Traveler Security: When “No News” Isn’t Good News!

You’ve landed in a country you’ve never been to before. Your manager sent you to handle a few business meetings — a great opportunity, right? But somewhere between the airport and the hotel, the questions start creeping in: shouldn’t my company have a protocol, some guidance, or at least know where I am? What if something goes wrong? Would anyone at the office even know? Does my company truly value my safety — or just my results? If you’re asking yourself these questions, the answer is probably no!

Reality check, Travelers are more vulnerable than locals due to many factors, not knowing the area well, not blending in, looking like a foreigner, or acting like one.I have seen companies send their travellers to destinations without even the slightest risk-mitigation protocols, clearly risking their traveller’s lives. As a company, what are you doing to ensure you mitigate travel risk?

Let’s start with the basics. Every reputable company must always ensure their staff’s safety and security when performing work for the company. Travelers fall in this category from the moment they leave their homes for company travel. Duty of care is a real thing and there are no ways around it. ISO 31030, the international standard for travel risk management that helps organizations fulfil their legal and moral responsibility to protect employees while traveling. The standard outlines a framework for identifying travel risks, developing comprehensive plans for employee safety, providing pre-travel information, and training, and establishing clear communication and support systems for travellers. Adhering to ISO 31030 helps organizations mitigate legal and financial risks, enhance reputation, and demonstrate a commitment to employee well-being.

Now that we have elaborated on the need, let’s discuss how we fulfil it, properly.

The Pillars of a Robust Travel Security Program 

Governance

Many times, companies know what is right, want to do it but are unable to. This happens for many reasons, culture, cost, maturity, hierarchical pressure or simply haven’t yet included Travel Security in their program yet. Having the right level of Governance and support from top management can provide the necessary leverage to implement the changes that are required. Forming a Governance Committee to discuss Travel Security issues, agree on risk-mitigation plans, endorse strategies and improve top-down decision-making isn’t a bad idea. Here, it is important to emphasize the importance of clearly portraying the risks involved in having a laggard Travel Security program or not having one at all! 

Pre-trip Process

Having the right processes and rehearsing it, stress-testing it and embedding it within your ecosystem and protocols not only mitigates risk but also saves company’s money. The best processes are ones which are customized for your company’s and traveller’s needs and truly implanted in your operating model. Processes must not be cumbersome for the users, but the heavy lifting must be done by your vendors utilizing digital tools and others to the best of their capability. To the user, they must feel they are being enabled to perform their jobs and not disabled from it. 

Communication

Why is communication so important? Well, you would like to ensure that most of your risk-mitigation works before a situation arises, avoiding a situation altogether. Avoiding risk is many times better than dealing with risk!

So, we agree that communication is key. But what is the right level of information to ensure you do not overburden your employees with inflated frantic news scaring them off. At the other end of the spectrum, how do you ensure you do not communicate so scarcely that it is almost like not communicating at all. How do you communicate to your travellers (SMS, Calls, Emails, app. Notifications)? What is the sequence of usage of these communication tools? Shouldn’t your traveller choose how they wish to be communicated to? (not infringing upon their freedom?!)

Let’s now discuss the best case scenario: You as a traveler book your trip, you get notified that your trip is to a medium-risk destination/using a risky airline. You are provided important information about the destination and how to mitigate risk with a short history of specific protocols you must follow to minimize risk. You are provided with a Travel Security training which is customized for your company and specific to your needs. You are given access to tools like your company’s security app. which already has your details through back office feeds. You receive news feeds that are relevant and necessary to help you prepare for your trip. You travel and continue receiving “Only relevant” risk mitigating communication helping you stay away from harm. 

Insurance

How do you ensure you have the right coverage? How do you convince insurance companies that your company’s protocols are adequate and that they shouldn’t charge you an arm and a leg? How do you extend insurance to uninsured destinations (outside the umbrella of insurance)? What is the process? When do you engage and how do you engage? And if something happens, you know how you can contact and how your security team can reach you. At the same time, you have the insurance cover to ensure that if something happens, you have the means necessary to pay for the emergency services needed. Your company has already rehearsed different scenarios and is trained to deal with them. You feel safe and valued as an employee. 

VIPs

How many members of your top management (VIPs) can/should fly together? Are there any protocols to minimize risk of the most important (indispensable) travelers travelling together on the same airplane? Can the CEO, CFO and COO travel together? What is your company’s risk threshold? The answer lies in establishing a clear, documented Key Travel Policy to manage the risk of simultaneous loss of critical leadership.

