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The world’s leading travel risk management and crisis response firm Global Rescue recently conducted an interview of 1,100 of its former membership holders and found that women are almost twice as likely to prioritize travel in their life as men, a slightly surprising find given the difference in relative risk between the sexes while out in the world’s far corners.
Those who participated in the survey are experienced travelers who deliberately put themselves into situations of real remoteness and excitement where medical rescue and even armed extraction may be warranted—all for the sake of experiencing the world in the most authentic ways.
These are just two of the myriad benefits one receives through a Global Rescue membership, along with risk management services, 24/7 extreme weather monitoring, and much more.
Three out of four women (77%) surveyed indicated that travel experiences hold greater importance than acquiring material goods, a 40% higher rate than 55% of men who feel the same way.
“While women and men both cherish travel, women are more likely to embrace the ‘YOLO’ mindset, prioritizing experiences that enrich their lives over tangible possessions,” said Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue and a member of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the US Department of Commerce.
The survey findings illustrate a steady shift towards valuing experiences and adventures to seize opportunities for exploration and personal growth.
“Travelers are increasingly focused on making memories rather than accumulating things, reinforcing the attitude that life is best measured by the adventures we undertake and the connections we create along the way,” Richards said.
According to Global Rescue research, this prioritization is reflected in marketing messages aimed at women featuring landscapes of mountains, deserts, savannahs, and glaciers, the most popular reported destination features by women responding to the survey.
A membership with Global Rescue allows for contingency planning of almost every situation, whether breaking a leg high on a mountaintop or being kidnapped in the tropics. The survey showed that women are more likely to avail themselves of such services when acquired and that men are more likely to prepare but less likely to use them, than women.
Any experienced traveler will tell you that the normal world—people, shops, hotels, taxis—is not a dangerous place. It’s the times when the normal world is imposed upon by abnormal circumstances that keep people from visiting more remote destinations.
Under fire in Jerusalem
Civil unrest and violence—even warfare, rarely wait for travelers to finish their trips, such was the case for Patrick and Sharon Ellis, who were visiting Jerusalem and woke up for a walking tour on October 7th, 2023.
Fortunately, they had increased their membership plan to include security and extraction, which Global Rescue provides through a network of special forces veterans and ex-intelligence operators, as well as private security contractors. As the attack by Hamas on the area around Gaza unfolded, Patrick and Sharon were sheltering from rockets striking across Jerusalem.
They returned to their hotel and were led to a shelter inside and tried to find information on the news channels. The sirens continued and then they heard gunfire. That’s when they decided to leave.
“We needed to get back to Tel Aviv and be near the airport. I was worried an escalation of attacks could close the highways. I wanted to be near the airport,” Patrick said. It took four hours for the Ellises to get a cab that would take them to a hotel in Bat Yam, a Tel Aviv suburb seven miles from the airport.
Once there, they were directed to a bomb shelter which they very quickly entered, as more rockets struck the area outside the hotel.
Between the shockwaves, the couple contacted Global Rescue security operations experts. “I knew those guys would know what to do. I needed to find out what was going on and what we should do,” said Patrick.
“On my first call from the hotel bomb shelter, I talked to someone who took my information. She said a security operations expert would call me right back. It was less than a minute, and I got a call back from a Global Rescue security operations supervisor who was a military special forces veteran,” he said.
The Global Rescue security team provided extensive advisory and logistical support. They knew the Ellises needed to leave the country. They developed a rapid action plan with redundant evacuation options and maintained constant contact providing the Ellises with the latest information, continuous oversight, and guidance.
The Global Rescue security operations team arranged seats for the Ellises on an outbound El Al flight to Madrid—one of the only ones that wasn’t suspended after Ben Gurion Int. Airport reopened following the end of the October 7th attack. After several interruptions due to rocket attacks, the Ellises were successfully transported with an armed escort to the airport where they successfully boarded a flight out of the country.
“It was a great relief to have Global Rescue’s security experts supporting us. They were incredibly knowledgeable. It was absolutely lifesaving assistance,” Ellis said.
The Ellises’ story is a reminder that there will never be an early warning in advance of violent events. Travelers are busy enjoying themselves, not watching satellite imagery and 24-hour news, and since military-scale violence can spring up in any number of places around the world (East Asia for example), ensuring you have military-scale assistance is always a good idea. WaL
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PICTURED ABOVE: PC: Etienne Boulanger, Unsplash.
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