed to operate the rented vehicle. A Class 4 Alberta operator’s license is required to drive a vehicle with a passenger capacity of 15 to 24.

For questions with respect to insurance coverage, please email riskservices@macewan.ca.

International SOS is not health insurance; it is a travel assistance service provider.

International SOS is neither a substitute for nor a supplement to personal health insurance. Travellers must maintain their own personal health insurance. Prior to departure, individuals should confirm coverage limitations, if any, with their health plan administrator for travel abroad.

No. Your membership is already active. Simply carry the International SOS card at all times while travelling. Whenever you need a service, contact one of the emergency phone numbers listed on the back of the card or download the app, which will show the emergency number to call for whichever country you’re in.