Table of Contents - Max Security...including Christmas, Mawlid, and New Year’s Eve. Destinations...

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Transcript of Table of Contents - Max Security...including Christmas, Mawlid, and New Year’s Eve. Destinations...

Page 1: Table of Contents - Max Security...including Christmas, Mawlid, and New Year’s Eve. Destinations in North Africa and the Gulf Region remain popular destinations for Western travelers
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Table of Contents

December – January Holidays .................................................................................................................................... 3

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................... 4

Militancy ...................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Crime ............................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Religious Tensions ......................................................................................................................................................11

Travel ...........................................................................................................................................................................13

What can you do? .......................................................................................................................................................15

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December – January Holidays

SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SATSUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT

Mawlid - Celebrated by Sunni Muslims across majority of Muslim world

Mawlid - Only in Iran; non-working public holiday

Christmas eve & Christmas Day New Year's eve & New Year's Day - Public holiday in most countries

Armenian Orthodox Christmas

Coptic, Russian, Greek Orthodox Christmas

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Executive Summary

While the holiday seasons is full of high spirits and much-anticipated vacation time-off and travel, as we enter December and January this year, there are a number of issues that can stand in the way of seasonal enjoyment. While various risk and threats exist, and indeed increase, at this time of year, remaining aware of these hurdles ahead of time can mean the difference between a stressful and peaceful holiday. This year, the threat of militant attacks during the holiday season remains elevated across the globe. Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations are a high priority target, offering high exposure and a means to project operational capacity. Furthermore, throughout the world, where Christmas and New Year’s are celebrated, the risks of crime ranging from non-violent property crimes to more violent forms, is elevated. The risk is particularly heightened in crowded areas, as well as in popular areas for tourists and the vicinity of large crowds and celebrations. Meanwhile, a large number of holidays for various religious groups, including Christians, Muslims, and Jews sometimes translates into tensions between them, particularly in countries and areas with mixed religious populations. Finally, travel during the holiday season can be a harrowing experience, between busy roads and infrastructure, flight delays and cancellations, lost luggage, inclement weather, and public transportation strikes in some countries. Due to the increased amount of travel during this time, December and January are likely to witness each of these issues. For your convenience, enclosed at the end of this report are our safety recommendations for better familiarity and preparedness in order to significantly reduce the chances that you, your loved ones, or your employees end up in harm’s way.

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RISKS&

THREATSTRAVEL

MILITANCY

CRIME

RELIGIOUS TENSION

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Militancy

The Islamic State made its priorities clear when on Christmas Eve, 2015, it released a 12-minute video that included a number of grandiose threats against the outside world as well as a series of brutal executions. More recently, IS included an article in its November Rumiyah magazine, calling for vehicular attacks on festivities, markets, and other crowded areas, with suggestions of doing so during the holiday period. As transnational militancy continues to proliferate everywhere from Western Europe to East Asia, the holiday season has become a high-payoff target for groups like IS, as the targeting of related events stokes sectarian tension and fear, capitalizes on a high-degree of media exposure, and discredits the security apparatuses of the victimized states. While Western countries remain better equipped to combat the threat, the potential for attacks remains higher than ever throughout the world. Furthermore, as IS loses substantial territory in the Middle East region, the threat of attacks is further elevated across the globe as the group attempts to offset territorial losses by increasing the frequency of retribution attacks against military forces, as well as government infrastructure and foreign interests, as demonstrated in previous holiday seasons.

AFRICA • The holiday period is an attractive one for Jihadists for attacks against Christians, including by such

groups as Boko Haram, namely in the Lake Chad Region, but also in north Nigeria in general and, to a lesser extent, Abuja and Lagos. In fact, the group recently called for the targeting of Christians in the country, and in 2011, Boko Haram did launch a Christmas Day attack against churches in various northern cities.

• Meanwhile, al-Shabaab and their supporters pose a threat in East Africa during the holidays, namely in Kenya and Somalia. While there are few Christian targets in Somalia, the group has frequently targeted Christians in Kenya. Kenya has also seen two noteworthy lone-wolf attacks by Islamic State supporters, in Mombasa and Nairobi, and this is a risk during the holidays.

