Stuff happens. There are wars, natural disasters, extreme weather, political instability, protests, conflict, health emergencies and other interruptions that can get in the way of business travel. This is why crisis-proofing business travel is so important for SMEs because growing businesses have more important things to worry about.
We’ll look at what it takes to crisis-proof travel, giving you some practical tips to manage travel risks so that you have a plan in place and aren’t improvising. When travel plans are unstructured or unmanaged, responding to delays, cancellations or abrupt changes can be costly.
According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), travel mishaps can cost an average of $1,475 per domestic traveler and $2,148 per international traveler in missed work and out-of-pocket expenses, which is why it’s so important to be prepared.
What is travel risk management?
Travel risk management for SMEs is the process of preparing for and responding to travel disruptions, safety incidents, and emergencies so employees can travel safely and business operations can continue with minimal disruption.
Travel risk management vs duty of care
Duty of care and travel risk management are intricately related but they’re not one and the same. This means that, while duty of care is an organization’s or employer’s duty, the travel risk management would be the process by which organizations fulfill this responsibility.
- Duty of care = the employer’s responsibility or obligation to protect employees while traveling for work.
- Travel risk management = the processes, policies, and tools used to fulfill that responsibility.
In other words:
- Duty of care answers: “What are we responsible for?”
- Travel risk management answers: “How do we manage and reduce those risks?”
Examples of travel risks
There are many examples of potential travel risks that were lined out in the duty of care guide below, such as:
- Extreme weather events
- Political instability, protests, or conflict
- Health emergencies
- Economic disruptions that affect travel
- Travel interruptions and unexpected events that impact travelers’ safety and wellbeing
These travel risks are real and as global warming becomes more and more of an issue, it’s important that your growing business have a contingency plan.
The biggest travel risks SMEs face in 2026
- Flight disruption – flight disruptions can cause big challenges as employees don’t make it to their meetings and conferences on time and can cause unwanted stress on an already stressful situation.
- Extreme weather – extreme weather is a risk that is hard to prepare for. However, by having weather alerts and notifying travelers of the potential bad weather conditions, travelers can prepare accordingly. Should the meeting be able to be rescheduled, this presents a great opportunity for avoiding this risk.
- Strikes – especially in Europe, travel strikes propose a big risk, as they can greatly affect travel punctuality and the ability to get to and from business meetings.
- Political instability – with a globalized world, political instability is a reality, and with business travelers sometimes having to go to these places no matter whether it’s unstable or not, it’s a matter of informing travelers of what to avoid and what to do in case of an emergency.
- Cybersecurity and AI – With the rise of AI-powered travel scams and artificial intelligence, cybersecurity poses a bigger and bigger threat to businesses and business travelers in particular.
- Health incidents – We’ve all seen what a pandemic like COVID-19, being prepared for smaller scale health incidents is just as important as preparing for the large scale ones.
How SMEs can build a travel risk management plan
Building a travel risk management plan starts with assessing the risk. From there you can communicate these risks to the travelers, and set up approval workflows. It’s also important to have emergency procedures and supplier support in place.
- Risk assessment – start by analyzing the risk
- Traveler communication – communicate the risk to the travelers
- Approval workflows – set up approval workflows so that travel to risky destinations requires a special approval
- Emergency procedures – if a traveler is stranded due to an emergency, who do they call and what do they do
- Supplier support – set up special contracts and permissions to get travelers out of dangerous situations or to have last-minute cancellation policies
Crisis-proofing business travel with technology
Another key element of building a travel risk management plan is having the right technology in place. This means working with a travel and expense management tool like GetGoing.
- Traveler tracking – traveler tracking can help alert you when a traveler has arrived safely at their destination.
- Real-time alerts – by setting up real-time alerts you can be in-the-know when a risk presents itself.
- Automated approvals – automated approvals can be set up so safe destinations are approved automatically and those needing extra approval can be flagged
- Traveler visibility – travelers can get visibility into alerts and know when it’s a good idea to postpone travel
FAQ
What is duty of care in business travel?
Duty of care is an organization’s responsibility to protect employees when they travel for work.
What is travel risk management?
Travel risk management is the policies an organization develops in order to avoid potential risks when traveling.
Who is responsible if an employee is injured on a business trip?
If you are under the scope of a business trip, an employer is typically liable. This is why as an employer corporate travel safety is essential, not only for their budget but also for the safety of their employees.
What should a travel contingency plan include?
A travel contingency plan should include emergency contacts, critical documents, financial resources and safety or medical protocols.
What should a small company do when a flight is cancelled mid-trip?
When a flight is canceled mid-trip, if you book with a travel and expense management platform like GetGoing business travel disruption can be managed with support from GetGoing expert travel professionals.
How do you know where your employees are when they travel?
Business travel risk management can be done with traveler tracking, which is automatically set up if you’re using a travel and expense management app like GetGoing.
Is travel insurance the same as travel risk management?
No, insurance kicks in after the fact, whereas risk management lowers the odds before it becomes an issue.