Planning International Travel

As the world economy grows and US companies do more business abroad, travel beyond our borders will continue to grow. In fact, today the major airlines are betting their future on the international travel market. This focus is evident in the comments by senior management and their actions. Equipment is being repositioned to serve more international destinations; BA & AA have resumed their on again off again conversations and recently Quantas Airlines ordered 100+ jets from Boeing and these jets are not for inter Australian service.

So why is it important to spend a few more minutes planning international travel:

1. International travel can be substantially more expensive than domestic travel
2. Senior management does most of the international travel, and what’s the value of their time away from the office and/or the projects on which they work?
3. Your travelers are much further from home, outside the protection of the US government and conducting business under foreign laws & customs.

According to the American Management Association, three quarters of major U.S. corporations record and monitor employee e-mails, computer files and phone conversations, as well as track Web sites workers visit on the Internet.

The following overview has been prepared as a resource to provide some insights and background to assist planning business travel abroad. It is by no means a comprehensive guide, always research your destination and know the conditions of your destination before you leave the United States. Also remember, in today’s world conditions abroad may change quickly and should not be assumed to be static!

Planning Checklist:
a. Do you need a passport and/or a visa(s)?
b. Do you have copies of these documents with you & have you left a set at home?
c. Due to distances & schedules trips may be longer or extend over weekends etc
d. How will changing time zones affect your travel and productivity?
e. Have you anticipated schedule changes or travel interruptions?
f. What language differences exist and/or impact doing business?
g. What cultural differences exist;

• Social & business practices; greetings, gestures, humor, business hours
• Food types, restaurant(s) offerings, meal times, table manners etc
• Religion(s), holidays & related customs
• Tipping & other forms of compensation

• Electric currents & outlets - will you need adapters
• Internet accessibility
• Do you need foreign currency?
• What is the acceptability of credit cards?
• What is the availability of ATM’s?
• Will your cell phone work or do you need a satellite phone?

Addressing these areas in advance will prepare you for your business trip abroad.

Booking Your Travel:

Airfare can be as little as a few hundred dollars or as much as $10,000 depending upon routing, destination(s) and class of service flown.

When traveling trans-continentally, there are usually 3 classes of service available: coach, business and first. What are the differences, 1) comfort & space, 2) service & amenities, 3) frequent flier points & status, and 4) cost.

Comfort & space: coach seating is identical to what we have all experienced in domestic coach. Coach class will also be the least expensive class of service and offer the fewest amenities.

Business class is more comfortable with wider seats, and will recline further than coach seats allowing for more restful experience. Additional services are also available and may include a selection of food & beverages, perhaps some pre-departure or arrival services. Some airlines offer free airport club passes to passengers holding business class tickets.

First class is of course the epitome of air travel service & comfort and you will pay for it. Many major airlines have been upgrading first class seating with fully reclining seats, which fold flat into sleeper beds.

Among the advantages of flying in a premium class you may be provided:
a. bonus flight miles and upgrades
b. free airport club access, some even provide free showers at arrival destinations
c. possibly a free first class upgrade on domestic portions of the trip
Other questions to explore when booking your travel are:
a. Do I fly foreign flag or US carriers?
b. Does my favorite carrier have foreign partners? If so, it makes sense to stay within the alliance or partnership program(s).
c. Can these partners accommodate my international travel and my or my company’s reward programs?
d. Is my ticket endorsable or transferable to a different airline enroute if my plans change?
e. What are the change or cancellation fees?

One way historically to save money on airfare is consolidators. Consolidators can sometimes save you money because they may have purchased seats in bulk from the airline. However, due to the very confusing nature of fares and fare rules, it is always best to allow a travel professional to work directly with the consolidator(s) on your behalf. Because of the volume of seats managed, the better consolidators may not work with the public but only through trusted travel agent partners. Today, consolidators may only save money if you are traveling in a premium class of service, i.e. business or first.

How flexible are you re your travel dates? Sometime simply changing your dates by a day or 2 can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Ground Transportation: how will you get around once you arrive at your destination? This decision may be a factor of:
a. Where are you?
b. How long will you be there?
c. How comfortable are you driving in a foreign country?

For a short stay confined to a small geographical area, it is generally recommended that you rely on some form of public transportation or private car. This selection eliminates the need to know driving rules & customs, be personally familiar with the area, not risk getting lost and resultant downtime, issues of insurance & laws etc. In many countries cabs are plentiful, but unless fares are posted, be prepared to inquire of the concierge, or bargain with the driver before hiring the cab.

If you are in a city or area in which you are unfamiliar check with your hotel regarding the availability of reliable drivers, what taxi fares should be to your destination(s).

If you do decide to drive, check out the rules & requirements for:
a. Insurance
b. Rules of the road
c. Drivers licenses
d. Accessibility of gas & repairs

For a stay requiring a slightly larger geographical scope, transportation alternatives will include rail or air travel as well as domestic airlines.

If you need inter or intra country travel arrangements and don’t make them prior to arrival, inquire re your choices before you leave? Who are the providers, what are the costs? What’s the schedule availability? How are these arrangements made? A good travel company can assist with you all of this information.

Lodging: Hotel rates in the major business centers of London, Paris, Frankfurt, Tokyo and others are consistently at the top of charts. However, the questions you really need to ask yourself are:
a. What services may be needed, i.e. concierge, business center, meeting rooms, translation etc
b. Is there a part of the city that is important to be in due to proximity to meetings, local facilities, and your safety, even the image portrayed?
c. Does my company or the people I am meeting with have a preferred hotel offering a lower rate or better services
d. What are the qualities of hotels or the standards in the cities to be visited? Do you know the average hotel room in Paris is like the average hotel room in New York City - small?
e. In many European cities, apartments can be rented easily and for stays of a week or more may offer savings & a sense of home hotel rooms can’t provide.

Safety & Security: This topic can constitute an entire book but for our purposes we’ll address the topics of lost luggage, documents and accessing help. Always be sure that someone at home knows your itinerary and is advised of changes enroute. Communicating this information is an important part of staying safe.

Regarding documents, it is a very good idea to have an extra copy within your luggage in case your passport and other items are lost. In this way, you may be able to expedite the issuance of new documents at your embassy. Similarly it can be helpful to have a copy of your itinerary in your baggage as well. Also have a list of credit card #’s etc.

In the case of lost luggage, many have recommended putting a business address inside your bag(s) in case it is found and outside identification has been removed or destroyed.

Many people recommend that a few personal items be in your carry on bag(s) in case your luggage gets lost. In this way, you won’t be completely un-prepared if your luggage doesn’t show up right away or you arrive when stores & shops are closed for a weekend or holiday.

Always carry a list of key contacts & their information, including the US Embassy or consulate offices or those representing your nationality.

The State department maintains a listing of countries where conditions maybe less than ideal. Check this if you are visiting locations of which you may be uncertain. http://travel.state.gov/about/about_304.html. Visiting this site can offer a wealth of information re the safety and health issues of different countries as determined by the Dept of State.

Other helpful websites for:

Time & date information - http://www.timeanddate.com/

ATM locations - http://visa.via.infonow.net/locator/global/jsp/SearchPage.jsp

Travelers’ Health - http://www.cdc.gov/travel/

Subway Maps: http://www.subwaynavigator.com/subway_site/eng/accueil/fset_subway.htm

Weather - http://www.weather.com

Communications & electrical standards - http://kropla.com/

Always plan for the unexpected and you won’t be surprised, but you might have a good story to tell when you get home!