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Why I’m Cheering For Uber

I landed at Heathrow at 10PM and needed a ride to the airport Sheraton on Bath road. My phone was acting up so I wasn’t able to use the Uber app that worked earlier that day in Qatar, and in the preceding days in Abu Dhabi, Brisbane, Los Angeles, and London. So I did what any road-weary traveler would do – I hailed a taxi. As the driver picked up my roll-aboard he looked at me and framed his demand as a question, “You’re paying cash right?”

What? Of course I am – I’ve been held captive by cabbie’s all over the world – and though I have tremendous respect for the most professional among them, the London Cabbies, I know better than to negotiate a credit card payment near midnight in the middle of nowhere (T4 is very quiet that late).

That four-mile drive lasted twenty minutes and cost my employer more than $30.

There are 400 airlines operating scheduled service around the globe, I don’t know how many hotel brands, or travel agencies exist, but ground transportation companies are part of a very fragmented industry. Until now.

I used four airlines to fly from Dallas, to Fiji, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and back to Dallas via London. The Western shore of Nadi, Fiji was the only place I couldn’t find Uber.

I’m not surprised by the polarized reaction discussions about Uber generate among travel managers. It’s hard to grasp how many problems Uber solved for globe-trotters and urban dwellers alike unless you’ve lived through it.

1. I can see where my car on the map in the Uber app before I request one.

2. I know the driver’s name and have his license plate before he arrives.

3. I can watch my journey in real-time on my phone while we travel to my destination – an address that I frequently plug-in before Uber arrives – which eliminates the three-minute discussion about where I’m headed and how to get there after the meter starts.

4. I get out of the car when I arrive at my destination. There’s no transaction or payment to the driver… no more lost cellphones or wallets because they’re safely tucked away before the driver pulled up to the curb. No more searches in his trunk to find those ancient multi-page slider-style receipts and listen to griping about how I needed to pay cash while he acts like it’s been months since anyone gave him a credit card.

5.  No more brake-stompers, tail-gators, loud-music listening, cellphone talking, A**hole drivers who act like they’re doing you a favor. You know what I mean if you’ve ever taken a cab between La Guardia and Midtown. Because I get to rate the driver after every trip. And if enough of his customers think he lacks the manners or skills to get us to our destination safely his ratings will plunge and Uber will cut him loose. How many taxi companies use customer ratings to do that?

Guess what? Uber driver’s rate their passengers too – and I care about my score – because if I ever need a ride out of a rough part of town at three in the morning I know someone will already know I’m a decent human-being and pick me up while the drunks and suckers have to hail a cab.

I know – Uber doesn’t blah, blah, blah, insurance, blah, blah, blah… well, I’ve jumped out of airplanes from 1,000′ without a camera and it wasn’t to enjoy the freefall, and I’ve flown airplanes upside down. I spent a few years as a first-responder too – I don’t care about insurance – that’s a check to give survivors. I care about safety. Have you seen the car Bob Simon was riding in when he died?  Here it is – the driver survived. I haven’t seen the full accident report, but early indications are that Bob was in the back and wasn’t wearing his seat belt.

If you really want your travelers to be safe tell them to buckle-up and only accept rides from Uber drivers with a 4.7+ rating.

Please hit “Like” and share this if you found it helpful.

Paul’s talk – “Personal Branding and Digital Footprints” is a discussion about how people connect, learn, and grow. He introduces ideas and techniques you can apply to achieve your goals, enhance your career, and help other people along the way.

Paul Laherty leads Deloitte’s relationship with several major airlines. Over the past fifteen years he’s led teams in Sales, Marketing, and Finance at American Airlines, Advito, Travelocity, Diio, and Cornerstone Information Systems. Paul’s an instrument-rated pilot, writer, speaker, world-traveler, former Army Officer, a husband, and father.  He helps people and organizations achieve significance, travel safely, and think differently. Paul publishes at paullaherty.com, and is open to connecting on LinkedIn at LinkedIn/paullaherty, or twitter @paul_laherty.

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Lessons from the Costa Concordia

Update: the verdict is in – Captain Schettino is sentenced to sixteen years in prison for a disaster that cut 32 lives short. Here’s an interview with survivors reacting to the sentence from NBC.

