Sunday, March 25, 2012

Business Travel Trends 2010 - Part 1

It's that time of year again; time to predict marketplace trends. Whether trying to explain the past year's business ups and downs or preparing for next year's marketplace, those in the know have begun forecasting, prognosticating and generally gazing into their crystal balls. After having read many of these predictions, including the results of various, pertinent surveys, here's my take on what we can expect in 2010 and beyond with regard to trends in business travel.
Corporations will gradually begin to concentrate on managing trade and reducing travel. While everyone seems to agree that face-to-face meetings will continue to remain fundamentally indispensable in the way of doing business, most notably with regard to client relationships, corporations will put the emphasis on managing trade and reducing travel. Even so, businesses will carefully study how they may obtain the greatest return on investment from travel, doing away with any needless or excessive business trips.
The competition for employee talent may well lead to a noticeable reduction in limiting travel protocols, balanced by stronger compliance standards. Travel guidelines may also turn out to be less restrictive as businesses increase their attempts to draw and maintain suitable professional individuals. Further attention will be focused on employees' work-life balance as well as managing productivity and less on accomplishing savings at the expense of traveler comfort and well-being.
Companies will ramp up attempts to control travel-related hazards. Preserving the safety of business travelers will continue to be of the utmost importance to travel managers, especially with regard to high-risk travel destinations. Corporate travel professionals will be looking for the ability to recognize services which will facilitate the improvement of traveler safety.
Consumers will depend upon merchants to become a motivating force in discovering "green" solutions. Fundamentally, businesses will seek to balance environmental issues with economic obligations, putting into practice a holistic, sustainable methodology with regard to travel.
Technology will continue to enhance the business traveler's experience. Significant concepts will feature self-service, plug and play, one-stop shop and cellular phones. Simply put, from the decision to travel to post trip reporting of expenses, corporations will persist in seeking out technology that is more user-friendly and of worth to employees during their travel process. At the booking stage, additional travelers will make use of on-line tools as companies strive to better accommodate individuals within their travel design.
Believe it or not, this is not the complete outline of significant changes that may impact business travel as a whole. In Part 2 of 2010 Business Travel Trends we will continue to explore the very real possibilities that may play out for the business traveler in the not so distant future.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Travel Agencies - For a Comfortable Business Travel

There are a lot of things that one has to take care of while going on for a business trip to a foreign destination, more so when it is one's first business travel. To make it convenient and comfortable, it is better that one hires the services of a travel agency. They will take care of all your requirements. There are a large number of travelling agencies in Australia who can fulfil all your travelling needs.
Some of the benefits of hiring travel agencies for the business trips are discussed below.
Since business trips are very different from the leisurely trips these need more meticulous planning and execution. These are more serious in nature and any loophole in the planning may lead to huge losses. Taking care of both the business deal and the business travelling details is not easy for a person. Therefore it is better to hire a travelling agency which understands these things and therefore give utmost attention to each detail.
These travelling agencies will look into all the details of your business trip and plan accordingly, right from the start of your journey to the last moment of your stay as well as getting back to your home destination.
For people who travel frequently for business purposes must go for travelling agencies specializing in the business tours. These agencies have a lot of experience in this field. They can provide you the best of services at very low rates.
From business air travel booking, hotel booking to meeting arrangements, everything is done by the travelling agency.
These agencies have a lot of experience in handling these business trips and therefore know each and every requirement of a business trip. This is the reason why you can rely on their services.
These agencies understand that businessmen travel frequently on business trips. Therefore to attract more travellers they give discounts on frequent basis. They have a lot of alluring business tour packages to suit the needs of all types of business travellers. These packages help you save a lot of your money but this does not mean that they compromise on services. These discounted packages provide you affordable business tickets, comfortable stay, fine dining options and the best arrangements for meetings and conferences.
You can also take your family along with you on the business trips. These travelling agencies can include all the facilities for the family members also. So your business trip can easily be turned into a family vacation.
They can in fact provide you with packages which have the business trip combined with sight seeing. After your work for the day is over you can indulge in a lot of pleasure activities also. The sight seeing will include visits to all the popular attractions of that place. There are many travelling agencies which provide these two in one services. There is always a lot of ample time between business meetings and work. This time can easily be utilized for sight seeing and pleasure activities.
Hiring the services of these travelling agencies will help you save a lot of your time, money and energy and you will have a comfortable trip without a doubt.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Business Travel in Taipei

Business Travel Getting In and Out Easily in Taipei 
Many people find it so excited when going abroad to have their first business travel thinking about having flying in business class, Benz waiting at airport arrival hall for pickup, staying in the 5 stars hotel and dinning in full course fine dining restaurant, and etc. But the days are gone for luxuries corporate travel budget. We are now back to square one with tight budget travel with kind of many restriction and lengthy guidelines to follow. No worries, here with years of business travel experience in Asia, the author can provide you the inside out information on getting around like local in Asia cities. Let's start with Taipei as the 1st stop of your business travel destination.

