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Safety Travel Tips for LGBTQ Travelers

Explore Secure, a travel safety training service managed by former UK Elite Counter-Terrorism personnel have formed a travel safety training module to better meet the needs of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community.

 Both of Explore Secures travel safety training products will contain the GLBT safety module. The company has a Business Travel Safety Briefing for Corporate, and a Student travel safety briefing aimed primarily at scholastic organizations, gap year travelers and study abroad students.

Organizations are increasingly aware of their duty of care responsibilities to all employees, volunteers, and students. The Explore Secure GLBT module now assists those organizations and corporate in assisting everyone that falls under their responsibility.

“Corporate, organizations and individual travelers should be aware of the risks that GLBT travelers face” said Mark Deane, CEO of ETS Risk Management, the company that owns Explore Secure “Our training now helps provide advice and guidance to GLBT travelers, as well as highlight the issues that this community can face in certain countries.”

Attitudes towards the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community around the world can be very different from those in the USA. According to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, or ILGA there are 82 countries with criminal laws against sexual activity by the GLBT community

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Best Ground Transportation Services in USA

Road Traffic Collisions (RTC) is happening more frequently and is the number one cause of death to travellers worldwide.  A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) identified on average 1.35 million people annually is losing their lives due to RTCs.  A long time ago the UK Police changed their terminology from Road Traffic Accident (RTA) to RTC because there is no such thing as a Road Traffic ‘Accident’ – there is always a cause or blame to assign.Last month three charity workers were killed in South Africa as they travelled back to the airport.  Their driver lost control of the vehicle and it ended upside-down in a river. Details are still unclear regarding the cause, but the outcome is one that is all too familiar. Travellers dying or being seriously injured as a result of incidents that could have been avoided.

Self-Drive?

Driving in an unfamiliar country can be stressful for many people, navigating around a busy town or city to find your hotel or meeting point by travel safety, then trying to find parking is added pressure you don’t need. It also increases your risk significantly, not only due to the overarching threat of getting lost and taking a wrong turn into a dangerous area, or being involved in an accident, but also because of what may happen if stopped by the police. If you don’t speak the language and you can’t communicate, it’s quite possible a simple situation could escalate in the wrong direction quite quickly.

Taxi:  The next option is a taxi but how reliable or safe is the cab you are about to get into? The standards vary massively between locations. It is imperative to do research. For example, a taxi in London is comparatively safer than a taxi in Mexico. Why? Primarily due to increased licensing and checks imposed on drivers in London, but also because of the operating environment and level of policing.

Rideshare: Popular apps such as Uber and Lyft provide a rideshare capability operating in most cities around the world. Ridesharing has become increasingly popular because it is more affordable services and sometimes more accessible in comparison to other transportation options.  Read this article Rideshares are not as safe as you might think if you are concerned about your travel options abroad.

The Biggest Danger to Travelers:

Ground transportation is the biggest danger to any traveller, yet one of the most neglected from a corporate and organisational perspective, and one that travellers are nearly always most relaxed about. Whether it is an assumption that taxis and rideshare services are safe, or that seatbelts don’t need to be worn on coaches and buses, right through to lack of due diligence on drivers and vehicles assigned to travellers.

Take back control

Whether you are travelling for business travel safety or leisure, security transportation Qatar should be considered as part of a robust travel risk management strategy. It’s important as an employer to have protection measures in place for your staff when they are travelling abroad. Employing a trusted secure transportation company is a strong start to improving the safety of your team while travelling on business.  If you are an independent traveller or there are budget concerns, it is imperative that due diligence and a risk-based approach is implemented at each juncture.

If you are unsure, Seek Advice:

You should consider seeking advice from security professionals if you intend to travel through complicated environments to ensure you maximize your personal security.  Incorporating secure transportation into your travel risk management plan will also provide you that extra level of security and will help to take away the stress that comes with transiting abroad.

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Secure Transportation

If you want to know more about secure transportation options globally.

Travel Safety Training

Visit ExploreSecure to learn more about improving your travel risk management.  Our eLearning travel safety are designed by security professionals with extensive experience in personal safety and surviving in challenging environments.

Duty of Care and Journey Management:

An organization sending employees, students, or volunteers abroad has a legal and moral duty of care for their personal safety. Transporting employees through ridesharing companies and/or unregulated taxis increases the level of risk for the employees and heightens the corporate liability of employers.

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This video identifies the main causes of deaths to US citizens abroad. It shows how Terrorism is often over sensationalized by the media and identifies how basic planning, preparation and learning travel safety methodology can significantly minimize risk to business travelers.    

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Student Travel Safety Video HD Explore Secure is dedicated to improving the safety and security of all travelers. Our objective is to educate, inform, train and drive thought processes that contribute to making travel safety for all. https://exploresecure.com/

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Business Travel Safety Video HD

Travel Safety eLearning promotional video by Explore Secure. This video identifies how the Explore Secure eLearning travel safety briefing can significantly improve the safety of business travelers and executives abroad.

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Travel Risk Management & Travel Safety Elearning | Explore Secure

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How Does ExecSecure™ (the Secure Executive Transportation system) work?

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Secure Transportation by ETS Risk Management

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Female travelers can adapt and minimize the chances of encountering threats. This is the underlying principle of Female Travel Safety. Identify the threat or danger early and prepare accordingly so as to minimize the risk. The trick is not to avoid travel, but simply to prepare and adapt to traveling as a female to maximize safety.

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Is Safe For Solo Female Travelers?

Why are females more likely to be a victim of Criminal Attention?

The majority of criminals will try and focus on perceived ‘easy’ targets. It is generally assumed that women will not try and fight back and/or will be less able to defend themselves. Females are targeted more frequently because a majority of women carry purses or handbags which are much more accessible to criminals. In certain cultures, women are perceived as lower class citizens and therefore treated with less respect.

