TRAVEL
TRAVEL
Mistrust across international borders can be a barrier to a successful import/export business. Therefore, visit the country and the people who offer goods for your importation or the agents or distributors who market your export products. These personal contacts remind us that we have more in common with people from other nations than differences. Traveling to exotic places is not only fun, it is a tax-deductible expense of international trade as well. The Internal Revenue Service will look closely at travel expenses to make sure you are actually doing business, and not indulging your travel hobby. For this purpose, keep a good record duringyour travels, and make sure you profit from your trips.
Planning a Trip
Though an agent will help you with your travel plans, don't turn over to the travel agent the initial planning of your trip. Using an Official Airlines Guide (OAGI and a map of the world, lay out your own trip. You know your itinerary, how long you can stay in each place, and what you expect to accomplish. The OAG, which can be found in any library or travel agency, will show all the direct (no change) flights, as well as all the connections for all the world's airlines. Make certain your local arrival time allows for time changes and scheduled business meetings. Allow time for rest prior to negotiating.
After you have laid out the trip, take it to the travel agent for booking. Allow three to five days and expect some changes. You might occasionally need to go through country B in order to get to country C.
Travel Danger Alert. To stay alert to any possible danger areas in the world, contact the Citizens Emergency Center at the United States Department of State, Washington, DC at (202) 647-5225.
Packing for a Trip
Travel light. The usual arrival sequence is Immigration followed by Customs. Be ready to open your luggage and sometimes declare each item.
Transportation
Request Business Class to most countries; it's more comfortable than coach and less expensive than First Class. However, one traveler remembered the time the Pakistani lady sat next to him with five boxes, two kids, and a cage full of chickens. In some Middle European and Eastern countries, it's better to pay the difference and go First Class.
Hotels
Unless you are familiar with the better hotels in a country, you are usually better off to stay at one that is recognized internationally. Most major travel companies, agents, or your local library can give you the names of the best hotels.
Food and Drink
Are you a bit overweight? Now is the time to drop a few pounds. The food might be the best in the world, but eat light and drink only sterilized water.
Time Changes
Plan for the changing time zones. Think ahead and figure the local times of arrival for the plane you have booked. Remember, time is rezoned from Greenwich, England, and watches normally are set to some form of zone time. Time is changed near the time of crossing of the boundary between zones, usually at a whole hour. If you know the time zone, you can calculate the local time. Figure 3-3 depicts international time zones as they appear at noon, Eastern Standard Time.
Passport
This travel document identifies the holder as a citizen of the country by which it is issued. In the United States, the Department of State issues passports. You can apply at your local United States post office. The cost is about $42.00. You should allow about two to three weeks for processing the passport.
Visa
A visa is an official endorsement from a country a person wishes to visit. You must receive it before entry into that country is permitted. Some nations don't require a visa. Check with your travel agent or local counsel/embassy. You might prefer to give a "visa service," your passport and three photos, and let them make the rounds of the Washington, D.C. embassies. Count on waiting a week for the completion of this service.
Arrival/Departure
On arrival in a country you have never visited before, ask the airline crew or counter personnel for such tips as normal taxi fare from the airport to the hotel, sights to see, and local travel problems. Exchange your currency at the best rate. On departure use the excess to pay your hotel bill. Be sure to save enough local currency for taxi fare and airport departure tax. Smile and be cheerful as you pass through immigration and customs. A smile can head off a lot of problems.
Carnet
Use an ATA Carnet to get your business samples and other equipment through customs. The initials "ATA" are a combination of both French and English words meaning "Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission." In the United States, make application to the Council for International Business; it has offices in major cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
A Carnet is a special customs document to simplify and streamline custom procedures for business and professional travelers. It guarantees payment in case of failure to reexport. Commercial samples, advertising material, medical or other professional equipment, whether accompanied by a person or not, may be taken under this system into participating countries for up to 1 year. The applicant must furnisb security in the amount of 40% of the total value of all items listed on the application form. The fee schedule ranges from a minimum of $50.00 to as much as about $200.00 depending on the value of the merchandise. If you don't get a Carnet, check your samples at the airport with customs, but allow plenty of time to get them before the next flight.
The next chapter further expands the concepts related to import and export, developing the fundamentals needed to complete the transaction, i.e., financing, avoiding risk, shipping, and documentation.
