When Callie LeFevre's study-abroad trip to Beirut last summer was cut short by Israeli fighter planes dropping bombs near her campus, the Princeton University junior got home via an emergency evacuation through Syria. The tricky logistics were handled by a company called International SOS, which now works with more than 120 colleges and universities. It's one of a growing group of firms that specialize in extricating student travelers from dangerous situations. The number of U.S. students studying abroad is expected to rise from 206,000 last year to 1 million annually within a decade and many are headed to places where conflict, natural disaster and political strife are common. Faced with balancing students' desires for adventure with their high expectations for safety, schools are increasingly turning to these private security and medical providers to protect students living in risky places abroad. Most colleges foot the bills, which start at about a dollar per day.

Source: http://www.newsweek.com/id/62276/page/3