Tailoring ISO 31030 Travel Risk Management
Donald Rumsfeld famously said
“There are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns, that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know.”
In the modern world, the most dangerous "unknown unknowns" are often invisible. Take cybersecurity, for example. Once never considered, not only is it critical to travelling but for societal participation. Losing access to your email address while you are halfway across the world results in losing access to your itinerary, your contacts, digital banking and your sanity.
Life becomes very difficult until you get it back.
The sad reality is most people do not know what they need to know. Consider your fictional "Uncle Joe." He didn’t grow up in the age of cloud computing; his nieces and nephews helped him set up his phone. The TV he watches and the podcasts he listens to don’t encourage cyber hygiene. His social media feed is filled with AI slop and political rage bait.
To help Joe, you need to meet him where he is. Validate his ability to learn:
“Joe, if you have the mental energy to write political soliloquies to strangers in the Facebook comment section, then you absolutely have the capacity to learn how to protect your email.”
From there, explain how the breach could have happened. Reassure him that these hacks are sophisticated and catch people off guard every day. Finally, guide him through the solution using clear visuals and explain why the fix works.
This is the approach that is missing from standard travel advice. This where we bridge the gap between travel agents and security consultants.
In this series, we will explore the ISO 31030 Travel Risk Management guidelines. We’ll translate those concepts into practical, relatable skills so that you can use them in your own life, business or organisation. Learn how to translate ‘compliance’ into ‘consequences’, so that your stakeholders understand the gravity of their situation.
This series is not a one way lecture because there are no perfect and universal solutions. Everyone and everywhere in the world is different. We encourage your participation regardless of your position because..... everyone travels at some point......Together we can identify the "unknown unknowns" and ensure our people come home safe.
Mai Trakulsri - Director and Principal Intelligence Analyst at Travel Assessments
https://www.travelassessments.com
Notes
Known Knowns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REWeBzGuzCc
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 31030 First edition 2021-09 Travel risk management — Guidance for organizations https://www.iso.org/standard/54204.html
