1. General Travel Preparation

Preparation reduces uncertainty and gives travellers practical options if plans change. Start planning early, especially when entry rules, health requirements, high-risk destinations or multiple border crossings are involved.

Documents, entry requirements and insurance

Check passport validity, visa requirements, transit rules, customs restrictions and any destination-specific entry conditions before booking and again shortly before departure. Keep paper and secure digital copies of essential documents separately from the originals. Confirm that travel insurance covers the destination, planned activities, emergency medical treatment, repatriation and any business equipment that will be carried.

Destination research and itinerary planning

Use official country guidance to understand local laws, security conditions, transport options, weather patterns, cultural expectations and local emergency numbers. Plan how you will travel from the airport or station to your accommodation before arrival. Share an itinerary, accommodation details and reliable contact information with a trusted person or, for business travel, the designated travel-security contact.

Useful official references: Austria’s BMEIA travel information, Germany’s Federal Foreign Office travel advice, and UK FCDO foreign travel advice.

2. Personal Safety During Travel

Personal security is primarily about awareness, planning and avoiding unnecessary exposure. The objective is not to create fear, but to make decisions that reduce the opportunity for theft, fraud, harassment or accidental harm.

Money, property and communication

Carry only the funds and documents needed for the day, and separate backup cards, cash and copies of documents. Establish a simple check-in routine with family, a colleague or a travel manager. If an incident occurs, prioritise personal safety, contact local emergency services where needed, then notify the insurer, card provider and relevant organisational contact.

3. Health, Medical Care and Hygiene

Health preparation should be based on the individual traveller, itinerary, duration, activities and destination-specific risks. This website provides general information only; obtain individual medical advice from a qualified health professional or travel clinic.

Vaccinations and medication

Arrange a travel-health consultation well ahead of departure when vaccinations, malaria prevention or specialist advice may be required. Carry prescription medicines in original labelled containers, keep them in hand luggage and bring enough for delays plus an appropriate reserve. Check whether your medicines are permitted at the destination and carry a prescription or medical letter if necessary.

Practical health precautions

• Use safe food and drinking-water practices appropriate to the destination.
• Wash hands regularly; use alcohol-based sanitiser when soap and water are unavailable.
• Use insect protection where relevant, including repellent, suitable clothing and accommodation measures.
• Carry a personal health kit appropriate to the trip, including regular medication and basic first-aid supplies.
• Know how to access medical care, your insurer’s assistance line and local emergency services.

For destination-specific health information, consult CDC Travelers’ Health and the CDC Yellow Book.

4. Digital and Cyber Security

Travellers are frequently exposed to unfamiliar Wi-Fi networks, charging stations, shared devices and phishing attempts. Protecting accounts, devices and company data should be part of every travel plan.

Before departure

Install operating-system and application updates, use strong unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. Back up important data, enable device encryption and screen locks, and activate remote-location or remote-wipe capability where available. Business travellers should follow their organisation’s device, VPN and data-handling policies.

While travelling

• Prefer mobile data or a trusted connection for banking, work systems and sensitive transactions.
• Confirm the name and login process of hotel, airport or venue Wi-Fi with staff before connecting.
• Use a reputable VPN when required by organisational policy or when connecting through untrusted networks.
• Disable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi sharing and automatic network connection when not needed.
• Avoid unknown USB ports, chargers, QR codes and links; be alert to phishing messages that create urgency.
• Do not leave devices unattended in vehicles, meeting rooms or hotel public areas.

Read the CISA guidance for travelling with internet-enabled devices and its cybersecurity when travelling tip sheet (PDF).

5. Special Scenarios: Disasters, Unrest and Crime

Events such as severe weather, earthquakes, disease outbreaks, political unrest, armed conflict and serious crime can disrupt travel rapidly. Monitor reliable sources, make conservative decisions and follow instructions from local authorities.

The FCDO explains the scope of its travel advice, including risks related to armed conflict, unrest, disease outbreaks and natural disasters. For current destination assessments, use the relevant official foreign-ministry source.

6. Duty of Care for Employers

For organisations, duty of care means establishing reasonable, proportionate processes to support employees travelling on behalf of the organisation. Legal duties differ by country, employment relationship and circumstances; organisations should obtain advice suited to their jurisdiction and risk profile.

Core responsibilities

• Define ownership across leadership, HR, security, travel management, legal, IT and line management.
• Maintain visibility of approved business travel, itineraries and reliable emergency contact details.
• Assess destination, traveller and trip-specific risks before approval.
• Provide appropriate insurance, briefings, security resources and emergency assistance.
• Use proportionate data-protection, retention and access-control measures for traveller information.
• Document decisions, actions and lessons learned after incidents or disruptions.

Traveller responsibilities

Employees should provide accurate contact information, complete required briefings, comply with travel policies, report changes to itinerary and use designated emergency channels. They should also understand that security measures work best when they report concerns early.

7. Travel Risk Management Programme

A Travel Risk Management (TRM) programme turns individual safety measures into a repeatable organisational process. It should be scalable: a small organisation may use a structured checklist and named emergency contacts, while a larger organisation may integrate booking data, alerting, security intelligence and incident-management tools.

Programme components

1. Governance: Define policy, risk appetite, escalation authority and review cycles.
2. Travel visibility: Capture approved travel plans and maintain current traveller contact data.
3. Risk assessment: Assess destination, route, purpose, traveller profile, timing and planned activity.
4. Approval workflow: Apply appropriate approvals for elevated-risk trips and document mitigating measures.
5. Briefing and support: Provide destination information, security instructions, medical guidance and 24/7 assistance arrangements where required.
6. Monitoring and response: Monitor material events, identify potentially affected travellers and communicate promptly.
7. Review: Measure incidents, response performance, policy compliance and improvement actions.

8. Emergency and Crisis Management

A response plan must work under pressure. It should be simple, tested and clear about who makes decisions, how travellers are contacted and how actions are recorded.

Minimum emergency process

1. Detect and assess: Verify the incident and determine whether any travellers may be affected.
2. Contact and account for: Use agreed channels to confirm status, location and immediate needs.
3. Support: Arrange medical, security, transport, accommodation, legal or consular assistance as appropriate.
4. Escalate: Activate the crisis team for significant events; maintain a single, reliable operating picture.
5. Communicate: Give clear, time-stamped updates to affected travellers and authorised stakeholders.
6. Recover and review: Close the case only after welfare, travel continuity and documentation needs are addressed.

Evacuation and relocation

Evacuation should be considered only through competent providers and based on a current assessment of conditions, transport availability, border requirements and medical needs. Organisations should avoid promising evacuation capabilities that have not been contracted, tested or realistically assessed.

For individual preparedness, see the UK government’s guidance on overseas emergencies.

9. Training and Pre-Travel Checklists

Training converts policy into practical behaviour. Content should match risk: a low-risk domestic trip may require only a short briefing, while travel to elevated-risk locations may require role-specific security, health and crisis-response preparation.

Recommended training topics

• Understanding destination risks, local laws, cultural expectations and prohibited activities.
• Hotel, ground-transport and public-space security.
• Digital security, phishing awareness and handling of company information.
• Medical preparation, insurance assistance and incident reporting.
• Check-in procedures, emergency communications and escalation contacts.
• Scenario-based decisions for theft, detention, illness, civil unrest or disrupted transport.

Before every business trip

Confirm that the traveller has completed the required briefing, received current contact details and understands the itinerary, insurance coverage, check-in expectations and emergency procedure. For higher-risk travel, document the risk assessment, approval and agreed mitigating actions before departure.