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NEWS

NEWS

Civil Unrest and Terrorism Are Now Travelers’ Greatest Fears
Civil Unrest and Terrorism Are Now Travelers’ Greatest Fears

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What Happens if Someone Dies on a Plane?
What Happens if Someone Dies on a Plane?

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How To Find The Best Travel Insurance For Your Spring 2024 Trip
How To Find The Best Travel Insurance For Your Spring 2024 Trip

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BUSINESS TRAVEL ON THE RISE; VIRTUAL MEETINGS LOSING PRIMACY
BUSINESS TRAVEL ON THE RISE; VIRTUAL MEETINGS LOSING PRIMACY

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Worried About Safety? Here Are The Surprising Things Travel Companies Are Doing About It
Worried About Safety? Here Are The Surprising Things Travel Companies Are Doing About It

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Your plane might be unsafe if this happens: Here’s what to look for
Your plane might be unsafe if this happens: Here’s what to look for

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What Should Travelers Expect in 2024? Here’s What the Experts Say.
What Should Travelers Expect in 2024? Here’s What the Experts Say.

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Cruiseline popularity, profits hit record growth in 2023
Cruiseline popularity, profits hit record growth in 2023

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Global Rescue Review by Nerdwallet
Global Rescue Review by Nerdwallet

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U.S. Issues Travel Advisories Amid Israel-Hamas War
U.S. Issues Travel Advisories Amid Israel-Hamas War

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PRESS RELEASE

Overpacking, Flying With Connections, Ambitious Itineraries Top Travelers’ List of Biggest Mistakes

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Overpacking, Flying With Connections, Ambitious Itineraries Top Travelers’ List of Biggest Mistakes

(Lebanon, N.H. – February 26, 2024) Overpacking is by far the biggest traveler mistake, according to the world’s most experienced travelers responding to the 2024 Winter Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey. More than a third of respondents (35%) said overpacking was their biggest travel mistake.

Harding Bush, associate director of operations at Global Rescue, advises travelers to “pack light, and buy what you need there.” While overpacking continues to be a persistent traveler mistake, the improvement has been substantial since February 2020, immediately before the pandemic when three-out-of-four survey respondents (75%) said overpacking was the biggest mistake travelers make.

Ambitious itineraries and failing to schedule free time during trips are frequent mistakes among travelers. In 2020, before the pandemic, 40% of respondents admitted creating ambitious itineraries that did not include free time landed in second place on the list of biggest traveler mistakes. Last year, the percentage decreased and only 28% of respondents said their itineraries were too ambitious and they did not plan or schedule free time. In 2024, significant improvement continues. According to the survey results, only 9% said having an overly ambitious itinerary was their biggest mistake, placing third on the list of top 10 traveler mistakes.

Bush advises travelers to plan a trip that aligns with your travel style and interests, making sure to prioritize what is important to you. “You don’t need to do what others say to do. But you must accept that you won’t see everything and that is okay,” he said.

While overpacking and ambitious travel itineraries remain among the top mistakes travelers make, the percentage of people making those errors is dropping meaningfully. But other mistakes abound, some familiar and a few new ones.

Today, the second most reported traveler mistake was flying with connections instead of nonstop, an error that had not made the list in any past survey. Twelve percent of survey respondents said air travel that required stopovers or layovers was an error to avoid in the future. Despite the inconvenience of airline travel staff shortages, most survey respondents (66%) did not cancel any trips in 2023 and more than a third (38%) did not postpone any travel plans.

Before the pandemic, more than a third of travelers (38%) reported that forgetting to obtain medical or security travel protection was their biggest mistake, ranking third in the top 10 most common mistakes made by travelers. In 2024, the percentage of travelers who said they forgot to get medical or security travel protection plummeted to 1%, placing tenth on the list.

Forgetting an international plug adapter, leaving prescription medicine behind, failing to change phone data plan, and drinking or using unsafe water have each remained on the top 10 list of biggest traveler mistakes since before the pandemic, all garnering low, single-digit responses.

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Contact Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or +1 (202) 560-1195 (phone/text) for more information.

About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey

Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 1,500 of its current and former members between January 25-30, 2024. The respondents revealed a variety of behaviors, attitudes and preferences regarding current and future travel.

About Global Rescue

The Global Rescue Companies are the world's leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.

Civil Unrest, Terrorism Are Travelers’ Primary Fears; Surpass Accidents, Illnesses

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Civil Unrest, Terrorism Are Travelers’ Primary Fears; Surpass Accidents, Illnesses

(Lebanon, N.H. – February 21, 2024) Civil unrest and terrorism are travelers’ leading fears, surpassing accidents or injuries and marking a dramatic attitudinal shift since spring 2023, according to the world’s most experienced travelers responding to the Winter 2024 Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey. More than a third of travelers (36%) reported civil unrest and terrorism are the biggest concerns during global trips, reflecting a three-fold increase compared to spring 2023. A quarter of respondents (25%) said having an accident or illness during a trip was their greatest fear, a significant decrease from spring 2023 when half of travelers (50%) reported suffering an injury or getting sick was their biggest concern. “We’re seeing an understandable increase in traveler concern worldwide. Nevertheless, international trip takers continue to travel anyway despite the rising threats of civil unrest, war, and terrorism,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services, and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Travelers are beefing up their trip protection with security advisory and extraction protection. A third of respondents (34%) said the war in Ukraine, the Hamas attacks on Israel or other violent conflicts make it more likely they will add security extraction and advisory protection to their travel protection package. “Traveler uncertainty generally increases traveler demand for emergency medical and security services,” Richards said. “Last year, traveler purchases of security and extraction services increased by 36%, and we expect that will continue in 2024. We’ve seen this traveler behavior since the war in Ukraine, and we’re seeing it continue following the attacks on Israel.” While civil unrest, terrorism, accidents and illnesses top the list of traveler fears, the survey revealed other concerns. Trip cancellation, robbery or theft garnered between 7-9% of responses. Testing positive for COVID (or its variants) and natural disasters each collected 5% of responses. Nuclear disasters collected <1% of responses.

