Business Travel Security

Ever since September 11th, the travel industry has changed around the world and whether your travel is intended for private or business purposes travel security is a major concern for everyone. The stark reality of it all is that travelers no longer have that feeling of being secure as they used to. While a big concern for travel security is the airline aspect of it, there are other issues of business travel that can affect businessmen and women.

Business travel is necessary for a v`riety of reasons and it is with this in mind that travel security has become such an important issue with companies that send their representatives to different parts of the world. Whether it is to get their foot into the door of a developing country or to increase business ties with established businesses that they already deal with, business travel will likely be here to stay.

Although a traveling salesman may not look like a "mark" to the average person, to the trained eye many salesmen do actually stand out. First of all they usually travel alone and without any concern for travel security, otherwise the likelihood of them dressing flashy and working in full view with their laptop for all to see would probably diminish. A more toned down approach may be a bit more advisable for these frequent fliers.

When considering travel security businessmen and women should be especially concerned about present crime rates in the country they are on the way to do business with. The criminal element is not always about muggings and other forms of robberies, it should also take into consideration the political climate they could be facing. In the past business associates have faced the wrath of a stray bullet or two just because they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

With the increase of businesswomen entering the fray further issues of sexual harassment or other criminal activities have been added to the equation. Women traveling alone are easy targets for purse snatching and or sexual assaults. While travel security should be considered when the businessperson is en route, further care should be taken for their property that is left behind in hotel rooms as they venture out to meet their clients. Always secure your property in a safe.

While the average business traveler may not have serious travel security issues to think about, other than bodily harm, theft, abduction, kidnapping and the like, espionage has yet to be discussed. The theft of business information is becoming much easier with the amount of information being transferred around on a laptop. Besides its monetary value, depending on who you work for, your laptop can be a virtual goldmine to the right group of people.

Corporate Business Travel Picks Up Again

An airline industry that's for years been casting an anxious eye down the road to see if any business travelers, the cream of its trade, step up at all, is finally being rewarded for its patience. With the recession finally receding, corporate business travel is finally picking up. It is a sign of how strong the revival is that business class travel isn't just attracting rich corporations. Small business owners and executives, sales reps and everyone else who travels on business have begun choosing business class all over again.

Today, cautious travel policies born of an instinct of self-preservation in businesses all over for years, have all but disappeared. No longer are executives required to check to see if they could use videoconferencing in lieu of travel. And when they do travel, no longer do they have to restrict themselves to premium economy and three-star hotels. The airlines for their part, have thrown themselves open to the corporate business travel crowd. Airplanes have new $150,000 business class seats, special spa-like business lounges and superior menus on board. In fact, getting a free upgrade to first class can be quite difficult for any business traveler these days; first class is usually clogged with paying vice presidents. Companies today are beginning to realize that perhaps they cut back too much during the recession.

Still, not everything is hunky-dory in the hopes that airlines have for the corporate business travel. With double-digit unemployment figures, the country still isn't where it needs to be economically - even if Wall Street seems to be booming. Flight reservations have plateaued more or less. Sales have been growing by a mere couple of percentage points each month. And booming fuel prices are beginning to put a tenuous resurgence at risk. Airlines, buoyed by high demand from paying business-class customers, have used the confidence it has lent them in raising prices for economy class flyers as well.

And just to be on the safe side, the airlines are building up their services as much as they can to attract the business custom. One of the more innovative services they have in mind has to do with the use of location tracking. With these airline apps installed on your smart phone, if you happen to be stuck in traffic so that you won't be able to make it, the airline will automatically put you on the next flight. If they are about to close the boarding gates and there you are, rushing down the escalators, the app will be able to tell them where exactly you are and alert the staff manning the gate to hold on for just a minute longer. Things could get really exciting.

Business Travel Advice

How to make the most of business travel

To some, the idea of traveling to Los Angeles one weekend and Bangkok the next for business sounds exciting and exotic. However, 2 a.m. red-eye flights, expense account over-eating, short weekends and most importantly the time spent away from families can get old quickly.

Business trips are an important part of many careers and are inevitable. Business travel shouldn't be seen as a chore; it allows you the opportunity to travel to places you might not normally visit and to do so practically for free - so why not make the most of it?

There are several ways to enjoy your business trips. First, consider bringing along spouses, boyfriends/girlfriends, children or the entire family and extending your business trip to include fun vacation time. The flight and hotel are already paid, the only extra costs that would incur would be airline tickets for anyone coming along and the cost for the extra days spent away. Many hotels don't even charge extra for children. However, before taking along other people on business, especially children, make sure first that it is okay with the boss. Second, make sure you'll have time to spend with anyone traveling with you and that not all your time will be spent in meetings.

The truth is, the more you enjoy business travel - the more relaxed you'll be for any meetings or presentations. In fact, your company may even see this as a good thing.They realize business trips aren't always fun, therefore the more you enjoy going on them, the more willing you will be to go on more in the future. Also, if you travel often to one destination for business, the more sightseeing you do within the city, the more familiar you'll be with the location making it easier to relate and talk with local executives.

