Warning! Here are the biggest travel dangers of 2025

Hackers. Thieves. Infectious diseases. These are some of the travel dangers in 2025 that you need to be aware of, according to experts.

“Right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty when it comes to travel security,” says Joe Cronin, CEO of International Citizens Insurance. 

Even the professionals are getting nervous. Safety concerns are one of the main reasons business travelers decline a business trip, according to the latest SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey. 

It’s going to be an interesting year to be on the road, say security professionals. And by “interesting” they mean “dangerous.”

So let’s talk about the new safety problems in 2025 and how to travel safely next year. I’ll also tell you how I’m preparing for one of the most uncertain years since the pandemic.

What are the new safety threats in 2025?

Security experts say the coming year will bring new threats.

• Cybersecurity. “It’s a top concern,” says Shaun Boulter, global head of operations and security for AXA Partners. “Our travelers and clients are increasingly requesting advice on how to protect themselves.” And for good reason. This year cybersecurity was one of the hottest topics — and concerns — as hackers breached businesses and political campaign operations. Boulter says education is the key to averting a disaster: Travelers should take proactive steps like ensuring their digital security is up to date with VPNs and strong passwords.

• Violence against tourists. “In numerous countries that are seen as very attractive travel destinations – in Europe and elsewhere – there have been numerous protests against tourism,” says Brittany Lewis, a security operations supervisor at Travel Guard. Her team has seen tourists being targeted, “and we’ve even heard directly from customers who have experienced harassment in various locations.” Lewis says the trend is likely to continue in 2025.
• New infectious diseases. “Health risks are changing with newer strains of COVID-19 emerging,” says Michael Sheridan, who teaches at Temple University’s Japan campus. He’s right; in late 2024, COVID cases started to climb as the flu season started. Sheridan recommends checking with your primary care physician or local pharmacy for a dose of the latest vaccine to help protect you from COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Cronin, the CEO of International Citizens Insurance, has been monitoring political unrest in the past few months that may affect travelers. That includes rising tensions in the Middle East and election-related violence in other places, including the United States. He sees that continuing into 2025. 

He says the best way of avoiding such uncertainty is to review the travel advisories issued by the U.S. State Department and then plan accordingly.

Here’s how to avoid travel dangers in 2025

Let’s state the obvious. If you want to be safe in 2025, stay home. The world has always been a dangerous place, and it’s not getting any safer. But there are ways to mitigate some of the risk, according to pros.

Make sure your travel insurance covers safety problems

Look for comprehensive coverage that includes trip cancellation, medical evacuation and protection against natural disasters and political unrest. “Prepare for the unexpected,” advises Raymond Yorke, a spokesman for Redpoint Travel Protection, a travel insurance company. That means running a worst-case scenario before you travel and making sure you’re covered for any event.

Work with someone who has your back

That means either working with a professional travel advisor or a company that handles travel risk mitigation. And don’t let them just send you a link to more resources on safety. Susan Sherren, who runs Couture Trips, offers her clients a pre-travel Zoom session shortly before their departure dates. The added information and frank discussion about crime help set expectations. “Our clients leave their homes with a proactive mindset,” she says. And that has helped them avoid trouble.

Mind your computer

It’s not just the usual cyberthreats that have experts worried. Artificial intelligence does, too. “The proliferation of AI is an impending threat,” says Harding Bush, an associate director of security for Global Rescue. The reason: Tech scams, including deepfake cons, identity impersonation, and misleading travel advice from bots, can put travelers in danger, especially when they’re booking their trips or managing their itineraries.

This is the year to play it safe with international travel

John Rose, the chief risk and security officer at ALTOUR, says the geopolitical situation has him worried the most.

“It’s the larger risk,” he says. “It’s not just the election cycles that happened or will happen all over the world, but its conflicts.”

Rose says you have to be “very, very careful” when planning a trip to account for the travel dangers in 2025. In other words, it may be the year to play it safer, when it comes to travel security — especially when it comes to international travel.

Where are the hotspots? Robert Siciliano, CEO of ProtectNowLLC.com, showed me the map. It includes the Middle East, Ukraine, Venezuela and Taiwan. And, of course, there’s the unpredictability of U.S. politics, too. 

“Now more than ever it’s important to have a broader awareness and pay special attention to the countries’ views towards Americans,” he added.

There are real-time risk assessment tools that can help. For example, World Travel Protection’s Travel Assist Management Portal and Travel Assist App offers its customers real-time updates on security risks, natural disasters, and health threats.

Are there too many travel dangers in 2025?

I’ve been planning out my 2025 trips. And I admit, there was a point when I thought it might make sense to avoid certain parts of the world, if not stay home. 

I’ve also been fielding questions from nervous travelers on my consumer advocacy site, who have asked: Is it safe to go there? Is it safe to go anywhere?

I can’t afford to stop traveling, even if some of the destinations are not exactly State Department Level 1-certified. I spent some time in the Middle East during the Thanksgiving holiday and I’ll be in Southeast Asia this winter. In some of the places on my itinerary, I’ll really have to watch my back.

But if I could afford to stop, would I?

After having asked the experts, I have a pretty good idea of what awaits me. Yes, travel will be dangerous in 2025. But if you plan in advance, do your homework, and pay close attention to the new threats, it’s not too dangerous.

As Charlie Sultan, the president of Concur Travel at SAP Concur, told me, “It’s impossible to eliminate travel-related risks completely.” 

That’s true of travel in any year.