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LLOYD FIGGIN
PORTICO
LLOYD FIGGINS
Lloyd Figgins is a former police officer, soldier and expedition
leader. He is the founder and CEO of LFL Global Risk
Mitigation and has worked in over 80 countries, including
some of the most remote and hostile regions of the world.
Lloyd is also Chairman of the Travel Risk & Incident
Prevention (TRIP-) Group, which proactively seeks solutions
to the safety challenges faced by travellers.
Lloyd is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a
respected speaker on the subject of risk and crisis management.
He often provides commentary in the media and makes regular
appearances on the BBC, Fox News, ITV and Sky News.
www.lloydfiggins.com Risk Expert, Author, Speaker.
www.lflglobalrisk.com Protecting People, Assets and Reputations.
www.thetripgroup.Com Working Together to Protect Travellers.
:S
OlloydFiggins
CONTENTS
Foreword
Lemons
Chapter One Looking for 1
Safety
Chapter Two Aircraft 17
Chapter Three Kidnap Awareness and Avoidance 31
Security
Chapter Four Personal Safety and 49
Disasters
Chapter Five Natural 61
lssues
Chapter Six Medical 73
Safety
Chapter Seven Vehicle 93
Safety
Chapter Eight Boat 109
Safety
Chapter Nine Accommodation 117
Tenorism
Chapter Ten 131
Kit
Chapter Eleven Essential 153
Appendix
161
Afterword
164
Acknowledgements
166
lndex
168
FOREWORD
by Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Overseas travel is often looked upon as glamorous but it can also
be fraught with danger. Whether you're travelling on holiday or on
business, or taking part in a major expedition, risk is part of the
experience. If you don't put measures in place to mitigate those
risks, things can and will go wrong.
My own expeditions have always placed a strong emphasis on
risk management, from the logistics and planning phases all the way
through to team selection and emergency evacuation plans. Not
to do so would be remiss at best and negligent at worst. There are
many accounts of those who haven t taken risk seriously and have
paid the price.
In this book Lloyd recounts some of his adventures and provides
some very useful safety advice to assist the traveller in making
informed choices and decisions. He has been honest and transparent
in terms of where he made mistakes, and he shares with the reader
the lessons learnt from each experience.
Lloyd's approach to risk mitigation is practical, effective and
backed up by his police, military and expedition-leading experience.
In fact, there are few people who have the expertise and experience
Lloyd has gained through travelling to over 80 countries and
working in some of the world's more volatile regions, and it is these
experiences which qualify him to write this excellent book.
lx
CHAPTER ONE
LOOKING FOR LEMONS
Travel is wonderful. I can t think of anything better than exploring
a new country or region. I believe that travel expands more than
just the mind; it opens your soul to the wonders of this planet. My
intention in writing this book is to encourage people to have the
confidence to go out and discover the world and all it has to offer.
However, it is important to do so safely and, of course, responsibly,
in order to preserve our planet for future generations to enjoy.
My views on risk have been cultivated through my travels to
more than 80 countries and the numerous experiences I've had,
not all of them good. What I have learnt (sometimes the hard way)
is that, if you ignore the warning signs, things can go wrong - and
go very wrong, very quickly. And as with so many things in life,
when you don t act upon the small risks, they can quickly escalate
into bigger problems that you are just not equipped to handle.
My number one rule of risk management is: never push a bad
position; it's much more likely to get worse than to get better. So
it's important to act while you still can and while you have a degree
ofcontrol over your situation.
Therefore, the best way to avoid a poor situation is to do your
research and prepare thoroughly for your trip. When travelling, a
little knowledge is not just a good thing: it is potentially a lifesaver,
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The Travel Survival Guide Looking for Lemons
so the more knowledge you have, the better able you are to deal find themselves being sent out to far-flung corners of the world at a
with the hazards that come your way. I believe that preparation moment's notice. There is no denying it travel dominates all of our
for a trip should be an exciting and enjoyable part of the overall lives in one way or another.
travel experience. But while the world is undoubtedly more accessible than it was,
The purpose of this book is to show you that by using careful it doesn t necessarily follow that it is safer. Anyone with even half
planning and forethought, as well as tried and tested safety and an eye on international current affairs will be very aware that the
security techniques, you can dramatically improve your chances of opposite is the case. Inluly 2017, the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth
having trouble-free travel experiences on every trip you take. I also Office (FCO) advised against travel to all or part of more than
believe travel is, and should be, a hugely rewarding experience, and 50 nation states around the world. The vast majority were in Africa
what I would like to do is to help you learn how to recognise travel and the Middle East, with terrorism, kidnap and disease cited as the
risks and then to mitigate them effectively. main threats.
