Understanding Travel Risk Management

ISO 31030 Travel risk management – Guidance for organizations was launched in 2021, establishing the benchmark for international good practice in respect of business travellers’ safety and security.

This online introduction course will help you understand the Guidance and what it means for you and your organisation. We explain the legal implications of ISO 31030 and how to create a compliant, proportionate travel risk programme for your organisation. We’ll share perspectives on identifying risks for business travellers, putting in place effective plans, and contingencies to handle unforeseen events

Securing the Co-operation of Business Travellers

Business travellers are the key stakeholder in travel risk management. They need to understand what travel risk management is, their employer’s duty of care, and why and how business travellers should play their part to achieve safe and successful travel.

This on-line or in person briefing explains employers’ duty of care, employees’ reciprocal duty to co-operate with the employer, and provides case studies and examples of the practical implications of travel risk management. This GSA service can also be provided to family members where the employer supports accompanied travel.

Travel Risk/Security Managers’ Professional Development Training

The ISO places significant emphasis on the competency of those involved in travel risk management. GSA’s 2025 survey of over 100 travel risk professionals found that 96% stated that ‘I think professional development is essential for current TRM staff to stay effective’ but only 12% reported that ‘I think current training opportunities in the travel risk field adequately prepares professionals for real-world challenges.’ GSA, working with a leading University, has developed a series of courses to help address the gaps in professional development identified by travel risk professionals to meet the expectations of ISO 31030:2021.

Sixteen learning and development modules are available which include understanding ISO 31030:2021; understanding ISO 31031:2024; establishing a proportionate TRM programme; auditing and evaluating arrangements; business traveller counter-compromise training; effective engagement of corporate business travellers in TRM; effective engagement of senior executives; travel incident and crisis management; managing medical and other sensitive information; decision-making and record keeping; trauma risk management training; effective mentoring of TRM staff, effective review of travel-related incidents; selecting TRM service providers and reviewing their performance; undertaking accommodation service reviews; developing an effective TRM good practice network and peer support.

Counter-Compromise Training for Travel Risk/Security Managers

A wide range of threat actors are interested in the sensitive information that business travellers may carry in their devices, documents, and in their minds. GSA’s research suggests that many organisations’ arrangements to protect sensitive information are limited to IT security, that travel risk/security managers assessing travel risk often fail to understand and risk manage the different methods used by hostile agents – cyber, IT, human elicitation, social engineering and technical eavesdropping.

This two-day course provides a combination of theory and practical exercises to equip travel risk/security managers to identify and manage this increasingly significant aspect of travel risk.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does GSA avoid a ‘one size fits all’ approach to travel risk given organisations are so different?

GSA has assessed a wide range of organisations – manufacturers, banks, charities, global consultancy services – and each one is different. ISO 31030:2021 stresses proportionality according to the volume and nature of travel and the risk profile of locations and travellers.

Many travel risk managers are experienced people, why is training necessary? 

Employers’ duty of care is a legal obligation in many jurisdictions around the world. Travel risk is a complex field, balancing judgments about business goals and traveller safety. If things go wrong and a traveller is harmed, that harm may be actionable before the courts and it will be a necessary first step to demonstrate that decisions and actions demonstrated a reasonable degree of competence by those closely involved.

How do TRM staff persuade their organisation (managers and travellers) that TRM training is valuable?

Adapting a culture so that performance and risk are managed effectively and proportionately is a near constant challenge. It is often too late to address the balance when a serious incident occurs, so a good way to start the journey is to invite independent experts to review the balance and provide advice that is suitable for consideration by all stakeholders about the business benefits of good TRM.

What are the common issues that GSA finds in its TRM assessments and how does training address these?

Having assessed and audited many organisations’ arrangements, GSA has identified a ‘top 10’ of common challenges. Pivotal amongst these are employers understanding their duty of care and putting place an adequate TRM programme that proportionately manages the organisations foreseeable risks. Another key area is having sufficient competent resource available to identify and manage risks. Fortunately, we have also seen sound good practice in organisations which helps us target our training to support organisations facing these and other common challenges.

What training methods are used for global audiences?

A range of methods are used taking account of location, cost effectiveness, audience, language, and the needs of delegates. Where appropriate, cutting-edge technologies are available to support the crisis management training and debriefing.