By Laurel Delaney

As a global small business owner, you must be prepared to go boldly where you have never gone before.  A face-to-face meeting with your international customer is absolutely essential to cement a quality business relationship -- but the practical aspects of international business travel can make or break your trip.  Use the following as a manual of the details you'll want to attend to in order to have a safe, comfortable and productive journey.

Scouting the Territory Before You Leave
An excellent way to start planning your overseas trip is to surf the Internet, preferably well in advance of your departure.  It is an incredibly useful tool for finding out everything from the weather to the local currency exchange rate in the country you are about to visit.  Two particularly handy sites you'll want to check out are maintained by the U.S. State Department (http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html), which offers practical tips and advisories both to protect American travelers from potential harm and to help make your trip more enjoyable and profitable; and Bloomberg News (http://www.bloomberg.com/markets/index.html?Intro=intro), which provides the latest exchange rates for seven key currencies.  For additional help, cover the following checklist with the appropriate agencies:

1.  Go over all the logistics of your trip with your travel agent:  ticketing, hotels, arrival and departure times, ground transportation, baggage handling, currency adjustments, health precautions, possible language barriers.  Ask for a map of the town center or urban area where you will be staying.  If your agent doesn't have one, you can ask your hotel concierge upon arrival, or check the local phone directory or tourist guide in your room.  And there is always Google Earth (http://earth.google.com/) for big picture views.

2.  Call the international department of your bank or visit The World Bank (http://www.worldbank.org/) and ask for a short lesson, or perhaps a brochure, on your country of destination's currency and how the various bills and coins relate to one another.

3.  Ask about passport (http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html), visa (http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1285.html) and immunization requirements (http://www.cdc.gov/).  Allow at least eight weeks for processing the documents, especially if you are going to be traveling during a peak tourist season.  Immunizations can cause some lingering pain and discomfort, so if several immunizations are required, allow time for them to be administered in stages rather than all at once.

4.  Check the holiday schedule (http://www.earthcalendar.net/index.php) and regular business hours for the country you are about to visit.  This will affect your access to stores, services and public transportation.

5.  Find out about the usual climate (http://www.wunderground.com/) of the country you are about to visit, as well as the weather at the time of your trip, by consulting your travel agent or an international newspaper.  Take climate into consideration when packing.

6.  Contact your local chamber of commerce for a directory of your country's government offices throughout the world.  If the directory is pocketable, bring it along.  Many government offices have more than one branch in each country.  For example, the United States Department of State has five different office locations in Japan.  You could end up visiting all of them!  Here's why.

In the United States, there is a directory of the key officers of foreign service posts (http://foia.state.gov/Phonebook/KOH/keyoffcity.asp) whom American business executives would most likely need to contact.  All embassies, missions, consulates general, and consulates are listed.  Their commercial officers can arrange appointments with local business and government officers, and also identify potential importers, buyers, agents, distributors and cross-border partners for your business.  It may also be worthwhile to pay a visit to administrative officers who are responsible for normal business operations and agricultural officers who promote the export of U.S. agricultural products.  Contact these offices in advance to schedule a visit.  Explain your intention so they can set you up with the appropriate officer.

7.  Check the time zone (http://www.worldtimeserver.com/) of the country you are visiting.  You want to be alert and on time for your trip!

8.  Make your hotel accommodations work for you by reviewing electrical voltage in the country you are traveling to and the types of plugs and outlets used there (http://kropla.com/electric.htm).

9. Finally, sit down with pen and paper and review your itinerary.  Envision yourself going through each day of your trip.  Whom will you meet?  Where will you need to be each day, and at what times?  How will you get there?  What will you need to wear?  What will you need to bring to each appointment?  How much money will you need for your daily expenses?  Now, based on this activity schedule, list all the items you think are important enough to bring.  If no one, such as a bell captain, taxi driver or limo attendant, is available to assist you upon arrival in a remote part of the world, what will you do?  This consideration will encourage you to pack what you need -- and only what you need.

Managing Your Money
Most international travelers know that they should have enough of their own currency on hand to get from their home to their destination and back again, plus enough extra to pay for a meal should there be a serious flight delay.  In addition, check with your travel agent and bank as to where you can get the best rates of exchange on the currency you'll be using upon arrival.  Convert enough money to last a few days.  Keep these usual expenses in mind when figuring the amount of cash you will need to make it to your hotel:

1.  Transportation from overseas airport to your hotel, via airport shuttle or taxi.

2.  Tips for baggage handlers at the airport and at your hotel.

3.  Baggage transport from the airport to your hotel, which eliminates the chore of handling it yourself altogether, oftentimes requires payment in advance.

