Whether you’re worried about current events or simple travel safety, taking a few travel precautions can keep you safe when on the road for work.
While an organization will have a certain Duty of Care to its Travelers when they’re on the road, Travelers should also take travel precautions to ensure they don’t unnecessarily put themselves at risk. Whether you’re traveling at home or abroad, regardless of headline-making natural disasters or political upheavals, here are seven smart travel precautions to either adopt yourself as a Traveler or to encourage your Travelers to practice if you’re a Travel Manager.
Key Takeaways
- Do your homework before booking a trip, including learning your Traveler safety policy and your destination’s unique risks.
- Stay in touch with your team while also safeguarding your tech from cybercrime and theft.
- Pick licensed ground transportation and know your route.
- Don’t over-rely on common travel precaution tips like keeping everything in your hotel room safe or photocopying your important documents.
- Avoid crowds and long lines, but don’t strike out on your own, either.
1. Know Your Traveler Safety Policy
Travel Managers should put a Traveler safety policy in place, if one does not currently exist. This policy should be openly available to Travelers and apprise them of their rights, how the company handles security risks and security risk assessments, and the steps to take in the event of an emergency while traveling.
If you’re a Traveler, you should be well-versed in your organization’s Traveler safety policy ahead of even booking any travel. If you’re unsure of your organization’s Traveler safety policy, ask your team’s Travel Manager where you can find this crucial information.
Travel Managers can take things a step further by actively providing Traveler safety training to all frequent Travelers on the team to ensure policy compliance. Training should cover the policy and provide further recommended travel precautions.
2. Know Your Destination
Similarly, Travelers should be well-versed in the risks that exist in their destinations, as well as cultural or legal differences that might lead to a risk developing.
Some destinations do come with an obvious risk. For example, one report found that business Travelers often avoid countries such as Israel and Pakistan due to perceived safety risks.
However, sometimes a destination poses a risk that’s not quite so front and center. Research potential safety risks for any destination before booking, including laws surrounding what you can bring into the country (you may find that certain prescriptions that are entirely legal in your home country are illegal in others, for instance), weather and more.
For any destination, you’ll also want to find out the emergency services numbers. Likewise, sign up to receive local emergency alerts while you’re in the area. Don’t rely on a hotel or event coordinator to pass along emergency information.
3. Communicate Responsibly and Safely
It’s vital for Duty of Care that Travelers stay in touch with their teams and that Travel Managers know Travelers’ whereabouts while traveling. However, responsible communication is key. A mobile hotspot or VPN is necessary to avoid cybercrimes, and no, not even the hotel WiFi is necessarily safe.
Furthermore, for any devices such as laptops and cell phones, always keep them in sight or in a secure bag when in public. If you have a newer device that may be a target for theft, such as a brand-new iPhone, consider swapping your SIM card out. Place it in an older model that might not attract attention.
4. Know Your Transportation and Your Routes
While you might be perfectly familiar with your public transit at home, if you plan on taking public transit, as well as taxis or rideshare services, in a different country, brush up on the routes you’ll be taking. Knowing how to get from your hotel to your conference center, for example, can come in exceptionally handy if you’re taking a taxi, as you’ll be able to recognize if your driver goes off course.
Furthermore, only travel with licensed transportation providers. Ideally, book all ground travel with vetted providers ahead of time.
5. Go a Step Further with Your Documentation
Many Travelers know that a smart travel precaution is to make photocopies of their passport and to print out multiple copies of important details such as their airline and hotel reservations. However, go a step further to both prevent identity theft and to ensure you have the necessary information at the ready in the event of an emergency.
On your photocopies, black out any sensitive or confidential information. If you can, add a watermark to your copies. For any documentation that lists contact information and travel details, print multiple copies and keep one on you and one in your hotel room. Leave a copy at home as well.
6. Don’t Over-Rely on Your Hotel Room Safe
Your hotel room safe is considered a secure spot for your valuables and important documentation while traveling. However, don’t assume that you can toss the necessary items into the safe, lock it and then go about your trip without a worry. In some countries, you are required to have your passport with you at all times. Additionally, you may want to keep at least one credit card on you, in a separate spot from where you carry cash (that way, in the event one pocket or bag is pickpocketed or stolen, you have a backup).
Then, after using your hotel room safe, don’t forget to empty it when leaving.
7. Avoid Long Lines
Lastly, while it may seem a particularly grim travel precaution, it’s worth noting that long lines and crowds are more and more becoming targets for terrorists and similar activity. While it’s not always possible when traveling, if you can, avoid long lines or large groups of people.
The inverse of this is that you may not want to purposefully seclude yourself either, especially when traversing unfamiliar areas or at night. In those instances, it’s ideal to remain with a colleague or fellow Traveler, for safety in (limited) numbers.
Need More Business Travel Advice and Tips?
Check out the JTB Business Travel Waypoint blog for advice for business Travelers, covering everything from global tipping expectations to the best business travel loyalty programs.
