Staying safe on the move

Flights grounded on the runway, new visa requirements and delays for security checks - these aren't happy times for business travellers. If we're not switching on our laptops for the benefit of airport staff, we're slipping off our shoes to show them a pair of heels. With all that lacing and unlacing, it's no wonder the most popular gift for frequent flyers last Christmas was a pair of loafers.

With all the scare stories, you would think flying was a dangerous business. However, new statistics just released by Flight International show that last year there were only 20 air-related accidents, with 700 deaths worldwide, and that's with airlines now carrying 1.6 billion passengers each year, according to figures from the International Airline Transport Association.

Each death, is, of course, a tragedy for a family in every case, but statistically flying is a lot safer than walking about on the ground. If you wanted to live your full allotment, the best thing you could do would be to board a plane now and stay on for the next 50 years - many business travellers feel they do just that.

Besides, as regular flyers we don't worry about the plane crashing - we're more concerned about getting there on time. What we should be thinking about, however, are ways to make sure we're safe once we arrive.

Being kidnapped is a regional thing, admittedly, but in certain parts of the world - particularly South America - it is a growth industry. For instance, in the first half of 2003, there were 165 reported kidnappings of foreigners in Guatemala alone, almost double the figure from 2002. If that still doesn't sound too bad, consider that roughly 70 per cent of kidnappings go unreported because victims, families and companies pay up with no publicity (for obvious reasons).

Increasingly, companies are hiring protection for their employees. Highprofile names, including Texaco, Shell and the National Bank of Kuwait, have professional minders keeping employees and their professional interests safe.

"Fear shouldn't prevent people from travelling," says Bob Hunter, a partner at security firm Osprey Asset Management, which provides bodyguards for mining executives in West Africa. "People can travel almost anywhere as long as they have common sense, sound advice and, where necessary, protection.

Add the risk of a terrorist outrage - particularly a suicide bombing - to the equation and you would think that with so many bugbears, business travellers would simply stay at home. But, as we know only too well, hi-tech interaction isn't always the most effective way of doing a deal. Despite developments in video-conferencing, you need to have already built up a relationship with the people at the other end for long-distance communication to be productive. Meeting face to face is still the best way.