This is a look back at the Costa Concordia during a two-week period when commercial transportation gave the media a lot to report on. AirAsia lost an Airbus A320 with 162 people onboard in the Java Sea. The Norman Atlantic, a ferry, suffered a fire on the auto deck off the coast of Greece enroute to Italy, while two other ships, the Ezadeen and the Blue Sky M, carrying over 1,000 refugees, were also abandoned to the Italian Navy. Days later the Hoegh Osaka, a car-carrier, ran aground off the Isle of Wight; the Cemfjord sank off the coast of Scotland – without a trace of the crew. A Norwegian carrier, the Bulk Jupiter, left one survivor from a crew of nineteen when it sank off the coast of Vietnam.

The Norman Atlantic had 478 passengers on the manifest, but it’s still unclear how many people were actually on board. No alarm sounded, and many passengers were alerted by other passengers, or the acrid smoke in their cabins. Once on deck they were greeted by pounding rain, water from cannons used to fight the fire, and forty-knot winds. Survivors were lifted to safety in rescue baskets from Italian Navy helicopters operated until the ship was emptied.

Norman Atlantic

Although more than ten people died, Norman Atlantic survivors were fortunate. The ship remained afloat throughout the rescue operation – not the case for passengers on the M.V. Sewol.

The MV Sewol sank off the South Korean coast on April 16, 2014. In that tragedy, hundreds of Korean school children were told to put their lifejackets on, but remain where they were inside the ship, to avoid increasing a list created by a sharp turn commanded by the crew. Incredibly the ship’s Captain reinforced the order to “stay put” even as he abandoned ship. Most of the students were found in the cafeteria when divers searched the ship in the days following the disaster. Now, Captain Lee, and eleven of his crew are facing murder charges in South Korea.

Traveler deaths in ferry and shipping disasters are far higher than those from commercial aircraft accidents. There are too many examples where crew-member instructions doom people who, left on their own, would have saved themselves. This is true for the next story too.

Armada

In January 2012, when the Costa Concordia ran aground off the Italian coast, Blake Miller was on-board. The cruise picked up passengers at several ports; Blake and his partner, Steve, boarded in Rome a few hours before the accident. Rather than provide a security briefing when new passengers were added, the ​briefing was scheduled for 3PM the next day. ​

Costa Concordia Upright

As they passed close to an Island off the Italian coast passengers felt an impact and sought direction from the crew. Earlier that day Steve reviewed safety materials in their cabin ​and noticed lifeboats were mounted on Deck 4, but now the crew instructed passengers to muster on Deck 10 and to don life-jackets. Blake and Steve were already ​on deck 7, but ​had ​a nagging feeling that a ship that size shouldn’t have a recognizable list so quickly. Something was seriously wrong, and they both thought the crew should be sending people to the lifeboats. After a long delay they decided it was time to go, and without grabbing cellphones or jackets, left their cabin and moved against the crowd on the quiet ship to find the lifeboats.

On the fourth deck it was obvious lifeboats would be deployed – and many without enough passengers to fill them. Blake and Steve boarded the closest one. Within minutes they were told to get out since the lifeboat couldn’t disengage from the heavily listing ship. They moved to another boat​ and bumped along the side before falling the final 30 feet into the ocean.

In the water they saw people in a small raft who had jumped from the ship, and they watched as more lifeboats were lowered. ​Unfortunately, by the time abandon ship was called an hour after the disaster, lifeboats on the Port side, the high-side, ​could not ​swing free of the ship and lowering them safely ​was impossible.

I asked Blake if their decision to ignore crew-member instructions saved their lives, he replied, “No, not in this case, but most of the passengers on Deck ​10 had to​ rappel down the side of the ship and jump into rafts in the ocean, or wait to ​be rescued by helicopter. Many were still waiting on board until after midnight.”

An accident in open-water might have had a different outcome. When the Costa Concordia rolled onto it’s side, the island prevented it from sinking. Blake’s experience demonstrates how powerful intuition can be to save us from harm. He and Steve overcame self-doubt and denial, but they also ignored ill-informed instructions from the ship’s crew.

Those were two powerful forces working against them – conscious denial slowed their progress towards the lifeboats, even as intuition told them they were in danger, but the crew slowed their self-rescue too. Authority figures gave them the wrong instructions. Blake’s skepticism, and a wind that caused the ship to shift to it’s other side convinced Blake that it was time to go. Steve was already there, but their actions demonstrate that when our conscious brains, and authorities take over, we can be slow to take life-saving action in our own defense.