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Contact Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or +1 (202) 560-1195 (phone/text) for more information. About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey  Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 1,500 of its current and former members between January 25-30, 2024. The respondents revealed a variety of behaviors, attitudes and preferences regarding current and future travel. About Global Rescue   The Global Rescue Companies are the world's leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.
Business Travel on the Rise; Virtual Meetings Losing Primacy

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Business Travel on the Rise; Virtual Meetings Losing Primacy

(Lebanon, N.H. – February 12, 2024) Business travel continues to increase, and virtual meetings are losing dominance as a replacement for work-related travel. According to the Global Rescue Winter Traveler Sentiment and Safety survey, respondents traveling for business jumped 37% compared to survey results nearly a year ago. More than two-thirds (68%) of respondents said their business travel would be both international and domestic. “In-person meetings are more effective at establishing and maintaining relationships. It’s no surprise that work-related travel is rising,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services. More than a fifth of business travelers (22%) reported work-related travel will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2024, doubling the 11% reported in 2023. Early last year, 35% of business travelers said business travel would be “half or less than half” of pre-pandemic levels. Now, a year later, that percentage has dropped by a third with only 23% of business travelers reporting that their work-related travel would be half or less than pre-pandemic levels. Virtual meetings and video conference calls are losing their dominance as a replacement for business travel, according to the survey. More than half (56%) of business travelers responding to the survey said virtual meetings and video conferences are not replacing in-person business travel to a significant extent. “The days of traveling long distances for one meeting with one person could be gone forever, but people will travel for business at scale into perpetuity,” Richards said. “Virtual meetings have their place, but they can’t replace face-to-face meetings,” said Paul Mullen, Vice President of sales at Global Rescue. “Personal interaction will always be more effective at establishing and maintaining relationships, fostering trust and driving company growth.” “You can’t get to know a prospect, current client or business partner professionally and personally when you’re not in person,” Mullen said. “In a video chat, there is more opportunity for distraction and multitasking, the meetings themselves can feel rushed, the technology can glitch. That’s not how you maintain a strong business relationship that lasts.” As business travel increases globally, so do the challenges facing employers who must balance employee safety in the face of threats of international violent conflicts, terrorism and civil unrest. “The biggest management challenge in this evolving environment will be how duty of care plays a role in protecting a business traveler and a location-independent workforce,” Richards said. “Business leaders have to ask themselves if a set of rules or policies designed to maintain the health, safety and well-being of their employees are in place.” Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of business travelers surveyed (74%) say they do not have or do not know if they have a duty of care policy in place. The majority of the 26% of business travelers who say they have duty of care provisions in place reported the policy includes pre-trip planning, health alerts, on-trip event alerts, on-trip security or travel tracking. “Business leaders carry a duty of care responsibility to their employees, to take care of them and avoid exposing them to any unnecessary or undue risk. As global work-related travel continues to increase, the more duty of care policies must evolve,” Richards said.

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Contact Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or +1 (202) 560-1195 (phone/text) for more information. About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 1,500 of its current and former members between January 25-30, 2024. The respondents revealed a variety of behaviors, attitudes and preferences regarding current and future travel. About Global Rescue The Global Rescue Companies are the world's leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.
How to Avoid Dangerous Areas While Driving

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How to Avoid Dangerous Areas While Driving

(Lebanon, N.H. – February 2, 2024) Driving a vehicle in a foreign country is a high-risk activity and has led a Los Angeles couple to file a lawsuit against Google Maps for allegedly navigating them to a notorious South African crime neighborhood. “App maps are designed to get you to your destination. They won't let you know much more than traffic jams or road closures,” said Harding Bush, a former Navy SEAL and associate director of security operations for Global Rescue. “It’s important for travelers driving in foreign countries to rely on much more than navigation apps. Smart travelers rely on professionally-generated destination reports, local knowledge from news reports and other research to increase their safety.” Being safe while driving takes more than just being a safe driver. Bush advises travelers should have security advisory protection to keep them informed about regional risks, potentially dangerous events, or hotbeds of crime. “More importantly, travelers should not self-drive in risky countries or regions,” he said. Hiring a local driver recommended by a reliable source is ideal since they know the area and won’t be confused by local roadways. “Always hire a well-vetted local driver who knows the area. They will avoid risky neighborhoods and vulnerable locations,” Bush said. “The prudent traveling driver never relies on one source of navigation.”
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Contact Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or +1 (202) 560-1195 (phone/text) for more information. About Global Rescue The Global Rescue Companies are the world's leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.

Media Contact

For all media related inquiries, please contact:

Bill McIntyre
Director, Communications
+1 (617) 210-8134
bmcintyre@globalrescue.com