As Covid restrictions and quarantines have now largely lifted fully around the world, work-related trips abroad are bouncing back in a big way in 2022.
It may have been over 2 years since you last travelled for work. So how can you ensure that you stay safe abroad?
We’re all familiar with the usual holiday advice, such as keeping valuables out of sight and taking out travel insurance. Are the risks of business travel any different?
Due to the nature of travelling for business, you may need to carry expensive equipment with you such as laptops and a business smartphone, making you a target for thieves.
Below, we run through some top tips to protect you or your employees when travelling abroad.
1 Take out Business Travel Insurance
Many businesses may have inevitably left business travel policies to lapse over the course of the pandemic due to the inability to travel.
With the comeback of corporate travel, a good business travel insurance policy is essential for keeping safe abroad. You may find that taking out an annual policy will help you save money, too.
It will cover you for things like loss or damage to personal belongings/business equipment, money fraud, hijack, kidnap and ransom, medical care, delays, cancellation costs and more.
With our product from Aviva, cover also extends to cover directors’ spouses and children for leisure trips and there is no Covid exclusion clause, adding further benefits. Premiums start from £368.45 plus IPT.
2 Research and plan
Planning your trip thoroughly lowers your chances of any risky situation arising. Some questions to ask yourself before a business trip would be:
How will you get from the airport to your hotel? Do you need local currency on arrival? Do you need to know any customs or rules about the country to avoid causing offence? The more you know, the better.
3 Keep in touch
It’s important for the traveller to stay in touch with the base office regularly while they are away, for business as well as safety reasons.
Agree the rules beforehand – for example, you might agree a daily email summarising activities and giving a rough outline of the traveller’s plans for the day.
4 Protect valuables
While you may want to look smart for your business meeting, if you are going to be in public it’s best to avoid carrying laptops or wearing expensive jewellery.
You can either hide these things in a discreet, anti-theft backpack or opt for a private car or taxi instead.
However, it’s best to always remain vigilant. Hire car distraction scams have increased in Europe as a way to target British tourists in particular.
Local criminals will stage accidents or organise tire punctures to deliberately distract unsuspecting drivers, looking to take bags, passports, phones, wallets, etc.
5 Safeguard customer data
Losing a laptop or smartphone abroad is not only a large expense – it could result in an embarrassing and expensive loss of customer data.
Information can also be stolen through spyware on hotel PCs and data theft through using public WiFi or corrupt border and customs officials.
Protect yourself by always keeping devices with you. Update security measures and be very careful about where you connect. Also, take only the data you really need on your device to prevent unnecessary breaches.
6 How we can help
Our experts can advise you on the best business travel insurance policy to suit your needs. If you have any questions about how to best protect yourself or your employees journeying abroad, why not give us a call today on 0121 270 5809 or email us at info@gravityriskservices.co.uk – we’d be happy to help!