If extending the trip or bringing along family isn't an option, there are other ways to make business travel more fun and less of a chore. First of all, visit the Convention and Visitor's Bureau Web site for the city you will be traveling to on business. The Web sites give tons of information on the sightseeing opportunities and often will have sample travel itineraries. Also, greeter programs are popping up in many major cities like Chicago and New York. A greeter program allows you to be paired up with a local, bilingual tour guide who can show you around the city. The perks of greeter programs are that they can be arranged at whatever time works for you and they oftentimes are free.

Hotel concierges are extremely familiar with the city within which they work and the immediate area by the hotel. Whether you have a free afternoon, an hour to spare, or are just looking for somewhere to eat, the hotel concierge can inform you of many fun, local activities to partake in.

Last, you don't have to limit your business travel fun to just simple sightseeing. Try taking a cooking class one evening or do something daring like skydiving or swimming with the sharks. The*options are limitless.

Business Travel Jobs Explained

All travel agent work can be exciting and demanding - but perhaps business travel jobs especially so. Why is this?

If you are providing general travel agent services to the public for things such as holidays and weekend breaks, then although challenges and problems will arise, there may be a core stability around the travel plans that is unlikely to change. For example, someone booking a holiday to Thailand is unlikely to call you on only the second day there and say that they now want to travel immediately to another holiday in Australia. Yet with business travel jobs, that can happen - and fairly regularly!

Global business is characterised by the frequency of how things change. A business traveller may be actually en-route to Hong Kong and suddenly his or her employer will call you to say that, upon arrival, their employee must now travel immediately to Los Angeles. If you think that is simply a question of arranging other tickets from Hong Kong to Los Angeles, then you are mistaken. All existing accommodation arrangements in Hong Kong may need to be cancelled and car rentals and connections likewise. Then you have the problem of trying to arrange those same things to all be in place and ready for when the person arrives at LAX. Just as you finish making all the revised arrangements is the time that your client normally calls you again to ask you what you can do about the fact that the person in transit doesn't actually have a US Visa!

If that sounds an unlikely scenario, be warned - in reality it happens regularly in business travel jobs. That is also why travel agents are typically demanding in terms of their requirements for people going to work in business travel sections. It is an exciting, dynamic but also potentially highly pressurised environment that may not suit everyone.

Some employers prefer to offer junior and trainee positions in business travel to those who already have general travel agent experience. Others may be willing to offer trainee roles to people without any experience of the travel industry, but they may look very favourably upon those applicants that hold higher academic qualifications in a related travel and leisure field. There is now a wide range of courses offered by numerous colleges, universities and other educational institutions, in various aspects of this industry sector. These may offer qualifications at BA or HNC level and some are accredited by organisations such as IATA and ABTA.

Some employers may be willing to offer business travel jobs to trainees on the proviso that they have reasonable GCSE results, particularly in geography and English although maths is also usually very well received. Employers will also be looking to see evidence that you are the sort of person who:

• enjoys pressure; 

• is a natural problem solver rather than problem creator; 

• is a gifted communicator (verbally and in writing).

Business travel jobs offer a pathway to success for the right individual. They can be well rewarded, and successful individuals are usually very sought-after by both travel agents and their corporate clients.

Communication Skills and Business Travel Jobs

Business travel jobs are frequently seen as requiring special skill sets and considerable experience. In many travel agents, corporate travel is quite distinct from the general service provided to holidaymakers and other members of the public. The reality is that securing a position may not be easy - particularly if you have no previous experience of either general or agency work.

Getting hn

From this point on, it will be assumed that you have no previous background working in a travel agency. There are academic qualifications relating to both general and corporate travel disciplines. Although these may help secure an entry-level position, not all travel agents will necessarily apply the same weighting to these qualifications (BA, HNC, City and Guilds etc).

Certainly, however, having such qualifications cannot do your application any harm. In fact, if you are able to secure a trainee position in a business travel section or company, they may look favourably on you studying part-time to obtain such qualifications.

Whether you have these qualifications or not, you will be required to attend an interview if your initial application generates some interest in the potential employer. General interviewing skills and techniques are critically important, but in the case of business travel jobs there are a few things that the interviewer(s) will typically be looking for, over and above the requirements for a general travel agent position:

• You will need to demonstrate excellent verbal (and written) communication skills, as in-house corporate travel departments will typically be extremely demanding and will expect exemplary service by telephone, email and fax/mail etc;

• You must be able to show a very good knowledge of basic global geography;

• You must also have at least a basic grasp of business fundamentals such as invoicing, statements, debits/credits, business accounts, volume discounts and so on;

• Basic numeracy skills will be very important;

• You must be presentable and capable of being seen as someone that would be able to represent the values and professionalism of your employer.

Business travel jobs do not necessarily demand fluency in other languages, however, having an understanding of one or more of the world's major languages might prove to be a huge advantage in your application.

Perhaps above all, potential employers in this sector will be looking for indications that you are a problem solver and are capable of working under severe pressure. 

Business travel is a lucrative area for some travel agents, but if business travel clients are paying for a premium all-round service then they will be extremely demanding - and rightly so.

Travel agents may, therefore, be equally demanding in their selection criteria when they are looking to fill business travel jobs. Preparing for your application thoroughly and with great attention to detail will be to your definite advantage.