In this post we lay the groundwork for risk management by first discussing what risk is and how to diagram it. We then present our risk diagram as an example to help others in international education more easily identify sources of risk and mitigate it.

What is risk

Risk is the possibility that something won’t go as planned and the results will be undesirable. In other words, it’s the gap between what we expect and what could actually unfold. In business, travel, or even daily life, risk shows up as uncertainty—we have to make decisions without knowing exactly what the outcomes will be. This of course has major implications when personal health and welfare are stake, as is the case with international education.

risky behavior — how much control do you have over student behavior on study abroad programs?

What is risk management

Risk management is the practice of turning uncertainty into strategy. Instead of leaving outcomes to chance, it’s about identifying potential risks, assessing how likely they are, and deciding how to respond before they become problems. For example, a company might insure its assets, diversify suppliers, or create backup plans for disruptions—all forms of risk management. At its heart, it’s not about eliminating risk altogether (which is impossible), but about minimizing harm and maximizing resilience. Done well, risk management shifts an organization from being reactive to proactive, allowing it to not only protect itself but also seize opportunities hidden within uncertainty.

Risk management in study abroad

Risk management in study abroad is about creating safe, meaningful experiences for students while recognizing that international travel always carries some level of uncertainty. From health and safety to cultural differences and logistical challenges, program providers like Learn from Travel, and institutional coordinators must anticipate what could go wrong and have systems in place to respond effectively. For example, vetting local partners, choosing safe housing, providing pre-departure orientations, and having emergency protocols are all forms of effective risk management in study abroad.

What is a risk diagram?

A risk diagram is a visual tool that helps make uncertainty easier to understand. Instead of relying only on long reports or lists of potential threats, a risk diagram maps out risks in a clear, at-a-glance way. The most common type is the risk matrix (presented further below), which plots the likelihood of a risk occurring against the impact it would have if it did. This allows organizations, schools, or even individuals to quickly see which risks are minor and which need immediate attention. For example, in study abroad, a minor risk might be a delayed flight, while a high-impact, high-likelihood risk might be health-related issues in a destination such as travelers diarrhea or a mosquito borne illness. Another diagram we discuss below is a mind map that helps to identify various components or sources of risk. By using diagrams, decision-makers can prioritize where to focus resources and communicate risks more effectively to stakeholders.

Benefits of diagramming risk

Diagramming the risk ecosystem offers the powerful benefit of seeing the “big picture” at a glance. Risks rarely exist in isolation—health risks might connect to housing risks, which in turn connect to partner or transportation risks. By mapping these relationships visually, organizations can better understand how one weak spot may ripple through the entire system. This makes it easier to identify blind spots, prioritize what matters most, and coordinate responses across different teams. For example, a study abroad office might realize that vendor vetting, student orientation, and emergency planning all intersect in ways that weren’t obvious before the diagram was created. Beyond internal clarity, diagrams also communicate complexity to stakeholders—whether staff, parents, or students—in a way that text alone cannot. In short, visualizing the risk ecosystem transforms abstract uncertainty into a manageable, strategic framework.

How to diagram risk for international travel programs

There is not one specific way to diagram risk faced by a company or institution. What’s important is to digram, not what the diagram looks like. The process of creating a diagram is more important than the result because it is during this process that we discover components and begin organizing them in our mind map. In fact, a mind map, like MindMup is the perfect tool for creating a risk diagram. We chose to organize our diagram based on how we manage different types of risk.

Risk Diagram — This somewhat simple mind map for risk in our programs is a helpful way to isolate specific sources or components of risk. ONce diagrammed, management is easier.

Components of our risk ecosystem

The risk ecosystem is going to be different for different institutions. At Learn from Travel we consider risks that are related directly to programs and those that are related more to our general operations. We can further break down the program-related risk into categories based on how it is managed: “prevention,” which we discuss here and “crisis management,” which will be discussed in our next post. Our diagram is presented above.

Prevention

Prevention is more important than crisis management because, if done correctly, it will lead to fewer crises precluding the need for crisis management. We break down the prevention section of the diagram into the different stakeholders of our programs: vendors (including local partners), participants, and guides. We also evaluate and look to mitigate the risk associated with specific destinations where our programs take place and the specific activities that our groups engage in.

