Business Travel in Turbulent Times: Rethinking Risk

In the latest previous, enterprise journey carried a way of routine. It was extra about productiveness and time zones than geopolitics. But right this moment, the foundations have modified — and dramatically so. 

Following an extended tail of international coverage disruptions, together with escalating commerce tensions with China, fractured relationships with long-standing allies, and isolationist rhetoric, outbound US journey security issues are on the rise, complicating enterprise journey.

In this text, we discover the brand new regular of cross-border enterprise journey for American employees – and what companies have to know to guard their globe-trotting representatives shifting ahead.

How Business Travel Safety Is Shifting

1. Anti-American Sentiment

While anti-American attitudes have simmered in components of the world for years, the present administration’s insurance policies—tariffs, journey bans, and diplomatic isolationism—are exacerbating long-standing grievances. 

A recent survey issued by Dragonfly exhibits that US favorability is lowering dramatically throughout Europe:

Source: Dragonfly

It’s not simply that the rise of anti-American sentiment overseas can improve the probabilities of confrontation and—to a lesser diploma—bodily risk for US vacationers, as touched upon in a recent article in The Seattle Times. It’s additionally that vacationers are involved over how they’ll be perceived upon arrival – inflicting anxiousness and hesitation earlier than tickets are even booked.

According to a number of journey advisors, shoppers have grown hesitant to journey to sure European and Latin American locations not due to the locations themselves — however due to how they is perhaps perceived once they arrive.

Even well-traveled staff who often soar at a chance to fly throughout borders for a convention assembly might have issues about their security that they’d by no means thought of earlier than.

It’s unrealistic—and probably dangerous—to count on that every one staff really feel snug touring as common in right this moment’s geopolitical local weather. Without open dialogue and help, they might really feel compelled to prioritize enterprise over their very own security.

As this anxiousness grows, so does the accountability for employers. Under responsibility of care obligations, organizations are legally and ethically required to guard their staff from foreseeable danger—together with psychological stress and the potential for hurt whereas touring. 

When geopolitical tensions, hostile sentiment, or entry delays change into credible threats, ignoring these indicators doesn’t simply endanger people—it exposes the complete group to reputational injury, compliance failures, and legal responsibility.

Businesses can’t afford to deal with journey hesitations as particular person discomfort. They have to be acknowledged as rising indicators of danger that demand a response—by means of up to date insurance policies, specialised coaching, and a extra human-centered strategy to journey administration.

2. The Rise in Detentions and Border Harassment

It’s not simply the leaving that’s giving American enterprise vacationers pause — however the returning as properly.

Travelers returning to the US are more and more discovering that re-entry is now not assured to be seamless—or protected. Multiple high-profile incidents have emerged wherein US residents and lawful everlasting residents have been detained or questioned for hours by border brokers.

Federal officers have insisted such detentions are lawful and routine. But for vacationers, that distinction affords little consolation. According to journey advisor Tamara Lidbom, lawful everlasting residents at the moment are canceling worldwide journeys outright, fearing they’ll be refused re-entry or held up with out rationalization.

In an interview with the BBC, company traveler Mary S.—who withheld her full identify over privateness issues—shared that she had cancelled a deliberate convention journey to Canada, citing fears of harassment on the border. “There’s no way I’m going anywhere near an airport or border crossing,” she mentioned.

Employees who as soon as traveled confidently throughout borders at the moment are questioning the non-public dangers concerned, together with being focused for his or her background, beliefs, or political beliefs.

Without acknowledging these issues, organizations might discover themselves unprepared for a pointy drop in journey readiness amongst workers — particularly amongst those that really feel particularly weak to scrutiny. And if journey insurance policies don’t adapt, firms danger failing their responsibility of care obligations.

3. Air Travel Confidence Is Eroding

Even earlier than takeoff, anxiousness is constructing. Recent staffing shortages and gear failures at main US airports—particularly Newark—have led to an increase in flight disruptions and critical security issues. Reports of air visitors management rooms working at one-quarter staffing ranges have prompted warnings from aviation consultants and pilots alike.

Though total aviation fatalities stay low, notion is highly effective. Social media discussions about near-misses, technical failures, and flight anxiousness have surged on platforms like Reddit and X, according to data from Storyful.

This is especially alarming for enterprise vacationers, who typically have inflexible schedules and tight itineraries. Travel isn’t nearly making the assembly anymore—it’s about whether or not you may arrive safely and with out vital psychological stress.

4. Civil Unrest and Unpredictable Flashpoints

Protests was remoted occasions—now, they’re international, decentralized, and fast-moving. Whether sparked by home politics, financial pressures, or worldwide battle, mass demonstrations can erupt in main cities with little warning.

Business vacationers are particularly weak. They’re typically unfamiliar with native languages and legal guidelines, unaware of protest hotspots, and visibly related to international entities. Even peaceable demonstrations can flip shortly, and native transportation, communications, and emergency providers are sometimes overwhelmed throughout these occasions.

Organizations that don’t put together their staff for these situations are taking a calculated danger—with penalties that may embody not simply private hurt, however reputational and authorized fallout

Are These Concerns Having a Material Impact on Business Travel?

A latest Guild of Business Travel Association (GBTA) survey underscores how dramatically the company journey panorama has shifted in only a few months. 

While two-thirds of execs had been optimistic about 2025 as just lately as November 2024, that quantity has plunged to 31% amid new tariffs, journey restrictions, and detentions at US borders. 

Almost one-third of journey patrons now count on their firm’s enterprise journey quantity to shrink by a mean of 20%. And with almost half of all respondents citing documentation hurdles and worker reluctance to journey, firms aren’t solely dealing with logistical roadblocks, however a transparent breakdown in worker belief.

Why Current Travel Safety Standards Aren’t Good Enough

Despite mounting American journey security dangers and rising worker hesitation, many organizations are nonetheless counting on outdated or overly generic journey security insurance policies—insurance policies that weren’t designed for right this moment’s degree of geopolitical volatility, nor the deeply private nature of recent journey anxieties.

Most company journey protocols nonetheless give attention to logistics—flight delays, insurance coverage, lodge security—and overlook the extra nuanced threats rising now:

• Rapid adjustments in border entry guidelines
• Psychological stress from scrutiny and perceived concentrating on
• Shifting political climates that may escalate in a single day
• Disparities in how totally different staff could also be handled primarily based on citizenship, race, faith, or background

In this local weather, sending staff overseas with out sturdy preparation isn’t simply careless—it’s a failure of responsibility of care. It indicators to workers that their security, confidence, and autonomy are secondary to enterprise goals.

That’s why organizations should transcend boilerplate journey handbooks and supply dynamic, human-centered coaching that empowers staff to acknowledge, reply to, and recuperate from danger.

Protect Your People with Travel Safety Training from Cardinus

At Cardinus, we perceive that true journey security begins earlier than the journey—and doesn’t finish when staff contact down.

Our Corporate Travel Safety Risk Training is a part of a broader, built-in suite of safety and safety-focused training that’s designed to rework how staff assess danger and reply beneath strain.

Through digital periods or in-person workshops, our trainers—many with real-world backgrounds in safety, behavioral profiling, and disaster response—assist your workforce construct the instinctive consciousness and preparedness required in right this moment’s complicated international surroundings.

Our programs embody:

• Travel Safety
• Hostile Environment Awareness
• Lone Working
• Conflict Management
• Behavioral Profiling

Every session is tailor-made to replicate your group’s particular journey patterns, workforce issues, and responsibility of care necessities, guaranteeing our coaching provides your touring staff the readability and confidence to make sensible, protected choices.

Book now  – or Contact Cardinus right this moment to study extra.