Pre-Departure Planning - Hotel Searching and Customer Location Identification 
It is always very important to do some homework before you board your plane at your homeland airport, since you may not know what things will went wrong when you arrive at your destination. However, please do not worry so much as Taipei people English proficiency is high enough to help you.

Even you are working in a top multi national companies but still you need to find out where the corporate prefer hotel located whether is it near to customer site or very far. Since by understanding the locations of each customer site it helps a lot in planning the meeting time and arranging transportation to get there.
For big corporate traveler working in HP, Dell, Intel, GE, etc, usually they have corporate rate with Taipei Sheraton Hotel, Taipei Sherwood Hotel, Taipei Grand Hyatt, Shangri-la Taipei, Westin Taipei, Taipei Farmosa Hotel, Yu Shan Hotel and other 5 star hotel. What about for people that with own business or work in small corporate? It is too luxurious staying in such world class hotel sometimes it is really unnecessary. You can try out some business hotel which are mainly located in Chong Xiao East Road, Taipei Main Station, Ming Sheng East Road, Ming Quan East Road, etc. These business hotels are ranging from NT$1800-NT$2500 (tax included) including breakfast, one of the author prefer is Delight Hotel Taipei which is so convenient which the Zhong Shan Guo Zhong MRT is just 5 minutes walk and same goes to the 7-11 convenient store.
You need to understand where is your customer site as whether is it in Taipei city or in Taipei Prefecture. Customers sites are around Neihu, Shichi, Chonghe, Banqiao, Tucheng and some even as far as in Xinchu. If your customer is in Chonghe, Tucheng, and Banqian region, stay in Chonghe is a better option. A good hotel with reasonal price around NT$3200 (tax included) is Fourpoints Sheraton Hotel Chunghe, convenient store is just 10 steps away at the left hand side from hotel entrance.
Transportation and Access Information 
It is not wise to get a hotel pickup at airport, as it is always cost few hundred NT dollars more than Taxi and sometimes even a thousands dollar NT more than pre-arrange private service car that a lot of MNC applied which we called it "MiMi" car (usually is Toyota Camry 2.4L version, not too bad at all!). Hotel pickup cost range of NT$1900-NT$3000 depends on what type of limousine you ordered; taxi cost about NT$1100 to Taipei city; "MiMi" car cost about NT$800 to inner city of Taipei. If you are not rush, try the shuttle bus cost about NT$110-NT$150, only 10% of what you paid for taxi! It takes about an hour to reach Taipei city. Just find out your hotel address and show to the lady at the bus ticket counter, she will let you know which bus to take. Just ensure you counter check with bus driver asking him when approaching your stop, please remind you to get off. No worries, once you are in the Taipei city, can get taxi easily and getting around will cost little only within NT$100-NT$250.

Once you are in the city after check-in, you can travel around using the subway or MRT which is so convenient and easy to go anyway. So it is important to find a hotel which is nearer to MRT station as it will help you save a lot of your transportation fees. Since MRT cost so little from NT$20 onwards, with EasyCard you will have 40% discount! Just get one at the subway ticket counter.
Business Dinning and Personal Dinning Sharing 
Do you know business travel does not mean you only suppose to have your meals in 5 start restaurant, you too can have the same quality of foods in a lot of local restaurant or even at night market. Save you some dollars for raining days use. Business dinning can have it in any Taipei city restaurant which you can easily find it. Here which the author want to share more is the night market foods which foreign business traveler should try out after a whole day of tiring business meetings. Check out Shiling night market just board the MRT at any station along the red color subway line and stop at Jiantan station. Don't straight go after the food court at Shiling market, instead go into the night market place and check out the small hawker stores beside the road, some really cool delicious foods like fried chicken drumstick, jelly drink, ice cream rap in thin flour with peanuts, crab meat soup and many more. One should not miss is the ice shop inside one of the valley beside main street of Shiling night market, selling all sort of milky shredded ice with many different kinds of toppings. Try out the strawberry or mango toppings, really delicious! Business travel can be fun, too!
Almond Hazel is an experience business and leisure traveler in Asia main cities. The author has been working in multiple multi national companies (MNC) as well as some start up business from united states and locals in Asia region, some business relocation experience in Taiwan, Japan, China, and South East Asia countries for the past 15 years. Beside having business travels, the author is also a leisure traveler, and has been to many Asia countries, US and Europe for vacation. Throughout this vast travel experience the author can share a lot of travel tips to all. Further more the author speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Bahasa Melayu and Japanese, so this help to find out more local authentic foods and guides from exchanging conversation with local people.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Business Travel Insurance - How to Get Monetary Protection to Your Business Traveling Needs

