All A Broad: Business Travel

If you are going away on a business trip and must be away from your during critical business hours, it is recommended that you have a live person taking care of your phone calls. This would avoid the possibility for unscrupulous intruders who will learn, through your answering machines that you are away from your home; essentially giving them a time frame where you are inviting them to rob you.

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If you are the only employee of your home-based business, as most of us are, you may want to look into hiring an answering service, or, if budget allows, a dedicated front office receptionist. Not only can they make a good first impression for your business, but they can filter and prioritize messages even while you are away.

Give them instructions so they reveal only the amount of information that is absolutely necessary.

If budget does not allow for this type of service, it is recommended that you not mention the details of who, what, where and whens of your travel plans on the message tape on your answering machine.

Often, a new customer may be turned off once they hear that you are away and seek another business to serve their needs.

A simple, professional message asking the caller to leave their name, phone number (and, perhaps, the purpose of their call) stating that your call will be returned as soon as possible (and maybe a time frame when they can expect a return call, such as 24 or 48 hours) is recommended.

This type of message does not have to be changed each time you go on a business trip and the "unscrupulous" will be none the wiser.

When you travel away from home for business conferences or even travelling to relatives for the holidays, you may want to consider installing a Surveillance Camera that you can access from your PDA or install a surveillance system. It is definitely a serious consideration if you want to protect your equipment and business while you are away.

Be aware that those two-way mirrors (the kind they use on test subjects or interrogation rooms) may still exist in older stores. You are told that they do not exist but, to put it bluntly, they do.

Before you get too paranoid, you should know that new (legitimate) establishments do not install these mirrors in their dressing rooms anymore. The older stores may still have these mirrors but likely have had them blocked from the other side.

Having said this, though, I believe I had stumbled upon a couple of fully-functioning mirrors in at least two of the dressing rooms in my shopping days.

One of them was a well-known department store in a town where I lived. The security personnel confirmed that it did exist and it was in use to prevent shoplifting in the dressing room. That was a long time ago and that department store has since removed those infringing mirrors.

The other incident happened while I was on my business trip. On my down time I sometimes (okay, "most-times") go shopping.

While I cannot confirm that the security mirror in the dressing room was visible from the other side, I strongly believe that it was. I will let you decide.

Through the Looking Glass

Against my better intuition, I decided to try on a bathing suit in a small, older swim shop. The owner, the only other person in the store, directed me to his dressing room. It was a typical dressing room but with a few interesting twists.

This is the sequence of events:

1)The dressing room mirror was mounted in the wall.

2)The wall that the mirror was mounted on was open on the bottom and top so I could see that there was a room behind it and the room was lighted.

3)In about a minute, I could hear the owner shuffling about in the room behind the mirror. I assumed it was he since he was the only other person in the store.

4)He turned off the light in the room behind the mirror but interestingly, he still kept shuffling about in the dark.

5)I opted against trying on the suit and quickly left the dressing room.

6)It was another minute before the owner came out from the back.

I've outlined more tricks you can use to expose your dressing room mirror before it exposes you, in an article called Protect Yourself from the Dreaded 2-Way Mirrors

Hi all, just came back from a conference (on a great fare) in Florida stopping off in LAX. Not bad in the summer but come winter--warm to freezing to humid--you know the drill.

Temperature extremes can make you uncomfortable if you are not wearing the right clothing. It doesn't matter which way you're flying.

Here are some of my clothing tips and suggestion of what I use when I fly this route:

Blazer or solid colored jacket. This is a great form of layering. Put it on when you need it and take it off when it gets hot. Use it as a blanket or roll it up into a pillow in the airplane. By the time I get on the plane, my pillow and blanket ration is usually depleted.

Wear breathable stretchy long slacks. I don't like using sweat pants for a couple of reasons.

I am usually on a business trip and I don't like looking too casual at the airport in case someone from the conference is there so I use a navy or black color slacks (the elastic kind!) match with my jacket.