• In West Africa, al-Qaeda-linked jihadist groups are the main threat, namely in Mali, and has occasionally targeted Westerners in major cities, including in Bamako, Mali; Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; and in Grand Bassam, Ivory Coast. Additionally, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), which operates in the border area between Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali would also gain from a Christmas attack.

• Notwithstanding the above, and despite previous years’ security warnings in the aforementioned countries, the militant threat during the holidays should not be overstated given the lack of a notable uptick in violent attacks by jihadist and armed groups over previous holiday periods. As such, we continue to assess that the core theater of operations of the aforementioned groups should be avoided, but regarding major cities outside of these areas, the militancy risk level is only moderately elevated, based on the motivation to carry out a religiously-targeted attack during this symbolical period.

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AMERICAS • While the risk of Islamist militancy is nearly

negligible in Latin America, In the United States and Canada, there is a risk of such attacks during the holiday season, given the symbolism attached to the period, as well as the array of targets due to the large turnouts at various festivities, and even shopping centers. In this context, there is a potential for lone-wolf attacks by IS supporters or by one planned directly by the organization. Such attacks can take place in major cities, but the risk is similar in smaller cities and towns, given that lone-wolf attackers tend to act based on proximity and ease rather than more high profile and challenging targets.

• The 2009 attempted Christmas-day bombing of a passenger flight from Amsterdam to Detroit highlights the desire for attacks during the holidays. At the same time, as lone-wolf attacks have become more common, we assess that the risk is slightly elevated this year. This is further highlighted by the recent call in Islamic State’s Rumiyah magazine for vehicular attacks on festivals and parades.

• With this in mind, additional security measures should be expected in the vicinity of holiday-related events, major shopping centers, as well as transportation hubs, such as airports, trains, and ferry stations. Other locations that face a threat of attack include religious institutions, notably Churches, Synagogues, and non-Sunni Mosques.

ASIA • Past large-scale attacks during holiday seasons have been the Christmas Eve bombings in Indonesia

in 2000 and the New Year's bombings in Bangkok in 2006. While large-scale attacks such as these occur with less frequency, unsophisticated attacks targeting churches, often with crude weapons, tend to rise in countries throughout the region. For example, attacks and vandalism against churches in India, Indonesia, and Malaysia occur sporadically throughout the year but often witness notable upticks in the months surrounding the holiday season.

• Countries traditionally affected by militancy include India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand will likely continue to remain vulnerable during the holiday season. The threat is further pronounced in countries currently experiencing heightened sectarian tensions, like Indonesia, where attacks against churches have taken place every month since September.

Title page for article in Islamic State’s Rumiyah Magazine, calling for lone-wolf attacks on parades and festivals

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• Meanwhile, Christian minorities in Muslim-majority countries such as Pakistan are known to be targeted by jihadi groups during religious festivals and high holidays, as witnessed during the Easter bombing carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on March 27, 2016, in Lahore, which killed 75 people and injured 340 others. The mass congregation of Christians in public spaces such as parks during high holidays like Christmas provides these groups the opportunity to stage mass-casualty attacks, typically involving suicide bombings.

EUROPE • Europe, and particularly Western Europe, faces an elevated risk of militancy during the holiday

season, given its high-profile, symbolic nature, the availability of ‘soft targets’, like Christmas markets and festive retail centers, as well as the recent history of IS-inspired ‘lone wolf’ attacks. While these attacks generally did not occur during public events or holidays, the IS-inspired Bastille Day attack in July 2016 stands out as an example of a major militant attack at a crowded public gathering during a symbolic day.

• Christmas markets, in particular, represent a target-rich environment given the high density of shoppers, symbolic religious value for IS, and the fact that the sheer number of such markets (2,234 in Germany alone) make it highly unlikely that security personnel will be sufficiently deployed to these public venues. By way of precedent, German and French police foiled an al-Qaeda IED attack on Strasbourg’s Christmas market in 2000, and in 2010, German police warned of specific intelligence regarding a plot to attack shoppers at markets nationwide. With this in mind, and given the trend of lone-wolf attacks in Europe, as well as recent calls for such attacks from IS, we continue to assess that Christmas markets and events, Christian and Jewish religious sites, and public celebrations face a moderately elevated threat of militant attacks during the holiday season, despite the anticipated heightened security measures.

