Women’s business travel safety: a guide for companies

Women travel for work every day: to visit clients, run training sessions, attend trade shows and close deals in other cities and countries. Most of the time, everything goes smoothly. But anyone who travels knows that some situations call for extra attention, such as arriving late in an unfamiliar city, taking a ride-hailing car alone at night or staying in a hotel where anyone can walk into the guest-room corridors.

Since 1989, ArrowTur has been organizing corporate travel for companies across many industries, and experience shows that women’s safety on business trips does not depend only on individual precautions. It starts with the company’s travel policy, runs through the choice of flights, hotels and ground transportation, and ends with support that responds quickly when something goes off plan. This guide brings together practical measures for companies and travelers.

Why the company should address it in the travel policy

Companies have a duty to look after the people who travel on their behalf, known as duty of care. This applies to every employee, but some risks affect women more, such as harassment, unwanted approaches and unsafe journeys at night. Ignoring the topic leaves each traveler to handle on her own issues the company could prevent with a few simple rules.

In practice, addressing women’s safety in the travel policy means:

• Authorizing safer choices even when they cost a little more, such as a better-located hotel or a transfer instead of a ride-hailing app at night.
• Listening to the traveler: if she does not feel safe with a booking, she should be able to ask for a change without lengthy explanations.
• Setting up a support channel for emergencies, with contacts that work outside business hours.
• Briefing managers so that schedules and bookings take these precautions into account from the start.

Choosing the hotel: location and facilities

The hotel is where the traveler spends the most time alone, so the choice deserves care. Some criteria that help:

• Location: prefer busy areas close to the meeting venue, with restaurants and shops nearby, to avoid long trips at night.
• Front desk that never closes and access control: key-card elevators and a monitored entrance keep strangers away from guest-room floors.
• Room floor: rooms on middle floors, away from service stairs and side exits, tend to be safer. The agency can add this request to the booking.
• Discretion at check-in: the room number should not be said out loud at the front desk. If it is, the traveler can ask for a different room.
• Reviews from other female guests: recent comments about safety and service say a lot about a hotel.

Hotels with rates negotiated by the company or the agency have an extra advantage: they have already been vetted and are often used by other corporate travelers.

Flights and arrival times

Flight times have a big impact on safety. Landing at midnight in an unfamiliar city and still needing a ride to the hotel is very different from arriving in the late afternoon. Whenever the schedule allows, it is worth:

• Choosing flights that arrive in daylight or early in the evening.
• Avoiding long overnight layovers at quiet airports.
• Booking fares that allow changes, so the traveler does not have to stay longer than she wants if plans change.
• Sharing the full itinerary with the company and with someone she trusts.

Ground transportation: transfer, taxi or ride-hailing app

The trip between the airport, the hotel and meetings is one of the most sensitive moments of the journey. For night arrivals or cities the traveler does not know, a transfer booked in advance is usually the most comfortable option: the driver is identified, the route is set and there is no haggling at the airport exit.

When using a ride-hailing app, a few simple habits help: check the license plate and the driver’s name before getting in, sit in the back seat, share the ride in real time with someone she trusts and avoid giving personal details during the trip. Taxis should be taken from official stands, never from drivers who approach passengers in the arrivals hall.

The company policy can state clearly that, at night, a transfer is authorized even if it costs more than a ride-hailing app.

Communication and emergency plan

Knowing whom to call when something goes wrong is part of staying safe. Before the trip, the employee should have:

• The contact details of her direct manager and of someone in HR or corporate security.
• The travel agency’s contact, with emergency support outside business hours.
• Local emergency numbers and, on international trips, the contact of her country’s consulate.
• Her travel insurance details, with the assistance hotline number, when applicable.

Agreeing on simple check-ins, such as a message on arrival at the hotel, lets the company know everything is fine without intruding on the traveler’s privacy.

International trips: extra attention

When traveling abroad, it pays to research local customs, recommended areas to stay and the destination’s safety advice beforehand. Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes guidance for Brazilians abroad on its Consular Portal (in Portuguese). In some countries, dress codes and norms of behavior in public differ from ours, and knowing them avoids awkward situations. Keep digital copies of your documents and store your passport in a safe place.

Women’s business travel safety with ArrowTur

ArrowTur helps companies make traveler safety part of the routine: we recommend well-located hotels with negotiated rates, add requests such as the room floor to the booking, prioritize suitable flight times and book transfers for night arrivals. With self booking, the company’s policy shows up at the time of booking, and travelers can count on our team Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Brasília time), with emergency support outside those hours for changes and unexpected events. Learn about our corporate travel solution or register your company.

To talk to our sales team, call +55 11 5189-4120 or message us on WhatsApp.

Read also: Duty of care: how to keep employees safe on business trips.

Frequently asked questions

Can the company approve a more expensive hotel for safety reasons?

Yes, and it is a good idea for the travel policy to allow this exception. A small difference in the nightly rate is usually worth the traveler’s peace of mind and reduces the risk of bigger problems.

Transfer or ride-hailing app: which is safer at night?

For night arrivals and unfamiliar cities, a transfer booked in advance is usually the safer option, because the driver and the route are set before the trip.

What should the traveler do if she feels unsafe at the hotel?

She should ask the front desk for another room or contact the agency to change hotels. The company policy should make clear that this change is allowed.