Charles E. Goslin

Understanding Personal Security and Risk

A Guide for Travelers

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Blending decades of global intelligence and security experience with time-tested principles, this book delivers a powerful, practical framework for personal safety and risk awareness. It equips readers - especially those traveling or operating in high-risk environments - to recognize threats, understand adversarial behavior, and make informed, rapid decisions under pressure. Updated to reflect today's realities, it addresses the unique vulnerabilities faced by women, children, the elderly, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, missionaries, and university students. Combining strategic insight with real-world lessons, this essential guide speaks equally to professionals managing global security programs and individuals seeking to navigate an increasingly unpredictable world.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd
• 2. Auflage
• Seitenzahl: 368
• Erscheinungstermin: 24. April 2026
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 234mm x 156mm
• ISBN-13: 9781032677774
• ISBN-10: 1032677775
• Artikelnr.: 75831515

Autorenporträt

Charles E. Goslin is a retired CIA intelligence operations officer and actively consults on international security, intelligence and business matters. His expertise spans the analysis of risk and threat, to counterintelligence, adversarial analysis (red team operations), HUMINT tradecraft programs, and critical thinking skills for executive leadership in business and government. Charles is a published author and frequent lecturer, and has developed and taught advanced intelligence and security curricula for both foreign governments and academic institutions. Over four decades, he has lived and worked across India, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe, and currently resides in Houston, Texas.

Inhaltsangabe

Part 1: Defining Personal Security 1. Defining Personal Security 2. Key
Concepts and Terms in Personal Security 3. Five Principles of Personal
Security 4. The Ethics of Personal Security Part 2: Threats in the Travel
Environment 5. Red Flags - Patterns of Threat in the Travel Environment 6.
Charting the Unknown - Dealing with the Unexpected 7. Focus on Abduction 8.
Focus on Street Crime 9. Focus on Mass Casualty Events 10. Interacting with
Authorities 11. Focus on Cyber Threats Part 3: Security across the Travel
Journey 12. Your Movements in Public Space - Personal and Public
Transportation Considerations 13. Hotels, Hostels and Airbnb 14. Special
Events and Other Spaces Part 4: Vulnerable Traveler Populations 15.
Considering LGBTQ Travelers 16. Focus on Women 17. Focus on Children 18.
Missionaries 19. University Students 20. The Displaced - Migrants or
Refugees 21. Elderly Travelers Part 5: Organization Tools for Personal
Security 22. Conducting Risk Assessments 23. Developing a Company Travel
Security Policy and Plan 24. Managing Your Team's Security While on the
Move 25. Street Kit, Smartphones and Medicines 26. Insurance Considerations
27. Conclusion

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements *

About the Author *

Charles E. Goslin, CPP, CISSP *

Introduction *

Chapter 1 - Important Personal Security Concepts *

Concept of Effectiveness *

Concepts of Threat, Vulnerability and Risk *

Concept of Time *

Committing a security plan to memory *

Threat Agents and Threat Actors *

Chapter 2 - Personal Security Principles *

The Principle of Preparation *

Principle of Detection *

Principle of Deterrence *

Principle of Delay *

The Principle of Defense *

Selected Threat Actor Profile: Street Gangsters *

Chapter 3 - When travel plans go sideways *

Arrival at the Airport *

On the road: checkpoints and roadblocks *

Selected Threat Actor Profiles: Roadblocks and Military, Insurgents and Police *

Chapter 4 - Kidnapping *

Classifying Types of Kidnap/Abduction Operations *

Tip of the Iceberg: Keeping Kidnap Threat Trends in Perspective *

Measures to Counter the Kidnap Threat *

Recovering from Kidnap *

Executive Protection: Key Elements of a Program *

Selected Threat Actor Profile: The mindset of a Kidnapper *

Chapter 5 - Patterns of threat in the environment *

Cover of darkness *

Alcohol, Drugs & the Environment *

"Broken Windows" *

Natural Disasters *

Civil Disorder and Rioting *

Chapter 6 - Hotel and Residential Security *

Considerations when choosing a hotel *

Residential Security *

Selected Threat Actor Profiles: Pickpockets, Thieves and the World's Oldest Profession... *

Chapter 7 - Cyber Security On The Road *

"Darkhotel" Threat *

Foreign Intelligence Service Threat *

Identity Theft Abroad *

Chapter 8 - Shopping, the Sports Stadium, Theatres...Soft Targets *

Preparation *

Detection *

Considerations about the threat *

Response Countermeasure 1: Active Shooters *

Response Countermeasure 2: Suicide Bomber *

Selected Threat Actor Profiles: The Jihadist Suicide Bomber *

Chapter 9 - Risk Assessment for Personal Security *

Step 1: Asset Identification and Impact of Loss *

Step 2: Identify & Characterize the Threat to Specific Assets *

Step 3: Identify & Characterize Vulnerabilities *

Step 4: Assess Risks & Determine Priorities for You and Your Team's Protection *

Step 5: Identify unacceptable risks and determine Risk Mitigation priorities *

Chapter 10 - Personal Security and Transportation: Securing Your Movement *

Introduction *

Ground Transportation: Vehicle and Rail *

Air Transportation *

Chapter 11 - Managing Your Team's Personal Security *

Authority *

Communications *

The Team Briefing *

On The Ground *

Roadblock Protocol *

At the Hotel *

Managing Crisis Situations *

Conclusion *

Rezensionen

"[W]hy choose this [book]? Two reasons at least. First, Goslin has been there and done that, and he relates it and draws sensible and useful conclusions. For instance, he recalls the two 'genuine in-flight emergencies' that he has experienced. Second, from start to finish he puts his finger on what he calls 'the red-headed stepchild of the overall discipline of security', namely personal security training and awareness. He states the obvious, which does want stating: that personal security comes down to you, the traveller, and no other; tracking devices are all very well, but if you are the 'tip of the spear' of business development, in some obscure part of the world, you have to apply thought, beyond that 45 minute briefing you had before setting off from corporate security (or HR). Third, something else Goslin shrewdly points out; the world is 'increasingly insecure': for instance, kidnappers may go after mid-level employees, for smaller ransoms, rather than take longer to get millions for the senior exec captured...it takes homework, watching the terrain, and being observant for your self-defence." - Professional Security Magazine Online, Summer 2018

"When you start using the information in a book you're reviewing before you even finish reading it, that's a sign the book has great value. That is what happened with Understanding Personal Security and Risk by Charles E. Goslin." -- Terry V. Culver, CPP, CMAS, Security Management, June 2018