A business travel risk management program is easiest to evaluate before a major disruption puts it to the test.
Travel managers need to know where employees are scheduled to be, what could affect their trips, how the organization will respond, and where travelers should turn for help. Those capabilities depend on more than emergency procedures. Booking data, technology, traveler communication, travel policy, outside providers, and human support all play a role.
For Christopherson Business Travel clients, risk management is connected to the broader managed travel program. Christopherson’s risk management tools, built into the Andavo platform, combine itinerary-based traveler visibility with global risk intelligence powered by Crisis24. Christopherson also provides 24/7 traveler support and can help organizations evaluate their existing risk-management approach or work with specialized third-party providers when additional assistance is needed.
For travel managers reviewing their current program, six areas provide a practical place to start.
Visibility begins with accurate travel data.
When a storm, security incident, health event, or other disruption affects a destination, travel managers need a quick way to determine whether anyone from their organization is scheduled to be there. That becomes much harder when trip information is scattered across inboxes, consumer booking sites, spreadsheets, or multiple systems.
Christopherson helps address that need through itinerary-based traveler visibility in Andavo. Travel managers can pull up an affected region and identify employees booked to travel there, including trips already underway and upcoming trips. Relevant itinerary details are available from the same view.
The distinction between itinerary visibility and physical tracking is important. Andavo uses booked trip information rather than GPS data. It shows where a traveler is scheduled to be based on the itinerary without following the person's physical movements.
Visibility also reinforces the value of bringing travel into the managed program. When bookings happen through channels the travel team cannot see, the organization may have an incomplete picture during a disruption.
Travel managers have access to more risk information than ever. The challenge is determining which information requires action.
A long stream of global alerts can quickly become difficult to manage if every event receives the same level of attention. A more useful approach connects the event to the organization's travel activity.
Andavo's risk management view draws on global risk intelligence from Crisis24. When an event affects a destination, administrators can filter the traveler map to the people booked into that area, with the relevant trip details available in the same view.
That connection helps travel managers move from a broad question—What's happening around the world?—to a more actionable one: Does this affect any of our travelers?
It also helps focus communication. Rather than sending every global alert to everyone, the travel team can identify the specific travelers booked into an affected area and reach out to the people who actually need the information.
Identifying an affected traveler is only the first step. The organization also needs to know who takes responsibility from there.
The appropriate response will vary by incident. A canceled flight may require a travel advisor. A medical emergency may require a specialized assistance provider. A security event could involve corporate security, HR, legal teams, local leadership, or several groups at once.
Travel managers should document who owns each type of response, how incidents are escalated, and which outside providers should become involved.
Christopherson plays several roles within that structure. Its advisors are available around the clock to help travelers rebook or reroute when travel plans are disrupted. For organizations that require specialized medical, security, or evacuation capabilities, Christopherson can work alongside the client's specialized medical or security provider.
The organization's duty-of-care obligation remains with the organization itself. Through the Andavo platform, Christopherson provides tools, travel support, information, and integrations that can help the company fulfill that responsibility.
That distinction should be clear before an emergency occurs.
Travel risk management also depends on what travelers know before a trip begins.
Employees should understand how to reach assistance, where emergency information is located, what their company's procedures require, and when an issue should be escalated. Those instructions become harder to follow when someone is already dealing with a disruption.
Christopherson has recommended placing third-party emergency contact information directly in traveler itineraries when an organization uses a specialized risk provider. That gives employees access to the information in a document they are already likely to have with them.
Travel policy can reinforce the same preparation. Safety procedures for higher-risk destinations, approved booking channels, emergency contacts, and communication expectations can all be incorporated into the program before employees leave. Christopherson's guidance on duty of care similarly emphasizes connecting traveler safety with the way the travel program operates day to day.
The goal is to give travelers clear instructions they can use without having to determine the organization's response process themselves.
For practical traveler-level precautions before and during a trip, Christopherson's business traveler safety guide provides additional guidance on transportation, technology, personal security, and travel preparation.
Every organization has a different risk profile.