MENA • Overall, the threat of militancy is high throughout most of the Middle East and North Africa,

emanating from Sunni jihadist militant groups, in particular, the Islamic State, as well as radicalized individuals. In this context, while IS continues to experience major losses in the region, most notably in Libya, Iraq, and Syria, the Sunni jihadist militants have increasingly demonstrated their desire to carry out significant, high-casualty attacks, likely in an attempt to assert the prestige of the group, and favorably position it to followers and potential recruits.

• With this in mind, across MENA as the holiday season approaches, the risk of militancy is particularly elevated, as an influx of tourists, as well as large gatherings and crowded celebrations, are likely

Anti-terror police during a training exercise ahead of the Christmas and New Year festive season in St. Yohanes church in

Jakarta. REUTERS/Dadang Tri)

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desirable targets for militants attempting to maximize casualties and capitalize on symbolic dates, including Christmas, Mawlid, and New Year’s Eve. Destinations in North Africa and the Gulf Region remain popular destinations for Western travelers during the holiday season.

• For example, in late December 2015, Turkish police forces arrested two IS militants planning to carry out suicide bombings in Ankara on New Year’s Eve, highlighting this particular threat. Furthermore, in Tunisia, another popular holiday destination for tourists, the country’s Ministry of Interior announced in early December 2015 the dismantling of a 25-strong militant cell that was planning to conduct attacks during New Year’s Eve celebrations in multiple locales across the country.

• A heightened militant threat also prevails during Mawlid, given that many radical jihadist groups also consider these celebrations to be a forbidden “innovation”. This is particularly relevant in Iraq, where religious holidays are often accompanied by violent attacks, as well as in Yemen, where the potential for militant attacks during Mawlid also emanates from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), who reportedly warned Yemeni citizens in January 2015 to refrain from celebrating the holiday.

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Crime

Throughout the world, where Christmas and New Year’s are celebrated, the risks of crime are largely the same during the holiday period. These crime risks range from non-violent property crimes, such as petty theft, burglary, and shoplifting to more violent forms, such as armed robbery, but also include other forms of often alcohol-fueled forms of violence, such as random assaults. The risk is particularly heightened in the vicinity of popular and crowded shopping centers in the lead-up to Christmas but also carries over to popular areas for tourists, as well as in the vicinity of large crowds and celebrations. The increased threat of crime is due to a number of factors. On the one hand, the holidays correspond to greater costs for feasts, gifts, and charity, and consequently an increase in petty crime and armed robbery is recorded in order to afford these expenses. At the same time, criminals are aware that many are traveling with expensive gifts or carrying large sums of money in order to purchase gifts. This issue is frequently acknowledged and addressed by security forces and governments throughout the world, as highlighted recently by several US diplomatic missions, including in South Africa, which called for extra vigilance during this time period. In the past, countries such as Uganda and Ghana have gone as far as organizing joint police-military anti-crime units for the holiday period for areas facing particularly high risks. Corresponding with the flow of money and expensive purchases are the large crowds in shopping centers during the gift-purchasing period, along with overwhelmed security in these areas, which presents an ideal environment for shoplifting, pickpocketing, breaking into cars, and armed robberies, especially during the evening hours and in the outer rims of shopping center parking lots. The vulnerability of crowds and weaker security force presence carries over to the holidays themselves, during which large gatherings are recorded in towns, cities, and even villages throughout the world. In this context, the readiness of police services in many areas is affected by reduced personnel on active duty as well as a concentration of such personnel in key areas of celebrations. At the same time, despite the security presence surrounding celebrations, the crowds present an opportunity for petty thefts and even more violent forms of personal property crime. An additional risk faced by those celebrating the holidays is that of burglary. In many parts of the world, as communities come together to hold holiday events, their homes are targeted for burglaries as criminals capitalize on the likelihood that most locals and tourists would be at the festivities, leaving their homes vulnerable for plunder.

US Embassy in South Africa warning of increased crime risks in the country and the need to practice greater vigilance

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Furthermore, celebratory events often include intoxicated crowds. Individuals under the influence of alcohol and other substances are at once a good target for robberies and theft, while also at times an instigator of violence. In this context, there tends to be a greater risk of random assault and violent altercations in such environments. As an example, in 2015 there were cases of the “rape game” in Europe, in which groups of mostly Middle Eastern men shot fireworks into crowds in order to cause general confusion, during which they sexually assaulted fleeing women. While the risk for a repeat of such events certainly exists, the sensitivities that resulted from these incidents are likely to lead to a heavier security force presence in the vicinity of celebrations and public gatherings in Europe. In general, during such festivities, women tend to face a greater risk of being sexually assaulted.

