Security Report: How to deal with strikes when you travel?

The world today is riddled with protests, strikes, and demonstrations. Very often, the demonstrations which objective is to get heard by the government, are organized in center cities near busy business and/or touristy attractions. Being that protests and tourists mix worse than oil and water, we decided to dedicate this blog on how to stay safe when affected by protests and strikes abroad.
 

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Activists demonstrate on Barcelona beach in a bid to 'reclaim' it from tourists (Image: Albert Llop/Anadolu GettyImages) 
 

First, it is important to stay updated regarding your destination. For instance, there are some notable demonstrations and strikes worldwide that we feel you should know about. The first of which being a massive rail and underground labor strike. The strike is set to happen on October 3rd through 5th, and will affect most major cities in England. Being stranded in some strange part of town late at night because you can’t catch a train back is an awful experience for a traveler. Make sure you plan other travel arrangements for those dates.

Another major strike is impacting impact Spain’s national airport. The strike started September 28, and was set to continue for a month. Fortunately, negotiations with management were successful and it was agreed that the strikes would end by September 30th. Travelers going through Spanish airports should plan extra time for check in and security, as well as monitor the local media for any reversals of the decision. Additional news from Spain includes the continued demonstrations regarding Catalan Independence vote. While these demonstrations are mostly peaceful, they can prolong travel times. Be sure to check the news daily to locate affected areas, and plan travel accordingly.

We highly recommend that before you travel anywhere; you look up potential strikes and protests that could be affecting your destination (via local news). If you find out that a protest or strike is happening near your destination, you should:

  • Confirm your itinerary with your travel agency, airline, or rail company to verify whether your travels will be disrupted.
  • Consider other means of transport as early as possible. Often other carriers or modes of transportation sell out rapidly.
  • Stick with airline alliances. This is helpful when trying to avoid strikes, as the impacted airlines will probably re-route you on one of their partner’s flights.
  • Avoid areas of protest. They can often be detrimental to travel goals, and dangerous. Plan lots of extra time so you can travel around the affected areas.
Posted: 9/29/2017 4:18:41 PM