Destination Categorization

Destination categorization is the foundation of your travel risk strategy. You must have a clear, dynamic system for rating destinations based on:

• Geopolitical Stability: War, civil unrest, terrorism.

• Crime: Petty, violent, and organized crime levels.

• Health Risks: Disease outbreaks, quality of medical care.

• Infrastructure: Reliability of transportation, communication, and power.

These categories—typically Low, Medium, High, and Extreme—dictate the level of required pre-trip briefing, mandated security resources (like drivers or close protection), permissible hotel standards, and required insurance and communication tools. This system also serves as the de facto enforcement mechanism for your risk appetite.

Enforcing and Sustaining the Program

Managing Non-Compliance

What do you do when a traveller does not want to abide by the rules? How do you manage managers who are willing to take risks that are higher than the company’s risk appetite? How do you ensure your seniors lead by example? What sort of governance do you have internally? How do you endorse your Travel security strategy?

A strong governance framework must include a Travel Exception Policy. This policy clearly defines the escalation path for travel to areas exceeding the company's established risk appetite. For a manager proposing high-risk travel, the decision should be elevated to the Governance Committee or a senior executive with the authority to accept the additional risk. Non-compliant travellers, especially senior leaders, should be addressed through the standard employee performance/conduct process, emphasizing that adherence is a condition of employment and a Duty of Care to the company.

Individual Risk Profiling

Should risk be dependent on individual profiles of your travellers? How do you incorporate that into your program without any discriminatory issues?

The answer is yes. While your destination risk rating is the baseline, an individual's profile—their Gender, Sexual Orientation, Nationality, Role, and previous travel experience—can either increase or decrease their specific risk profile. For example, a traveler carrying sensitive intellectual property or traveling to a country where their nationality is a political target faces a higher individual threat. A comprehensive program accounts for this by:

• Customizing Briefings: Providing specific advice for female travelers, LGBTQ+ travelers, or those with unique medical needs.

• Layering Security: Assigning additional resources (e.g., secure transport) to high-profile or high-risk individuals.

• Maintaining Non-Discrimination: Ensuring that the decision to travel is based only on the destination risk category and job necessity, while mitigation measures are tailored to the individual's safety needs.

Crisis Response and Evacuation

If after all you have done to mitigate risks, an incident occurs where you must evacuate your travellers, do you evacuate only your travellers? What about their families? What about your office-based staff?

A Travel Security program is incomplete without a fully integrated Crisis Management Plan. This plan should detail the response to various scenarios—medical emergency, natural disaster, political unrest, or terrorist attack. Key components include:

• Evacuation Trigger Matrix: Clear, pre-approved criteria that trigger different levels of evacuation (e.g., restricted movement, voluntary departure, mandatory evacuation).

• Staff Tracking: Real-time visibility of all employees via a GPS-enabled security app or itinerary tracking system (Traveler Tracking).

• Extended Duty of Care: The decision to evacuate dependents and non-traveling staff (if local circumstances pose a threat) must be made before a crisis, typically involving your insurance and third-party security provider. A commitment to evacuate dependents often requires a higher insurance premium but is essential for upholding moral duty and employee loyalty.

• Rehearsed Drills: Regular, mandatory tabletop exercises for the crisis management team to test decision-making under stress.

Auditing Your Supply Chain

How do you mitigate risks related to airline companies that are not meeting your company’s minimum requirements for safety?

Your duty of care extends to the vendors you select. A diligent company maintains a Preferred Carrier and Vendor Policy that utilizes third-party safety audits (like the IATA Operational Safety Audit - IOSA) to vet airlines. Likewise, ground transport and accommodation vendors in high-risk zones should be pre-approved based on security features, fire safety, and reputation. Do not allow travelers to book outside the approved list in high-risk areas.

Conclusion: What is Best-in-Class?

Best-in-class Travel Security is not subjective, but it is contextual. It is defined by the full integration of a comprehensive risk framework (ISO 31030) into your company's culture. It must balance a high-level of security with employee enablement, ensuring that your people feel safe and valued without being hampered in their ability to perform their duties.

It depends on your company’s:

• Risk Appetite: Clearly defined and governed.

• Culture: Leaders must lead by example.

• Security Program Maturity: Continuous improvement based on real-world events and intelligence.

The ultimate measure of success is this: Does your traveler, alone in a foreign country, confidently know who to call, what to do, and feel absolute certainty that their company has their back? If not, your program has work to do.

Article written by Mohamad Halawi