How Executives Should Respond to Travel Advisories
If your job takes you overseas, travel advisories should be part of every trip plan. A country that felt safe two years ago might carry a much higher risk level today, and the way you prepare needs to keep up.
What the advisory levels mean
The U.S. Department of State uses four levels:
These levels change, sometimes overnight. On October 6, 2026, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a health alert with very little detail. And right now, six Mexican states sit at Level 4 because of crime and kidnapping. Something that was true when you booked your flight may not be true when you land.
An advisory is a starting point
A warning for a whole country tells you only part of the story. Risk inside one country can vary a lot. The city where your meeting is, or the industrial zone near your plant, may be safer or more dangerous than the national rating suggests.
So before you travel, ask three questions:
The threats that come up most often
Most advisories point to a few common risks.
Kidnapping and extortion are a real concern where criminal groups are strong and the police are weak, and executives are attractive targets. Protests and political unrest can start fast and shut down roads or airports in a few hours. Terrorism is still a risk in some regions, usually in crowded public places or near sites linked to foreign interests. Ordinary violent crime, like robbery or carjacking, can be high even in politically stable countries. Health is the one people forget: in some places, good medical care is hard to find, so you need a plan for getting out if something goes wrong.
How to prepare
Before the trip
Get a proper intelligence brief. It should cover local crime trends, the political mood, and anything that could cause trouble while you're there. Know your routes, your hotel, and your meeting spots ahead of time, along with where the nearest hospital is and how you will communicate if networks go down. Then decide in advance what you will do in a medical emergency, during unrest, or if you need to leave quickly.
Getting around
Moving from place to place is usually the riskiest part of a trip in an unstable area. Use trained drivers you trust, and, depending on the threat, an armored or quietly reinforced vehicle. Change your routes and timing so you're hard to predict, and always have a backup route. Make sure you and your security team can talk on reliable, encrypted channels.
Close protection
At Level 3 or 4, or if you have a high public profile, a close protection team makes sense. A good team does much more than stand next to you. They watch for surveillance, control who gets close, move you safely through crowds and busy buildings, and react when something unexpected happens. Their local contacts also help them read situations an outsider would miss.
Briefing the team
Everyone traveling with you should know the local customs, the laws, and the emergency plan before they leave. Keeping a low profile is easier when people know what common scams and targeting methods look like.
How JPT Security can help
JPT Security works with executives who travel to complex or high-risk places for business or personal reasons. We combine global intelligence with teams on the ground, and our partners cover more than 40 countries. That means we can provide vetted people, secure transport, and advance planning wherever you need to go, so you can focus on the work that brought you there.
To talk privately about your next trip, contact JPT Security.
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