Duty of Care for VIPs: Crafting an executive travel risk management plan

Arranging travel for senior leadership or high-profile guests puts your company’s duty of care obligations under a microscope, as their safety and security during the trip will directly reflect on you. While having a strong travel policy is an excellent starting point, you will need to create a bespoke travel risk management plan to address the unique challenges and requirements of executive travel.

Here, we offer actionable guidance to ensure that you have a travel management strategy in place that will allow special guests and senior leadership to travel for work safely, efficiently, and with complete peace of mind.

Why VIP travel requires enhanced duty of care

Keeping your traveling team members safe is the foundation of any travel program, but for when managing a VIP’s journey, this responsibility expands to consider additional factors: 

• Demanding schedules

  • Packed itineraries across multiple time zones can lead to fatigue and burnout, increasing the risk of accidents or health issues.

• Non-employee VIPs

  • When you arrange travel for important guests, like keynote speakers or clients, your company’s duty of care requirements extend to them.

• Access to sensitive information

  • The devices carried by leadership and VIPs are more likely to contain confidential company data, making careful travel planning and following best practices for travel cybersecurity a top priority.

• Brand reputation

  • An incident involving senior leadership or an important guest could impact brand trust and reputation.

Building your VIP travel risk management plan in 5 steps

This five-step framework provides a comprehensive structure for developing a robust VIP travel risk management plan that’s proactive, data-driven, and built on clear communication.

Step 1: Review existing travel policies

Before you create a VIP travel risk management plan, a core risk management program and clear business travel rules should already be in place. This should be the starting point of your new VIP plan and focus on;

• Providing clear policies and procedures to minimize risk

• Using real-time data to inform travel decisions

• Providing pre-travel training and support

• Careful evaluation of regional considerations

Step 2: Conduct a multi-layered risk assessment

With the foundations in place, your next step is to conduct a granular and personalized risk assessment, covering compliance, health, and location-specific challenges for your VIP.

• Travel itineraries

  • Closely examine the itinerary to identify potential bottlenecks or issues that can be anticipated before the journey begins.

  • This should include planning alternatives if a flight or hotel was canceled.

• Immigration and compliance 

  • Proactively manage immigration requirements, such as visas and entry rules, to prevent issues at borders and keep travel moving smoothly. 

  • Use internal data from booking and expense systems to understand travel patterns and identify potential compliance risks before they arise. 

  • Where possible, use your VIP’s existing frequent traveler programs to help streamline this process.

• Assess health requirements 

  • Ensure all mandatory vaccination or medical requirements for the destination are met by checking the latest guidance from local health agencies, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

  • Evaluate the accessibility and quality of medical care options for locations on the itinerary.

• Review geographical and political risk 

  • Begin with an assessment of travel advisories from the U.S. Department of State (or the equivalent body if traveling internationally). 

  • Consider the effect of the destination’s geopolitical situation and local risks, such as crime rates or environmental hazards.

Step 3: Provide pre-travel support

For any travel management plan to be effective, it’s essential that everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities.

• Establish clear communications 

  • Provide training for executives and any other staff or individuals traveling in their group to establish clear communication channels e.g. contact information. This ensures that your team can quickly identify and resolve issues.

• Conduct a pre-travel briefing 

  • Hold a briefing before every trip to review the itinerary and destination-specific advice, including local business travel etiquette, emergency contacts, and any special precautions. This should ideally include the VIP, but could be focused towards their supporting team and traveling party.

• Confirm support and compensation responsibilities 

  • Before the journey begins, confirm how support will be provided during an incident, including who is responsible for costs associated with medical care or changes to travel and accommodation plans.

Step 4: Real-time support and tracking

Once the trip is underway, knowing where your traveler is and supporting their journey is an active, real-time responsibility.

• Location tracking 

  • Maintain visibility of the traveler's itinerary and location to allow for rapid contingency planning and avoiding delays.

• Travel alerts 

  • Use real-time travel alerts to keep travelers informed about any incidents or changes that could impact their trip, such as transport strikes or bad weather.

• Provide clear incident reporting instructions 

  • Make sure the VIP and their traveling party have clear, simple instructions for how to report any incident 24/7, from a minor issue to a major crisis. They'll need to know who to contact and what information to provide.

Step 5: Conduct post-trip reviews

The work you put into a VIP's travel risk plan doesn't end when the trip does. Take the opportunity to gather learnings and feedback so that each journey contributes towards a living document that continuously improves. 

• Secure traveler feedback

  • Discuss what worked well and identify any areas for improvement in the process or support provided.

• Update and review

  • Integrate learning to adjust and improve your base senior leadership travel management plan. This should be used as a starting point for future VIP trip planning.

Balancing duty of care with the traveler's experience

Effective risk management isn’t about restricting executives; it’s about empowering them to travel confidently. By providing them with the right information, tools, and support, you can maintain duty of care essentials while supporting the individual.

• Consider traveler preferences

  • Discuss their preferences and requirements to create a travel plan they have confidence in.

• Provide vetted options 

  • Where possible, provide your guest with the freedom of choice between trusted transport, hotel, and vip travel service options. Investigate hotel loyalty programs for opportunities to enhance their experience.

• Focus on seamless travel 

  • A smooth, convenient journey is a core part of a positive traveler experience. Use a platform that centralizes every detail of the trip, making it easy to travel for business like a real VIP.

VIP travel risk management checklist

Use this checklist as a starting point to ensure you’ve covered the duty of care and risk management essentials for every executive trip. You can download the checklist below as a PDF here.

Pre-Travel

• Review and update the individual risk profile.

• Complete a destination-specific risk assessment.

• Confirm the itinerary and contact travel and accommodation providers.

• Verify that all necessary visas, travel documents, and medical insurance are arranged.

• Conduct a pre-travel briefing.

• Confirm communication channels with the traveler.

• Confirm support and compensation responsibilities.

During Travel

• Establish location tracking.

• Conduct regularly scheduled check-ins

• Provide 24/7 support that is easily accessible to the traveler.

Post-Travel

• Hold a post-trip debrief with the traveler and support staff.

• Collect feedback from everyone involved in the trip.

• Update the base senior leadership travel management plan.

For a more in-depth look at building a company-wide strategy, see our complete guide to creating a travel risk management program.

Smarter, safer travel for your leadership team

A dedicated travel risk management plan for VIPs and senior leadership is crucial for providing duty of care in special circumstances, allowing important guests and leadership to easily connect with your colleagues and customers around the world.

Ready to provide your leaders with a seamless and secure travel experience? Discover how Perk's Executive Experience solution offers personalized support, premium inventory, and robust safety features, all within your budget.