Many countries have reopened. Travelers feel confident and eager to resume business and leisure travel. Some are ready to relocate for remote work. It’s critical to consider the many logistic challenges and health issues that business travelers and remote workers will undoubtedly experience, including third-wave pandemic shutdowns.
Stay on top of unexpected events
Itineraries, health restrictions and quarantine rules are going to change urgently and unexpectedly. Travelers must take time to review and develop new best practices.
My approach to business travel starts with the notion that anything can change at a moment’s notice. When you train yourself to create a flexible, adaptable mindset, you will be more relaxed and less stressed. This is better for your overall mental health, too. Prepare and plan ahead of time. Have a plan A and a plan B. Nowadays, a plan C will come in handy.
Three guides for safe travel
My top tip is to make sure you follow the 3P’s: proactive, prepared and protected. It doesn’t matter if you’re self-managing or working with your company’s travel manager.
At Global Secure Resources, we developed an Individual Travel Assessment Plan (ITAP). You can follow our framework and create your own. As a risk manager and travel safety consultant, I can boil it down to this: you need to know the risks to avoid the risk. If you want to be productive and save money, take the time to fill in your health, safety and security gaps. You need to develop an understanding of the following three pillars for our post-pandemic world.
Proactive
- Identify a positive communication plan and share your itinerary with a trusted friend or family member. Have the proper travel documents, including vaccination cards or negative testing results. Identify local testing facilities and local hospitals.
- What do you do during an emergency? Run through some “what-if scenarios” and research local emergency numbers. Make a list of emergency contacts.
Prepared
- Arrive at the new destination, preferably during the daytime, and preschedule your transportation to your lodging location.
- Try travel safety tools like Doorstop, WanderSafe and StashBandz. These take up little space in your luggage yet make a difference to safety and security.
- Develop techniques to stay safe while navigating new territory. Review local scams in the area.
Protected
- Proper insurance includes travel, medical, evacuation and a supplemental plan like Medjet. If you become ill, you can be evacuated to a hospital of your choice back home.
- Improve situational awareness to prevent petty crime.
- Strategize safely – be a hard target versus a soft target. Every day criminals are looking for easy targets. Cybercrime, scams and theft cost billions of dollars each year. Keep an eye on your passports, money and electronic devices. Awareness will save you time and money when you travel the world with strategies, tools and techniques to stay safe.
More tips for being a hard target:
| Vulnerabilities for soft targets: Unlocked doors Crimes of opportunity Personal possessions left unattended Traveling in high-risk areas or isolated areas at night Under the influence of alcohol or drugs |
| Hardening techniques: Deter, deflect, divert and deny criminal access Lock your door Use a door wedge Confirm unannounced visitors Awareness training and self-defense |
By implementing risk mitigation and developing your travel awareness, you will improve your ability to identify, analyze and avoid risks, leading to more productivity and business success.
Now that we have covered safety awareness, let’s get back to productive travel and seeing the world.
Happy travels!
About the author
Carrie Pasquarello, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Secure Resources Inc., is a victim advocate who took her overseas experience with the private sector and state department and turned it into a platform to help others navigate safe travel. She spent over a decade in Europe and Asia, traveling to over 35 countries as she developed a business strategy based on risk mitigation. In the process, Pasquarello refined the security protocols in place used to keep diplomats safe in their travel. She integrated these techniques for clients to ensure their business continuity and the safety of their loved ones. Her company is certified women-owned.
Great advice!