Straight out of central casting works best on international business

By guest blogger Stefan Krasowski from Rapid Travel Chai

Greeting a flight in an international capital, the prospective business partners await a dignified, confident American in suit…and instead get a schlubby guy in an oversize polo, sleeves billowing below elbows and golf tournament sponsor logos everywhere. American tourists are teased world-wide for sticking out, after all, what other tourists go to the Louvre dressed for safari? American businesspeople are often similarly guilty, and it starts with a penchant for sloppy dress.

People from large countries have a tendency to project their home country views wherever they travel. Corporate HR departments provide cultural sensitivity training to bridge this gap. But the focus is only on trying to be more like the other culture, as if counterparts live in a vacuum, expecting the American to hop off the plane and act like them. Those who have seen backpackers in Southeast Asia wearing sarongs know where this leads. The less cosmopolitan the audience, the more traditional the view of Americans. Just as seeing the US president in casual clothes is jarring, many people expect the American to wear a suit on business even if local dress is vastly different.

Here’s how to play the part:

Research the country and culture: flattery gets you everywhere. Know what topics to avoid.

It starts with the flight: in many countries you will be greeted at the airport by business partners. Go ahead and be comfortable on the flight, but clean up prior to landing and at least have a crisp jacket when deplaning. If you must bring a backpack, carry it discretely by the handle.

Wear suits until they tell you to stop: and then maybe keep wearing them.

Polite, but not intimate, and mind the hierarchy: this is where the HR departments and culture books can help. Americans seem to get in the most trouble in hierarchical countries by showing excessive attention to counterparts lower on the hierarchy and expecting hierarchy to disappear in the evening over drinks.

Taste everything they serve you: bug-eyed with the dish in front of you is a tad late to invent an allergy.

Plenty of classy gifts: and not the corporate logo tricolor highlighter. This is particularly true in Asia but useful anywhere. Elegant gifts, handsomely wrapped, ideally with a hometown element (good story to tell) are always useful. Bring lots. Keep the ‘Made in USA sticker’ on but lose the ‘Made in China’ sticker, especially in China!

Don’t fly away and forget: many people assume Americans are short-term users of relationships. Show appreciation and attention after flying away.

Sound like a job interview? Yes, except for the gifts. That is exactly how you should treat international business trips. Play conservatively to audience expectations.

You’ll find me at sea this week, and probably doing a little blogging along the way. That said, I wanted you to have something to read other than Best of MJ on Travel content this week, so check out this guest post from blogger Stefan Krasowski from Rapid Travel Chai.

Landed that globetrotting job? Better kit yourself out.

By guest blogger Stefan Krasowski from Rapid Travel Chai

You’ve finally landed that globetrotting job, ready to jump into the first trip and the wheels start to come off. Administrative assistants and the travel agents are little help and HR only throws up roadblocks. Relying on people that often travel the least to manage your travel can often be a disaster without active involvement and coaching. Here’s what you need to be ready to fly most anywhere:

Passport: obvious, but US citizens getting a new passport or renewal should check the box for the 52-page book (non-standard) not the 28-page book (standard). Stamp happy officials in many countries consume a whole page for a visa and do their best to take up another page with their stamps. Getting new pages is a hassle (and now expensive); in a hurry the fastest method to get extra pages is at an overseas embassy/consulate, processed on the spot. Throw in a US passport card as a secondary ID, but it is only valid for land and sea entry to Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Countries.

Global Entry: US and Mexican citizens (plus Canadian NEXUS members and Dutch Privium members) should join this US government program for expedited entry to the US. It does not expedite security screening but pilot tests will soon be underway. See here for more info on the benefits and full range of programs on offer, including NEXUS for Canada and SENTRI for Mexico, which supplement Global Entry. If your company will not pay, some credit cards now reimburse the fee ($100, valid for 5 years).

International Driving Permit (IDP): not all countries accept home-country driver’s licenses. An IDP is cheap and easy to get (AAA and others), but validity is, vexingly, limited to one-year. Set an annual renewal reminder on your calendar.