Sweat pants gets to be too hot and unbearable for me at my Florida or Hawaii destinations. And, in my opinion, it doesn't look good!

I used to really like wearing jeans but, for me, it gets uncomfortable for long flights. If you wear shorts underneath or carry it in your bag, you can easily change.

Solid tee-shirt or stretch top (short sleeve or sleeveless). I also use tops in a couple of different fabrics that are crinkle-proof and easy to wash-dry -- Great for travel, all the way around.

I personally do not like to wear dresses (unless there is legging underneath) while travelling. There are too many chances that your dress will become uncontrollable and become flight-happy and take to the air, exposing too much that I care to expose.

Very important! A pair of gloves! This has saved me on my stopovers in Los Angeles in the spring/fall and winter months. Hey, I'm from Hawaii, even LAX spring/fall temperatures freeze my fingers off.

No flip-flops! Airline security regulations will not allow you to get on and off the plane in flip-flops. I'm surprised that they let you on and off the plane in open-toed shoes. Back in the day, that was not allowed. I still try not to wear opened-toed shoes as they really are a safety hazard. We all know that stubbed or smashed toes are not pleasant and the pain can ruin the rest of our trip.

I recommend some form of toe protection. I like to use sneakers.

But here's the kicker--

I prepare my sneakers, in advance, by making sure that my laces (I don't like Velcro fasteners-probably better than lace-ups but just my personal preference) are just loose enough for easy removal, yet easy enough to slip back on without untying and retying them each time. If you have shoe laces, you will thank me for this tip since there are so many times that you will need to take off and put on your shoes at security gates, especially if you have connecting flights.

I also like to take my shoes off when I am sitting in the plane to give my toes a rest for a few hours but try to do that without jamming your elbow into the person next to you. It can be tricky.

Everyone knows that Hawaii is a dream tourist destination and everyone wishes that one day they would be able to make it to this "land of paradise."

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to save a small fortune to be able to enjoy a vacation to Hawaii. In fact, travelling to Hawaii on a budget can be much more fun than a regular trip because you can see and experience the wonderful islands in creative ways that you would have never thought possible otherwise.

The best things in the travel world are often not necessarily measured by the price tag. I cannot contest that it really is great to be accommodated in a five star hotel in Hawaii.

On the other hand, travelling on a budget can offer you an amazing vacation which can leave you with rich memories that will last a lifetime. First of all, you must understand that "budget" does not always mean compromise on quality. Rather, it means stretching your hard-earned dollar for the best value.

If you are looking to travel to Hawaii but are on a budget, you can have the best there is for prices that would leave you wide-eyed with happiness.

The trick is to go against the proverbial "current," so to speak, to save the most and have the most enjoyable time ever at the same time. Going against the current sometimes means that you may need to do just the opposite of what the regular flock of geese-rs do.

For example, if the flock plans their trips during the summer holiday, you go during the winter.

Remember, Hawaii is a great place to visit (tropical climate, you know) throughout the year. Another example would be to go during the week (Tuesday through Thursday), when all others flock to Hawaii during the weekend (typically, Friday through Sunday). In other words, find out when it is the low-season or off-season for visitors, and plan your budget travelling to Hawaii around that time.

The natives will thank you too! The advantages of planning a vacation during off-peak times are aplenty. You could enjoy a 50% or more discount on hotel rates because they are desperate to fill those rooms up.

Beaches and other great places are so sparsely populated that you can imagine that you can enjoy the place without feeling like you are in the middle of a stampede at Walmart.

The food is often cheaper, tour guides may be dropping their rates. There are sales and bargains galore for you, the flower in the dessert, from the local businesses.

Make your plans early to take advantage of discounts for early booking (car, shows, etc.), say about six months in advance. I

in this way, you can compare prices online and offline and look for best offers, advance discounts and the like. There, you may also be able to grab some great airfare and accommodation packages as well.