 

 

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Managed Travel: Curriculum For High Risk Travelers

Each day an employee spends on the road increases their exposure to risk. They’re often in unfamiliar places, eating unfamiliar food, and operating on less sleep than they would get at home. Frequent travelers may have thousands of times more risk each year from exotic illnesses and food and water borne disease. Add this to language, clothes and hairstyles that set them apart from the crowd and they become targets for opportunity crimes from simple assault to kidnapping. Travelers must be their own first responders, and companies should send them into the world prepared for the most likely situations they will encounter. Here’s a simple list to form the foundation for traveler training.

  1. Review Duty of care / Duty of loyalty
  2. Risk management: population statistics and measurement tools.
  3. Travel risk drivers – causes, probabilities, and responses.
  4. Travelers need to know what resources are available for them, and how those resources will connect with them.
  5. How does your travel team know where you are?
    • Methods – traveler tracking via GDS Queue, GPS ring-fencing, traveler check-ins, active outbound calling to the traveler, VIP Security Teams.
  6. Medical, Travel, and Legal support available.
  7. Communication devices – Satellite phones, PLB’s.
  8. VIP kit bags – Vest, PBE, PLB, SAT phone, First Aid; including driver and VIP transport
  9. Personal travel kit.
  10. How to respond to a non-criminal crisis – consider type, location, and sensitivity to employee-level.
  11. Weather events.
  12. Accidents
    • Vehicle
    • Other accidents
  13. Illness – acute, persistent, poisoning.
  14. How to respond to a criminal crisis – Describe roles for people, locations, and traveler behavior.
    • Target selection.
    • Assault, Theft, Kidnapping, property crime.
    • Avoid or Respond.
    • Civil unrest.
    • Terrorism.
    • Threats, bombs, and assaults.
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Uber is the greatest thing since the iPhone


31bits-uber-hpMedium

Uber is awesome – it’s changed my life. Enroll using this link to receive a free $30 credit. https://www.uber.com/invite/9k7pk

The technology revolution has a firm hold on travel. Los Angeles hosted GBTA2014 and showed off a lot of positive changes.  Like most American cities that grew up after World War II it was designed for cars and public transportation is well behind contemporary European and Asian cities. When I moved out of LA in 2008 you couldn’t find much downtown on the weekends, but expansion around Staples Center and LA Live have turned the concrete landscape into a city-dwellers dream. There are people everywhere now, all the time, and people need transportation

Visitors should still opt for a rental car if they’re planning to visit more than one or two areas within the metro area, but technology’s enormous reach has finally arrived in Southern California. Uber.

Cabs in LA are expensive, and slow traffic and long distances have conspired to make taxi’s uneconomic. By July, 2014 Uber had become a market-maker in Los Angeles; waits for a car were never more than 7 minutes. After two days and five or six rides, I was a raging fan. A week later, and I was ready to swear lifetime allegiance.

Uber introduces riders to their driver and their car before it arrives. Every time the “Sam in a Prius” pulled up, I felt like I was greeting a friend. I began to notice an “Uber Waive” – a practice where Uber-users flashed their mobile phones at the unmarked car as if to say, “Hey – I’m the guy who called you through the app.”

Every car that picked me up was clean. Every driver was courteous. Every fare was cheaper than I was expecting – so much so that I want Uber to add a way for me to offer the driver a tip. At one point I was so impressed that I asked a driver to travel around the block before “ending my trip” so he could collect a tip. He refused. Only later did I realize that the receipt I received via email a minute or two after stepping out of the car contained a map of our journey together – to reassure riders that they were delivered by the shortest route.

Many times the driver who accepted my request would call to confirm the pickup location and ask about my destination. Once, when I needed ride from downtown to Redondo Beeach, a 30 mile trip, the driver said that he had an appointment he didn’t want to break, and would I allow him to turn the trip down? Yes – and the next driver who accepted my trip was delighted to take me to the South Bay. How many times have you ridden in a cab and the driver was visibly irritated by something? It just doesn’t happen with Uber.

Uber provides an incredible experience – all of it positive. By the end of the week as I stood on the curb outside my hotel and watched people hail cabs – I just couldn’t stop thinking they’re “suckers” from another era. Uber changed my life.