Riot police stand in front of supporters of anti-immigration right-wing movement PEGIDA (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamisation of the West) during a demonstration rally, in reaction to mass assaults on women on New Year's Eve, Cologne,

Germany, January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Ina Fassbender

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Religious Tensions

The evident Christian significance of the Christmas season may raise religious tensions in countries with a significant Christian population. This is primarily due to the threat of Islamist attacks or sectarian violence between Christians and Muslims, as extremists attempt to stir up tensions during Christmas and provoke a backlash. These threats will be highest in areas with a mixed Christian and Muslim population, particularly if this is coupled with a jihadist threat or risk of violence by religiously-motivated armed groups. Beyond the jihadist threat, in Europe and the Americas, there are reports of increased rates of harassment and minor assaults against Jews and Muslims during their respective holidays. This can be explained by the fact that these minorities gather in larger numbers outside of their places of worship or on the way to these locations, but also in public, and thus make themselves more noticeable to those who already hold strongly negative views towards them. Moreover, religious tensions during the holiday season may also exacerbate ethnic and political divides, which overlap in a number of countries, raising the risk of localized flare-ups of ethnic of political violence.

AFRICA • Religious tensions during the holiday season are most acute in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa that

have a mixed Muslim and Christian population as well as religious extremist violence. This is most prevalent in Nigeria with Boko Haram, Kenya with al-Shabaab, and the CAR with its rival Christian and Muslim militias, with the potential for extremist violence, carried out to provoke a public backlash and stir up religious tensions.

ASIA • Communal tensions are most palpable in ethnically mixed townships far from major urban centers.

For example, two days before Christmas Eve 2015, the Philippines witnessed a series of clashes between Muslim and Christian locals in three relatively isolated villages in the country’s restive south, resulting in the deaths of nine Christians and five Muslims. While generally rare, state-sponsored suppression of Christian minorities may also be witnessed in outlying areas of certain states like China and Laos, as the Christian holiday season serves as an apt opportunity to marginalize such communities. While major metropoles are largely insulated from these tensions, the calm is dependent on contemporary local politics. In places with more ethnically divided representation, controversial decisions or statements by a leader representing one ethnicity can trigger large-scale unrest from other groups. This is apparent in recent large-scale unrest by Kuala Lumpur’s minority Chinese population in opposition of their Muslim Prime Minister and violent riots by Jakarta's Muslim population in opposition to the city’s Chinese governor.

• Most of the countries in the region with ethnically diverse populations will experience varying degrees of tension during the holiday season. Places where violence between communities has proven consistent, like Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia remain especially vulnerable. Security forces will most likely be heavily bolstered in communities with histories of communal

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friction and acts of militancy across ethnic lines could precipitate tit-for-tat attacks or overt street violence.

MENA • Sectarian tensions in the Middle East may come to a head during the holiday season, as the festivities

of the time may provoke extremists. This is mostly relevant for Egypt; in this context, disenfranchised Muslim Brotherhood elements, as well as IS militants, have carried out attacks targeting Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority in the past, including in January 2011, when a Coptic church in Alexandria was bombed as worshippers were leaving a New Year’s service.

• While there has been a significant decrease in such incidents over the past two years, security measures were reportedly bolstered this January in the vicinity of Coptic churches in Cairo this year surrounding the Coptic Christmas celebrations, underscoring the perceived elevated threat at these locales during the holiday period.

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A Special Forces police officer stands guard to secure the area around Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral before a Coptic Christmas mass in Cairo January 6, 2015. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

