Monthly Risk Spotlight: April 2021

AMERICAS Thousands Displaced as Venezuela Targets Colombian Guerilla Group in Borderlands On 21 March the Venezuelan military-initiated operations targeting an offshoot of the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerilla group known as the Tenth Front in Venezuela’s Apure state along the Venezuela/Colombia border. The borderlands shared by these two countries have long been… Read more »

Avoiding Periscope Paralysis: Practicing Horizon Scanning and Situational Awareness for All International Travel Risks

When a submarine dives to avoid surface detection and protect itself by avoiding threats from above, it may raise its periscope from time to time to get a sense of the threat from above. If that operator just focuses on the one threat that drove them below without using its other senses – like radar… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: March 2021

AMERICAS Elections in El Salvador Give Historic New Mandate to President Bukele On February 28 El Salvador legislative and municipal election results revealed that President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas Party won a two-thirds majority of general assembly seats (56 of 84), a significant deviation from the post-Civil War bipolar status quo in which power was… Read more »

Overseeing International Travel in the New Normal: An Innovative Approach to Risk Management and Duty of Care

Many organizations spent most of 2020 reacting to travel bans and awaiting mandates from public health officials. Now, as more of the global population gets vaccinated, governments reduce their border restrictions, and overall confidence in travel continues to build, many organizations are looking for a fresh approach to traveler protection, risk management, and duty of… Read more »

Monthly Risk Spotlight: February 2021

AMERICAS Central-South American Asylum Seekers Continue Attempt to Reach the US In mid-January riot police in Guatemala blocked approximately 7,000 migrants traveling north through the country in hopes of reaching the US. Violence was reported, with police deploying tear gas and using batons in clashes with migrants. This was the first mass group, or “caravan,”… Read more »

COVID-19 Vaccines & Travel: Q+A with On Call’s Chief Medical Officer: Part 2

The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines has inspired optimism around restarting travel. According to On Call’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Siegart, “Receiving the COVID-19 vaccination is a vital step toward beating this pandemic and will ultimately play a pivotal role in creating more confidence around travel in the months to come.”  Dr. Siegart says he’s seen… Read more »

COVID-19 Vaccines & Travel: Q+A with On Call’s Chief Medical Officer: Part 1

The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines has inspired optimism around restarting travel. According to On Call’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Siegart, “Receiving the COVID-19 vaccination is a vital step toward beating this pandemic and will ultimately play a pivotal role in creating more confidence around travel in the months to come.”  Dr. Siegart says he’s seen… Read more »

The Status and Outlook of International Travel in 2021

In the first quarter of 2020, global travel was severely disrupted due to the emergence of the COVID-19 virus, the subsequent declaration of a global pandemic, and the gradual implementation of international travel restrictions by nearly every country. Throughout the remainder of the year, most countries took a guarded approach to reopening their borders. Various… Read more »

Helping Travelers Every Day: Medical Evacuation of a Patient With a Mental Illness During a Pandemic

On Call’s mission has always been helping travelers in their time of need, every day, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been no different. The pandemic presented some interesting challenges, unique barriers, and extremely nuanced complications amid our efforts to return people home, but nothing that our Global Assistance teams couldn’t handle! Read our latest case… Read more »

TRM in 2021: Trends, Information & Resources for the New Year

Happy New Year! As vaccinations continue to roll out, 2021 is beginning on a note of hopefulness. While the year likely won’t be on par with pre-COVID travel, the vaccine is a huge step in the right direction and reminds us that the international travel sector is ready to bounce back. However, even with all this… Read more »