Tip Number 7

Print Out Your Itinerary

It should contain information on airline connection times; car and hotel reservation codes and information.

If you are registered in any mileage programs for the airlines you are booked on; it would be wise to get that information in the airline's system, over the phone, and before you fly.

You could do so at the airline ticket counter but, trust me, it's less stressful if you provide your mileage program number over the phone; especially if your booking was generated as an e-ticket. These phone Call Centers are generally separate from the airline Ticket Counters.

You won't get the stares of disgust and irritation from over-worked airline counter employees who sold you the e-ticket in the first place, so you wouldn't need to see them at the counter.

Or, as mentioned in Tip #3, Keep Your Receipts. Or in this case, keep your boarding pass stubs and receipts (keep a copy for yourself) and mail it to the airline mileage program, when you get back, to receive credit for your flight.

If you think this tip is a big humbug. Consider this, I subsequently used and enjoyed my SIX FREE, one-way, flight tickets accrued (courtesy of my mileage programs) while my co-workers stayed home and received nadda.

Tip Number 6

Avoid Baggage Fees

Be aware of the baggage restrictions. Most airlines require no more than 2 carry-ons; and 2 check-in baggage.

Plan ahead with your employer to see if luggage reimbursement claims for additional luggage is allowed. Otherwise, you may have to scale down your personal luggage, limit them to carry-ons or pay out of pocket for the additional luggage fees to accommodate the toolbox.

You may be able to claim the fees as a tax write-off (check with your tax consultant) so, remember, save your receipts.

Tip Number 5

Say No to Check Cashing Fees

Bring enough cash, credit card (s), traveller's checks as necessary for your expenses. Don't expect to cash your personal check without incurring a check cashing fee. Often, your company will provide you with a per-diem or allotment check for out of town work prior to your departure.

If possible, cash the check at your local bank BEFORE you leave as cashing the "check," once you reach your job site, will likely incur the dreaded check cashing fees.

Tip Number 4

Credit Card

Bring at least 1 credit card (one that your company has issued to you is preferred) with enough credit to use it for your car rental and hotel.

Most car rental companies and hotel require the driver/guest to give them a credit card whether or not they have been pre-paid.

Most car rental companies and some hotels will not accept debit cards. Otherwise, you may be allowed to leave a cash-deposit (not an insignificant amount) instead. This cash will be out of commission, so to speak, for the duration of your reservation.

Tip Number 3

Keep Your Receipts

I can't stress the importance of documentation and keeping an accurate log of your expenses. Get a travel diary or a small folder and keep a log of your expenses. Indicate the type of expense or purpose, the date, and whether or not you have a receipt for it.)

Ask your company if they will reimburse you for those expenses for which there was no receipt.

Remember that you may be able to claim, on your tax return, any of these expenses that you incurred on your trip that your company does not reimburse you for.

Knowing what expenses will be reimbursed beforehand will significantly reduce the stress level during your trip and increase your productivity.

Tip Number 2

Shop Local

I like to do a little research once I know where my hotel and job site will be. I look for the nearest convenience store or supermarket and check out their hours of operation and frequent them instead of relying on the hotel to tell me where I could replace my bottled water that was confiscated at the airport. (It was full.)

In a pinch, the hotel gift shops would do but, I try to avoid them when I'm on a budget.

And the most important money-saving travel tip of all. Drum roll please. Okay, that's been overdone. Sushi Roll please.

TIP NUMBER 1

Eat Right! Make sure you get a lot of rest and be aware of your food and water intake.

When we're tired, hungry and thirsty, the brain starts to go and the emotions take over. You're liable to make crucial mistakes that could cost you if the old noggin' isn't functioning properly and you let your emotions get the best of you.

I know, it's not always easy to have 3 meals a day, out in the field, so bring along some energy bars and an empty water bottle. Keep hydrated.

Don't assume that you'll be able to purchase bottled water when you need it. Fill it up after you've arrived at your destination and keep filling it wherever possible.

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