Visa photos: get a stack of them made and leave then with whoever will handle your visa applications. The most versatile are 2”x1.5”, but I also keep a supply of 1.5”x1”, and a few 2”x2”. Many countries, particularly in Asia, are a great place to stock up, either at photo shops or shopping mall/subway station instant ID photo kiosks. Prices in the US are outrageous.

Visa applications: each country is different in their requirements, and further different by your country of nationality and country where applying for the visa. Some countries make it very difficult to apply for their visa outside your home country. Business visas often require an extra layer of documentation: whether or not you go with tourist visas depends on how much your HR department meddles. But you can make life easier by providing whoever will handle your visa applications with a high-resolution scan of your passport photo page, a copy of your full passport (for countries that ask about prior country visits) and basic demographic information about yourself, parents, spouse and children, all of which can be asked even when the trip is just for yourself. For business visas, an employment verification letter is de rigueur and it will be good to get HR set up with a template and make a few for you in advance.

Good visa agents can expedite the process but always build in time to be without a passport. Familiarize yourself with each country’s quirks, such as multiple-entry visas to India requiring supplemental approval for reentry within 60 days.

Vaccines: consult a medical professional for vaccines that you will need, but start early because numerous vaccines require multi-booster treatments over several weeks or months to achieve full inoculation. Examples are hepatitis A, hepatitis B and rabies. Get your vaccination record entered by your medical professional into a yellow International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP) book.

There are currently 20, admittedly remote, countries that require proof of yellow fever vaccination (see CDC’s Yellow Book table 3-24). This is not always strictly enforced but best to be covered. The Yellow Book also shows the many more African, Central American and South American countries with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Copies and scans: have copies and scans of all the above for replacement if lost or for use in place of the originals. Have backups at home and at work with someone trusted and reliable.

Personal expenses: business expenses may be reimbursed, but personal expenses still pop up. Whether or not your company has issued you a card with no foreign transaction fee, you should get one for personal use. Most card issuers now have such offerings, including all Capital One cards.

And then the family: any spouse and children will not want to be forgotten and want reliable communication. Address this in advance. And family members often ask to be taken along. If so, return to the top of this list and start working back down.

Finally, always take ownership for all steps in this process. You, not your assistant, not your visa agent, will be the one standing in a foreign airport trying to fix things if they are improperly prepared.

When done, you can get back to dreaming of airline lounges and lie-flat seats!

I know you’re still enjoying the “Best of MJ on Travel” while I vacation aboard Mariner of the Seas.  But I know you want current content too.  Fellow Boardingarea.com blogger Steven Frischling of Flying With Fish has graciously agreed to author a guest post while I’m away.  He calls it “How Airport Thieves Operate and How to Avoid Being a Target.”  It’s a fantastic post, and I know you’ll enjoy it.

When Marshall asked me to write a guest post while he was out sitting on
the deck of the Mariner Of The Seas sucking back brightly coloured drinks
and losing his money on Deck 4 at the Casino Royale in the evenings I
began to write an off-the-cuff humourous guest post about airline travel.
My post changed a few days ago in light of a baggage theft ring being
busted at Phoenix Sky Harbor Int’l Airport, where police found 1,000
stolen bags in a couple’s home.

I chose to change my post as I have been researching airport thieves for
quite a few years and have even had the opportunity to directly interest
with those who make their living stealing from passengers in airports.
Surprisingly the airport thieves I interacted with were quite honest about
how they go about their days…

…so with that knowledge in mind, I thought I might share some
information on how to avoid having your baggage stolen by an airport
thief.

Airport thieves who target baggage work quickly and effectively. These
thieves blend in, generally dressing like a business traveller, often
carrying their own backpack or brief case to blend in. Some thieves go so
far as to tuck an old boarding pass or ticket jacket into a pocket that is
just visible enough to law enforcement so they don’t garner a second look
as they search for bags to walk off with.

The most commonly stolen bags by airport thieves are black ballistic nylon
roller bags. Why back ballistic nylon roller bags? Because these types of
bags make up more than 90% of the baggage travellers fly with. Black
ballistic nylon bags blend in; a bag can be snatched and wheeled off into
a crowd without ever being noticed.

