Questions, answered.

Glossary

Plain-language meanings of terms you'll see on this site and in your plan.

STEP

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program — a free U.S. government service that sends you safety alerts and lets the embassy contact you in an emergency. Enroll at step.state.gov.

Travel advisory

Official safety guidance your government publishes for each country. The U.S. uses levels 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel).

Embassy vs. consulate

An embassy is your country's main office in the capital; consulates are smaller branch offices in other cities. Both can help with lost passports, arrests, and emergencies.

Evacuation (evac)

Leaving an area because it's unsafe — for example due to a storm, unrest or a medical need. Your plan lists triggers (when to leave) and routes (how).

Shelter in place

Staying indoors where you are, rather than traveling, until it's safe to move.

Duty of care

An employer's responsibility to keep traveling staff reasonably safe: assessing risks, providing support, and knowing where people are.

ISO 31030

An international standard for managing business travel risk. Choosing it gives business plans a more formal, audit-ready structure.

Escalation

Who to contact next, and in what order, when something goes wrong or a check-in is missed.

Check-in cadence

How often you message a contact at home to say you're OK (for example daily). If you miss one, they follow your plan's steps.

PEP

Post-exposure prophylaxis — medicine taken soon after possible exposure to HIV (for example a needlestick injury). Timing matters, so clinicians plan ahead.

PPE

Personal protective equipment such as gloves, masks and gowns.

eSIM

A digital SIM card you download to your phone. Travel eSIMs give you local data abroad without swapping a physical card, if your phone supports it.

Roaming

Using your home carrier's service abroad. Many carriers sell daily or monthly international passes; without one, charges can be high.

Carry card

The fold-up page at the end of every plan with your key emergency numbers and trip details, to print and keep in your wallet.

Trip Pack

A one-time purchase covering any 3 plans, of any tier, used within one year.

Team bundle

A one-time purchase of 5–50 plan credits for an organization. The buyer shares an invite code; each traveler completes their own questionnaire and each plan uses one credit.

Membership

An annual subscription with 10 plans per year while it's active. It's the only option that renews.

Risk level

Our overall rating for your trip (low, moderate, elevated, high), based on destination, activities and travelers.