10 Tips for Traveling Abroad

Make the best of your international trip with these 10 tips:
1. Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond your return date, and make sure it is signed and the emergency information is filled in.

2. Give yourself plenty of time to get any required travel visas.

3. Make at least 2 copies of your passport. Bring one with you, but keep it separate from the original and leave one copy along with a copy of your itinerary with family or a friend at home.
4. Get travel insurance that includes medical benefits.

5. Familiarize yourself with local customs and laws of where you will be traveling.

6. Register with the U.S. Embassy or consulate before you leave, and also keep the number of the nearest U.S. Embassy or consulate with you at all times.

7. Learn enough of the language to at least ask for directions or help.

8. Carry some of the local currency with you, but not too much. You never want to travel with very much cash on you.

9. Bring any prescription medications in their original containers in your carry-on bag.

10. Schedule a doctor appointment about 6 weeks prior to your trip to see if you need any vaccines.
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Customs and Courtesies Around the World

By Harriet Baskas
msnbc.com contributor

When President Bush once ducked a pair of shoes thrown by an Iraqi reporter during a press conference in Baghdad, he called it “one of the most weird moments” of his presidency. Anyone familiar with Iraqi culture knew immediately, though, that hurling shoes at someone wasn’t just weird — in Iraq it’s a sign of contempt.

The “shoe incident” reminded PR account executive John Kreuzer of the “peace sign incident” and a lesson he learned back in 1992. While visiting Australia, former president George H.W. Bush flashed a peace sign with his palm facing inward. That gesture, Kreuzer’s junior-high-school history teacher explained in class the next day, “actually means the same thing as giving the middle finger in many countries. He intended to give the normal two-fingered peace sign but made the mistake of giving it backwards.”

So what’s important to know as we trek around the world? We asked experienced travelers for their advice about traditions that can open doors and keep you out of trouble.

Meet and Greet
Samantha Brown, host of the Travel Channel’s “Passport to Great Weekends,” has noticed that in France and Latin America especially, people treat their stores and shops as if they are their personal homes,” so she urges travelers to make a special point of greeting shop owners when entering a store and saying goodbye on the way out. She admits that doing this in France at first seemed strange to her, “since in NYC the unspoken rules are ‘You don’t acknowledge me, I don’t acknowledge you.’” But when she tried making the extra effort, she discovered that “shop owners responded. Sometimes they’d even go out of their way by speaking in English to help me.”

Terms, tipping and nose-blowing
When planning a trip in the Australian Outback, “Remember that the term ‘highway’ in Australia might not refer to a high-speed, high-capacity road” says guidebook author Laine Cunningham. “It can mean anything from a freeway to a two-lane road with crumbling edges that cuts through extremely remote territory. Always carry extra fuel, water and spare tires.” And once you get somewhere, “Tipping is not done Down Under ... unless they hear your American accent,” she adds. “The exception is taxi drivers, who also don’t receive tips from locals but are notorious for pressuring Americans for tips.”

On a trip to Mexico, management consultant Lisa Koss was reprimanded for putting change onto the counter for a purchase. A Mexican colleague told her that it was considered disrespectful to mindlessly “pay the countertop” instead of putting the change into the person's hand and making eye contact. “By giving the money more intentionally, you are acknowledging the person while making a transaction,” says Koss.

Heading to Nepal? Leon Logothetis, host of the Fox Reality TV show “Amazing Adventures of a Nobody,” says that it’s a sign of respect to take off your shoes when you enter a temple or someone’s home. “Also, it seems that blowing your nose in public is not approved of,” he says.

For more on the meaning of gestures in other countries, global culture trainer Peggy Hazard swears by the books in Roger Axtell’s “Do’s and Taboos” series and warns travelers to pay careful attention to what they do with their hands. “Direct hand gestures and individual fingers have vastly different meanings all over the world and can even be construed as offensive,” says Hazard. “The OK sign of circling the thumb and index finger doesn’t always mean ‘OK.’ It’s considered vulgar in Brazil and Germany and means ‘worthless’ in France.”

Is that a yes or a no?
Sometimes you don’t even need to say or do much of anything to get into trouble in another country. Strategic foreign policy consultant Charles Francis says he had a hard time remembering that “unlike the rest of the world, Bulgarians shake their heads from side to side to indicate ‘yes’ and use an up and down movement when they’re saying ‘no.’”

While having dinner with his daughter one evening at a quaint little restaurant in rustic Dimitrovgrad, Francis got his yes’s and no’s mixed up. “My daughter had to help poor old dad home after I mistakenly shook my head “no” (which in Bulgarian means “yes”) when the young lady in the restaurant asked if I wanted another bottle of wine.”

More tips from around the globeStaff members of the public TV program “Worldfocus” not only want you to stay up to date on current affairs, they want you to be mindful of your travel manners.

A few other tips when globetrotting:
“Don‘t pull your hand away if an Arab businessman walking with you takes your hand and holds it as you go. It’s a sign of friendship,” assistant producer Mohammad Al-Kassim, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, advises.

