Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with business and travel

Gifts to bring to an office in Ukraine from the US?

phoenixy — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 21:38:32 -0800

Gifts to bring to an office in Ukraine from the US? I am going on a business trip from Boston to Lviv and would like to bring some appropriate gifts--ideally, something American, not too too expensive, and that is hard to get over there. The best would be something that could be enjoyed by everyone in the office, although there is a core group of three people I could just get things for.

What should I bring?

Should we stay or should we go?

hamandcheese — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:33:45 -0800

Life choices-filter: What should my wife and I do next? Hi all,

My wife and I are both well-employed and relatively successful mid to late twenty-somethings. We're currently in a mid-size Canadian city, but have aspirations to a lot more travel and work internationally. We'd like that to be soon, but could also pursue some pretty good opportunities here...

My wife works as the education manager at a decent size museum, and loves her work, but is not liking her job. The museum is owned by the government but largely operated by a non-profit society that does all of the fundraising, marketing, volunteer coordination, events, and education programs. Her society is in the midst of a major power struggle with the museum itself and her entire organization may quit or be kicked out before its all over, so she has no job security at all, and the work environement itself has turned into a rumor mongering, us vs. them, hellhole. Things are in arbitration right now, without the possibility for resolution until September (although they keep pushing the dates back, so there is no guarantee).

I work for an engineering company doing editing and graphic design, but find the soulless money-making focus and ridiculous stipulations put on my work by my corporate masters takes all joy and sense of purpose out my job. I want out pretty bad, but have managed to pay 3/4 of my student debt off in the past year, and know that I could get the last $6,500 paid within another 3 months. That would mean we'd be debt free, which of course would be awesome. On the side, I also have my own freelance editing, graphic design and photography business that has been growing fairly well without a whole lot of effort on my part. That said, it's still a pretty small-scale affair, but I feel confident I could do well with it if I had time to throw myself at it. I really enjoy this work because it is for myself and my clients, and because the projects are all very diverse. Photography has become my major passion, and my emotional side is telling me to quit my job tomorrow and throw myself into my own business to see if I can really grow it. I'm pretty sure I could make a go of wedding photography as well, and with all of these diverse things, could make enough of a living to get do reasonably well within a few months, and quite well within 1-2 years.

Now here's the complicated part: we've been talking about going overseas to work since we finished university 1-2 years ago. We don't really care where. If our debt was paid, we could take jo-jobs anywhere we could get work visas (such as British Commonwealth countries), and have a great time. With no debt, we could also look into volunteer opportunities in places like Africa. If we still carry some of this debt, we would probably be better off teaching english as a second language somewhere in Asia, but this would be cool too. I think we'd be happy to do pretty much any of these things.

Soooooo, with all of that as background, here's the dilemma: If my wife's society survives the museum meltdown, her job will be something worth sticking with a while longer. She's quite young to have a position like this and it is a really great opportunity for her if she sticks with museum or interpretation work, or if she gets her teaching degree (long-term goal). If this is the case, and we're going to stay here longer, then my choice would be to quit my job tomorrow (I dislike it that much), debt or no debt, and try to do the work I like doing. But we have no certainty that her job will last, and if I do quit my job to focus on the freelance work, and then she loses hers, we'll be a lot worse off financially than if I stick it out until they resolve it. (but I hate it!)

Should we stick it out, or should we start selling our belongings and looking into work visas?

Should I quit my job? Or would that be stupid? Should I throw myself into my own business, or would that be extra stupid since we plan to leave the country and travel within a year? (I really want to do both!)

Should we go teach english? Or do something else?

I'm not looking for definitive answers; I know we need to answer these questions ourselves. I'd just love some opinions. So lay it on me Mefites. Don't be shy.

Should we stay or should we go?

Do I have to assign percentages?

TungstenChef — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:06:04 -0800

Mixing business and pleasure as a small businessperson, I need a little advice regarding taxes and business travel. I'll be traveling to Minneapolis twice in August for personal reasons. A friend has asked about commissioning a web site and it may make sense for me to stay in Mpls for the intervening two weeks and create it. I assume that food and lodging during the business portion would be deducitble, what about plane tickets? Also, if I buy a cheap bike from Craigslist for local transportation, can I deduct that as an expense? Anything else obvious I can deduct?

