Victoria Boldison, who founded health food, drink and
supplement export service Bolst Global, knew doing business alone as a Western,
non-Muslim woman in Saudi Arabia would be a challenge, though it was one she
welcomed.
"You hear all the perceptions, that it's not something
that female, solo travelers can do on their own, that they can't go to certain
places or access key decision makers in certain types of business
meetings," Boldison said during a recent BTN symposium focusing on women
travelers' experience. "I took a chaperoned visit, and I realized that it
wasn't quite what I imagined."
Since that first visit, Boldison has done quite a bit of
business in Saudi Arabia, letting her see firsthand some of the changes that
have been happening of late, and she generally has felt safe. Still, she's had
occasional uncomfortable moments that stick out, such as a conversation with a
driver on the way to the airport that became increasingly personal.
"I was trapped there, and he was asking me personal
questions and for my social media handles, and I just wanted to get out of the
car," she said. "There are experiences like that, where you just have
to adapt."
Harassment Fears Loom Large
Other incidents have set off her warning alarm as well over
her years on the road. There was a client in as she was traveling in the Middle
East who, during a trade show, was very insistent that she book a particular
hotel, saying it was a preferred property. She wanted to stay in a different
property, but he still insisted on booking it himself rather than her
preference to book it herself and be reimbursed.
"I was uncomfortable, because he knew where I was and
what time I was in the hotel," Boldison said. "Did he know my room
number, and if he knows where I am, could the hotel give him access? Nothing
happened, but the worry was in the back of my mind."
Boldison is hardly alone in having those types of fears. In
a Global Business Travel Association survey of about 500 women business
travelers a few years ago, 83 percent said that had experienced at least one
safety-related concern or incident over the previous year of traveling. The
vast majority said safety concerns affected productivity and frequency of
travel and their booking behaviors.
Concerns of sexual assault and harassment ranked near the
top of concerns, there are too frequent reminders of the risks travelers can
face even when they take precautions. New Jersey-based business traveler Cheri
Marchionda has shared her story of being sexually assaulted while on a business
trip in Iowa. She rejected the advances of a man at the hotel bar, but he later
entered her room while she was sleeping by convincing the front desk to give
him a key and a maintenance worker to open the door's safety latch. Once
inside, he attacked and sexually assaulted her for several hours.
Kelly Kuhn, special advisor to CWT executive leadership, said
stories like Marchionda's remain front-of-mind for women business travelers.
"If we're not aware of it, we're simply not informed;
it could have been any one of us," Kuhn said. "There probably hasn't
been a trip in all of these years where lewd comments haven't been made, or I
haven't been cornered in a hallway. You feel lucky to have gotten through it,
but… you cannot count on luck."
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BTN's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Series. Here's what we've published to date. Watch for more in the coming weeks...
RELATED: Listen Closely: These Are the Business Travel Experiences of Our Colleagues of Color
RELATED: LGBTQ+ Business Travelers Navigate Complexity
RELATED: Sourcing Diversity in the Travel Supply Chain
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Carolyn Pearson, CEO and founder of travel risk management
and safety education provider Maiden Voyage, said she's had her own share of
scary moments. One hotel stay, for example, was a short walk from the train
station, and taxi drivers didn't want to make the trip because it was so short,
but even during that two-minute walk she would have been "petrified,"
she said. On the other extreme, however, were travel programs to overstep in
terms of precautions, it could preclude travelers excelling in opportunities
like Boldison did in Saudi Arabia.
"Everyone's risk appetite is different, and we've got
to honor that," Pearson said.
Concerns are not limited to unfamiliar countries or
encounters with strangers. Colleagues and staff can just as easily be the
source.
This summer, the BBC reported that several women staying in
quarantine hotels in the United Kingdom reported being harassed by guards' lewd
remarks and actions. In Australia, meanwhile, the mining industry is facing
government scrutiny over numerous reports of sexual harassment of women staying
at mining camps in Western Australia.
Sexual harassment from colleagues and superiors on business
trips often goes unreported, as women are afraid repercussions or just think
nothing will be done, Kuhn said. Business travel can magnify problems that
could be more pervasive in a workplace.
"If harassment is going to happen on a trip, it
probably already has been happening at home," Kuhn said. "They needed
to have been able to report it when it was happening initially."
Taking Precautions and Doing Research
Much like the travelers speaking at BTN's
symposium on LGBTQ+ business travel earlier this summer, the travelers in
the women's traveler symposium said they often take it upon themselves to do
the research when visiting a new location. When it comes to locations like
Saudi Arabia that can be particularly challenging for women, talking to other
women who have done business there can be one of the best sources of
information.
Aisha Shaibu, founder of Moonlight Experiences, a tour
company that focuses on LGBTQ+ nightlife and culture, said she does "loads
and loads" of research before travel, to see potential issues that could
affect her as a woman of color and a member of the LGBTQ+ community.
"I look for friends or networks, like Facebook
groups," she said. "If it's somewhere I'm unsure about, I love
connecting with locals. You can gain a lot from locals, and it really puts you
at ease."
That research has become even more important as travelers
increasingly seek to blend business trips with a leisure visit, Kuhn said.
While women often end up with the default option of an evening alone in the
hotel with room service rather than go out alone, the travelers said they still
see business travel as an opportunity to explore the world.
Opportunities to network with colleagues in the are a
welcome way to get out of that hotel room, she said.
"This is where we can use the power of social media in
a good way," Kuhn said. "My five years living in Asia were the best
in my career. I learned every day, but I did it with friends and
colleagues."
Ultimately, however, Shaibu said she'd like to see more
spaces catering to women travelers so they can explore regardless of their work
circumstances.
"There aren't enough spaces that women actually own and
can help dominate," Shaibu said. "In an ideal world, we should feel
safe enough to walk down the streets wherever we are."
Besides her own research, Shaibu said she still always takes
the extra step of making sure a loved one—her mother or her partner for
example—always are fully aware of her itinerary. That further underscores the
importance of a well-managed travel program, Kuhn said.
"Not only do you want your mother and partner to know,
you want all of that information within your travel program," she said.
"It's why all this stuff we've been talking about the last 30 years is
super important."