Middle East Crisis | Travelling this week? Check this app for up-to-date risk assessment

A new travel risk platform, MyTravelRisk, has been launched with the aim of transforming how travellers assess safety abroad by providing personalised, practical insights tailored to individual journeys.

The free-to-use app, which debuted this week, delivers customised risk assessments based on a traveller’s destination, purpose of travel and behaviour, with an initial rollout focused on the Middle East amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Chief Operating Officer Saffron de la Rouviere said the platform was developed to address a long-standing gap in how travel risk information is communicated.

“The founders have a background in advising individuals and organisations on country-related risks, so we’ve seen first-hand how people assess safety when planning trips,” she said.

“What became clear over time was that there was a gap in the market because most available information is either too general or too alarmist.”

She said that traditional travel advisories often fail to reflect how people actually travel, offering broad country-level guidance that overlooks personal circumstances.

“They rarely consider who you are as a traveller, what you’ll be doing, or the specific areas you’ll be visiting. As a result, they can either under-inform or unnecessarily deter travel altogether,” she said.

“My Travel Risk was developed to address this gap, to provide more nuanced, personalised insights that help people understand risk in a practical, non-alarmist way, so they can make informed decisions rather than avoid travel entirely.”

De la Rouviere emphasised that the platform is built on human expertise rather than relying solely on automation.

“The core of My Travel Risk is human-led. Our risk assessments and insights are developed and reviewed by individuals with real-world experience in travel risk and security,” she said.

“This ensures that the output is not only accurate but also contextual, nuanced, and grounded in practical understanding.”

The app dynamically adjusts risk levels based on user inputs, including destination, travel plans and behaviour.

“For example, a traveller using private transport and travelling in a group is generally at a lower risk of exposure to crime, civil unrest, and other risks,” she explained.

“In contrast, someone relying on public transport or travelling alone may face elevated risks.”

The Middle East was prioritised for the initial rollout due to current regional tensions and the need for clearer, more practical guidance.

“Given the current conflict dynamics in the Middle East, we felt it was important to provide travellers with clear, practical insight into the risks they may face, and, importantly, how those risks can be mitigated,” she said.

“There is a lot of uncertainty and often blanket messaging around the region, but the reality is that risk varies significantly depending on where you are going and how you are travelling. There is a meaningful difference between, for example, travelling within Iran and simply transiting through Dubai.”

Looking ahead, the platform is set to expand rapidly, with at least 20 additional countries expected to be added in the coming days, including popular destinations such as France, Turkey, Italy and Thailand.

“In the immediate term, we’re focused on expanding our destination coverage,” de la Rouviere said, adding that users can request specific countries for prioritisation in future updates.

She added that new features are also in development, including country-specific alerts to notify travellers of emerging risks that could impact their plans.

Highlighting a key innovation, de la Rouviere said the platform simplifies complex and fragmented travel safety information into a single, accessible format.

“One of the most overlooked aspects of travel risk is how fragmented and difficult the information can be to navigate. Travellers are often forced to piece together insights from multiple sources, which can be time-consuming and sometimes inconsistent,” she said.

“That’s why we’ve placed a strong focus on our one-page PDF output. It’s designed to consolidate the key information into a single, clear and practical format that travellers can easily reference before and during their trip.”

“It allows travellers to quickly understand their environment and make informed decisions without being overwhelmed.”

The platform also provides key practical information, including emergency contact numbers, transport recommendations and insights into local social dynamics, such as attitudes towards LGBTQ+ travellers.

As global travel continues to evolve amid shifting risk environments, de la Rouviere said the goal of MyTravelRisk is to empower travellers with knowledge rather than deter them.

“Ultimately, knowledge is power when navigating complex environments,” she said.

IOL News