Natural and environmental travel risks occur worldwide, and travelers should be informed about what to do in such situations and how best to stay safe.
Heat waves, landslides, flooding, rip currents, and other natural travel risks can vary in intensity and be seasonal, climate-related, and/or location-specific. Some are predictable while others occur randomly. In every situation, the best way travelers can maintain their safety is to stay informed. It can be lifesaving to understand the type of natural event occurring and your safety options. Awareness can help you make critical decisions in your own best interest and, maybe even, in the best interest of others.
What follows is a guide to natural travel risks and lesser-known phenomena, along with essential safety advice for navigating them.
Why Some Natural Travel Risks Catch Visitors Off Guard
Natural travel risks are often unpredictable events that occur without warning. Even if predictable, travelers can feel thrown off if they’ve underestimated the event’s magnitude, scope, and impacts. Also problematic, travelers may assume an environment is safe because it “looks” so, especially if they’re in a destination they’re unfamiliar with.
Ocean Conditions That Can Shift Quickly
Rip Currents
- Where: Beaches with breaking waves (commonly Florida, Caribbean, Australia, etc.)
- When: Year-round (common after spring and summer storms and around low tides)
- What to know: Rip currents are when strong water movements pull you away from shore and safety. They are commonly responsible for beach rescues and fatalities, and even the best swimmers can be victims. While there aren’t always visual cues beforehand, just in case, you should know spottable rip current warning signs before getting in the water. Wear a life vest, monitor children in the water closely, and swim where lifeguards are present. Also, know what to do if you get caught in a rip tide. The most important things you can do are remain calm and swim parallel to the shoreline until you’re out of the current. If you’re struggling or battling fatigue, temporarily float or tread water.
Sneaker Waves
- Where: U.S. Pacific Northwest, Iceland, Chile
- When: Winter through early spring
- What to know: A sneaker wave is when water suddenly and powerfully surges up a shoreline, possibly coming up the beach hundreds of feet. It’s dangerous because it can sweep people into (often chilling) water unexpectedly. To stay safe, don’t turn your back to the ocean and remain on dry sand. Stay away from logs and large beach debris because sneaker waves can smack them into you or sweep you up with them. Also, be vigilant for rising tides and sudden water-level drops.
Seasonal Jellyfish Blooms
- Where: Southeast Asia, Mediterranean, Caribbean
- When: Warmer months
- What to know: Jellyfish blooms refer to a temporary, massive influx of jellyfish in coastal waters. As a natural travel risk, the blooms can cause beach closures, injuries, and cancellations of excursions and activities. In addition to avoiding jellyfish and adhering to advisories, other safety measures include wearing a protective wetsuit and sting-blocking sunscreen.
Weather and Climate Conditions Travelers Should Watch
Extreme Heat Waves
- Where: multiple locations (Southern Europe, the Middle East, various destinations in the U.S., etc.)
- When: a destination/region’s hottest months of the year
- What to know: Extreme heat waves can significantly impact, if not cancel, outdoor plans like walking tours, sightseeing, hiking, etc. Travel arrangements can also be compromised by extreme heat depending on the mode of transportation and daily temperatures. Children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with disabilities and chronic health conditions are particularly vulnerable. Protecting yourself from heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and skin damage should be your priorities. In addition to checking daily temperatures and for heat advisories, follow health and safety guidelines for UV (ultraviolet) radiation exposure. Having an arsenal of travel products to help you beat the heat may also be helpful.
Flash Flooding
- Where: Commonly in desert regions, Southeast Asia, and various destinations in the U.S.
- When: Rainy season / sudden storms / levee or dam failures
- What to know: Flash flooding is the result of fast-rising water in an area within hours. General flooding occurs over a more extended period of time. Common places that may experience flash flooding include desert or rocky terrain, low-lying areas, and urban layouts. Places with poor drainage are especially vulnerable to flooding. After unprecedented rainfall or in a location without proper infrastructure to protect against severe damage, natural travel risks can be dire and devastating. Airport runways and roads may be closed, flights may be disrupted, accessibility to clean water and power could be temporarily compromised, and authorities may call for evacuations. Safety tips include checking for health and safety updates from local sources, avoiding floodwater, and having travel insurance that covers weather-related events.
Landslides
- Where: Mountainous + tropical regions, sloped locations with lots of rain
- When: Can be triggered after heavy rainfall (rainy seasons) or following volcanic, earthquake, or human activity.
- What to know: A landslide is when a mass piece of earth, rock, or debris, slopes downward. The event can occur gradually or suddenly. In the worst cases, they are extremely devastating and result in high death tolls and major infrastructural damage. Travelers should know that landslides may prompt road, railway, and bridge closures, as well as excursion disruptions, and difficulties for emergency services. To keep safe, be vigilant for warning signs and avoid downhill locations if possible.
Rare but Notable Natural Phenomena
Ice Shoves
- Where: Great Lakes, Northern Europe
- When: Late winter → early spring
- What to know: Also known as “ice tsunami,” and ice shove is a wind-driven ice movement that results in lake ice piling up on shorelines. Ice shoves can quickly create hazardous, damaged, or impassable road conditions in coastal areas, potentially temporarily suspending travel.
Volcanic Ash Clouds
- Where: Places near volcanic eruptions (countries like Iceland, Indonesia, etc.)
- When: After a volcanic eruption
- What to know: Volcanic ash can travel thousands of miles from an eruption site. It could cause reduced visibility, flight disruptions, and aircraft rerouting for days after an eruption, leaving travelers inconvenienced or even temporarily stranded. Volcanic ash can harm and/or irritate one’s health and, in some cases, may require people in its vicinity to evacuate.
How to Stay Informed Without Overthinking It
Staying informed is critical, and it can be as easy as you make it.
Before you travel, you’ll want to know whether your home country, the World Health Organization (WHO), or the destination itself has issued any advisories on natural hazards, environmental travel risks, or potential dangers that may occur (even unexpectedly). Signing up to receive notifications from relevant and credible health and meteorological sources in your destination can help you stay in the loop leading up to and during your trip. You can also get information from locals and tour guides where you’ll be visiting. They may be able to provide useful insights on navigating local natural and environmental travel risks. Additionally, they may be able to tell you, from personal experience, what they’ve done in those situations to stay safe.
For certain activities, it’s important you don’t solely rely on visuals or how things look as your primary gauge of safety. The ocean may appear safe for a swim when you’re nearby, but looks can be deceiving. As another example, an earthquake could occur on a beautiful day in a picture-perfect area without warning. Environments that “look calm” aren’t inherently safe or free of natural hazards.
Conclusion
Though natural travel risks do occur, travelers shouldn’t feel deterred from exploring the world. With countless breathtaking, exhilarating, and culturally rich places to see and experience, you don’t have to stop crossing locations off your travel bucket list.
Stay informed about potential natural travel risks you may face, including those that could occur unexpectedly in your destination. Maintaining awareness isn’t meant to cast an omen over your travels. Instead, it can help you calmly and strategically travel with useful information, preparedness, and confidence.
