In 2015, I set out to recruit a network of specially trained crisis response consultants located in strategic regions around the world, who could be called upon at a moments notice to form small teams should they be required, in the wake of natural disasters, terrorist attacks and political unrest. 

While the idea seemed feasible, convincing insurers and corporate clients to pay a retainer that would make this happen proved to be impossible. Not deterred, I carried on my quest. 

I was living in Mexico City at the time and had a network of associates who are former military and intelligence specialists from various countries, but all were located throughout Latin America providing close protection, security consulting and kidnap & ransom services for other companies. 

Over the next 18-months, we received various case activations to send ground-agents to assist with cases in almost every country throughout LATAM, but nothing yet that had required a crisis response team, or even more than one ground-agent at a time. 

On March 18th, 2017 — that changed. I was living in Medellin, Colombia when Breaking news on CNN reported that torrential rain had caused several rivers to burst their banks in Peru, and specifically mentioned stranded British, Australian and American tourists at Machu Picchu and in Lima. 

I knew Peru like the back of my hand, I had operated there several times before and been as a tourist. I reached out to insurance clients to inform them that we had the capability to put a team on the ground, but all gave the same answer. “Let’s wait and see what happens.” 

I am a strong believer that by being proactive, there is less need to be reactive and this situation was going to get worse before it got better. This was my chance to prove that a crisis response team can not only save insurers money, but it can also save lives. 

As a company, we made the decision to put boots-on-the-ground, knowing full well that we may never get paid to do so. Myself and three other crisis response consultants all deployed to Lima, and as with any disaster, it was absolute chaos when we arrived. Four people trying to get into the country, while thousands were trying to leave. 

There was no running water in the city and shops had rationed bottles of water to two per person. We needed a local SIM card, but in Peru you have to show a resident card even to get a pay-as-you-go. I made a deal with a lady in the store who had five children, that if she helped me get a SIM card, each member of our team would buy two bottles of water each and walk them to her car. Little did we know at the time that she didn’t have a car and we ended up walking 6km’s, but needs must. 

I spent the next five hours emailing our clients, and then every insurance and assistance company I could think of to inform them that we were on-the-ground and ready to assist if required. I had sent one member of the team to find a printer who could print a board with the company name on it that we could set up at the airport. Another team member went to locate vehicle rental agencies, and I sent another team member to two of the biggest hospitals to search for tourists who had been admitted.

At this point I was starting to feel like an ambulance chaser, but I was convinced that we could not only help travellers; but also prove that a proactive crisis response team can work. 

Thirteen hours after we arrived, we received the first official crisis response case. 16 gap-year students had become stranded north of Lima in a region where the roads had been washed away with reports of several landslides. 

We rented two SUV’s and deployed to locate the students, successfully rescuing and evacuating them to Lima on a mission that took over 13-hours (one flat tyre and a minor injury). 

From that point on, we were activated on nine other cases, including coordinating a helicopter rescue for stranded tourists, and an express kidnapping case where a traveller was being held by a hostel and money taken from his bank card each day.

Traveller Assist now has a retained crisis response team of 14 medical and security trained personnel, including myself, who are strategically located around the world, with a further network of consultants and ground-agents that we can call upon when required.

To date, we have deployed to 37 countries and assisted over 1,000 travellers. In some cases, we have deployed without being activated, but knowing by waiting we are missing the window of opportunity, i.e. airports being closed making it more difficult to enter a country etc. While strategic, it's also a risky business decision. I'm pleased to say that for every decision that we have made to deploy before the case activation, our team was activated soon after by clients', and other assistance providers.

My goal at the beginning of 2019 was to deploy our crisis response team at least once per month. At the time of writing (11th October, 2019) Traveller Assist has deployed our crisis response team 23 times so far this year. 

January

United States — After a Caribbean cruise ship was redirected to Florida with 275+ passengers onboard infected with Norovirus, Traveller Assist were activated to send a response team to coordinate ground transportation, direct care to network hospitals, provide medical assistance and cost containment, and assist all travellers with onward flight tickets home. 

February

Colombia — Kidnap & Ransom case

March

Barbados — After 111 elderly cruise ship passengers complained of breathing difficulties onboard, Traveller Assist was activated to send a medical doctor and nurse to meet the ship when it docked, assess the passengers and direct care to network hospitals as required — providing ongoing medical and travel assistance. 