Mistrust across international borders can be a barrier to a successful import/export business. Therefore, visit the country and the people who offer goods for your importation or the agents or distributors who market your export products. These personal contacts remind us that we have more in common with people from other nations than differences. Traveling to exotic places is not only fun, it is a tax-deductible expense of international trade as well. The Internal Revenue Service will look closely at travel expenses to make sure you are actually doing business, and not indulging your travel hobby. For this purpose, keep a good record duringyour travels, and make sure you profit from your trips.
Planning a Trip
Though an agent will help you with your travel plans, don't turn over to the travel agent the initial planning of your trip. Using an Official Airlines Guide (OAGI and a map of the world, lay out your own trip. You know your itinerary, how long you can stay in each place, and what you expect to accomplish. The OAG, which can be found in any library or travel agency, will show all the direct (no change) flights, as well as all the connections for all the world's airlines. Make certain your local arrival time allows for time changes and scheduled business meetings. Allow time for rest prior to negotiating.
After you have laid out the trip, take it to the travel agent for booking. Allow three to five days and expect some changes. You might occasionally need to go through country B in order to get to country C.
Travel Danger Alert. To stay alert to any possible danger areas in the world, contact the Citizens Emergency Center at the United States Department of State, Washington, DC at (202) 647-5225.
Packing for a Trip
Travel light. The usual arrival sequence is Immigration followed by Customs. Be ready to open your luggage and sometimes declare each item.
Transportation
Request Business Class to most countries; it's more comfortable than coach and less expensive than First Class. However, one traveler remembered the time the Pakistani lady sat next to him with five boxes, two kids, and a cage full of chickens. In some Middle European and Eastern countries, it's better to pay the difference and go First Class.
Hotels
Unless you are familiar with the better hotels in a country, you are usually better off to stay at one that is recognized internationally. Most major travel companies, agents, or your local library can give you the names of the best hotels.
Food and Drink
Are you a bit overweight? Now is the time to drop a few pounds. The food might be the best in the world, but eat light and drink only sterilized water.
Time Changes
Plan for the changing time zones. Think ahead and figure the local times of arrival for the plane you have booked. Remember, time is rezoned from Greenwich, England, and watches normally are set to some form of zone time. Time is changed near the time of crossing of the boundary between zones, usually at a whole hour. If you know the time zone, you can calculate the local time. Figure 3-3 depicts international time zones as they appear at noon, Eastern Standard Time.
Passport
This travel document identifies the holder as a citizen of the country by which it is issued. In the United States, the Department of State issues passports. You can apply at your local United States post office. The cost is about $42.00. You should allow about two to three weeks for processing the passport.
Visa
A visa is an official endorsement from a country a person wishes to visit. You must receive it before entry into that country is permitted. Some nations don't require a visa. Check with your travel agent or local counsel/embassy. You might prefer to give a "visa service," your passport and three photos, and let them make the rounds of the Washington, D.C. embassies. Count on waiting a week for the completion of this service.
Arrival/Departure
On arrival in a country you have never visited before, ask the airline crew or counter personnel for such tips as normal taxi fare from the airport to the hotel, sights to see, and local travel problems. Exchange your currency at the best rate. On departure use the excess to pay your hotel bill. Be sure to save enough local currency for taxi fare and airport departure tax. Smile and be cheerful as you pass through immigration and customs. A smile can head off a lot of problems.
Carnet
Use an ATA Carnet to get your business samples and other equipment through customs. The initials "ATA" are a combination of both French and English words meaning "Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission." In the United States, make application to the Council for International Business; it has offices in major cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York.
A Carnet is a special customs document to simplify and streamline custom procedures for business and professional travelers. It guarantees payment in case of failure to reexport. Commercial samples, advertising material, medical or other professional equipment, whether accompanied by a person or not, may be taken under this system into participating countries for up to 1 year. The applicant must furnisb security in the amount of 40% of the total value of all items listed on the application form. The fee schedule ranges from a minimum of $50.00 to as much as about $200.00 depending on the value of the merchandise. If you don't get a Carnet, check your samples at the airport with customs, but allow plenty of time to get them before the next flight.
The next chapter further expands the concepts related to import and export, developing the fundamentals needed to complete the transaction, i.e., financing, avoiding risk, shipping, and documentation.
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