A company whose employees primarily make short domestic trips may require a different approach from one sending teams to remote work sites or countries with greater medical, political, or security concerns. Traveler demographics, trip frequency, destinations, type of work, and access to local resources can all affect the level of preparation required.
That makes a generic risk checklist less useful than an assessment based on actual travel patterns.
Christopherson can help organizations review what they already have in place and identify areas that may need more attention. Christopherson's account team can help assess an existing program and shape a risk strategy.
“Taking a proactive approach and creating a risk management strategy can prevent business operations from coming to a halt,” Carol Del Giudice, a Christopherson account executive, said.
This is also an area where travel managers should look beyond company size. Recent Business Travel News research cited by Christopherson found varying levels of formal risk management among small and midsize companies, suggesting that structured travel-risk processes increasingly extend beyond large global enterprises.
A risk management program should change as the organization changes.
New destinations, business growth, different traveler populations, new suppliers, and changes in company policy can all create gaps that were not present when the program was first established.
Incidents themselves can also provide useful information. After a disruption, travel managers can review questions such as whether affected travelers were identified quickly, whether the right employees received alerts, whether travelers knew whom to contact, whether internal teams understood their responsibilities, and whether outside providers had the information they needed.
Those reviews can expose gaps in booking visibility, communication, escalation procedures, or traveler education.
Christopherson can support that broader program review through account management, helping clients evaluate existing processes and determine where additional technology, procedures, or specialized partners may be appropriate.
Regular reviews also keep risk management connected to the rest of the managed travel program rather than treating it as a standalone emergency plan.
Christopherson supports business travel risk management through a combination of technology, travel expertise, traveler support, and program guidance.
Risk management tools built into Andavo provide itinerary-based traveler visibility and Crisis24-powered global risk alerts. The platform can identify travelers whose booked trips may intersect with an event and provide administrators with relevant trip information in the same environment they use to manage travel. Affected travelers can also receive notifications tied to their own itineraries.
When a disruption affects the trip itself, Christopherson advisors are available around the clock to help travelers rebook and reroute. Organizations with more specialized medical or security requirements can also connect travel data with third-party duty-of-care providers, while Christopherson's team can help assess an existing program and identify areas for improvement.
Together, those capabilities help travel managers answer three fundamental questions during a disruption: Who may be affected? What do we know about their trip? What resources are available to help?
Risk management becomes much harder when the first real test comes during an emergency.
Travel managers can start by reviewing traveler visibility, alerting, response procedures, traveler communication, specialized assistance, and the process for evaluating the program over time. From there, the question becomes which gaps can be addressed through better procedures, which require technology, and which require additional expertise or outside support.
Christopherson helps organizations connect those pieces through risk management tools built into Andavo, experienced travel advisors, consulting support, and integrations with specialized providers.
Talk to Christopherson about strengthening risk management across your business travel program.
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At minimum, organizations should review their risk management approach regularly and whenever there is a meaningful change in travel patterns, destinations, traveler populations, internal responsibilities, or outside providers. Major disruptions can also provide a useful opportunity to identify gaps and update procedures while the experience is still fresh.
Travel managers typically play a central role, but effective programs may also involve HR, security, legal, procurement, executive leadership, and outside medical or security providers. The right group depends on the organization’s travel footprint, internal structure, and the types of risks its travelers may encounter.
Company size alone does not determine the need for travel risk management. Organizations should consider where employees travel, how frequently they travel, the nature of their work, and the level of support available if something goes wrong. Even a relatively small travel program can benefit from clear responsibilities, traveler communication, and escalation procedures.
When employees book outside channels visible to the travel program, the organization may have incomplete itinerary information during a disruption. That can make it harder to determine who may be affected, communicate with travelers, and coordinate assistance.
A travel management company primarily manages the travel program and can support travelers with booking, rebooking, trip information, and disruption assistance. Specialized travel risk providers may offer additional services such as medical assistance, security support, intelligence, or evacuation capabilities. Some organizations use both, with travel data shared between the providers.
Travelers may need destination-specific guidance on emergency contacts, communication procedures, local safety concerns, medical resources, company policies, and what to do if conditions change. The appropriate level of preparation should reflect the destination, traveler, type of trip, and organization’s risk profile.
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