Understanding the basic rules of travel is more important today None of this is to say that you should give up on your dreams of
than ever. I'm not alone in my constant desire for the freedom, international adventure and stay at home. Far from it. It is extremely
adventure and stimulation of international exploration. Travel and unlikely that anything bad will happen to you (particularly if you
tourism form one of the world's largest industries, with an economy prepare well). To put this into perspective, the odds of your being
valued at L1.43 trillion (US$2.2 trillion) and growing. In the past killed by a terrorist overseas are one in 20 million. Your chances of
60 years, the number of people travelling from one country to being struck by lightning, however, are one in 600,000.
another has increased exponentially. In 1955, just 45 million people I've been teaching risk and crisis management all over the world
moved from one country to another. Today, thanks to extensive for many years and my knowledge has been gained from direct
air travel routes and higher disposable incomes, just over a billion experience. All of the incidents recorded in this book actually
people are exploring new places around the globe every year. happened to me. I've learnt many lessons on my travels and am now
Over this period the nature of the travel industry has changed able to share them, in the hope of preventing others from finding
irrevocably. No longer are we limited to the suggestions of a out the hard way what can go wrong.
helpful assistant at our local high-street travel agency. Thanks
to the wonders of technology, we can 'pre-explore' all sorts of
exciting and exotic destinations before we make our own carefully
researched choices. It was a cool, still summer evening in Northern British Columbia.
The current travel trend is dominated by'interesting' or hdventure The water on the lake was clear and glassy and the gently swaying
holidays, which may or may not involve going off the beaten Douglas firs around its edge were perfectly reflected in the smooth
track. Gap years, where both young and more mature travellers surface. The only sounds that could be heard were the soft paddle
disappear for months at a time to places many of their friends strokes as our canoes nosed their way over the water. Everyone
have barely heard of, are also hugely popular. It seems that these on board was acutely aware that we were edging towards the end
adventures have become a rite of passage for a lot of people today. of a nine-day trip, and our first cold beer was tantalisingly close.
Meanwhile, as business becomes ever more global, executives can We could almost taste it.
J
The Travel Survival Guide Looking for Lemons
It was not far now. The cedar deck was fast approaching and, 'They ignored all the advice and were out paddling in the middle
with it, the promise of hot showers and maybe a soft mattress. In of the lake. That was lemon three.
what seemed like no time at ail our party of four was sitting on terra 'This all happened at 5:30 in the afternoon, just as it was starting
firma at the small lakeside lodge. In reality the lodge was pretty to get dark. The wind picked up and they capsized. That was lemon
ramshackle, but to us at that moment it was a gilded palace. We all fourl she said, holding up a fourth finger. 'Four lemons, and sadly
had broad post-trip smiles and were enjoying the setting as much as they diedi
the eagerly anticipated refreshments. For a few moments no one was quite sure what to say.
'You have an amazing place herel I said to the lodge owner, nodding 'So looking for lemons is like doing a risk assessment - looking
at the picture-book view. 'The lake is so beautiful and peaceful.' for potential hazards and what can go wrong?'I asked.
The woman stared out to the lake and a sad smile crept across 'You can call it what you like but it's common sensej she said with
her face. a shrug. 'We just talk about looking out for lemonsl
'It's not always like thisj she said slowly. Tearing her gaze from
the placid waters, she turned to face me. 'That's where, last year, two
people had their lemons come up.'
I frowned and glanced around the group. The others had stopped In a lot of cases, a good healthy dose of common sense is the key to
talking and were focused on our conversation. We all looked avoiding unwanted incidents and I'd like to share a couple of stories
perplexed. from my childhood that demonstrate that not all of us are born
'How do you mean, "their lemons come up'?'I asked. with common sense. Especially me, it would seem. However, we do
She paused for a moment and then took a deep breath. all have the opportunity to hone our skills so that we can protect
'Well, life is like a one-armed bandit slot machine,' she began. 'If ourselves and others in the most challenging of situations, and in
four lemons come up, you're out.' this book I will outline the know-how you need to do just that.
