How an Alexandria-Based App Can Keep You Safe When Abroad

An app born in Alexandria is looking to take the fear of the unknown out of traveling overseas.

ProtecTour, an app created by the Alexandria-based TATE Global basically acts as an advance warning app, letting users know about dangers based on where they are at the moment and even offering emergency communication with the company. Using a combination of official data sources and crowdsourced information, the app tries to keep users informed and therefore safe.

“We are garnering information that will be of actual use on the ground,” said Susan Young, managing director at TATE Global. “It all started in classrooms and then evolved into the app.”

Those classes are the ones TATE offers for people planning to travel abroad, especially to dangerous areas. The app essentially lets users have access to all of the information TATE Global has on an area’s dangers and gives them the chance to avoid areas with lots of crime or ongoing riots or natural disasters depending on where they are. It offers directions to police stations, hospitals and embassies and will even send updates to family and friends if you sign up for the subscription service.

“There will always be threats when traveling and we’re committed to preparing individuals and groups to travel safely and with confidence,” said Anne Ayres, President of TATE Global. “With the ProtecTour app in particular, we are able to provide an added sense of security to our clients and their families by arming them with technology that can help them avoid danger and communicate with travel safety experts at any time. The ProtecTour mobile app fills a huge void in the travel safety space, and we believe it has the potential to revolutionize how people travel.”

According to recent poll conducted by TATE, most U.S. citizens are worried more about being safe over having fun, with 80 percent picking safety over fun when traveling interenationally. At the same time, only 32 percent said they would know what to do in an emergency. ProtecTour’s help in that regard is a significant part of why there’s a growing interest in the app according to Young.

“It’s becoming a part of their regular travel toolkit,” Young said. “It makes traveling that much safer.”