Traveling To Europe On Business Heres Why Its About To Get More Expensive.Html
By Heather Wilde, CTO, ROCeteer@heathriel
Working From Home
Best-Selling Author | Speaker | Coach | CTO
It is an interesting time to be an entrepreneur. The world is getting smaller every day, both with advances in telecommunication allowing us to connect with each other instantaneously, but also with faster and more economical means of travel allowing us to meet for those all-important face-to-face meetings.
Elon Musk recently announced plans for rocket travel to deliver people between major cities in 30 minutes. Google just released automatically translating earbuds for 40 languages. Hyperloop is regularly completing tests in the desert of Las Vegas for hypersonic land travel.
Unfortunately, for the present, we’re stuck with old-fashioned air travel. Fortunately, we have some amazing options — especially when you consider time, destination and amenities.
Bringing the World Together
For many years, Turkish Airlines has ranked as the Best Airline in Europe via Skytrax, and is best in class in many other categories. Their route map of over 200 cities in over 100 countries make it the most connected airline in the world, with the majority of their flights flying through their hub in Istanbul.
Onboard, they have service that includes fast, cheap wifi, full meals and comfortable seats — even in economy, which means that it has fast become the airline of choice for business travelers throughout Europe. Their low fares have even drawn many from the US to take the carrier through Istanbul — made even more palatable because the airline even provides free tours of the city or a free hotel overnight for long layovers.
But that’s now changed — overnight.
Due to increased tensions between the US and Turkey, and a recent incident focused around the arrest of the US Ambassador to Turkey, all US tourist and business visas to Turkey have been indefinitely suspended. In retaliation, Turkey has made the same move.
This kind of thing is more serious than people can realize. While airlines do everything they can to ensure passengers have the legal right to be in whatever country they’re transiting through or arriving in, sometimes things fall through the cracks. In the case of Mehran Karimi Nasseri, he was famously stuck living in the departure lounge of Paris’ Charles De Gaulle airport for 18 years because he had no visa to enter the country.
What can you do to lessen the pain?
Get Insured.
Matthew Renze, international speaker and data science consultant who has traveled over 100,000 miles this year alone, says “It’s hard to predict what will happen with international relations from day to day. If you do a lot of international travel for business, you should definitely consider travel insurance to minimize your exposure to risk.”
Credit cards like the American Express Platinum or Chase Sapphire offer automatic travel insurance, and you can supplement that by checking out InsureMyTrip. Read the fine print — many policies offer no coverage for extradition due to acts of civil unrest.
Get Documented.
Lauren A. Koenig, CEO of TWIP (Travel With Interesting People) adds “As Americans, we’ve been historically lucky to travel to over 166 countries visa-free or with visa on arrival. All of this is changing on a near-daily basis. As a traveler, for business or pleasure, you must stay informed on international relations.”
It’s important to note that as business travelers, visa rules are often different than for tourists. Ensure you have all the required information and have applied for the appropriate visa with the Traveler’s Checklist.
Keep a Backup.
Christina Aldan is an international speaker and digital advertising consultant who has traveled solo several times a month on and off for over 20 years. “I have been lucky enough to avoid any sticky situations because I set myself up with safety in mind every step of the way. I bring notarized copies of my important documents with me (insurance, passport, visa, itinerary, etc.) and I also make sure I leave copies with someone back home in the U.S.”
She also mentioned that she uses Tripit for Teams with her colleagues to create a digital footprint of where each of them is at in case anything does go wrong. You can also sign up for the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
Traveling internationally is still a great way to do business — but you may need to do a bit more planning and spend a bit more to get it done right.
Oct 11, 2017
For Modern Fertility’s Afton Vechery, the biggest adjustment to going remote during the coronavirus crisis has been minor but symbolic: “I’ve had to switch from contacts to glasses because of all the screen time and video calls,” she says. Vechery co-founded her home-fertility-test startup, which has $22 million in funding, in 2017. While many now have plenty of time on their hands for, well, fertility, Vechery is busier than ever. Here’s how she stays productive.
Climb Every Mountain
The alarm clock buzzes at 6:30 a.m. “A lot of founders have these amazing morning productivity hacks, like meditation,” says Vechery. “For me, the single greatest motivating factor is to just be doing something I love. And so, uh, that translates to emails in bed when I wake up.” After that, Vechery typically bikes to work. During the crisis, she’s swapped her commute for an early-morning ride to the top of San Francisco’s Twin Peaks. It doubles as me time. “It’s really helpful to understand what’s going to bubble up from your subconscious when you’re not being stimulated sitting in front of a computer,” she says.
Face Time
Vechery’s days in quarantine include more one-on-one meetings than they did before, but that’s the cost of keeping information flowing. Modern Fertility has implemented daily meetings at which employees can check on current and upcoming projects. And the staff has organized optional virtual lunches and happy hours, which Vechery will drop into when she can. Whether at home or in the office, she and co-founder Carly Leahy generally eat dinner while working and wrap up around 9 p.m.–though they encourage staffers to leave earlier.
Clear Screen, Clear Mind
Vechery relies on an app called Captio, which lets the founder email a note to herself with one click. But you won’t find the Captio icon on her iPhone’s home screen, which is clear of everything but three apps: Calendar, Clock, and Notes. Manually searching for apps lets Vechery ignore distracting notifications. “As a founder, there’s constantly something else you could be doing,” she says. “But when you have space to think through what you’re working on, you’re a better leader.”
Portion Control
When she makes time for a TV show, Vechery starts with the season finale and views the episodes in reverse order. The strange habit helps prevent the urge to binge. “I have an incredibly addictive personality,” she says. “So this is better for everyone.” Vechery also unwinds by playing the trumpet. “It’s a total break from everything else in life,” she says. “It lets you process your thoughts in a really different way.”
May 13, 2020