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Duty of Care and Duty of Loyalty

Duty of Care is the idea that Corporations are responsible for the security of their employees during travel and when engaged in activities that support the company’s interests. The European Union’s Duty of Care Act is the most prominent regulation in Europe to codify this requirement. The EU spells out how companies should behave regarding employee safety and security, but the United Kingdom took this a step further with the UK Manslaughter Act that allows companies to be held criminally liable for harm that come to their employees. The regulation applies to UK employees abroad, or the non-UK Company employees while they are in the UK to conduct business. These regulations jump-started the Duty of Care industry in Europe and North American Corporations are still playing catch-up.

Duty of Care describes the set of behaviors, planning, and actions companies must take to safeguard their employees. Duty of Loyalty is the concept of employee compliance with their employers’ efforts on their behalf. If a company makes a car service available, or requires employees to meet minimum safety guidelines, Duty of Loyalty is the force that compels an employee to meet those standards. Companies that go out of their way to create a high quality of life for during employee travel and are proactive about serving travelers on the road will generate much higher loyalty. Companies undermine their employees loyalty through cumbersome or overly-restrictive policies and should strive to strike a balance that rewards loyal behavior while not driving the employee to another company.

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The Safest Room in Every Hotel

You will find the safest rooms on the third and fourth floors away from the front of the building and at least one room away from elevators or stairs. Why? Simple – fire. The most common, fire truck carried, tallest, three-section ladder only extends forty-feet, and weighs 220 pounds. Fire can spread through stairwells and elevator shafts quickly so a buffer room is a good idea and high rooms cannot be reached with most ladders.

Unfortunately terrorism is another risk hotel guests face; room locations away from the building’s main entrance tend to offer better protection against blasts, overpressure shockwaves and projectiles. Blasts occur disproportionately on the street level in front of the lobby entrance. In high risk locations, it makes sense to keep your drapes closed (to catch broken glass), and sleep on the bed away from windows (when two beds are present). You should also remember to carry a small doorstop with you and secure your room when you’re in it.

It’s easy to remember to stay low in case of fire, but most people don’t understand how quickly the super-heated gas a few feet above the floor can cause severe burns to delicate lung tissue. Think about the heat you feel from an oven at 350°F? Now think about what one deep breath of air heated to 900°F could do? If you do need to leave your room during a fire, don’t use elevators and don’t leave skin exposed; put a wet, cotton t-shirt around your head, and a pair of cotton socks (not synthetic) on your hands as an impromptu pair of gloves. Touch doors and doorknobs with the back of your hand before you open them, and don’t stand in front of the opening until you know it’s safe to do so.

A few more hotel tips – it’s a good habit to make your first trips to the lobby via the primary and alternate emergency exits closest to your room (you’ll be familiar with them should you need to use them in the dark).

Never take metal keys with you when you leave the hotel – leave them at the front desk and have a staff member give it back to you when you return. And don’t leave room keys in sleeves marked with your room number or the hotel name. Always leave a note addressed to yourself or a colleague at the front desk when you leave by yourself. List your intended destination, who you’re meeting with and when you intend to return. This will give potential rescuers an enormous head start should something unplanned happen.

This isn’t a complete list, but adopting these habits will give you an advantage if you’re ever faced with an emergency or crisis while you’re away from home.

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A Venezuela Travel Warning and an Armored Car Primer

The US State Department issued a Venezuela travel warning on November 22, 2013. I rarely comment about these, but this one caught my attention since Venezuela is a short flight from CONUS and served by major US airlines including American, Delta and United. The US State Department offers a thorough description about the current risks to travelers in Venezuela – security managers and travel professionals should be familiar with it (Venezuela Travel Warning). The State Department requirement to use an armored car for travel in certain parts of the country or at night is what triggered this note.

Armored vehicles offer flexibility and options for travelers that conventional vehicles do not. Operational experience suggests business travelers employ low-profile vehicles – not up-armored Chevy Suburbans that Darth Vader would look comfortable in. Unfortunately the US State Department warning doesn’t direct readers to a source for these vehicles or provide advice about what you should look for when renting an armored car.

