Prepare

Media impact is the last thing you want to think about when you’re on your holidays, but carrying out some basic due diligence will help you to relax during your much needed down-time. First, work out where details of your trip might be revealed, who might record images of it, and if there’s anything particularly noteworthy you plan to do that’s best avoided. Second, think about how photographs taken of you on holiday will be of interest to others – will the pictures themselves be of interest or could they be used to illustrate another story about you or your business?
Club tip: Seek out a secluded villa, such as the Hillside Bungalow at Cheval Blanc St-Barth Isle De France, set away from other guests and away from prying eyes.

De-socialise

Family members and loved ones are often inadvertent casualties of the focus that the media can have on people of interest, but they can also be the source of media stories. The press will review Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds, so social media awareness is critical. Talk to your family, guests and friends so that they don’t accidentally expose you via social media by disclosing where you’re going, where you are or what you’re doing.
Club tip: The An Lam Ninh Van Bay Villas in Thailand are accessible only by speedboat, making them perfect for travellers looking for absolute seclusion. 

Engage

Encountering the paparazzi on holiday is rare, but when it does happen it can be extremely stressful. Turn the tables by taking their picture so they can be identified and further action can be taken, and instruct your lawyers to spell out the boundaries of privacy you expect them to observe. With these defined parameters, robust and quick action is much easier to enforce should they fail to toe the line.
Club tip: Select destinations such as Soneva Fushi in the Maldives, which is known for its private beaches. That way you have much more information about who’s allowed in the surrounding areas.

Instruct

In the event you see yourself, family or guests being photographed, request that your lawyers use confidentiality and privacy rights to prevent sharing or publication of the images. If images have already appeared online, ask your lawyers to have the images removed. It’s far easier to do this when images first appear, rather than when they are published by a newspaper or magazine.
Club tip: If you’re embarking on a city break, many of the upmarket suites (for example the Ty Warner Suite at The Four Seasons New York) come with private access and your own chauffeur-driven car, making avoiding paparazzi a lot easier.

Schillings are lawyers, intelligence analysts, cyber security experts, ex-military strategists and risk consultants who prevent and deal with threats and crises. Find out more at schillingspartners.com