Why are females more likely being the victim of violence (to include sexual attack)?

A majority of violent attacks by men against women are often sexual in nature. Some motivations for these attacks stem from personal grievances, issues of control, and social disorders. Unfortunately motivations can also be purely opportunistic and deviant in nature. Therefore it is vital for one’s safety to eliminate these perceived ‘opportunities’ for criminals.

There are always going to be exceptions to the rules, but now that I have identified two main topics that put female travelers at higher risk let us now focus our efforts on eliminating these increased threats:

How can female travelers reduce the risk of being targeted by criminals and sexual predators?

Female travelers can adapt and minimize the chances of encountering threats. This is the underlying principal of travel safety. Identify the threat or danger early and prepare accordingly so as to minimize the risk. The trick is not to avoid travel, but simply to prepare and adapt to traveling as a female to maximize safety.

Female Travel Safety Advice

Certain risks hold true for both male and female travelers alike.

Vehicular incident

Criminal

Violent attack

Health issues and Disease

Beach related incidents e.g. rip currents

Fire – accommodations/nightclubs etc.

So what risks is Female Travel Safety more vulnerable to? I believe two risks that female travelers have an increased chance of falling victim to verses male counterparts are;

Criminal

Violence     (to include sexual attack)

Know before you go

Research destinations and ask yourself the following question:

What are the main dangers of the country or cities that I will be visiting?

Crime, natural disasters, health issues and political instability are all things to consider. Though further research can provide more specific and current issues such as date rape drugs being utilized or a spate of recent muggings in certain locations. Study www.fco.gov.uk or www.smarttraveller.gov.au both great resources for travelers.

Time spent planning and preparing is never wasted. Don’t just look at the country but specifically at where you will be region, city and town. With knowledge comes power.

Know a bit more before you go

We cannot over emphasize the importance of knowledge. Research your destinations using commercial websites; interact on chat forums, advice pages and blogs. The websites www.lonelyplanet and www.bootsnall.com are great sources of information. Learn from others mistakes and experiences. If you have the time and inclination go onto travel forums and ask other travelers about what they experienced in the locations that you will visit.

Plan accordingly and commensurate with risk

List the main dangers you have found from your research in points 1 and 2 and then ask yourself one further question:

How can I minimize these risks?

It is not just identification of risks that’s important. Learning how to react accordingly is vital. Professionals in all industries train constantly for what may happen; it should be the same for emergency preparedness when traveling. Consider taking travel safety training. Click here to see our web-based travel safety e-learning briefing specifically designed for travelers and full of useful information about how to identify threats early to avoid danger.

Think Situational Awareness

We should never walk around with our head in the clouds. It is vital to be aware of our surroundings at all times, to scan for danger and analyze risks constantly. Often those injured or killed in active shooter, terrorist and other incidents or accidents are those slowest to react. Situational awareness and threat detection provide valuable seconds to react, therefore increasing the chances of survival.

Never switch off

At no times switch off situational awareness. Always look for escape routes; always look at who is watching you. Our  Female Travel Safety briefings teach how to learn and practice situational awareness and provide tricks of the trade to help keep you switched on.

Always wear a seatbelt

The biggest risks to travelers in foreign countries are vehicular accident. Even when on a bus, wear a seatbelt. There are many other risks related with transportation. Buses, trains, boats, rickshaws, mopeds all have a huge list of inherent risks associated to their use. Research and prepare, but whatever you do always wear that seatbelt. Never take chances with overland travel – it is the threat most likely to kill you!!

Be patient

If one is patient, polite and affable then life just goes so much smoother. With patience, comes the ability to put up with perceived rudeness, inefficiency, delays, corruption and a whole variety of things that as travelers we may not be accustomed too. With patience comes the ability to avoid conflict.

Smile

Just as the above point in number 7. If you are kind to people then 90% of the time they will reciprocate. You smile they will smile back, if you are nice, they will also be nice. This opens so many doors to a traveler, meeting people, learning about secret local spots off the beaten track, meals with kind strangers and a host of other great experiences that come from interacting and being nice. It also avoids conflict.

Check insurance

Insurance may cost money that you don’t think you can afford, but believe me – when you need it you will be glad you opted for it. Hospital bills and medical evacuation costs especially in more remote environments that you may find yourself in can easily reach into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. It may be as minimal as a twisted ankle on a Glacier trip, or appendicitis in Africa. Either of those could cost you thousands of dollars if you don’t have coverage. Check the small print over and over again of any insurance coverage. The insurance companies will not be flexible or heartfelt when it comes to paying out.

Learn first aid

Off the beaten track or on the road less traveled you may find yourself in medical and first aid situations. Being able to care for you, friends and colleagues can significantly increase chances of survival in times of extremis. Learning how to identify, prevent, treat or diagnose the basics such as heat illness, traveler’s diarrhea and mosquito borne diseases are extremely important. Other life saving skills such as CPR and hemorrhage control should also be considered, especially if traveling in remote environments. Consider taking a first aid course or at a minimum learning the basics prior to travel.

Female Travel Safety Summary

This is just a basic list of tips that will help you stay safe whilst traveling abroad. Travel safety and security is a huge topic and one with many variables and standpoints. Every traveler both male and female should prepare before traveling. There are threats everywhere that could affect travelers’ – men, women, individuals or groups alike. Should these potential dangers prevent us from traveling? Absolutely not! What these potential dangers should do is motivate us as individuals responsible for our own safety, to prepare accordingly and educate ourselves before we head out on our adventures.

Our innovative, user-friendly and online travel safety briefings designed by security professional from Special Forces and Counter-terrorist backgrounds is available.