See the world! I'll tell you how!

thelloydshow — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:28:29 -0800

Starting a small Travel Agency Business At the moment I'm currently studying Travel and Tourism in the hopes of getting a job as a Travel Agent and also in the distant future starting my own small agency from home.

What tips/help can I get from you guys for achieving this dream?

Creative Innovative Socially-Good Companies

divabat — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 16:46:03 -0800

Which companies and organisations are big on innovation, creativity, doing good, and support flexible work styles and ethics? I'm jobhunting at the moment and I've found that the company culture and industries they work in are just as important - if not more so - than the specific job role. I'd be happy to work in any role in those sort of companies (so long as I have enough skills); however, I'm finding it hard to find job searches that let you define the industry/style of the hiring company.

I'm after companies and organisations that put value on creativity, innovation, doing social good, flexibility, ideas, and ethical practice (they don't have to be super-strong in all those aspects, one or two main ones would do). At the moment I'm not worried about location - I may have to move internationally anyway, and travel is a huge bonus.

I have skills in arts and events management, cross-cultural communication & integration, general administration, strategy & policy, dealing with young people, research, idea generation, performance and presentation, writing & editorial, and working with the web - but I'm willing to learn new skills or work in something basic and entry-level if it's with the right company.

Some ideas of companies that look interesting:

Google (I'd LOVE to work for them but they seem to only be hiring tech engineers - and I know naught about software engineering)
BrainStore
WhatIf Innovation
GOOD Magazine
Up with People (I've volunteered with them and they have one of the best office cultures I've ever seen)
United Nations (though I've heard that they can be frustratingly bureaucratic)

Which other companies/organisations can I add to the list? How do I find more companies/organisations that fit my needs?

Starting a tour business. Any advice?

Anonymous — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:40:38 -0800

Starting a custom tourism company in California. What do I need to know and be sure I cover? I have years of experience as a private tourguide and I recently came up with an idea that actually has unique potential and appeal, believe it or not. Although it's going to be a side business to start, I want to take it seriously and plan things smartly so it can succeed if it's meant to. I don't want poor planning to be the thing that makes it fail. (I have a stressful day job and my thought is if this new idea actually takes off it could be an easier and more profitable business to manage throughout my retirement... so I want to give it a solid try.)

I have registered a great domain and am starting on a business plan. I work in marketing and promotions so I am an expert at a lot of the publicity and advertising aspects -- those are the last of my worries. Most of the logistics of the tours (vehicles, destinations, expenses) will depend upon the clients but for the most part there's very little overhead. I already have people who are interested in both hiring the company and working for it but I am giving myself six months to a year to actually get anything started. As of yet I have not done a dba yet or filed any official paperwork and I'm not even thinking about any of that stuff until after the holidays are over. I'd just love any useful advice or insights any of you might have, as I'm new to the legal and official business end of tourism. If you know of any particularly great sites I should check out or books I should read, that would be supercool too. THANKS!

We thank you for your patronage.

2bucksplus — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:24:07 -0800

Do consumer loyalty programs make sense or is it generally better to pick hotels and flights based on price and convenience? My boss and I travel together on business about 12-15 times per year and all but one or two trips per year are domestic.

My boss is tied to one airline (American Airlines, ugh) and has 2-3 preferred hotel chains that he will go out of his way to patronize, often at a price premium. I prefer to travel on whichever airline is most direct and best for our schedule at a lower price and generally stay in the hotel most convenient to our event.

Is there any general consensus as to whether reward programs ultimately pay off versus lower priced and more convenient schedules? Should we factor in the time spent on a layover when a competing airline offers a direct flight or cab fares to get us across town? Did reward programs make sense at one time and have they worsened over the past 10-15 years? Has anyone ever done the math or should I keep a running tab of the cost and time differential?

