Understanding and Addressing Risk Indicators
The Department of State’s travel advisories often include specific risk indicators to be aware of during your trip. Here’s how they define those indicators and the letter they use to denote each indicator:
- C – Crime: Widespread violent or organized crime is present in areas of the country. Local law enforcement may have limited ability to respond to serious crimes.
- T – Terrorism: Terrorist attacks have occurred and/or specific threats against civilians, groups, or other targets may exist.
- U – Civil Unrest: Political, economic, religious, and/or ethnic instability exists. It may cause violence, major disruptions, and/or safety risks.
- H – Health: Health risks, including current disease outbreaks or a crisis that disrupts a country’s medical infrastructure, are present. The issuance of a Centers for Disease Control Travel Notice may also be a factor.
- N - Natural Disaster: A natural disaster, or its aftermath, poses danger.
- E - Time-limited Event: Short-term event, such as elections, sporting events, or other incidents that may pose safety risks.
- K – Kidnapping or Hostage Taking: Criminal or terrorist individuals or groups have threatened to and/or have seized or detained and threatened to kill, injure or continue to detain individuals in order to compel a third party (including a governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing something as a condition of release.
- D – Wrongful Detention: The risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals exists.
- O – Other: There are potential risks not covered by previous risk indicators.
Our travel protection plans offer coverages to minimize some of these risks. Here’s how we can help based on some common risk indicators:
Crime: Travelers headed to destinations with higher crime rates should consider plans that include coverage for baggage and personal effects, which may help you replace essential items if they’re lost or stolen.
Health and Natural Disasters: For areas with health risks or potential natural disasters, consider a plan with high limits on Medical and Dental coverage and Emergency Assistance & Transportation. Our Premium Plan offers the highest levels of benefits for these types of medical situations.
Terrorism and Civil Unrest: If you’re traveling to a country where there’s a heightened risk of civil disorder or terrorism, our plans include coverages that may help if your trip is impacted. Some limitations apply (A Terrorist Act in the city you’re departing from or in a city you’re scheduled to travel to. The city must not have experienced a terrorist act in the 30 days before you bought travel insurance and the terrorist act must take place within 30 days of your scheduled date of departure).
Check out the air quality index here at: AirNow
Also consider signing up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.