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Types of corporate travel risks business travelers may face 

 

One of the core principles of corporate travel is keeping your people safe. Most business trips look straightforward. A client meeting, a day event, a flight to a different country. In reality, travel conditions can change quickly. While no organization can remove every risk, you can make sure your travelers are never dealing with it alone.  

 

Key Takeaways 

  • Some risks like health emergencies, cultural misunderstandings, and documentation issues can be overlooked but still require immediate response. 
  • 24/7 support from people who understand your program and travelers can transform how travelers experience disruption. 
  • A great plan is your best defense. Resilient travel programs prioritize safety, communication, and flexible response systems. 

7 types of corporate travel risks business travelers may face

1. Geopolitical conflicts: Protests, civil unrest, tensions between regions, rise in local crime, sudden policy changes or security alerts can increase risk with little warning. The impact is operational and can feel unsettling for travelers on the ground.

2. Natural disasters: Cyclones, earthquakes, hurricane, floods and extreme weather can disrupt transport, accommodation and access to services. These events require immediate rerouting and emergency support.

3. Cyberattacks during business trip: Your people likely rely on mobile phones and unsecured public networks at airports, hotels, and restaurants. This exposure increases the likelihood of cyberattacks and data breaches.

4. Health and safety risks: Medical emergencies strike at any moment. Epidemics, diseases, and sudden illnesses require immediate medical support. Sometimes these emergencies happen in highly remote locations, like the middle of the sea. Read this case study on how FCM Travel assisted Songa Offshore.

5. Discrimination: ethnicity or community: A traveler’s demeanor, etiquette, or attire can unintentionally offend local customs. Your people must respect the culture and religion of their destination country to maintain safe and positive relationships. 

6. Visa and documentation: Overlooking important documentation leads to legal and compliance risks. Countries enforce strict policies based on passport origin and the specific reason for travel. 

7. Lost/stolen documents: Have you ever had your phone stolen overseas? Or missing bags? If business travelers face theft or lose their important documents, they must inform their respective companies and the embassy. To avoid any hassle, it is advisable to put your documents or copies of passport on a secured Cloud network. 

How 24/7 support changes the travel experience 

When plans change at midnight or flights face sudden cancellations, your travelers need a calm voice and a clear solution. Here is how FCM’s expert after-hours support changes the experience: 

New South Wales, Australia

You arrive in Dubbo and realize your booking is for the wrong date. Every hotel is full. After a string of dead ends, an FCM after hours consultant works with a local connection to convert a meeting room into a temporary overnight stay. It is not glamorous, but you have a safe place to rest and a bathroom, instead of spending the night in your car.

New York, United States

Your connecting flight to New York is cancelled at 11.30pm. Airport counters are closed and options are minimal. An FCM consultant secures an alternative flight, books a nearby hotel, updates your destination hotel and arranges a late checkout. You know exactly what is happening, everyone in the travel teams knows, and you are not figuring it out alone.

Hamburg, Germany

After hours of delays, you arrive in Hamburg just after midnight to find your hotel closed with no staff on site. Calls to the hotel go nowhere. A FCM consultant calls every hotel in the city and eventually finds a hotel with a night manager, convinces them to stay on-site to let you check-in, organizes your transport, and lines up a wake-up call and express checkout so your early meeting stays on track.

Shanghai, China

You are in Shanghai when you learn your daughter in India needs urgent surgery. You need to get home, fast and you are very stressed. An FCM team member calms the situation, prioritizes your request, finds the earliest available flight, and gets you on your way without delay so you can be where you are needed most.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

It’s a Saturday morning and your plans unravel mid-trip in the Middle East. You are redirected to FCMs after-hours support immediately. An FCM consultant works through multiple schedule changes, arranges a long-distance road transfer from Dubai to Riyadh, and secures a flight out of the region. It is complex, it’s stressful, and time is tight, but every step is handled for you and you’re now home.

Georgia, United States

You are already in the air from Doha to Atlanta when your plans change. You need to adjust your onward flight and hotel, asap. While you travel, an FCM consultant rebooks your Atlanta to Tampa flight, secures a room near the airport, and sends you a clear summary of every update so nothing is missed and you know where to go when you land.

These are real FCM stories. The scenarios above highlight actual experiences from our FCM customers.

Keep your travel program resilient and your people safe 

Your travelers should never feel alone in a disruption and your organization should never feel in the dark. 

Strong travel programs prioritize safety, keep communication clear, and connect the right teams quickly. Plans may need to shift, and that’s okay, but flexibility and 24/7 service need to be. Travelers should know how to stay informed, report issues early and follow local expectations. Behind the scenes, your travel management company (TMC) should be ready to step in at any moment, not just during office hours. 

After every disruption, there is an opportunity to tighten the process and be better prepared next time. Review what happened, talk to your TMC, refine your policy, and strengthen your future response.

 Frequently Asked Questions 

 

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Man working at his desk, writing using his laptop and being safe

Safety & Risk

When we think of travel risks we typically think about large catastrophic events, traveling to dangerous locations or the risk of illness. Yet the last two years has seen the travel landscape change and travel and HR policies need to adapt to limit the exposure of other risks.