Away on Business: Tips for Travelers
By Michael Conlon
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Assorted news -- free
car phones, dressdown hints, mileage program concerns and pricey per
diems -- of interest to the business traveler:
ON THE ROAD
In response to travel fears in uncertain
times, three car rental companies -- Hertz, Alamo and National -- are
offering free mobile telephone rentals for all North American customers
hiring cars in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
"People want to stay in touch and
there's no better way," says Jay Chalnick, vice president for
marketing at Cellhire USA LLC, the company providing the telephones.
Chalnick said car rental customers save
the usual rental fee, $8 a day or $99 a month, but must pay a nominal
delivery and collection charge as well as their own line charges.
Despite a significant decline in business
travel generally, he adds, the rental telephone business has gone
"through the roof" because of security concerns.
While the technology varies, he adds, his
company guarantees it will provide a telephone that works anywhere in
the world where a car can be rented.
TRAVEL LIGHT
Those who do go on the road in dangerous
times might want to consider leaving their laptop computer back at the
office and dress down, generally avoiding jewelry or other expensive
touches.
That advice comes from Rosenbluth
International, which has come up with a list of tips for "safe
travel in a time of crisis." The laptop slung over the shoulder
makes the business traveler stand out as few other things do. The same
can also be true for mode of dress.
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Instead of taking a laptop, Rosenbluth,
the world's third-largest travel management company, recommends that
travelers access their office intranet in other ways. Handheld devices
such as the Pocket PC allow access without being so obvious.
Leading the list of tips is this advice:
Make sure your company can find you, either through programs such as
Rosenbluth's that provide an automatic embassy registration for
travelers, or other tracking devices. The complete list is available at
http://www.rosenbluth.com under "Traveler Tips."
A WATCHFUL EYE
As Corporate America makes travel plans
it is keeping a close watch on international developments, which are
creating a lot of uncertainty.
A recent survey of more than 150
corporate travel managers by the National Business Travel Association
found that 62 percent were evaluating trips on a case-by-case basis and
nearly half had already restricted travel to high-risk areas.
At the same time, an assessment of the
airline industry in a war situation, done by the travel procurement firm
eClipse Advisors, suggests that conflict would drive up fuel and
security costs, raising ticket prices, at least initially.
Jet fuel prices are already 81 percent
higher than a year ago, the report said.
MILEAGE POINTERS
Frequent fliers appear to be staying
loyal to their mileage programs even though turmoil in the industry and
changes proposed or implemented in the programs are giving them some
second thoughts.
That's the finding of a poll of frequent
travelers conducted by Inside Flyer Magazine, which found that nearly 70
percent of those questioned thought their frequent flier program had
become worse in recent months.
At the same time, 65 percent said they
had not taken their business to another program.
Frequent guest programs offered by the
lodging industry fared better: Only about 40 percent thought they had
gotten worse and 80 percent said they had not jumped to another program.
The publication, headed by mileage guru
Randy Petersen, said there does, however, appear to be a new militancy
developing among long-time program members.
"Consider the arsenal: 89 million
members of programs worldwide, some 80 percent or more with Internet
access and over 5 million elite members in North America whose benefits
seem to wane over time. Combine that with the attention of major media
worldwide, and it is clear militancy is a force that is already shaping
the 21st century of miles," it concluded.
PRICEY PLACES
The world's most expensive city in which
to do business on the road is London, averaging nearly $500 a day in
hotel and meal costs, according to a new study.
The cheapest spot among major cities
globally is Johannesburg in South Africa, at a mere $140 daily.
The figures are the latest from
Runzheimer International, a Wisconsin-based management consulting firm.
The priciest cities in the top 10 after London along with the average
daily prices in U.S. dollars are; Geneva ($410), Moscow ($407), New York
($401), Amsterdam ($393), San Juan, Puerto Rico ($388), Tokyo ($374),
Boston ($358), Santiago, Chile ($351) and New Delhi ($350).
After Johannesburg, the cheapest venues
in ascending order are Adelaide, Australia ($154), Auckland, New Zealand
($154), Ottawa ($158), Vancouver, Canada ($159), Montreal ($164), Kuala
Lumpur ($165), San Jose, Costa Rica, ($174), Strasbourg, France ($175)
and Hamburg, Germany ($177).
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