While many bags are snatched right off the baggage carousel, surprisingly
many are also stolen after they are taken off the belt. Many passengers
with more than one bag pull the bag from the carousel then place it behind
themselves while waiting for another bag. Experienced airport thieves
often ‘size-up’ their target, often women, based on clothing, glasses,
handbag, etc before making their move on a pre-removed piece of baggage.

Airport thieves are also well aware of certain brands that carry expensive
equipment that are designed to blend in, such as the Lowe Pro Pro-Roller
bags and Think Tank bags used by photographers. These bags look like
other bags, except those who make their living stealing from airports
knows certain brand types and the contents these bags often carry.

So how can you avoid being the target of an airport baggage thief? Here
are a few simple suggestions I have created based on my experience, as
well as having spoken with experienced airport thieves.

1) When possible avoid purchasing and travelling with a black ballistic
nylon bag. If you do purchase a black ballistic nylon bag label your bag
brightly with extremely visible tape or marking. A bag that is brightly
marked is easily identifiable and very hard to walk away with, without
being noticed

2) When choosing how to mark you bags keep in mind that paint-markers are
highly visible on black ballistic nylon and they do not fade Also duct
tape is the most durable. When using tape place the tape in very visible
areas and in multiple areas so the markings are never hidden and difficult
to cover up.

3) If you travel with a task-specific bag, such as a Pelican Case or a
photography shipping case, make sure the bag is both extremely visible and
identifiable and when possible place that bag inside a non-descript bag
(that should also be clearly marked and visible.) Placing a Pelican case
that would draw a thief’s attention inside a duffle bag is an ideal way to
avoid becoming a baggage thief’s target.

4) After deplaning head straight to the baggage carousel and position
yourself as close as possible to the exit of the baggage chute. If the
baggage carousel is crowded, position yourself in an area where you have a
clear view of the bags exiting. If you have clearly marked your bags
you’ll see it coming ouy.

5) If you have checked multiple bags stack them in front of you while
waiting for additional bags. Stacking bags behind yourself leaves you
open to having them stolen, while bags placed in front of you keep them in
your line of sight at all times.

I personally mark nearly all my bags with bright flamingo pink duct tape.
Tape is placed on all the handles, all the zipper-pulls and anywhere else
I can secure it. Some bags have both bright pink tape and my name written
in very large letters in bright yellow paint marker

Below is a photo of my Pelican case inside a Mountainsmith duffle bag and
one of my very clearly labeled black ballistic nylon bags.

Travel safe…and Happy Flying!

-Fish
www.flyingwithfish.com

I know you’re loving every word of my “best of” content.  But what I thought you’d really like is some new information.  Fellow Boardingarea.com blogger Dan Webb from Things in the Sky has graciously agreed to provide a guest post while I vacation aboard Mariner of the Seas.  Dan calls this post “Are We At the Bottom….Yet?  Please?”  I think it’s fantastic and I know you will too.

This December, the recession will officially turn two years old, and it’s certainly been a rough ride for the airline industry. The first problem was a huge run-up in crude oil prices, which peaked over $140/barrel in July 2008. In response, airlines began slashing capacity, which ended up being a wise move, since oil prices were replaced with the full effects of the recession and financial crisis. The results haven’t been too pretty. The Air Transport Association reported that in September, passenger revenue was down 19% year-over-year.

The big question is, of course, when will this all end?

When one watches the news, it’s pretty easy to become confused. When the Commerce Department reported that third quarter GDP increased 3.5% compared to the second quarter, there were plenty of news reports proclaiming that the recession was over. But when the October unemployment rate came out at 10.2%, worse than expected, negative news stories ensued.

So, where does the airline industry stand? Well, in my humble opinion, I think we’ve just about found the bottom, but we’re moving sideways. I think IATA head Giovanni Bisignani put it best:

It is far too early to call this a recovery. The worst may be over in terms of the fall in demand, but yields continue to be a disaster and costs are rising. The airline industry remains firmly in the red with a fragile business environment.