In Asia, “When taking stuff from others, use both of your hands. And when sitting, sit still. Don’t shake your feet or rest your feet on the chair,” says assistant producer Hsin-Yin Lee, who is from Taiwan.

When eating in Europe, remember that “it’s very rude to put a piece of bread on your plate. Leave it on the table beside the plate. Also remember to break the bread with your hands and not with a knife,” notes production assistant Illaria Mignatti, who is from Milan.

In Russia, it’s taboo to give an even number of flowers, warns researcher Christine Kiernan. “Always buy odd numbers. Bunches of even-numbered flowers are for funerals.”

Mind your words, author and foreign language expert Mark Frobose warns, because they often don’t mean what you think. “In Spanish, ‘embarazada’ does not mean ‘embarrassed,’ it means ‘pregnant.’” he explains. “And ‘constipado’ means ‘stuffy nose.’”

The lesson learned? Before setting out to visit a foreign country, it’s a good idea to study up on the traditions and customs of that land. That goes for presidents as well as travelers without spokespeople to explain any unintended gestures.

Original Article: Throwing Shoes and Blowing Noses

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International Business Travel Tips

International business travel presents its own, unique set of challenges, so it’s best to always be prepared for the worst-case scenario (and then hope it doesn’t happen!). A few things to consider before traveling abroad:

1. Always carry your laptop onto the plane and keep it near at all times. Contraire to popular myth, airport x-ray machines will not harm your computer. Also remember to back up before you leave – you’re most likely to have your computer crash or worse, have it stolen, while traveling abroad.

2. Seatguru.com can help you find a seat on your international flight with a convenient and accessible plug-in, and let you know which type of adapter you’ll need in order to use your laptop, if any. Many airlines offer in-flight wireless internet access for a small fee and using your laptop for work in-flight is a great way to pass the time. It’s better to use the plane’s own power than depleting your laptop battery. Bringing a second battery is also suggested.

3. Make sure you have the correct outlet adapter. If you plan to travel to Australia, you will need a special adapter, which can be purchased at myriad online sites, such as amazon.com. Likewise, Europe and Asia have different outlets as well. Many hotels provide adapters for your convenience, and many don’t so it’s better to be prepared and bring your own regardless. Click here for a handy guide on finding the correct adapter.

4. Check with your cell phone provider to make sure your phone will work overseas. GSM, short for Global System for Mobile Communications, is a digital radio frequency that is accepted in virtually every country on the planet and allows for seamless international travel. Even with a GSM phone, different countries may require a different SIM card. SIM cards are the “brains” of your phone. For example, you will need a European SIM card for travel to Europe, and you will need an Australian SIM card for travel to Australia and New Zealand. Both GSM phones and SIM cards can be purchased online or through your local cell phone retailer. Cell phone coverage is surprisingly good Downunder especially considering its relative population.

5. If you’re traveling internationally for business, chances are good that you’re pretty familiar with the customs and culture associated with your travel destination. However, international business etiquette is constantly evolving. To avoid embarrassing mistakes that may ultimately not only damage your own reputation, but your company’s as well, take a minute to research the latest cultural developments and learn key phrases and pleasantries in the native language as a courtesy, even if you’re doing business in English.

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Best and Worst Airports to Sleep In

No one ever plans to sleep in an airport. Unfortunately, sometimes due to flight delays or cancellations, we are forced to. According to www.sleepinginairports.com, these have been rated the best and worst airports to sleep in by travelers.

The Best:

1. Changi (Singapore) International - The airport hotel rents rooms by the hour, free massage chairs in the Oasis Lounge, free internet kiosks, showers (for a fee), pool and sauna, free movie theater, comfortable seats, clean bathrooms and 24 hour restaurants.

2. Seoul Incheon International, South Korea – This airport features long couches, luggage lockers, clean bathrooms, free internet café, Korean Sauna, wide variety of shops and restaurants.

3. Hong Kong International, China – Clean bathrooms and showers, seats with massagers, 24 hour buffet, 24 hour internet café, comfortable, padded seats, and a nursery/kid’s area.

4. Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, Finland – Clean and quiet, soft benches, clean bathrooms, friendly, helpful information staff.

5. Auckland, New Zealand - Internet kiosks, long couches near gates, kid’s play area, luggage storage, clean bathrooms, telephones which offer free local calls!

The Worst:

1. Paris Charles de Gaulle, France – Cold metal benches, and bucket seats with arm rests, some gates do not have seats, dirty, smelly bathrooms, noisy, expensive food.

2. Mumbai (Bombay), India – Restrooms are filthy and smell bad, food is awful, no services at night, mosquitoes, check-in areas crowded, lack of signs/information.

3. Indira Gandhi (New Delhi) International, India – Lack of seats, dirty bathrooms, lack of signs, mosquitoes, rats, crowded, minimal services and restaurants.

4. Jakarta, Indonesia – Uncomfortable seats, very few restaurants, many peddlers/beggars, dirty, squat toilets.

5. Kiev, Ukraine – Cold and noisy, restrooms do not have toilet paper, hard plastic seats with arm rests, dark, customs officials try to bribe.

Contact an International Travel Specialist today to start planning your next trip!