How Executives and Business Leaders Can Navigate Summer Travel With the Latest Worldwide Security Risks

Corporate executives and high-net-worth individuals planning summer trips abroad face unprecedented security complexities this year. While the State Department’s rare “Worldwide Caution” issued on June 22, 2025 – following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites – was lifted on July 1st, the underlying geopolitical tensions that prompted it remain. At Convoy Group, our Pittsburgh-based security team of former special operations, intelligence, and law enforcement professionals has witnessed firsthand how today’s travel landscape demands a multifaceted approach that bridges physical security with digital privacy protection.

The convergence of geopolitical instability, sophisticated cyber threats, and the proliferation of personal information on data broker websites has created what experts call a “perfect storm” for targeted attacks against prominent individuals, and high-profile executives now face daily attempts to exploit their personal information for both digital and physical threats. This reality is here to stay, and it demands comprehensive protection strategies that address both visible and invisible vulnerabilities.

Today’s Threat Reality Creates Cascading Security Risks for Summer Travelers

The recent Israel-Iran conflict that triggered airspace closures across the Middle East exemplifies how regional tensions now ripple globally. While the immediate “Worldwide Caution” has been rescinded, travel advisories for popular destinations tell a sobering story. 

France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Germany – traditional business and leisure hubs – all carry Level 2 “Exercise Increased Caution” advisories citing terrorism and civil unrest risks. Popular off-the-beaten-path travel destinations such as Uganda and Colombia have been designated as Level 3 “Reconsider Travel.” 

These warnings, which are far from abstract, reflect measurable increases in anti-American demonstrations, surveillance of Western business travelers, and opportunistic crime targeting affluent tourists.

European destinations experiencing anti-tourism protests compound these risks, particularly in cities such as Barcelona, Rome, and parts of France where locals increasingly view high-spending visitors as symbols of economic inequality. Our executive protection specialists report that clients who once moved relatively freely through major European cities now require discrete security, as well as clearly defined Priority Intelligence Requirements (PIR) routing to avoid protest zones and minimize exposure.

Executive & Business Travelers’ Digital Vulnerabilities Amplify Physical Risks

The intersection of physical and digital security has reached an interesting inflection point. High-profile individuals face daily attempts to exploit personal information that appears on hundreds of data broker websites, which provide the information threat actors need to create detailed profiles that enable sophisticated targeting.

Threat actors now routinely combine publicly available personally identifiable information (PII) with pattern of life (POL) development to create attack vectors against executives and high-net-worth travelers. Along with physical surveillance, travel booking confirmations, airport check-ins shared on social media, and even loyalty program data can be weaponized by adversaries seeking to predict movements, identify vulnerabilities, or plan physical confrontations.

The scale of this exposure is staggering. Zimperium’s 2025 threat intelligence reveals over 5 million unsecured public Wi-Fi networks globally, with roughly 33% of users still connecting despite known risks. For executives carrying sensitive corporate data or managing high-value personal affairs, each connection represents a potential breach point for both immediate cyber-attacks and longer-term intelligence gathering by threat actors.

Pre-Departure Intelligence and Risk Mitigation for Executive and High-Profile Travelers

Advanced Threat Assessment Beyond State Department Advisories

While State Department travel advisories provide baseline risk assessments, executive protection requires granular intelligence that accounts for specific threats facing high-profile and business travelers. 

Political Stability Analysis: Beyond general country conditions, we assess local tensions that might specifically target American business interests. Recent examples include increased scrutiny of U.S. executives in certain European cities following trade disputes, and heightened surveillance of technology sector leaders in regions where data privacy regulations create compliance tensions.

Criminal Activity Mapping: High-net-worth individuals face elevated risks from organized criminal groups that specifically target affluent travelers. Security company intelligence programs should track kidnapping patterns, express kidnapping trends, and sophisticated fraud schemes that exploit travel patterns.

Economic Crime Intelligence: The proliferation of digital payment systems and cryptocurrency has created new opportunities for financially motivated attacks against traveling executives. This includes everything from SIM card swapping schemes targeting business travelers to elaborate social engineering attacks that exploit knowledge of executive travel schedules.

Operational Security During Travel

Executive and Close Protection

Traditional executive protection emphasized predictable, controlled movements. Today’s threat environment requires adaptive strategies that account for both physical surveillance and digital tracking.

Route Variation and Timing 

Predictable patterns create vulnerabilities that can be exploited by both physical and digital threat actors. Holistic executive protection programs employ dynamic routes that account for real-time intelligence, traffic analysis, and threat assessment updates.

Communication Protocols

Secure communication becomes critical when standard channels may be compromised. This includes establishing backup communication methods, using encrypted messaging applications, and maintaining contact protocols that don’t reveal sensitive information about locations or schedules.

Digital Hygiene While on Business Travel

Daily operational security requires constant vigilance about digital exposures. This includes regular device security checks, careful management of location services, and strategic decisions about what information to access while abroad.

Medical Emergency Preparedness

High-quality medical care may not be immediately available in all destinations. Emergency response plans should include pre-identified medical facilities, emergency transportation capabilities, and medical evacuation insurance that accounts for potential security complications.

Corporate Executives and Business Leaders Need Comprehensive Security in an Interconnected World

Summer 2025 has demonstrated that effective executive protection while traveling requires more than traditional security measures. The temporary “Worldwide Caution” may have been lifted, but the underlying conditions that created elevated global risks, such as geopolitical tension, sophisticated criminal operations, and the weaponization of personal information, continue to evolve.

Today’s security environment demands integrated approaches that address physical threats, digital vulnerabilities, and the intersection between them. Personal information monitoring and removal services can create a defensive barrier against physical targeting; however, sophisticated threat actors continue to develop new methods for exploiting the gap between physical and digital security domains.

For executives and high-net-worth individuals, effective travel security now requires comprehensive strategies that begin with digital privacy hardening and extend through sophisticated protective  intelligence, dynamic operational security, and pre-positioned crisis response capabilities. 

At Convoy Group, we understand that protecting today’s executive travellers requires more than traditional security approaches. Our team of former special operations, intelligence, and law enforcement professionals provides integrated executive protection services that address both the visible and invisible threats facing high-profile travelers. When your safety and security can’t be left to chance, comprehensive protection becomes essential.