Local Vendors

Vetting is the key to risk management with vendors. Prior to working with a vendor for the first time we use a comprehensive checklist to review the quality of their work (e.g, online reviews, references), their risk management practices (e.g. insurance, vehicle maintenance, hotel evacuation maps and fire mitigation equipment), and legal requirements (e.g., vehicle registration), among a number of other evaluation points. We have different checklists for each type of vendor: hotels, restaurants, activities, transportation, and guides. This process has to be done early enough to contract a different vendor if the original one does not pass the checklist.

transport through dangerous area — vetting transportation companies is one of the most important risk management processes for study abroad providers

Study Abroad Participants - Students and Faculty

Our diagram shows that the most important element in reducing risk associated with the participants is information. We obtain information from participants using a form where they indicate emergency contact information, dietary restrictions, and medical conditions. This information is relayed to our guide who is can make necessary accommodations and respond to emergencies based on the information the participant shared.

On the flip side of the coin, we provide information to participants to prepare them for the possible risks during their program. This includes information on crime, health, food, water, infrastructure, natural hazards, and a number of other risks depending on the specific destination and activities during the itinerary. (I discuss the assessment of country-specific risk and activity risk in more detail below.) The information is presented multiple times: during the pre-departure orientation conducted by our staff, in the pre-departure Program Details packet that participants receive one month prior to travel, and an on-site orientation conducted by our guide the day of arrival in the host country. Some items, like looking right then left before crossing the street in countries where people drive on the left side of the road, have to be repeated by our guides daily. In fact, we strongly recommend all faculty led programs to have a guide because of how much of an impact the guide has on risk management.

students hiking — if we know about physical limitations ahead of time we can be better prepared to manage the group during rigorous activities

Student Group Guides

With guides, as our diagram shows, everything comes down to training. We require all guides to be First Aid certified. We also conduct extensive training with guides that covers topics such as risk management, mitigation and prevention, emergency response, cross-cultural communication, and group dynamics. The guides not only have to think about risk, but they have to think about it in the context of the group they are leading. We review a variety of challenging hypothetical scenarios that might not have one right response, but rather several responses each with pros and cons. These practice exercises help guides understand our expectations of their thought and response process rather than memorizing specific responses to specific scenarios. The scenarios are generally based on situations that may occur during the program they are leading based on known risks for the destination country and the activities the group will be participating in.

The tour guide is one of the most important elements in risk management on travel programs. In addition to responding to emergencies, they can prevent them.

What is Risk Assessment

Risk assessment is the process of identifying potential hazards, evaluating how likely they are to occur, and understanding the possible impact they could have. It’s asking, “What could go wrong, how bad could it be, and what can we do about it?” Whether in business, travel, health, or everyday decisions, risk assessment helps us make informed choices rather than relying on guesswork. For example, a company might assess financial risks before launching a new product, or a family may weigh health and safety considerations before going on a trip. By breaking risks down into probabilities and consequences, risk assessment turns uncertainty into something manageable, providing a clearer path for prevention, planning, and confident decision-making.

As our diagram shows we carry out risk assessments for each destination and each activity on the itinerary.

Study Abroad Destination Risk Assessment

We use several sources of information on the destination country to identify the most important risks and consider. These sources include the State Department Travel Advisories, OSAC reports, the Center for Disease Control, the CIA World Factbook, and local and international news outlets among other sources. We generate a list of risks and for each estimate its likelihood, how consequential the occurrence would be for our program, how to prevent it, and how to deal with it if it does occur. This list informs the preparation we go through with our guides and the information we communicate to program participants. We devote most effort to the risks that are most likely and most consequential.

Travel advisory — Screenshot of the US DOS travel advisory for Jamaica which was downgraded from 3 to 2 in 2025

Itinerary Activities Risk Assessment

We evaluate risk for specific activities using a matrix that assigns a score of 1-5 for the consequence of the risk and another score of 1-5 for the likelihood of its occurrence. The two scores are multiplied and a decision is made based on the product using the following guidelines:

For some activities that may otherwise be too risky, we are able to make the risk acceptable with mitigating actions. For example, swimming at an ocean beach may result in drowning, a level 5 consequence (catastrophic) with a level 3 likelihood (possible). If we have a lifeguard on duty or tell participants to not go in beyond their waste, we can reduce the likelihood to 1 or 2 (unlikely or rare), and so the activity becomes possible, but still one we have to be very careful with.

This kind of mitigating action may be necessary with numerous activities on a program. The evaluation forces the risk management team to systematically think through the consequences and the likelihood of each occurence, which in itself is a valuable exercise, before they design the approach to mitigation.

Risk_Analysis_Chart — Activity Risk can be quantified in terms of its likelihood and consequence. The two factors are added to generate a score.

Conclusion

Risk is an everpresent concern in most aspects of life, but especially in international travel and intenrational education. By diagramming the various elements that create risk on study abroad programs we are able to better understanding sources of risk, how to evaluate them, and how to mitigate them.

In Part 2 of this post, we will discuss Crisis Management and in Part 3 we will discuss important risk categories that are not directly related to programs. Stay tuned!