I looked at my group: no, clearly they didn t understand either. But first to those stories. I spent my earliest years in Singapore. We
'Sorry to be slow on the uptake, but could you explain?' I pressed. were a military family and my father was posted to the Far East when
She nodded and paused again, clearly weighing up the best way I was just 8 months old. In those days, Singapore was a world away
to put it. from the UK, and not just geographically. It was also a far cry from
'Life's about looking out for lemonsi she said at last. 'Each lemon the bustling, modern and thriving city it is today. Much of Singapore
is a hazard, and unless ahazard gets sorted, it can be a problem. If was still surrounded by jungle and most people still got around by
you get four of them in a line, like you do on a slot machine, it's not rickshaw or bicycle. The heat was profoundly oppressive and it felt
looking good. The people last year had all their lemons lined up.' like you could never get dry. I was always wet, largely because I was
Everyone was silent. always in the sea or a swimming pool, trying to stay cool.
'To begin withl she continued, 'they were novices and not Despite the discomforts, I was something of a minor celebrity
confident swimmers. So that was lemon one.' She started to count in Singapore, as a baby and later as a toddler. The reason being, I
on her fingers. had the most brilliant head of blond hair, and when we travelled on
'Next, they were not wearing buoyancy aids: lemon two. buses local people clamoured to touch my head for good luck. My
4
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The Travel Survival Guide Looking for Lemons
mum and I never had to wait in a queue or stand on a bus, as the parents' attempts to 'Lloyd proof' the garden, I'd often find ways to
Iocals would always give up their seats for the little blond child and escape and taste the true potential of the outside world.
his mother. Spring of L969 saw the Figgins family take a trip to the local
My older brother, Mike, being dark haired, was not extended zoo. The animals and other attractions fascinated me. Now, zoos in
such privileges. Perhaps this goes some way to explaining why, the 1960s were primitive and crowded places, with little regard for
following my arrival in the Figgins family, Mike dedicated his early safety. This undoubtedly played into the hands of my mischievous
life to getting me into trouble. In fact it's incredible that we get on older brother.
so well nowadays, given some of the mischief he got me into' When we arrived at the crocodile enclosure, the other visitors
The first married-quarters accommodation my parents were were engaged in a game of throwing loose change at the poor
offered was far from ideal. It was infested with cockroaches the creatures, presumably in an attempt to get them to move. That the
size of large mice, as well as spiders and lizards that clearly had no attempts were clearly futile didn t seem to deter them. The activity
fear of humans. Cutside in the yard, snakes were regular visitors, seemed to be something of a daily tradition, judging by the ample
and my mum recalls watching a python casually winding its way piles of money littered all over the ground.
through a tree as she was waiting for a bus. Inside the house was 'Those coins would make us richl Mike whispered in my ear.
no better: the furniture supplied by the Royal Air Force (RAF) was 'You just need to slip though these bars.'
old and there were rusty nails protruding from both my cot and I looked at him wide-eyed. Although still a toddler, I was wise
my brother's bed. enough to know that his by now regular schemes didn t always bode
Mike and I were oblivious to our surroundings and actually quite well for me.
enjoyed our Singapore home. We would run around the garden 'I'd do it myself but I can t fit throughl he said with a nonchalant
half-naked and have all sorts of adventures. I started to develop shrug. 'The family needs the money and Mum and Dad will be
an unhealthy interest in storm drains and the creatures, especially really proud of you...'
the millipedes, that resided in them. In fact, they became an There was a huge gasp from the crowd as they saw the small blond
important part of my diet, until my parents caught me tucking into kid squeeze through the railings and toddle towards the collection
ofcoins.
a particularly large sPecimen.
One thing they couldnt do was stop me from exploring, and On hearing the commotion, my parents immediately looked at
this proved a constant worry to them, particularly as I grew older one another and asked in unison,'Where's Lloyd?'
and roamed further afield. They would invariably find me in Their question was soon answered by the large crowd that
some corner playing with whatever wildlife came to hand, and in had surged forward to the elevated platform above the crocodile
Singapore there were plenty of options. enclosure. To their horror my parents saw their younger child inside
My'expeditions' became ever more adventurous and I became the enclosure and heading purposefully towards the water where a
ever better at avoiding re-capture. Storm drains were still a number of crocs were bathing.
favourite, but by then I was starting to realise that the creatures they I was actually making pretty good progress when a local chap
hosted were just the hors d'oeuvres and that there were much bigger recognised the seriousness of the situation and jumped the fence to
opportunities to be had outside the garden perimeter. Despite my remove the potential meal from the now very attentiye crocs.
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