I should also mention that I am mid-twenties while my boss is in his fifties and I believe there is a generational difference at play here. Yes he is my boss and also the owner of the company so this question is ultimately academic. Neither of us use our points for "personal" travel (I would but I fly JetBlue personally). To my knowledge, we have never accumulated enough hotel points to get anything free and we only use our frequent flyer miles to upgrade our flights to first class.

First time traveling for an job interview

humanawho — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 15:47:58 -0800

I am soon traveling for an job interview for the first time, and in general this is the first time i have traveled for "business", any tips? primarily looking for tips about traveling for an interview but if you have a good lesser known tip about interviews, let me have it. i am going to a town i have never been to before for a job interview. any tips on what to pack, how to travel, what to explore in the new town to see if i would want to live there, ect.

any advice would help, thanks

How does one get a start in the tourism / travel consultant business?

chrisinseoul — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:09:12 -0800

How does one get a start in the tourism / travel consultant business? Education or work experience? What kinds? More questions than answers, inside... Me: 26 years old, Business / Marketing Bachelor's degree, variety of business experience, love of traveling / writing about traveling (active blog about South Korea with thousands of hits), currently overseas in Seoul (see username), and trying to figure out how to get into a career of travel or tourism consulting. Currently working as an English teacher and trying to break free of teaching 6-year-olds in favor of something much more interesting. I find traveling fascinating, and often wonder why more people don't try it or do it on a more regular basis. Some other ideas include writing / reviewing about places I've visited (which doesn't seem like a feasible career, though it makes a hell of a blog)

Instead of helping people to get from point A to point B (as a travel agent might), I could see myself working with a local population for a given time (6 months, 1 year, 2 years) with the goal of creating tourism opportunities, easier time getting around / finding things, and so on. This may be done as part of a consulting firm, on my own, or simply on a contractual basis. Another term for this dream position might be a creative marketing consultant in the travel / tourism field.

While there are plenty of Master's degree programs available in Travel / Tourism Management (both online and physical schools), I'd rather not spend the money / time doing something considered irrelevant by having the work experience instead.

How does one get their foot in the door? Anecdotal stories are welcome, as are specific companies that work in this way. If anyone can help narrow down this seemingly broad field to a better title / career goal, your advice is appreciated as well.

Travel sites for small business?

nikko — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:16:09 -0800

Best travel sites for small business? I just joined a startup, and one thing we all left and miss from our BigCo jobs was corporate travel with a travel agency. We are NOT looking for discount travel specifically, but rather a consistent travel site that can handle our schedules, air, rental, and hotels in one shot. We just don't have time to jump around to 10 sites to book travel, and our schedules, like most business travelers, is not flexible. Hotwire, Priceline, et. al. all seem to focus on price not schedule.

Your bag is in [insert location here]

yellowcandy — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:46:56 -0800

Delta lost my bag and ruined an important business trip to Ukraine and Russia. Need advice for how to be appropriately compensated. When I flew Delta--business class, if that makes a difference--from JFK to Ukraine two Sundays ago, Delta left my bag in NYC (apparently). What followed was a bumbling series of incompetent events that saw my bag not leave JFK, get stuck in Paris, then arrive in Kiev long after I'd left for Moscow, and then never make it to me, even after I returned to New York. I still don't have the bag, and I've been back for four days. Delta alternately claims they have it and that they don't.

The upshot for my trip is that I: (1) had to wear my traveling clothes in Ukraine and Russia, including a pair of brown casual slacks that wound up rather ripe, (2) had to purchase a new dress shirt and jacket in Ukraine ($500), (3) had none of my toiletries (including some prescribed skin cream that couldn't go into a carry-on), and (4) **the most important one to me** looked grimy and wasn't able to be at my best (or even adequate) for the clients I met up with in Kiev and Moscow. This is embarrassing to me, my group, and my entire company.

So I'd like to hear from people with some experience here about what approach works best in dealing with Delta in order to get them to compensate me adequately for this tragedy of a business trip. And yes, I'd still like my bag.

Any word if the IRS will rate the 2008 mileage rate because of the rapid increase in gas prices?