Ethiopia — Within seven-hours of the tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people onboard, two members of the Traveller Assist crisis response team were on the ground in Addis Ababa to assist insurers and families of the victims. In total, Traveller Assist coordinated the repatriation of mortal remains for 18-bodies to four different countries on behalf of nine travel insurers, and two families of uninsured travellers who paid privately.

April

Sri Lanka — Within 12-hours of the coordinated terrorist attacks in six locations that caused 259 fatalities and 500 injuries, Traveller Assist’s crisis response team were on the ground in Colombo to assist a special risks insurer in locating and assisting a HNWI family who had been staying at one of the targeted resorts. 

Sudan — Kidnap & Ransom case

May 

Curacao — After the Government of Curacao ordered 900 passengers on two cruise ships to be quarantined until they were screened and vaccinating for Measles, Traveller Assist was activated to deploy two doctors and two nurses to the country to assist with screening and administering Measles vaccinations. 

Venezuela — Kidnap & Ransom case

Iraq — When the United States Government publicly ordered all non-essential staff out of the country due to a credible threat from Iran, they inadvertently created a major security issue by alerting people to the fact that road moves of US personnel would be happening between the international zone in Baghdad and the International Airport. Traveller Assist were activated to deploy our in-country team to coordinate the safe evacuation of 25 NGO staff. 

June

South Sudan — Kidnap & Ransom case

July

Spain —When 2,400 passengers were stranded onboard a cruise ship in Barcelona due to mechanical issues, Traveller Assist were activated to send a team to provide assistance for travellers onboard who would miss their flights home due to the ship not being able to make its final port of call in Italy. 

Somalia — When a complex terrorist attack targeted a hotel complex in Kismayo, 26 people were killed and scores were injured. Traveller Assist was activated to deploy a security assistance team to Kismayo to locate three business travellers who had been taken to two separate hospitals in high-risk areas — and to provide an immediate evacuation out of the country. 

Costa Rica — After several ‘unexplained’ deaths were reported at two separate hotels, Traveller Assist deployed two investigators to liaise with local police and interview families of the victims. This then led to a surveillance operation on the hotels in question, and finally led to three arrests being made and two hotels being closed down for re-bottling empty brand name spirits with tainted alcohol. 

August 

Sierra Leone — After flash-floods hit Freetown, Sierra Leone — our in-country team who are co-located with an NGO client successfully relocated two offices and 17 staff, and rescued two people who had been swept away by flood waters. 

Hong Kong — When an insurer triggered the policies of expats and international students in Hong Kong amid violent protests, Traveller Assist was activated to deploy a crisis response team to locate and safely evacuate 173 people out of the country. 

Chad — Kidnap & Ransom case

September

Bahamas — Traveller Assist deployed three members of our crisis response team to Nassau three days before Hurricane Dorian hit, to provide assistance for those who were evacuating. 12-hours before the hurricane hit, the team moved across to Freeport where they sheltered in place until after the hurricane passed, ready to provide assistance for those who did not evacuate. 

Japan — A special risks insurer activated Traveller Assist to deploy medical and security staff to Japan to provide duty of care consulting and to be on standby to provide medical assistance and crisis response for teams and support staff at the Rugby World Cup.

Thomas Cook — Traveller Assist was activated by a UK travel insurer to deploy nine staff to five countries (Mexico, Tunisia, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece) to assist stranded Thomas Cook passengers, and to ensure that hotels did not evict guests or request money from them. 

October 

Tanzania — A travel insurer activated Traveller Assist to send our in-country medical doctor and nurse to two hospitals to independently screen five travellers for the Ebola virus. The hospitals had insisted that the travellers had influenza, but the symptoms seemed too severe. After testing was carried out, three travellers tested positive for the virus.

Iraq — The insurance policies of 31 NGO workers was triggered due to a deteriorating security situation and Traveller Assist was activated to safely evacuate all staff out of the country. 

Libya — Kidnap & Ransom case

Ecuador — Traveller Assist was activated to deploy a crisis response team to Quito to assess whether a safe evacuation of travellers and expats could be carried out via the international airport due to a deteriorating security situation; and to identify possible safe havens throughout the country.