Corporate travelers need to blend in – and sophisticated executive protection companies with local knowledge and know-how can help you avoid trouble. Armored vehicles weigh much more than their stock peers so a professional driver is recommended. Local drivers are extremely valuable for their area knowledge and experience in different situations. They’re more likely to identify threats well before a traveler would, and they can use alternate routes with information your GPS doesn’t have. Finally, a driver provides a layer of indemnification and protectection from liability in case your vehicle is in an accident.

Traditional armored car manufacturers use steel plating and bullet-resistant glass to protect the people inside, while contemporarty construction replaces steel with polyethelene-based materials (Spectra and Dyneema are the most common – and are superior to Kevlar). A Spectra-enhanced vehicle is frequently 1,000 pounds lighter than the same vehicle protected from steel, so handling, acceleration and braking performance are much better. Unfortunately, duties and taxes on imported vehicles drive costs up and favor local manufactures who apply hardened steel. A $200,000 vehicle from industry-leader Texas Armoring would cost almost $400,000 in certain markets. You can check out http://www.texasarmoring.com/ for more information about their products and Spectra. Although Spectra vehicles are lighter, a trained driver is still a good idea; they can get the most out of any car through evasive driving techniques and features unavailable to the average driver.

A quick search and a phone call turned up diplomat armored rental as a source for vehicles in Caracas. See diplomatarmored.com to find cars available in many countries. They offer Chevy Suburbans, Ford Explorers and Toyota Prados (the Lexus GX460 platform) in Venezuela. Prices start from $1,500 per day and include an armed, high-security driver, trained to provide high-risk protection and drive a heavy, steel-plated vehicle. Diplomat Armored Rentals provide significant value to their customers. Plan ahead and be alert when you travel, don’t allow signs with your name on them at the airport, and insist on details about the car, the armor, the driver’s training, credentials, and a photograph before your introduction on arrival.

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How Great Airlines Treat VIP’s

Several months ago a friend asked me to create a framework for a major airline’s Entertainment Desk to service Los Angeles-based movie studios and television networks. I had a few ideas – but first the background:

Transcon: The JFK<>LAX market is the most important air market in North America. Five airlines carry >11,000 passengers between these cities each day and host celebrities, bankers, tourists and high net worth travelers on sixty-four non-stop departures (thirty-two per airport). American dominates the market with the largest aircraft and highest frequency. They operate ageing twin-aisle 767-200’s with a three-class configuration and International Flagship Service. United caters to the same crowd and operates with more efficient three-class 757’s, while Delta, Jetblue and Virgin America offer two cabins on a mix of 737’s/A320’s.

Historically movie studio’s and other entertainment customers selected American or United as their primary carrier in this market since creative talent and executives are allowed to fly in the forward cabin (why pick a two-class aircraft when three-class is offered?) These corporate customers routinely achieved >90% share in the transcon market. More recently, Delta enhanced their two-class product to include a lie-flat International business-class seat and increased to seven daily frequencies while United pulled back to six. This competitive action has re-ordered the Transcon marketplace and Studio travel managers tell me that travelers prefer Delta’s Premium cabin to AA’s out-dated 767’s and United 757’s.

Delta’s progress may slow soon. United is rolling out a new product now, while American announced new three-class A321’s will roll out in January 2014, to replace their current product. This upgrade includes lie-flat seats in first and business-class. JetBlue also jumped-in and plans to launch A321 service in 2Q ’14, that will include private pods in first-class. Before it’s even started, 2014 is shaping up to be a disruptive year for the Transcon market.

The Desk: Superior airlines also compete on the ground and offer services tailored to their best customers. The Entertainment Desk is dedicated to a very specific group of clients, and should make a market in first-class seats between New York, London, Miami, and Los Angeles or offer access to private jets where feasible. The desk exists to expedite difficult and unusual requests. The Entertainment Manager facilitates requests to seat Talent, their Agents, Studio or Network Management, Publicists and others with the Talent – or create a plausible denial when discretion requires it. This function is not a discount mechanism to clear waitlists and upgrades – Airlines must offer a high-touch, guaranteed service.

Winning airlines create hope during every crisis – airlines should move mountains to support their customers. Clients should believe their Airline’s Entertainment Team will do everything possible to fix the problem or propose alternatives that will improve it materially. This group is not motivated by money or cost – service matters. The George Lucas expression – “do or do not, there is no try” applies. An Entertainment Desk is an airline’s service ER. Employees must be able to reach into a PNR to grab a torn artery – when the Entertainment Desk calls premium services at LAX, JFK, MIA or LHR, the response should not be, “Who is this?” Rather, “What can I do for you RIGHT NOW?”

