Corporate travel no longer exists in a world of occasional disruptions. Natural disasters, geopolitical tension, cyber threats, and public health risks are now ever-present realities, and managing those risks is now more complex—and more critical—than ever.
“It’s an evolving process, much like the business travel industry itself,” said Paul Foster, strategic consultant at Christopherson.“There's always going to be some kind of crisis happening on a regular basis.”
The 2025 Global Risk Forecast from Crisis24 underscores this reality, stating, "Concurrent large-scale crises will affect business operations and the security environment in most regions in the coming year.”
This new global climate demands a broader, more agileapproach to travel risk management.
The International SOS Risk Outlook 2025 echoes this, warning that “geopolitics is fragmenting, and will do so even more in2025”, and emphasizing that political unrest, transport disruptions, andworkforce mental health are top concerns for organizations worldwide.
Foster points to a new concept emerging from recent studies: perma-crisis, the idea that we’ve moved from isolated incidents to a constant state of disruption. That shift has forced organizations to expand how they define and manage travel risk, going far beyond natural disasters or geopolitical instability.
Traditionally, risk management in business travel focused on emergencies like earthquakes, hurricanes, and civil unrest. And while those remain central, organizations are increasingly taking a more holistic view.
Organizations are broadening their definition of travel risk to include public health concerns, corporate security, and human diversity,” Foster said.
For example, airspace closures in regions like Russia mean Western airlines are rerouting flights, increasing costs, and reducing options. The cumulative result is fewer travel choices and higher prices.
Public health risks now go far beyond pandemics. Refugee migration, water safety, and access to local healthcare are all part of today’s risk equation.
“People are traveling across borders and potentially having health related issues,” Foster explained. “You have travelers that need to travel to areas where food access and clean water access are a potential issue.”
And it’s not just physical safety. “Organizations are starting to take a greater look at the mental health of frequent travelers,” Foster noted.
Issues like stress, burnout, and emotional fatigue are increasingly part of the conversation. According to International SOS, “Political stress or anxiety is a leading concern for organizations,” and 75% of survey respondents report rising expectations around duty of care, especially concerning mental well-being and personal safety. Workforce diversity has also changed the risk landscape.
“There are places around the world that are not as welcoming or accepting of diverse lifestyles,” Foster said.
Organizations must consider the personal safety and dignity of employees in unfamiliar or intolerant regions. The Crisis24 report similarly warns that rising polarization and political extremism may create hostile environments for diverse travelers, noting that “radical protest groups and ultranationalist movements” are likely to be backed by state actors to intensify social divides.
Risk today also includes how travelers use technology on the road.
“Almost every airport that you travel to now offers some sort of a public Wi-Fi,” Foster said. “Those networks are not secured.”
Still, many business travelers on company devices continue to connect.
“You have a problem with stolen technology, such as laptops or smartphones,” he added. “Then there’s the use of technology when you travel abroad, like foreign sim cards that you purchase locally in order to save money on data charges.”
The growing sophistication of AI-based fraud only increases concern. Crisis24 highlights that cyber operations are increasingly used not just to target systems, but to “sow doubt and uncertainty among those tasked with making forward-looking decisions” through disinformation and hybrid attacks.
“AI can make certain things look very authentic, but are actually elements of foreign hacking and theft,” Foster explained.
Matt Cameron, Christopherson’s chief consulting officer, explains the shift toward proactive, tech-enabled systems: “We want to give you tools that you can use to make that easier for you to manage—tools that can add some additional services.”
Christopherson’s built-in risk tool aggregates global disaster alerts, travel advisories, and weather overlays, all in real time.
“You can see exactly where the eye of those storms are, and you can get information on where they’re moving to,” Cameron explained.
He mentioned that travel managers can even look ahead seven days and see who might be traveling into the path of those storms.
Another key feature is alert matching, when travel alerts get matched to travelers. Travel managers can even receive a daily email summary of all alerts sent to travelers. One notable enhancement on the horizon is real-time flight tracking.
“You'll be able to track a flight in progress, view its location, and know if it’s been delayed,” Cameron said.
But technology alone isn’t enough. Christopherson encourages clients to think beyond alerts and mapping tools and consider educating your travelers.
International SOS stresses the importance of clear, validated communication in an era of disinformation, noting that “companies have the responsibility to validate information and resources before they come to conclusions.”
According to Crisis24, geopolitical volatility and disinformation campaigns are likely to persist throughout 2025, making traveler education on digital hygiene, geopolitical awareness, and safe behaviors more critical than ever.
“There are ways that you could communicate some of these concerns through your travel program and ensure your travelers know how to deal with them in ways that keep them safe and keep your corporation safe,” said Foster.
Foster and Cameron recommended integrating with third-party duty of care providers like International SOS, which offers boots-on-the-ground support across 240 countries.
“In the rare event that you need to evacuate that traveler, if they’re really sick or there’s a security emergency, those evacuation services come in handy in those situations,” Cameron said.
But integration is key.
“We integrate all your real-time travel data into their system, so everything that we know about your trips, they instantly also know.”
To ensure those resources are usable, Cameron suggests placing third-party contact information directly on traveler’s itineraries.
“The first thing that you want to do is have your account executive take a look and see what you have in place currently,” Foster advised.
For companies looking to expand, Christopherson Consulting Services offers premium assessments and tailored risk strategies based on the organization’s goals and culture.
For some, the next step may be a third-party vendor integration. In this case, Foster noted that Christopherson can help facilitate that, too, going in as a liaison to help bridge the gap.
In today’s era of perma-crisis, risk management can’t afford to stay static. The business travel environment has changed, and your approach to protecting your travelers has to change with it. The most resilient organizations will pair advanced technology with human expertise to create effective, adaptive risk management strategies.
Want to learn more about how Christopherson can improve your business travel program? Talk with a travel expert today.
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