A Strategic Guide to Travel Risk Management

Business travel is an essential driver of growth, but it is not without risk. Sending employees around the globe exposes them, and by extension the company, to a wide array of potential threats, including medical emergencies, security incidents, natural disasters, and political instability. Travel Risk Management (TRM) is the strategic and systematic process a company uses to identify these risks, assess their potential impact, and implement measures to protect its employees and ensure business continuity. A robust TRM program is the operational arm of a company's Duty of Care obligation.

A reactive approach to risk management, where a company only responds after an incident has occurred, is no longer sufficient. It is both dangerous and a legal liability. A modern, effective TRM program is proactive, data-driven, and integrated into the very fabric of the corporate travel program. It is not about preventing travel; it is about enabling travel to happen safely and responsibly. This guide provides a comprehensive framework for developing and implementing a travel risk management strategy that protects your people and your organization.

The Core Components of a Travel Risk Management Program

A successful TRM strategy is a continuous cycle of assessment, mitigation, and response. It can be broken down into several key components.

1. Risk Assessment and Intelligence

You cannot mitigate a risk you are not aware of. The first step is to have access to accurate, timely, and relevant intelligence about the destinations your employees are traveling to.

Destination-Specific Risk Ratings: Your program should partner with a professional risk intelligence provider (like International SOS, Healix, or Crisis24). These services provide detailed risk ratings for every country and major city in the world, covering medical, security, and travel-related risks. A destination might be rated "Low," "Medium," "High," or "Extreme" risk.
Pre-Trip Advisories: Based on this intelligence, your system should automatically generate and send pre-trip advisory briefs to travelers. This document should provide practical, actionable information, including:
- Current security and health alerts.
- Required vaccinations and medical precautions.
- Areas of the city to avoid.
- Cultural norms and local laws.
- Emergency contact information.
Special Approval for High-Risk Travel: Your travel policy should mandate a special approval workflow for any travel to a "High" or "Extreme" risk destination. This ensures that senior leadership is aware of the trip and has signed off on the risk, and it triggers a mandatory pre-trip security briefing for the traveler.

2. Pre-Trip Training and Preparation

An informed traveler is a safer traveler. Your TRM program must include an educational component.

Travel Safety Training: All employees who travel for business should undergo regular travel safety training. This can often be done via e-learning modules provided by your risk management partner. The training should cover topics like situational awareness, hotel security, data security while traveling, and what to do in an emergency.
Confirmation of Documents: Your pre-trip process should include a check to ensure the traveler's passport is valid for at least six months beyond the trip date and that they have obtained any necessary visas.
Medical Preparedness: The process should also confirm that the traveler has adequate travel medical insurance and any required personal medications.

3. Real-Time Traveler Tracking

This is the cornerstone of any modern TRM program. In a crisis, you must be able to answer the question, "Where are our people, and are they safe?"

Mandated Centralized Booking: The only reliable way to track travelers is to have a single, definitive source of itinerary data. Your policy must mandate that all travel is booked through the company's designated travel management platform.
The Live Map: A modern TRM system provides a live, interactive map that plots the real-time location of every traveling employee based on their flight and hotel itineraries. During an incident, you can draw a circle around the affected area and instantly see a list of all employees inside it.

4. Crisis Monitoring and Communication

A TRM program must have the ability to monitor global events 24/7 and communicate with travelers when an incident affects them.

24/7 Monitoring: Your risk management provider should have a global security operations center that is constantly monitoring for events that could impact travelers.
Automated Risk Alerts: When an event occurs, the system should automatically identify any travelers who may be impacted and send them alerts via SMS and email. For example, if a protest is scheduled near a traveler's hotel, they should receive an alert advising them to avoid the area.
Two-Way Communication: A critical feature is the ability for travelers to quickly respond to an alert. A mobile app with a simple "I am safe" check-in button allows you to quickly account for your people and focus your efforts on those who have not checked in or have requested assistance.

5. Emergency Response and Assistance

A plan is not complete without a clear and robust emergency response protocol.

24/7 Assistance Hotline: Every traveler must have a single, 24/7 number they can call for any emergency, big or small.
Partnership with an Assistance Provider: Your TRM program should be backed by a global assistance company. These partners have the on-the-ground network of doctors, hospitals, security professionals, and evacuation teams to manage any conceivable crisis, from a medical emergency in a remote location to a full-scale political evacuation.
The Crisis Management Team: Your company should have a pre-defined crisis management team with clear roles and responsibilities. This team should be prepared to activate your emergency response plan and work with your assistance provider to manage the incident.

Travel risk management is an essential corporate function. It is a strategic investment that protects your employees, safeguards your company's reputation, and ensures business resilience in an unpredictable world. By building a proactive program based on these core strategies, you can enable your employees to travel and conduct business globally with confidence and peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is the difference between travel risk management and duty of care? Duty of Care is the broad legal and moral obligation of a company to keep its employees safe. Travel Risk Management (TRM) is the specific set of policies, procedures, and tools that a company implements to fulfill that obligation for its traveling employees. TRM is the operational framework for delivering on your Duty of Care.

2. Our employees only travel to "safe" countries. Do we still need a TRM program? Yes. Risk is not limited to high-threat destinations. A medical emergency, a transportation accident, a lost passport, or even a simple street crime can happen anywhere. Furthermore, a natural disaster or a terrorist attack can occur in any major city in the world with little or no warning. A good TRM program provides a safety net for all travelers, regardless of their destination.

3. How can we convince our leadership to invest in a TRM program? The business case for TRM is built on risk mitigation and financial responsibility. A single medical evacuation can cost over $100,000. The legal costs and fines associated with a negligence lawsuit following an incident can run into the millions. A TRM program is a form of insurance against these catastrophic costs. It also protects the company's reputation and demonstrates to employees that their well-being is a top priority, which is important for talent retention.

4. How do we get employees to comply with using the mandated booking tool? The key is to make the official platform the easiest and most beneficial path. First, the policy must be mandated from the top down. Second, the platform itself must be user-friendly and provide a good range of choices. Third, communicate the "why" behind the mandate, emphasizing that it's primarily for the traveler's own safety and support. When an employee understands that booking on the platform is what enables the company to find and help them in an emergency, they are far more likely to comply.

5. How much does a travel risk management program cost? The cost can vary. Many modern travel management companies (TMCs) now bundle a suite of TRM tools, such as traveler tracking and automated alerts, as part of their standard technology offering. The most significant additional cost is typically the partnership with a dedicated medical and security assistance provider. The fees for these services are usually charged on a per-traveler or per-trip basis and are a small price to pay for the comprehensive protection and peace of mind they provide.