Examples: Airline’s will solve requests like this on a daily basis: NBC called since Alec Baldwin’s Assistant booked late and needs the seat right next to him for his publicist or agent. The Entertainment team will call Sony, or Paramount or Fox, or AMEX or the owner of that seat to get it done – or suggest moving both of them to a pair of seats that are available. Great airlines block First-class in the transcon market one week each May to allow studios to grab space to attend the “Upfronts.” They empower their team. No one should recite policies designed for 99% of the 250K travelers you handle every day. Accept that these are special customers and start from that assumption. The team should be “accessible” 24/7 via cell and have GDS access from home. They’ll only receive 10-15 emergency, after-hours, calls per year… but it’s a gesture that sets winning airlines apart from their peers.

The Entertainment Manager must have an exceptional relationship with the airline’s premium service managers in LA, New York, London, Miami and Nashville, and should be known across your system and alliance – and that means they need to be included in global premium service meetings and updates when you have them. This person must be available at all times and have a back-up who can assign seats or clear space. Overbooking capabilities are recommended.

Entertainment Managers must be quick to challenge requests and propose alternatives when operational hurdles prevent the studio request from being granted as requested. A “customer focused” attitude should be real; once a carrier earns a customer’s trust and loyalty they will choose that vendor every time. In those rare cases when the carrier “burns” their customer – the most senior executive available should issue a mea culpa, in-person, and a offer a range of options to fix whatever it is they didn’t solve three days earlier.

Additional examples to work through now: On one flight the President of a network was removed to accommodate a Federal Air Marshal, while two subordinates, both top-tier frequent flyers were left on the flight. Revenue Management based their decision on the customer’s lack of a frequent flyer number. The customer didn’t have one for two reasons: 1. Security – to maintain anonymity; 2. She was authorized to fly private and rarely flew commercial  (the plane was not available that day). In this case the General Manager intervened and found a seat, but you can see how an airline’s policies are not designed around premium travelers in marginal cases. Airlines service customers who fly to NY Commercially, then to Miami by private jet, before they will discover that their MIA->LAX segment was cancelled because they no-showed the LGA->MIA flight. Great airlines step-up to fix it when a VIP is standing at the ticket-counter and flights are oversold all day.

This desk also makes “meet and greets” happen (not ‘space available’, they make it happen) and they treat airport assistance companies as valued partners. Great airlines speak in guarantees. This is hard for commercial airline managers to do, but it’s necessary to win. Great airlines are discrete – they don’t tolerate employees who call TMZ or tip-off the paparrazi. This desk can call flight ops and ask the Chief Pilot to introduce himself to the guest in 3A and to ask the VIP passenger if there’s anything they need. This desk says, “Sure, I’ll approve your oversize, outrageous pet in first-class (at the window), as long as the handler is seated next to it” No discount…this isn’t a discount desk – service focused. This person will need LHR to clear a closet in First Class on a 777 to accommodate the CEO’s spouse’s Cello. And you will need authority to offer 150,000 miles for an apology without advance approval.

Finally, I recommend a $100,000 TAC budget to invite agents and managers to take one or two trips annually to London or New York (and a thorough understanding of the Foreign Corrupt Services Act to keep you out of trouble). When offered a chance to show off your product – do. This isn’t a discount crowd, so treat them accordingly.

There’s more, but airlines that empower their teams with “authority and resources” to do anything the FAA, TSA, DOJ, and the DOT allow, to take care of their best customers, will have unlimited success.

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Trip Planning For India

Planning your next adventure? Consider these suggestions and best practices before you leave home, and let me know if you have other ideas I should add to this list.