GuyZero — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 17:59:38 -0800

Any word if the IRS will rate the 2008 mileage rate because of the rapid increase in gas prices? The IRS set the 2008 mileage rate for business car travel way back in November of last year at 50.5 cents per mile. That's still more than the price of gas, but not as much as it was back then. Has anyone heard if the IRS will raise this value? (Note: I'm not going to claim it per se, but my company ties their mileage reimbursement rate to the IRS rate)

I am 21 and bored with life

thegmann — Thu, 08 May 2008 17:45:52 -0800

I am 21, male, and I'm pretty bored with life, I feel stressed about doing nothing. I am having trouble figuring out what it is I really want to do with all of the time I have right now, and I've definitely been stagnating. Give me some advice! I've run a small computer business since I was about 14, and now I've gotten completely bored with it, but I have so much of it automated and outsourced at this point I really do very little (probably 4-6 hours a week) and all of my bills get paid, and I have enough to let me be comfortable for the month (hang with friends, go out, etc.). I recently got my motorcycle license because riding a motorcycle sounds like a ton of fun to me and I've been looking at motorcycles but I can't afford to pay cash for one. I don't want to take on the debt of a loan for something I could possibly destroy within weeks of owning it.

I've always been very motivated but I tend to love having a creative outlet. In high school I was in every play I could get into and I would take extracurricular classes that sounded interesting. I didn't apply for any schools after high school as I was working, but now I am planning on starting at my local CC come fall because I miss the social environment school gave me. In my current work I don't meet anyone new and my daily life is for the most part spent inside or out with my old high school buddies doing nothing very productive.

I have a huge urge to travel but again money comes to mind. I don't want to get a salaried job- I've only worked one in my entire life and while it was an interesting place to be in it didn't challenge me at all.

I feel like I'm just rambling now, I know I'm lucky to be in the position I'm in, I'm in Southern California with all of the time in the world, given my position, what would you do?

One Bag for the Business Traveler...

Tamanna — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:42:23 -0800

I'm going on a six-week trip to another city for an internship, and want to avoid being that person with the half-a-dozen elephant-sized bags. Unfortunately, most travel sites either focus on short business trips (>2 weeks) or backpackers. Any tips for travelling light on what will basically be a temporary relocation would be much appreciated.

Biz travel: little time, big splash?

diastematic — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:00:13 -0800

How should we make the most of our business trip? Two partners and I are visiting NY next week for a client meeting. (We're normally in London and US West Coast.) We may have a spare couple of days, and I'd like to make those as productive as possible from a networking perspective. Suggestions? (More inside.) We already have a healthy dose of dinners, lunches, etc. scheduled with our contacts, but we may still have some gaps in our calendar. Should we...host a cocktail hour at a bar and see who drops in? Invite distant contacts to a salon-style group dinner?

We're also quite visible online for our small industry and have a healthy email list for friends, clients, associates. We can put this to work for us in making any announcements for whatever events we can whip up.

Ideas appreciated. Thanks!

A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.

miss lynnster — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:04:31 -0800

Hey, business travelers! I've got some questions for you. :) Meetings & stuff aside, what makes a business trip convenient/pleasant and what makes it bad/stressful for you? What kind of conveniences do you look for or potential annoyances do you avoid when planning your trip? Do you tend to stay near a client/event or in the middle of a city? Are certain areas specifially easy or stressful for you to visit for business?

Where should I live in the US while I go to business school?

weiler63 — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 21:55:54 -0800

Where should I live in the US while I go to business school? I'm taking my GMATs for the third and final time (take a test prep class, my score has risen almost 200 points) and now I have a decision facing me.

Do I stay here in San Diego, where I completed my undergrad, or look for another home for the next 3 years (or longer).

I'm looking for places with "B" business schools and up combined with great weather, great activities and that "it" feeling, where when you visit for the first time, you get drawn in.

I'm past my "drink 15 beers, throw up and drink 15 more" phase, but I'm not quite at that wine snob phase, if that helps guide your recommendations.

