Hour 0–1: Confirm what's actually happening
The first mistake most travellers make is reacting to fragmented information. A push notification, a panicked WhatsApp from a relative back home, a siren outside the hotel – none of these tell you what's actually going on or how it affects you specifically.
Before you do anything else:
- Verify from at least two independent sources. A government advisory, a credible local news outlet, and a real-time alert service should agree on the basic facts before you act on them.
- Establish the geographic scope. A bombing in one neighbourhood of a capital city is not the same as a coup. Know whether the threat is local, regional, or national.
- Understand the trajectory. Is the situation contained, escalating, or unclear? Most decisions hinge on this.
Acting on rumour costs travellers thousands every year – the wrong evacuation flight, the abandoned hotel room, the panicked drive into a worse area.
Hour 1–3: Secure the basics
Once you know what's happening, lock down four things in this order:
- Location. Are you somewhere safe right now? If yes, stay put while you plan. If no, move to the nearest place that is – a major hotel, an embassy district, or a shopping centre with security tend to be safer than streets, transport hubs, or government buildings.
- Cash. Withdraw what you can while ATMs still work. In every recent crisis – Beirut 2019, Khartoum 2023, Tel Aviv 2023 – cash networks have been the first thing to fail.
- Documents. Passport, secondary ID, proof of insurance, embassy registration confirmation. Photograph everything and email the photos to yourself.
- Communication. Tell two people back home: where you are, that you're safe, and when you'll next check in. Then stop replying to every message – you'll burn battery and signal capacity you may need later.
Hour 3–12: Decide whether to move or stay
This is the decision most travellers get wrong. The instinct is always to leave immediately. Sometimes that's right. Often it isn't.
You should stay if: the situation is contained, your accommodation is secure, the airport is closed or chaotic, or moving means crossing through the affected area.
You should move if: the situation is escalating in your direction, infrastructure is degrading (power, water, communications), or your government has issued a directive to leave.
If you decide to move, commercial flights are almost always your best option – even at inflated prices. Government-organised evacuations are a last resort: they're slow, uncomfortable, and you'll pay for them later. Land borders are unpredictable. Private charters are usually a scam in the first 48 hours.
Hour 12–24: Stabilise
If you're staying: stock 72 hours of water and food, charge every device, and identify a secondary safe location in case your first one becomes unsafe.
If you're moving: confirm your route, share it with your contacts, and leave with a full tank of fuel or fully charged transport. Don't travel at night unless you have no choice.
In both cases, sleep when you can. Crisis decisions get worse fast when you're exhausted, and most situations last longer than the first day.
The pre-crisis preparation that makes this possible
This playbook only works if you've done a few things before you travel. Register with your embassy. Buy travel insurance that includes evacuation cover (not all policies do – read the wording). Save offline maps of the country. Keep a 72-hour emergency kit in your luggage. And use a real-time safety alert service that monitors threats in your specific location, not just the country at large.
Most travellers spend more time researching restaurants than any of the above.