Those who run a business often have to travel a lot. If you are one of them, make sure you obtain a suitable business travel insurance policy to provide protection to your money that you pay for traveling expenses. However, besides covering travel expenses, you may also get certain other types of coverage, such as problems with hotel accommodation in a small city and other such things. Therefore, it is important for you to research your needs thoroughly and look into each and every aspect while you are shopping for the best plan.
Amount Of Coverage 
The amount of coverage must be sufficient enough to protect your money. It should neither be too high or too low. For example, if you are running a small business, a business travel insurance policy with excessive coverage may not make sense for you. Besides that, you also need keep in mind that the more coverage you opt for, the higher premiums you will have to pay.

Things To Consider While Talking To An Agent 
While you are talking to an insurance agent, you must provide complete details about your business plan and financial statements. This will make it easy for the agent to suggest the most suitable plan for you. As compared to individual plans, business plans carry much larger amounts of risk. Therefore, you do an accurate assessment of your financial situation.

Comprehensive Coverage 
There are several benefits of buying comprehensive coverage in a business travel insurance policy. For example, your insurance company may offer discounted individual auto and health insurance plans for your employees.

Travel Route 
If you have a regular travel route, you can easily find a good bargain on your policy. The insurance company may offer you a very low rate if you have representatives or offices at the places you frequently visit.

Liability Coverage 
You should pay special attention to the liability coverage also. Make sure that the plan you have chosen provides optimum protection to your business as well as individual assets while you are away on a business trip. It is always wise to protect your long-term finances by opting for high financial thresholds for life insurance, medical coverage, and rental car collision.

Travel Interruption Coverage 
What if you travel gets interrupted because of some reasons? Your business travel insurance policy must protect your money in such circumstances. For that, you will need travel interruption coverage. With this coverage, you will be able to travel in alternative means of transport without needing to pay additionally for the same. Some companies however require you to pay the expenses out of your pocket first and then submit a claim - the amount will be reimbursed to your account. But, most companies have contracts with several airlines and other forms of transports - so, you wont actually have to pay anything from your pocket.

Do your managers and other employees also have to travel for your business? If so, you had better consider a business travel insurance policy that provides sufficient amount of coverage to all those travelers.

Monday, March 5, 2012

The Upside to Business Travel

Many people abhor traveling for business, while some only hate it when they are consistently on the road as a road warrior. They frequently miss home, having their own familiar place to stay, and home cooking. Still, there are a number of tips for the business traveler that can make the best of traveling for business.
Free Fun Travel 
Traveling for business can also help increase traveling for pleasure. While flying, staying at hotels, and renting cars one can be collecting loyalty points for future use. This means that one can be traveling for fun with the rewards of their business travel. It is a liberating feeling to walk to an airline counter and cash in some points for a trip to anywhere in the world- Vegas for the weekend or take someone special to Paris.

Travel Perks 
Being a frequent traveler with the loyalty programs will have you an established elite traveler in no time. Pay attention to the requirements and do what you can to get elite status as soon as you can. The perks are tremendous with free and sometimes unexpected upgrades. Preference in the check-in lines will make a huge difference when you are pressed for time or dog tired at the end of the day. Preference in check-in/check-out times will be a perk you will use often.

Be In The Now 
Every major town will have its unique flavor and will have some tourist must sees. See them when you have down time. When you are constantly on the road it will seem enticing to stay in a hotel room and relax to some TV, but when you do this day after day, town after town no wonder burn-out settles in. Get out and explore, get to know the town, it will undoubtedly help your business in that town to know more about it. Try the specialty foods of the area, stay away from national chains. And if you do find that you travel the same cities consistently, then make it your town. Find some favorite places to eat and entertain yourself, then you can actually look forward to visiting again.

Being able to travel for business is a wonderful opportunity and should not be seen as a burden. Changing of the attitude may be as simple as looking to the pluses and not focusing on the negatives of frequent travel.
Get More Information On Business Travel
There is more business travel help available. Get information about developing a business travel policy so your company can reign in expenses. Also, learn how to develop a travel packing checklist for your trips, that you never leave anything behind again.