NAVIGATE

With the FIFA World Cup hosted in Doha, Qatar right around the corner, fans - as well as business travellers - need to prepare themselves for the impact these games will have on the Gulf state.

We sit down with Andy James who has more than 10 years' experience living and working in Qatar to discuss the culture and myths travellers need to be aware of before arriving in Qatar.

In this episode we cover dress code (2:23), language and behaviour (11:50), what is unique about this World Cup (17:30), alcohol consumption (23:06), the importance of planning ahead - for both fans and business travellers (30:25), sexuality and intimacy in public (40:54), and local law enforcement and policing (46:45).

For the transcript and to revisit past episodes, click here.

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The Safe Travel Series focuses on popular business and leisure travel destinations. In this episode, we're joined by travel experts with 50+ years of combined experience living in working in Mexico. They discuss several types of kidnapping - and how likely you are to experience them. They also cover tips on traveling safely, understanding cultural nuances, and listening to locals for up-to-date information.

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August is a massive travel month around the world - so in this episode we sit down with Travelex Insurance to discuss current travel trends. With policy counts reaching 2019 figures, we hear how traveller sentiment is shifting, how Travelex is responding to new market demands, and what fine print to read around insurance coverage.

We also hear from WTP's Regional Security Director Frank Harrison about changing risks in Mexico - one of the top five travel destinations for American travellers.

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We interview Kate MacEachern from The Canada Way in Part 2 of our series on firsthand experiences in Ukraine. As a veteran and medical first responder, Kate went to Poland to help. She intended to fight on the frontlines, but quickly realised there was another way to make an impact. Listen to this episode to learn how to fight 'the Canada way' and about the courageous behind-the-scenes support this team is providing to those most in need.

For those wanting to volunteer or going into other high-threat environments, listen for Kate's three pieces of advice and a key mistake many volunteers are making in today's modern-day war.

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GM Risk Group deployed teams across Ukraine in January and continue to support clients on the ground today. In this episode, we hear about their experiences keeping clients safe as the conflict escalated into an invasion, the number one mistake people make in high risk situations, and top recommendations for people heading into conflict zones.

Our guest, Liam Ryan, is the CEO of GM Risk Group, a strategic partner and service provider for World Travel Protection. They provide services such as close protection & security advisory, logistics, emergency medical & incident response, and evacuations.

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Travellers face a variety of risks on their trip due to their personal risk profile, their destination, and the activities conducted during the trip. On top of that, the environmental risks can change at a daily - and hourly - rate. Joining us to talk about seven different types of risks that travellers need to monitor is Manu Scansani from Riskline, a world-class travel risk intelligence company.

We then hear from former intelligence officer, Paul Trotter on what to do with this information. With 15+ years of experience assessing information in high risk locations, Paul shares three things businesses should check in their intelligence reports. And be sure to listen to the end for two trending risks that Paul plans on monitoring moving forward.

For episode transcripts, visit the NAVIGATE podcast page by World Travel Protection.

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What if you could avoid risky or dangerous situations while traveling? In this episode, we discuss how the development of new technology is reshaping the Travel Risk Management industry to more proactively avoid risk.

We hear from leading industry experts as they share where the travel industry's been and where it's heading. Listen to the end as Jason Scott, from leading critical event management tech company Onsolve, shares two key components needed for effective Travel Risk Management.

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With travel picking up, we interviewed security risk management expert, Molly Sweeney, to understand the most common mistakes travellers make when it comes to their safety. Have you made any of them?

Listen to learn the different misconceptions made by business and leisure travellers when it comes to research and preparation. At the end of the episode, Molly and host Paul Trotter discuss the importance of destination intelligence and why each traveller needs a tailored risk assessment.

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In this episode we hear one woman's story of living in Afghanistan when the Taliban returned to Kabul in August 2021. Conflict and international development expert Jill Kornetsky had lived in Afghanistan for seven years and found herself faced with a tough decision to stay or leave - and a closing window of opportunity to make that choice.

Listen to this episode to hear the incredible story of how she managed to escape as part of the US led evacuation effort with her assistant. At the end of the episode, we hear Jill's three tips for travelling and living in high-risk destinations.

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To finish our Mile High Medicine series, this special episode features one traveller's first-hand experience being medically evacuated off the Matterhorn mountain after an intense climbing fall. Adventure enthusiast Chris Shirley shares the complexity of an international evacuation - especially during a pandemic - and what it's like to activate your crisis plan in an emergency.

If you travel to remote places or are an adventure traveller too, listen for Chris's take on having a 'guardian angel' and the lessons learned for future trip planning.

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