When traveling abroad for business, there are several more essentials than usual that you should bear in mind than when traveling domestic. Learning about cultural expectations is the key to successful international travel. Chiefly, you should take time to acquaint yourself with the cultural norms and expectations of the country you’re traveling to, in order to avoid starting off on the wrong foot with any inadvertently negative first impressions. For instance, knowing when and where to tip versus when and where not to, is vital. If you obliviously fail to tip the maitre d’ when necessary, you could cause a negative impact on your stay, while if you offer a well-meaning tip in China or Tahiti, you’re likely to offend your recipient. Knowing when and where to – and when and where not to – offer or accept gifts or food or payment on one’s behalf is also pretty important. Sometimes, the matters that are of the greatest importance may be matters you’d never think to look into specifically, so be sure to check in with other travelers from your home country who have visited your destination, for a sense of their past experiences and their guidance.

Make sure to develop a plan for contacting home. Before departure, contact your cell phone carrier to determine whether your phone will still operate overseas if you replace your phone’s SIM card with one from your travel destination, what your international call rates will be like, whether there are any international roaming plans that you can add to your current plan in order to keep costs down, or whether there are any other options you could consider for staying in touch while you’re gone. Otherwise, you may want to acquire an international travel phone, which you can buy or rent at a discount with a little shopping around. Other options you may want to explore and compare for pricing are international calling cards or an inexpensive internet phone service like Skype. Make sure that important colleagues and clients will be aware of the temporary changes in how you may be reached, if there are any who may vitally need that information. (more…)