How Travel Oracle ‘Mayday’ enabled safe rescue in India

Background

A traveller on a one-day trek in northern India became lost in the jungle. After spending an unplanned night outdoors, they activated the ‘Mayday’ alert on their Healix Travel Oracle app to request assistance. The remote location, combined with unreliable phone signal and limited battery life, created a challenging situation requiring careful coordination and contingency planning.

Dense jungle terrain highlighting the challenging environment where traveller used Mayday alert.

Challenge

The primary challenge was maintaining communication.

The traveller’s weak phone signal made it difficult to establish consistent contact, and their dwindling battery life further limited opportunities for check-ins. To conserve power, Healix scheduled 3-hourly check-ins, with the phone in airplane mode in between. While the team successfully tracked GPS locations during the initial check-ins, the traveller eventually missed one, triggering a loss of communication.

With no contact and no way to verify the traveller’s safety, the team had to prepare for several potential scenarios, including the possibility of dehydration, medical issues, or the need for a ground rescue operation.

Approach

Our approached spanned communication protocols, contingency planning and client collaboration.

Communication protocols: When the traveller missed their check-in, Healix activated its lost communications protocol. The team attempted contact via multiple channels, including their alternative US phone number, WhatsApp, SMS, and regular calls.

Contingency planning: In parallel, Healix ramped up contingency measures. Our medical and security teams worked together to identify the nearest medical centres and assess the potential health risks of prolonged exposure in the jungle, including dehydration. A six-hour escalation window had been established, after which local security assets would be deployed if contact was not re-established.

Client collaboration: Throughout the incident, Healix maintained regular communication with the traveller’s Security Manager. The manager was kept informed of the situation and given the option to deploy ground assets sooner, if they deemed it necessary.

Outcome

Despite unreliable communication channels, the app enabled effective remote coordination and rapid escalation planning.

After several hours of uncertainty, the traveller safely reached a roadside location where they met hotel staff.

With the situation resolved, Healix stood down our contingency measures. This incident highlighted the critical value of the Travel Oracle app’s Mayday function.