Business Travel Management — Travel Tips In A Terrorist World
July 8th, 2008 by faison
No longer relegated to film noire roles, real-life bad guy terrorists troll constantly for new and sinister ways to disrupt global trade. Major targets? Transportation, energy, trade, and capital. Reality check for business travel management is that government can no longer provide complete protections for the traveling public.
Results? Business travel management is forced to enter a sobering re-thinking of priorities including keeping track of personnel, evaluating political risks in international travel, refining travel insurance risks and even incorporating corporate security and training programs in order to upgrade skills and responses to threats.
Yes, money matters and corporate travel management policies will constantly focus on discounts and expense control. But what’s changed is now money factors have become dilute against the backdrop of 9/11 attacks in America, London subway bombings, Bali nightclub bombings, train bombings in Spain and even more grisly examples where organized society is confronted by non-state independent terrorist militia and suicidal fanatics.
Corporate Travel Management Specialists For A New World — Travel Safety And Travel Intelligence. Security, employee training, business traveler tracking and more are being conducted through technology-enabled centralized corporate travel management firms. No longer is business travel management merely the hunt for group travel discounts and frequent flyer miles programs. Lives are at risk.
Learning The New Ropes — Business Travel Seminars. Businesses regularly use seminars to teach the latest techniques in travel security. For example, Westerners are taught to avoid placing identifying stickers on luggage, or to wear clothes with logos that might readily identify themselves as Americans or Brits. Low key anonymity equals lower risk business travel.
What Happens When Terrorists Attack — Surviving Captivity. What about being captured by terrorists? Travel management pros now regularly pass along detailed guidelines for surviving captivity, how to cope, what to expect, what to say, understanding political and ideological motivations of terrorists.
Travel Intelligence — Real Time Employee Tracking Data Access. Business travel management experts stress real-time data access, beginning with meticulously planned and documented business travel plans…providing hour-to-hour movement details in advance…along with hotel and meeting venue contact access information, cell phones, names of customer contacts and more.
Pre-Flight Advice — Tip On Carry On Gear. Check to verify with your travel management advisors, but you’ll soon be restricted to bare-bones carry on gear. Cell phones, lap tops, food, beverage, backpacks, even books may become banned as permitted carry on gear, following attempts in August by Pakistani and British terrorists to plant IED’s (improvised explosive devices) in 10 flights departing to the USA.
Pre-Flight Advice — Tip On Airport Parking. Leave nothing to chance. Security delays, busy flights, limited on board services means that business and leisure travelers need to pre-book airport parking needs at least several days in advance of your scheduled departure. Get your business travel management experts to lock-in reservations for airport parking, car rentals and related needs throughout your travel itinerary.
Pre-Flight Advice — Tip On Airport Hotels. Airport security restrictions plus limited carry on allowance means significant “down time”. You’ll need to identify airport hotels that are technology enabled, offering you high speed web access to your business files, emails, as well as webex video conferencing so that you can contact customers, home office, prepare reports and presentations, plus stay in contact with family.
Business travel management is entering a new vista for integrating travel planning, security, and employee tracking. For more travel planning tips please go to:-
Reserving Airport Parking Nationwide: http://www.wise4living.com/tpark/
Airport Hotel Locater: http://www.wise4living.com/tairhotel/
Author Robin Derry is publisher for http://www.wise4living.com/ a specialty information site that gives solutions to health, household, sport, travel and legal needs.
Tags: airport hotels, airport parking, business travel management, corporate, webex video conferencingBarcelona Weather
July 7th, 2008 by faison
Barcelona enjoys a warm, welcoming climate and pleasant temperatures all year round, since it is located on the shores of the Mediterranean. Similar to other European regions, Barcelona has well defined seasons in which the temperatures and general weather are fairly predictable. Since it is on the seacoast, Barcelona has a relatively high humidity level of about 70%. June and August are the warmest months, with the mercury higher than 30 degrees (Celsius), perfect for a holiday close to the sea, relaxing on the beaches or in the pools, walking through the city wearing light clothing, or just relaxing and having a cold drink at the various terraces available in the city.
But definitely the best weather can be found by the end of summer and beginning of fall, from September up through part of December, when one can still get a lot of sun, but temperatures are milder than in summer. Barcelona is in the center of the Costa Brava, Spain’s northernmost Mediterranean coastline, and also the commercial center for this region. Barcelona weather is traditionally hot and reliable, with an average rainfall of 1.7 inches per month, except for September and October where 3 to 4 inches per month is the average. The rainfall nourishes the many green areas around the city.
With winter temperatures hovering around 10 degrees Celsius, Barcelona never gets too cold. The ideal months to visit are May, June and September, when one can rely on good weather and avoid the occasional extreme heat. Being situated on the shores of the Mediterranean, Barcelona is blessed with good weather for most of the year. January is the coldest month, with top temperatures averaging 13
Tags: Barcelona, Barcelona Hotels, Barcelona Soccer, Barcelona WeatherArmor Manoir Sherbrooke Bed and Breakfast in Montreal
July 6th, 2008 by faison
Ah, yes! It sounds so exotic, Armor Manoir Sherbrooke in Montreal. You might wonder what the Armor Manoir Sherbrooke is. Well, it’s a bed and breakfast hotel in the vicinity of downtown Montreal. It is located on a very busy street in Montreal (Sherbrooke) so if you’d like some peace and quiet ask for a room not facing the main thoroughfare.
This hotel does not provide parking so when you arrive you have to either find street parking or park in a big parking garage. If you do decide to park on the street you have to move your car before 7am. The staff at this hotel was interesting. I asked for a copy of the map to the parking garage and they said NO! (?!?!) I could only look at the one they had under the glass on the main counter and redraw the map myself. Also, when I found out that you have to move your car before 7am on the street one of the staff smirked: “Well, then you’ll just have to deal with that!” … (?!?!) .. ok
You can tell that the hotel was not built for that function. We had to go through three doors (three feet apart) to get to our de luxe room. It was spacious and what one might say in shabby chic style. You could tell that the bathroom for the room was added later since it protruded from one corner of the room. The bed was ok, we were too tired to notice. Modest breakfast was included with the room. The Montreal Festival of Laughter was happening at that time and all rooms were completely booked.
Conclusion: The hotel was just ok. It served the purpose for an acceptable price and a decent location. We probably would not stay there again.
157 rue Sherbrooke Est,
Montr