Some early candidates include Albuquerque, NM and Austin, TX, I haven't been to either, although I have friends who've come from both. Its gonna take a special place to pull me away from San Diego (I'm a sucker for whale's vaginas) but give me your best shot. Thanks --AW

Help me not die of boredom

mateuslee — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:28:55 -0800

Is there a resource that shows permutations of flights to/from a set of cities? Employees in the company I work for often send employees two/from four different cities, often arranging flights in which an employee will visit offices in multiple cities within the same day.

Recently my boss asked for a list of all permutations of flights to/from those cities. Short of doing the work manually (which would take days!) is there any resource out there? Please say yes.

Thanks!

The cities in question are:
Amsterdam
Madrid
Milan
Edinburgh

help a moderately experienced business traveller pack for a long trip and keep her Zen

pineapple — Sun, 27 May 2007 16:55:18 -0800

I travel regularly for work -- at least one week out a month during down time and three weeks out during peak time. But, my schedule is usually domestic, and always gets me home after 5 - 6 days, 10 at most... till now. I'm departing Wednesday on a four-week trip: first leg = two-day stops in all four US time zones, second leg = two weeks in one European city, with zero time home. I'm feeling anxious about my preparation. I'm not a road newbie, and already try to use a lot of the best practices recommended here and here. The travel itself will be made as pleasant as possible: my schedule is optimized as I've selected all my own flights and hotels... I plan to meet with friends where I can to maintain normalcy... I'm travelling with various colleagues most of the trip which will assuage loneliness... my company is wholly understanding about expenses, reimbursements, or taking an afternoon for sightseeing for mental health. It's easy for me to stay connected to home and family.

What's really got me freaking out is the packing and luggage. Four weeks out means I can't possibly not check (and please don't try to talk me out of it. I have lots of reasons that I need to take my big bag, so the One Bag Way won't work for me on this trip). I'm not averse to buying the cheapie casual bits while in EU, but I've had very little success with that in the past -- not having much time to drive around to shops and malls, forgetting how the EU sizing works, the exchange rate... I'd rather not purchase over there if possible. I'm prepared to handwash and to avail of ironing / hotel laundry where necessary, but I don't have to do either very often so I'm inexperienced. And the idea of hauling all the stuff I'll need for the transatlantic leg through the eight airports I'll be in on the first leg is making me slightly mental. No amount of Admirals Club can make it easier to move between terminals with my carry-on tote, laptop bag, a 29" overseas hard case, and possibly a fourth bag for business files. My Eagle Creek packing folders will help, but I'm looking for even more of your tips.

So, my questions for you MeFi road warriors:

- How do you maximize your packing even further for long business trips? (Again, I'm already a fan of Eagle Creek, rolling the smalls, plastic dry cleaner bags, etc. Looking for the advanced tips)

- I'm concerned about the heat. Temps of 75-80°+ in all my US stops means that I can't stretch out my looks with layers of cardigans, blazers, etc. How can I maximize my attire while minimizing actual pieces?

- Tell me about road laundering, both DIY and outsourcing. Where do you hang your things? What if there's no clothesline in the shower? Is it a waste of energy to try and specify care to the hotel service? Should I just spend an afternoon in a local laundrette or find a local dry cleaner? What's different in the UK?

- What has your experience been with shipping your clothes or files ahead? I'm considering a couple of options here: putting my non-sensitive business files and materials (not laptop) in a box and shipping it ahead where possible, just so I don't have to lug them... or packing a "replacement box" with non-work clothes before I depart, shipping that to my last US hotel, changing out the clean with dirty and shipping the box home before I leave for the UK. The cost shouldn't be prohibitive... but maybe this is more hassle than it's worth?

Will also happily take your anecdotal stories of long-haul packing gone wrong (or right!), or anything else that might help. (esp because I fear that the issue is more my anxiety than any actual prep I might accomplish) Thanks in advance!

Help Me Get A Travel Perq

Anonymous — Sat, 19 May 2007 11:20:38 -0800

How do I convince my company to buy me upgraded airline seats as a perq? My company is well known in its industry for being very, very frugal. For the most part I am ok with this. However, when I travel (even internationally) I am not allowed to purchase a business class or first class seat.