  1. Negotiate all itineraries, fees and prices upfront.
  2. Demand no add-on’s while touring (you should have control over every place your guide will take you and your time-line; this includes planned restaurant stops).
  3. Always have a copy of every confirmation number, hotel address and phone number. You will need it at some point. Paper beats digital in most places, especially India.
  4. Insist that your tour company provide a bio and photo of your driver and every guide before you arrive. You will have a much better experience if you use mature, experienced local guides. Veteran guides are more likely to have a good relationship with the Army or Police guarding historical sites and may be able to get you access to areas and features that are off-limits to the general public or help you navigate through heavy crowds quickly via staff entrances or other secured areas.
  5. Always carry 2X more local currency than you think you will need.
  6. Always make change from big bills into useable denominations at your hotel – never change large bills at street vendors or other locations.
  7. Insist that your driver keep doors locked, and leaves separation from the cars ahead of you in traffic and at stops.
  8. Sit behind and opposite your driver. You must be able to make eye-contact with him while riding together. And always wear a seatbelt.
  9. Keep medicine (aspirin, visine, chapstick)/glasses/socks/earplugs/sunscreen/insect repellent/sunglasses/iphone charger/spare headphones/extra pens in your personal bag.
  10. Never take physical keys from a hotel off property – leave them with the hotel staff when you leave. Consider leaving a note for yourself that includes where you’re going, who you will meet and when you plan to return.
  11. Assume insects are harmful – don’t let them bite you. Use insecticide and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
  12. Always ask hotel/restaurant staff to provide mosquito coils if you’re dining outside.
  13. Do not use deodorant and if you must, use a fragrant-free version. This will reduce your attractiveness to many insects.
  14. Stay dry.
  15. Cover open cuts.
  16. Do not drink anything that was not opened in front of you or boiled. Wipe or rinse bottle tops before opening.
  17. Arrange your room to make a clear path to your door in case of darkness/power loss.
  18. Stay hydrated/rested and avoid heavy alcohol consumption.
  19. Be polite, but firm.
  20. Do not accept drinks from strangers.
  21. Do not wear jewelry, fancy watches, etc.
  22. Never have both hands full.
  23. Be aware of your surroundings.
  24. Women should not travel alone.
  25. Women should never use public transportation.
  26. Always keep two extra water bottles with you for emergencies – buy more when you get down to the last two.
  27. If you’re approached by a stranger, expect them to have a partner. It’s not usually the person who approaches you first who is your greatest threat.
  28. Do not spread out your belongings in your hotel or vehicle. Keep your belongings organized and packed as much as possible in case you need to make a fast exit. Additionally – when you keep your room neat and organized, you’re making it easier on the hotel staff to make up your room. They’ll reciprocate – it’s especially helpful when you forget an item and leave it in your room – they’re much more likely to “find” it.
  29. Don’t fall in love with anything you own – be prepared to leave it behind.
  30. Keep immodium accessible (you’ll know when you need it, and when you do speed will make a difference).
  31. Share the same safe combination with your group – someone else may need you to collect your valuables for you.
  32. Carry several “chip clips” in your luggage to keep stubborn drapes closed in your hotel room, or to hang wet laundry.
  33. Never keep all your cash, ID’s, and Credit Cards in the same pocket. Use multiple pockets and spread things around.
  34. Never store your full data cards with your camera, put them somewhere else (but never in checked luggage).
  35. Pack using 1 gallon Ziploc bags. They’re great for all kinds of things, and water-proof.
  36. Carry a number 2 kit: Toilet paper (1 roll); wet wipes (1 pack); baby powder (1 10oz container) – keep it in a single 1 gallon Ziploc bag.
  37. Stow your overhead luggage across the aisle from your seat, where you can see it.
  38. Never set anything down at airports, taxi stands, train stations that isn’t between your legs.
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Travel Risk Management and Trip Safety

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Originally published at Cornerstone Information Systems’ “In Your Corner” blog.

Duty of Care is the idea that Corporations are responsible for the security of their employees during travel and when engaged in activities that support the company’s interests. The European Union’s Duty of Care Act is the most prominent regulation in Europe to codify this requirement. The EU spells out how companies should behave regarding employee safety and security, but the United Kingdom took this a step further with the UK Manslaughter Act that allows companies to be held criminally liable for harm that come to their employees. The regulation applies to UK employees abroad, or the non-UK Company employees while they are in the UK to conduct business. These regulations jump-started the Duty of Care industry in Europe and North American Corporations are still playing catch-up.

