my favourite FREE resources for crafting robust travel risk assessments.
Putting together a good travel risk assessment does take time. They’re often a labour of love (well okay maybe nobody LOVES a risk assessment) but there are some easy wins when gathering info so that we can ensure we cover the main points efficiently.
This is my go-to list of favourite FREE resources, it’s where I start and where I make sure I come back to time and time again to make sure I’m covering all the essentials.
Good practice is always to write your risk assessment in conversation with others who; know the ground, know the trip, will be going on the trip etc.
where to start with your travel risk assessment.
I work with the GHOSTAA structure, you can find a better explanation of how to write your travel risk assessment here.
I always like the triangulation approach, any data or information we find should always be corroborated with other reputable sources. It’s not always possible but helps make sure you get a clear understanding of what’s going on and don’t get misled by some disinformation campaign.
geopolitical risk research tools.
Government travel advice services are a good place to jump in. I always start with the five eyes countries (UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia) each is subtly different and tailored slightly towards their own populations but will give you different viewpoints on how governments view operating in your specific destinations.
UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Travel Advice Service
US Department of State Travel Advisories
Canadian Government Travel Advice
Australia Smartraveller Service
New Zealand SafeTravel
This disputed territories map will also help you understand those conflicts that span borders and aren’t always covered in country specific advice. I hope it starts working again soon because this disputed territories map was better. (it wasn’t working when I wrote this article but I include it in the hope it works for you)
The CIA World Factbook provides basic intel on the history, people, government, economy, energy, geography, environment, communications, transportation, military, terrorism, and transnational issues for 266 destinations.
health risks.
The health aspect of travel risk assessment is particularly pertinent in today's global climate. When researching endemic conditions in destination you could start here
World Health Organisation Country Profiles
Travel Health Pro
CDC Destination Profiles
Health Map provides an interactive map tracking disease outbreak
When thinking about the quality of medical care in country the Travel Risk Map from International SOS can help you understand whether evacuation to a third country might be required in serious illness or injury cases..
operational risk resources.
Operational risk focuses more on what it is you’ll be doing in country and how during travel involves, and how you carry it out. Maybe that focuses on local laws and regulations, visa requirements, customs procedures, and language barriers. It also includes things like third party supplier risk if you work with an in country provider and how you select that privider.
The World Bank's Doing Business project provides comprehensive data on a country's business environment, making it an excellent resource for assessing operational risks. This includes insights into regulatory frameworks, ease of doing business, and the overall business climate.
The UN Business and Human Rights centre provides resource on businesses with human rights issues globally.
Transparency International provides advice and guidance on fighting corruption
Global Witness investigate human rights, civic freedoms and climate abuses.
Understanding prime human trafficking locations is an important factor for analysts when staff are travelling in an area. It can be an indicator of possible kidnapping threat and also offer insight into the location you’re travelling to. The Global Modern Slavery Directory is my go-to.
safety & security research tools.
Safety and security are paramount considerations when traveling. The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), run by the U.S. Department of State, is a goldmine of information on crime, terrorism, and other security issues worldwide. This resource provides country-specific crime and safety reports, as well as valuable tips on personal security.
ACLED provides realtime data and analysis on political violence and protest. The global dashboard is my go-to but the volatility and early warning dashboard is also a useful tool.
Global Security provides specilist articles and analysis on contemporary security issues.
This map from World Population Review visualises crime stats pretty well with more finite crime stat data available from nationmaster
Global Terrorism Database is an open source database providing details of terror attacks from 1970. Since 2020 they’ve relied on annual updates which is a shame, but gives a history on locations you may be visiting.
The IOSH Guide to Managing safety of overseas travellers can also help guide on travel safety and security considerations.
Live UAMAP provides details of ongoing conflicts - play with the regions it does focus on more than just Ukraine.
The Stanford CISAC Militant Map can help identify militant organisations and which theatre they operate in
transportation insights.
Transportation is one of our highest risk activities. From flights to taxi’s its a complex area for us to think about.
flight risk
The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) is the benchmark for global safety management in airlines. Airlines that appear on the registry comply with the gold standards of flight operation
The Aviation Safety Network database can provide you with detailed information on previous accidents and outcomes on airlines you may be considering using
The IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) is a voluntary evaluation program is a “silver” standard safety audit program - not quite at the same level as IOSA but offering smaller airlines the chance to undertake external accreditation.
driving risk
International driver permits allow drivers to demonstrate they hold a driving licence in a home country
Global driver standards provide international accreditation of driver training schemes and allow you to validate an operators certificate on their website.
Gulf Oil put together a really useful article on global driving standards with an attached data set for you to refer to
As a side note I’m also a big fan of rome2rio to help map out journeys, estimate costs and look for alternatives like trains or buses.
accommodation analysis.
I often find accommodation is a slightly overlooked part of travel risk assessments, but it’s often where people spend a significant amount of time. I’m using websites like Tripadvisor and Booking.com to review individual properties. Good websites and properties will ensure they list safety and security features or you can inspect images and user-generated reviews that offer insights into the experiences of fellow travellers. Additionally, researching local news sources and online forums can provide a more nuanced understanding of the safety of specific neighbourhoods or establishments.
activity risk.
Activity risk is generally really specific to your trip. If it’s an organised activity then TripAdvisor can be useful for reviewing comments from previous participants and inspecting images to see how well they may be compling with expected laws. For business, research or NGO trips mapping might be the more useful tool to figure out what is going on in your location.
I’m a fan of the versatility of wikimapia being able to quickly switch between map providers, make edits and add your own overlays is particulary key, i’ve also used it to to identify other local infrastructure like local clinics or small hospitals.
other risk research resources
NewsNow is my go to - it’s a news aggregator that allows you to search for breaking news headlines by country and location
onemilliontweetmap will help geolocate tweets for keeping an eye on unfolding events, it’s social media so we take it with a pinch of salt but can be useful for monitoring live and unfolding events.
ICC Piracy Map provides a map of reported piracy operations
Need to see what a webpage looked like in the past? I use the WayBack Machine far more often than I care to admit.
ReliefWeb gives good updates on evolving disasters
FIRMS from NASA gives satelite heat imagery allowing you to identify potential wildfires near you
TrendsMap offers a global view of trending hashtags within an area with some great filter options.
I’ll admit I’m more than a bit of a travel nerd when it comes to this sort of research - so if you’ve made it this far into this article i applaud you!
I’d also LOVE to be able o develop this article into a go-to resource for those conduct travel risk assessments so if you have other resources PLEASE share them with me.