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Travel

With the season’s numerous celebrations and gatherings, as well as adverse weather conditions in some regions, comes an inevitable rise in disruptions to transport and travel. Roads and public transportation may be overwhelmed by the increased numbers of people attempting to get to different parts of the country for celebrations. Additionally, greater road and foot traffic is common during this period as residents prepare for festivities and gift exchanging. Furthermore, holidays that draw large crowds are liable to block roads and disrupt traffic as participants gather in streets and travel to different sites of celebration. This is the case for religious holidays, such as Mawlid and Christmas, as well as New Year’s Eve. These are often not simply restricted to the immediate vicinity of the events themselves, such as places of worship, shopping venues, and public squares, but impact travel networks more broadly, including roads, railways, and airports. This is particularly pertinent in urban locales which already suffer congestion as a result of dense transport infrastructure and elevated populations, and areas with limited or poor quality routes, which may be further degraded by seasonal events. In terms of air traffic, the high volume of travelers in December and early January translates into frequent flight delays worldwide, which may leave passengers stranded for hours at various airports, or cause travelers to miss connecting flights. Meanwhile, severe weather in North America and parts of Europe often lead to flight cancellations, as well. Furthermore, lost luggage is often a major issue during the holiday travel season, with December and January considered the months in which the most luggage is lost due to increases in checked luggage and missed connections due to delays or weather. Inclement weather impacts not only air but also ground travel. In parts of North America and Europe, heavy snow means slick conditions on roads, often with low visibility due to falling snow. While major roads in are often well-maintained, and local governments well-equipped to handle snowfall through plowing and salting highways, smaller routes and roads in more rural areas may not be cleaned, leading to hazardous and slow driving conditions.

Meanwhile in Europe, given the vulnerability of airlines, train companies, and other public transportation operators during the holiday season, unions often launch strike action with little or no notice to pressure the government and transport operators into making concessions. This is most commonly witnessed in countries with powerful labor unions, both in the private and public sectors, like Cyprus, France, Denmark, Norway, Belgium and Spain.

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Other Notable Concerns In densely populated areas, large celebratory crowds pose a risk for dangerous, and at times deadly, stampedes. These can be triggered by any number of events taking place within a crowd that may alarm a pocket of individuals, who attempt to flee, causing confusion and pandemonium. Such triggers have included firecrackers, sounds being misinterpreted as gunshots, bomb scares, and even more mundane issues like a rodent. Deadly stampedes are commonly recorded in Africa during Muslim holidays. For example, during Eid al-Fitr in Kumasi, Ghana this year, nine were killed, and many injured when a power outage caused a stampede.

Stampedes are also a considerable issue during the holiday season in overpopulated countries like China and India. Security blankets are typically announced during holiday periods and include armed police at popular commercial areas, however, crowd control measures can be often inadequate as witnessed on New Year’s Eve 2014, when 36 people were killed in a stampede in Shanghai. Similar accidents have been recorded in recent years in celebratory events in India, with an estimated death toll of 1084 people killed in stampedes since 2005. Meanwhile, malls and department stores in major cities in Asia tend to be swamped with last minute shoppers in the days before Christmas, usually compelling the diversion of hundreds of extra police officers to secure crowded areas and manage highly-trafficked roads. In the Philippines for example, so-called ‘Christmas lanes’ have been designated as alternatives to the heavily trafficked EDSA freeway in order to better combat the expected congestion.

People gather during the New Year celebrations on the Bund near the Huangpu River in Shanghai January 1, 2012. REUTERS/Aly Song

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What can you do?

So what can one do to prepare for the holiday season and minimize the above risks?

Militancy

1. During the holiday season, travelers are advised to maintain heightened vigilance to the threat of militancy, particularly in the vicinity of crowded, public areas and major seasonal events that are vulnerable to militant attacks. Alert authorities to suspicious, unattended packages in these areas.

2. We advise to only participate in festivities or religious gatherings in major urban centers, with clearly visible security details, as such events in peripheral areas tend to be more vulnerable to attack.

3. In case a security checkpoint is encountered, act respectfully and patiently, while cooperating with security personnel. Additionally, refrain from photographing security personnel.

4. Foreigners, particularly Westerners, conducting travel during the holidays in areas prone to militancy threats are advised to maintain a low profile, exercise heightened vigilance, and avoid locales frequented by foreign, particularly Western nationals. As a means of mitigating the risk of attacks or abductions, ensure that places of stay are equipped with sufficient perimeter security details, alter travel routes, and avoid disclosing sensitive itinerary information to unknown individuals.