Duty of Loyalty is the concept of employee compliance with their employers’ efforts on their behalf, while Duty of Care describes the set of behaviors, planning, and actions companies must take to safeguard their employees. When a company makes a car service available, or requires employees to meet minimum safety guidelines, Duty of Loyalty is the force that compels an employee to meet those standards. Companies that go out of their way to create a high quality of life during employee travel and are proactive about serving travelers on the road will generate much higher loyalty. Companies undermine their employees’ loyalty through cumbersome or overly-restrictive policies and should strive to strike a balance that rewards loyal behavior while not driving the employee to another company.

Personal security in the real world starts with your employees. It’s great to have Navy Seals and Special Forces consultants demonstrate the latest hand-to-hand combat techniques, and defensive driving in up-armored Suburbans with run-flat tires. But…security designed for the CEO does little to help the intrepid sales person walking through the commercial district in Buenos Aires or London with a Starbucks coffee in one hand and the latest smartphone in the other.

There are simple principals that, when followed diligently, can increase your employees’ safety hundreds of percent.

1. Pay attention to your surroundings. Make eye contact with people around you. Do not text, read email or walk down the sidewalk while participating in a conference call via a Bluetooth headset. You must appear alert.

2. Never read a map in public. Find a hotel lobby, retail store or restaurant to determine where you are and where you’re headed.

3. Do not wear jewelry or flashy watches. Men should avoid cufflinks. Your shoes, hairstyle, and clothing will already set you apart during international trips so reduce the other signs that mark you as an easy target.

4. Tell others where you are going and about your daily plans.

5. Before your trip, or as soon as you arrive, send a note to your corporate travel team to let them know which hotel you’re staying in (if you didn’t book it through your corporate booking tool).

6. If you walk, don’t walk alone, especially after dark. Leave a note to yourself at the front desk that contains information about where you are going or who you will meet. This will give investigators a head start if you don’t return.

7. Never leave a hotel with a metal room key. Leave it with the concierge or front desk to let them hold it for you while you’re out. Don’t let the staff give you a keycard sleeve with your room number printed on it to hold your keys.

8. Check in on foursquare periodically to give your friends & family location information (do not do this if you are at risk for a targeted crime).

9. Keep your passport, credit cards, and other ‘chipped’ items in a faraday cage (a special wallet or bag designed to remove their ‘electronic’ signature so they are invisible to card readers).

10. Know local customs and signs that will get you in trouble. Some well-known advice includes carrying a “mugging” wallet with at least $100 USD in Argentina and Brazil, but in China you should increase your cash to >$300 in case you need to pay for emergency medical care.

11. When you use cabs, always sit diagonally from the driver so you can see his eyes in the mirror. If he notices something behind you that doesn’t look right you’ll pick up on it immediately.

12. Never ride in a cab or car at night with the interior lights on, and always lock the doors.

13. For trips where you will use the same driver or in high-risk areas, you should insist that the driver leave ½ car length between you and the car in front of you at stoplights or stop-signs; on wider roads, the driver should stay in the outside or curbside lane, but never the middle (the driver should always have enough room to maneuver around other vehicles – in an emergency sidewalks and medians are fair game).

14. In high risk locations you should also insist your driver use a “box” maneuver instead of making turns in front of oncoming traffic. In countries with left-hand drive (US, Germany, France) when you want to turn left, the box method requires you to cross your intended road, then execute three right-hand turns around the next block. This will put you on course without exposing your side of the car to oncoming traffic while it increases the probability that you will identify anyone who is following you.

Steps for travel management teams:

1. Establish policies to protect travelers in high-risk locations or mission essential personnel anywhere. Distribute information about potential threats several days before travel.

2. Publish and disseminate information about after-hours service to support medical or travel emergencies and include phone numbers for international access. This could include a twitter account and hashtag travelers should use when they need help. Example (@YourCompany911, or #YourCompanytravelassist).

3. Publish your security team’s phone number and distribute it with every itinerary.

4. Develop an easy way for travelers to add passive segments (hotels booked outside your booking tool or agents). Use this as a KPI to measure Duty of Loyalty.

5. Every manager is responsible for employee safety, including trips between sites that don’t involve the travel management group. Travel Management and Corporate Security should work together to provide reports and business reviews that cover travel risk, employee health, on-duty accidents and ‘near’ misses to a steering committee that includes representation from HR and Legal and other operating divisions as necessary.

Call us if your program needs help to implement pre-trip approvals, reporting, notifications and agent and employee training.

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