I'm a mid-level (one step below director) employee and I need to travel internationally at least once per month as part of my job. I am getting really tired of the cramped nature of coach. I can't stand bumping elbows and I can't stand the involuntary intimacy of being close to these (often smelly) strangers for 8 or 10 hours at a stretch. Never mind the fact that I can't sleep and can't use my laptop.

There's no way I am going to get corporate policy changed to allow everyone to do this, but I've been there 5 years, they like me a lot (I got the highest grade possible on my last review), and I think I should make the case that I deserve this.

Any good tips on doing so?

How can I run my one-man software business from abroad?

csugden — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 13:45:04 -0800

How can I continue to operate my one-man software business while out of the country for 3 months? I've been preparing a piece of software which I'm almost ready to start selling. But I'm planning on going away on a long study trip abroad this summer, from late May to early September. This has been planned for a long time, and it's fixed. So how can I keep an eye on my business and make necessary changes?

I don't want to wait until I get back to launch. But I also don't want to be unable to update my website or do customer service or patch my code. I think I have a few options:
1. Internet cafes. Not fond of this idea because of security concerns, as I would want to be able to check on my sales and so on.
2. Home connection. I'll be staying with a host family (I'm going to France), and I have no idea whether they'll have the net and I don't want to be an annoying guest by hogging their net!
3. Public wifi. I would have to take my own laptop, but all my files are on it so I may have to do this anyway. Plus, I don't know whether there will be any hotspots where I'm going.
4. Get someone else to look after it while I'm away.

What do you think? If it was just email there wouldn't be a problem. I just don't want to find out there's a bug that really needs to be fixed and I can't do it for three months!

Opinions gratefully received. Thanks, Chris.

Love that dirty water ...

LilBucner — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:15:50 -0800

First time in Boston ... there's I have a job interview in Boston, most likely Fri. January 26. It will take up a good portion of that day, and is at an office on the waterfront. It will not be my first time in Boston by a long shot - I went to college there and lived there post-college. I will, however, be taking my girlfriend along and she has never been there.

What would be a good way to get someone a real feel for Boston within the time constraints of basically 2 whole days and 2 half-days? My girlfriend is from Atlanta, currently lives in Philly, and is considering (if I get this job) moving to Boston with me. She is interested in seeing touristy things as well as more small-scale exploration of viable potential neighborhoods to live in. (My speed is more Jamaica Plain and Somerville as I can neither afford nor abide the Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods and types.)

Another key aspect of this trip is to demonstrate to my girlfriend that Boston is not nearly as ghetto as Philadelphia (ie, you can actually take the subway everywhere and not necessarily fear being murdered; fewer homeless on the streets; a viable economy; etc.). Without making this a debate over the qualities of Philly v. Boston (I love them both!), or a liberal hijacking on the meaning of the word "ghetto," some suggestions to that end would also be appreciated.

Thanks in advance, I know it's vague but it leaves more room for a wider variety of suggestions.

What should I bring on my trip to Brazil to make a little extra spending cash?

weiler63 — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 18:08:08 -0800

What should I bring on my trip to Brazil to make a little extra spending cash? After a friend and I had booked our flights to Rio, another buddy said that he had heard ipods, laptops and other electronics were way more expensive than in the US.

I was wondering how I could use this to my advantage in order to have a few $$ on our adventures in paradise. I also heard that Diesel jeans are way expensive down there as well.

I was wondering what to bring, and who to sell it to? (shop owners, middlemen, etc)

Any advice would be welcome.

--Adam

Storing a sport jacket

beammeup4 — Mon, 01 May 2006 20:32:10 -0800

How do you properly fold a sport jacket to store in a suitcase for 3 months? So I'm leaving my first year of college on Wednesday and are starting to pack up all the junk I've accumulated over the year.

I have a sport jacket hanging in my closet right now that may not make it back home, therefore it will be placed with a lot of my other belongings in storage.

How do I properly fold and store a sport jacket in a suitcase so that it doesn't wrinkle and looks nice and neat when I pull it out of my suitcase if I need to present myself in front of an employer or high-status PhD in August?