4.  Gifts you purchase at the overseas airport shops because you ran out of time before leaving home.

5.  Enough currency or traveler's checks to pay for one night's stay at your hotel.  Most people pay their hotel bills by credit card, but if you lose your wallet, you'll be glad you stashed money somewhere else -- especially on that critical first night when you're fatigued and jet-lagged and really need the rest.

There are many ways to pay for goods and services while traveling overseas:  in cash, using the local currency, or by credit cards, traveler's checks and debit cards.  Before you leave home, call your financial institution for the locations of international ATM's.  Unless they are a part of your card's network, you can't use them!  Also be sure to ask if your credit cards are widely accepted in your country of destination.  That's a surprise you don't need.

And don't forget your telephone calling card!  If you are on a tight budget, never make phone calls to your home or office from your hotel room.  Having the hotel operator connect you while you stretch out on your bed is the height of comfort and convenience, but it's an expense the thrifty globetrotter will want to avoid.  Sign up with an international discount telephone service and use public telephones.  It's less efficient, but it can save you a bundle -- the call that costs U.S. $10 from a pay phone can run you as much as U.S. $50 from your room!  Keep it in mind.

Security Tips
International travel should be an enjoyable and enriching experience, but don't leave your street smarts at home!  As a tourist, you are a prime target for crime.  Criminals and con artists of all kinds know that you are likely to be carrying significant quantities of money and valuables, and that you are likely to be naive, bewildered and distracted.  Don't be a victim!  Here are some major precautions you should take when traveling overseas:

1.  Money.  Never keep all your money in one place while traveling internationally!  When boarding your flight, hide your payment resources in a variety of places:  in your carry-on bag, inside your breast pocket, in your money belt, in your bra, wherever it feels comfortable and least likely to be stolen while you are distracted or sleeping.  After arrival, take your cash, checks and credit cards with you when you leave your hotel room, or else lock them up in the hotel safe.

2.  Picture taking.  Never set your purse, tote or briefcase down next to you to photograph some spectacular sight.  While you're absorbed in getting that perfect shot, someone can snatch your belongings.  I have seen this happen in my own hometown with international guests!  We couldn't run fast enough to catch the culprit, and even if we could, it would have been dangerous to try to apprehend him without police assistance.  Be careful.  And don't take photographs of governmental buildings.  It makes you appear suspicious.

3.  Talking with strangers.  Always be on guard when approached by strangers.  They may be genuinely helpful and hospitable locals, or they may be tourists needing a little assistance, but they may also be smooth professional thieves!  Pickpockets often work in teams.  One will get your attention and engage you in conversation while their counterpart proceeds to dig through your handbag, pocket or case.  Keep your belongings close to you and minimize lengthy conversations with more than one person, especially when they look and act suspicious.

4.  Safety.  Always ask your local business associates or hotel concierge which neighborhoods or districts should be avoided, especially if you are traveling alone.

5.  Scams.  Don't fall prey to con artists that offer you special deals.  For example, people may approach you and offer to take your picture for a price, only you never receive the photo; or to drive you somewhere at a bargain fare, only you find out later that it cost you five times the normal cab rate.  Anytime someone comes up to you with an aggressive sales pitch and you are uncertain of their truthfulness or decency, walk away from them fast.  Keep your healthy skepticism.  Ask your host or local contacts about what is legitimate and acceptable in the country you are visiting.

Above all, trust your instincts, be alert at all times, keep moving toward your destination and don't let yourself be deterred from going about your business.

Perhaps the most important things you can take with you on your international travels are patience and a sense of humor.  Operations that are relatively simple at home, like catching a bus across town, can seem overwhelming, complicated and uncertain when you're off your native turf.  You feel like you will never get to your destination; you're never sure if you're on the right bus or if it's going in the right direction.  When you ask people for help, they either don't speak your language or tell you things exactly backwards.  But if you keep your head and persist, you'll get everywhere you need to go and accomplish what you came for.  And afterwards you'll probably feel that the journey was far more valuable than most other things you've done in life thus far.


Copyright (c)2006 Laurel J. Delaney. All rights reserved.

About the Author:
Laurel Delaney runs GlobeTrade.com and LaurelDelaney.com, both Chicago-based firms that specialize in international entrepreneurship.  She is also the creator of "Borderbuster," (www.globetrade.com/generic21.html) an e-newsletter and The Global Small Business Blog (http://borderbuster.blogspot.com), which are both highly regarded for coverage on global small business.  Laurel can be reached at ldelaney@globetrade.com