But, I’d like to run through a few pieces of data as well.

ATA Yield Data

I find the ATA’s monthly data to be useful simply because it’s updated so often. Individual airlines only give their actual yield numbers on a quarterly basis, so this data is useful to get a “pulse” of the industry. This data has actually been looking pretty good, as year-over-year change has stabilized the past couple of months, and for all regions. Hopefully, we will start seeing some positive numbers soon as comparisons will soon be made to weaker 2009 numbers.

Average International Fares

This is data that I look at from IATA, which often has great data. I’d highly recommend heading over to their economics page (www.iata.org/economics), which is always informative.

Anyway, fares have decreased a great deal, which is of course great for us as travelers, but bad for the airlines. But recent data looks encouraging:

So, fares are down, but they’re down less than before. And, well, I guess we have to take that as good news – and that’s been the case with a lot of economic data as late – things are getting worse, but they’re getting worse more slowly!

If airlines can decrease their, well, decreases, that’s good news in terms of demand, but there’s still much progress to be made.

Oil Prices

Of course, fuel prices have a huge effect on the industry, and last year fuel actually replaced labor as the biggest expense for the airlines when oil was high. But, oil prices quickly collapsed and dropped over a $100/barrel from past highs, but oil is now testing the $80 level again. The rise in oil prices, or general commodity prices, can actually be a good thing for the airlines in the sense that they can be a leading indicator of a recovery. And that might be one reason oil has gone up. But, after converting the price of oil to Euros, the increases look less dramatic, which makes me think that much of this increase is coming from a depreciating dollar.

Anyway, that’s just some of the interesting data I’ve seen of late. Thanks to Marshall for giving me the opportunity to guest post.

I’m honored to have MrsMJonTravel herself author a guest post for the blog.  The only published author in the house, she also does her share of business travel for her day job.  I hope you’ll enjoy her review of a recent stay at the Renaissance Schaumburg.

I recently completed a one-night stay at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel.  Despite its suburban location, it’s got quite the chi-chi décor.  The lobby is a large open area that is divided off into more intimate sections by large wood bookcase-type pieces.

Check in was speedy.  They made an imprint of my credit card, and I was on my way up to the 4^th floor.  I was a little concerned by the location.  My door faced out into the large open lobby area, so I was a little concerned about noise echoing up.  However, since I fell asleep shortly after going back to room, it wasn’t the issue I thought it might be.

The hotel features two restaurants that are open for guests arriving after 7 pm.  There’s a Sam and Harry’s Steak House and a more informal bar/restaurant called The Gathering.   I opted for The Gathering.  Service was very good, and the blue cheese steak salad was excellent.  The TVs showed the last game of the World Series, but the noise level in the bar/restaurant didn’t detract from my ability to converse with two colleagues.

The room featured a king size bed, flat screen TV, and a TV in the mirror of the bathroom.  I didn’t discover the TV in the mirror of the bathroom until I was getting ready the following morning.  Maybe I’m technologically inept, but I could only get it to turn on when I had the other TV on.  I put it on the same channel as the other TV so I could watch the news as I dried my hair, but the 10 second delay just created an annoying echo, and I ended up turning it off.  The other big annoyance was the lack of a quality AT&T signal.  I could only get my iPhone to work by leaning next to the window.

I didn’t have a lot of time to check out much of the hotel, but I did walk by the gym, which looked pretty nice and was adjacent to an indoor pool.  I tried to access the business center twice, but each time the door was locked.

I took advantage of the two free hours of WiFi in the lobby to do some work.  I did this from 11 am til noon and enjoyed a very quiet, rather empty lobby.  It was a very pleasant way to work.

Since I was there for a conference, I can say that the conference rooms are pretty nice.  I spoke in the Nirvana room.  I thought that was cool.  Our conference luncheon buffet had Chicago hot dogs and Chicago style pizza.  I thought that was a nice touch.

All in all, not bad for the ‘burbs of C-town.