Crime

In general, during the holiday season, travelers are advised to maintain heightened vigilance and take necessary precautions regarding the elevated risk of petty theft, armed robberies, and public disturbances by holiday revelers, particularly in the vicinity of large crowds gathered for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations and festive retail centers. If shopping for gifts, we advised doing so in more popular areas with adequate security, and during daylight hours. We further advise not walking long distances with merchandise in hand, and instead of parking closer to a store’s entrance when possible. Female travelers are advised to avoid traveling alone, especially after dark, and in the vicinity of large gatherings and holiday celebrations. Additional security measures include walking in groups, avoiding poorly lit areas and being aware of your surroundings at all times.

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Before your vacation, we recommendation taking the following steps: 1. Avoid sharing your holiday plans on social networks.

2. Make sure all windows and doors are locked before you leave the house. If you own an alarm system, activate it.

3. An unoccupied house attracts burglars. Make sure to cancel delivery of newspapers and ask a trusted contact to collect your mail. Exterior lights activated by motion sensors that light up the dark areas around your home at night could deter criminals from approaching your property.

4. Consider asking a family member or friend to park in your driveway, as the regular movements of a vehicle create the illusion that the house is occupied.

Religious Tensions

1. During the holiday season, travelers are advised to maintain heightened vigilance and take necessary precautions regarding increased religious tensions and the accompanying risk of violence, particularly in the vicinity of religious celebrations and places of worship in mixed Christian-Muslim areas prone to extremist violence.

2. We advise to avoid confrontations with locals, particularly in regards to religion, politics, or ethnicity; follow local cultural norms in order to avoid provoking local populations.

Travel

Overall, during the holiday season, travelers are advised to allot additional time for travel and, where relevant, plan alternate routes. This is due to the elevated potential for disruptions to transport networks arising from seasonal events and inclement weather conditions, particularly in densely populated urban environments, or areas with poor infrastructure. While flight delays are not in your control, travelers can prepare in advance in various ways, in case they are affected: 1. When possible, try to book flights earlier in the day, given that flights early on are less likely to be

impacted by delays from previous flights (the ripple effect).

2. Check your flight’s status well ahead of time, in order to allow for rebooking or accommodations if necessary.

3. Attempt to secure a nonstop flight, as direct flights are usually less affected by delays than multiple-stop trips.

4. Ensure that you have enough time between connections, in case your initial flight is delayed.

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5. Check airline policies regarding delays and cancellations, as you may be entitled to compensation, rebooking, or accommodation.

Although not entirely avoidable, there are several things that travelers can do to minimize the risk of lost luggage:

1. If possible, use only carry-on baggage and avoid checking suitcases.

2. If using a checked bag, pack a change of clothes and basic toiletries, in case your luggage is lost.

3. Arrive early to the airport in order to ensure that checked baggage has time to reach the plane.

4. Ensure that suitcases have identifying characteristics, such as a bright color or unique ribbon, to reduce chances that other travelers may take your bag by mistake.

5. Ensure that contact details are on both the inside and outside of your checked baggage, although it is not advised to include your home address.

6. Take photos of your bag, in case you need to show it to airline employees to identify it, while also cataloging items inside the bag.

7. Remove all old airline tags before upcoming travel, while ensuring that you receive the receipt for any checked baggage.

Finally, with regard to overland travel in areas often impacted by snow in North America and Europe:

1. Ensure that your vehicle is in proper condition before the winter season, including the battery, ignition, brakes, tires, steering, wipers, fuel, and lights. Snow tires may be necessary, but the use of chains or studded tires should be checked with local authorities, as these are not legal in some areas.

2. Remove snow and ice from your vehicle to ensure proper visibility and functioning. 3. Always travel with a charged cell phone. 4. Drive below the posted speed limit, as this is intended for normal travel conditions. Avoid quick or

jerky movements, which can cause sliding or skidding. Slow down when approaching intersections covered with snow or ice, while it is also advised to increase the distance between your vehicle and others.

5. Be on the lookout for black ice, which will look like shiny asphalt. 6. Drive with low-beam headlights on. 7. If the weather is particularly severe, postpone or delay travel. Check weather reports before

departing.

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Have additional questions? Contact us at [email protected] or call us at +44 20 3540 0434 MAX Intelligence Division DISCLAIMER: Please note that any views and/or opinions and/or assessment and/or recommendations presented in this text are solely those of Max Security. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this text. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Max Security Solutions accepts no liability for (i) the contents of this text/report being correct, complete or up to date; (ii) consequences of any actions taken or not taken as a result and/or on the basis of such contents. Copyright - 2016 Max Security