Preparing for Strife and Disaster on the Road

The world is a dangerous place. We have only to look at the front page of this newspaper or tune into CNN to see the risks we take every time we travel.

Yet according to IJet Intelligent Risk Systems, a traveler risk management company based in Annapolis, Md., Americans have just a 1-in-10-million chance of being killed by a terrorist.

That’s pretty safe compared with your chances of being murdered (1 in 17,000) or killed in an auto accident (1 in 7,000).

Terrorism is not the only risk that travelers face. Crime, natural disasters such as the tsunamis that have hit Asia in the last couple of years and health concerns such as SARS and bird flu all have a strong psychological effect on travelers.

Yet with most of the odds in our favor, why are so many of us terrified, for lack of a better word, when we travel abroad, but not when we sit behind the wheel of a car?

Part of the answer is that -- unlike car wrecks -- strife and disaster are front-page news.

“We are presented with a continuous stream of stories telling us about the most recent horrible incident and the possibilities of future terrors,” said Michael L. Rothschild in a paper for the AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies. “Frequent repetition of these stories may lead people to overestimate the likelihood of future dire events.”

Another factor is that we are in many ways prepared for an auto accident. We carry auto insurance, buckle our seat belts, buy vehicles with air bags, drive defensively and know the numbers to call when we are in an accident.

For the most part, however, we are woefully unprepared in the event of a disaster while traveling.

Some companies have taken extensive measures to protect their road warriors.

“We’re a company that films disasters,” said Robert McGurk, vice president of corporate travel services for Turner Broadcasting, parent company of CNN.

Its preparations include strategically placed fuel depots, training for on-air and support personnel on how to deal with whatever risks they might face and a fully staffed medical bus that can be deployed to disaster areas to provide medical care to personnel.

“If you are willing to spend on mitigation, you can travel safely anywhere,” IJet Chief Executive Bruce McIndoe said.

Although such extensive planning is not essential for most business travelers, there are steps that companies and individuals can take to prepare themselves.

Most important, perhaps, is to know the risks in advance. The State Department maintains a website, www.travel.state.gov, that has the latest travel warnings for trouble spots around the world, although the State Department’s bulletins are not without critics.

For the big picture it is fine, McIndoe said. But it does not have the capacity to home in on specific threats within regions, and it is mired in a bureaucracy that affects the timeliness of its bulletins.

I checked the State Department website last weekend for events in Lebanon and found an advisory providing up-to-date information for U.S. citizens who wanted to leave the country.

Yet when I checked its general information on the Middle East, information on Iraq was woefully out of date. It was clearly posted before the Iraq war and stated that the U.S. did not have “diplomatic relations with Iraq.” U.S. citizens were directed to the Polish Embassy in Baghdad for assistance.

Although that recommendation is obsolete, making use of other countries’ consulates and embassies in a trouble spot can be a smart strategy, McIndoe said. He recommends the Australian and British government websites (www.dfat.gov.au and www.fco.gov.uk) for travel advisories.

In addition to providing traveler risk management services to some 350 corporations, IJet (www.ijet.com) also offers a customized $25 “personal travel intelligence report” for individuals traveling to high-risk areas. They can be ordered only by phone.

I ordered one for Indonesia, which is rated by IJet’s intelligence-gathering operations as “high risk.” The rating is based on crime, civil unrest and risk of terrorism, among other criteria. It contained detailed information on recent events and local emergency phone numbers, as well as the addresses and phone numbers of the U.S. Embassy and eight other embassies.

U.S. travelers should be wary of entering countries where conditions for Americans are unsafe. But if you find yourself in a country where attacks targeting Americans are underway, be aware that the U.S. Embassy is often targeted also.

During such periods of strife, McIndoe recommends that travelers seek assistance from the embassies of U.S.-allied nations such as Australia, Canada, Britain or Switzerland rather than the U.S. Embassy.

If you cannot reach an embassy, find a well-known hotel brand and seek assistance or shelter.

“Go to a hotel you know and the hotel will take care of you,” said Carolyn Blackburn, associate director of sales for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts. After the 2004 tsunami, Shangri-La hotels in the region opened their doors to travelers in need.

Hotels and airlines will work with travelers affected by disasters. Last week, for example, US Airways waived change fees and provided its lowest advance purchase fares to walk-up customers who were fleeing Lebanon.

Keeping in touch during times of emergency can be a challenge. Cellphone and other phone service may be spotty. Be sure to register with the U.S. Embassy (online at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs) if you are traveling to a hot spot, and provide colleagues and loved ones with a copy of your itinerary.

Also, carry a photocopy of your passport and visa in a place separate from your passport in case the original is lost or stolen.

Being prepared for travel risks cannot eliminate them. But we may worry a little less.

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James Gilden can be reached at james.gilden@latimes.com.