Business Travel: Get There, Get Around, and Get it Done

The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs provides a variety of clearly marked information for international travelers. Apply for or renew a passport, check the status of a passport application, or find out how to deal with a lost or stolen passport. U.S. citizens may also register with an embassy. Make sure to check the “Travel Information by Country” section for information about your particular destination.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also provides travel advisories and tips, but one particularly useful feature of this site is the “Know Before You Go” section to learn about passing through customs, declaring items, and paying duties. You can also find the CBP’s “Top 10 Traveler Tips” and a page called “Sending Items Back to the United States” which discusses U.S. mail, express, and freight shipments.

EmbassyWorld.com has a collection of embassy Web sites, which you can sort by location and by nation. This site also has a useful section of “Special Search Tools” that contains an international telephone directory that provides dialing codes for making international phone calls. The “International Voltage-Finder” option under this section also supplies diagrams of adaptor plugs necessary for various countries.

The Original Tipping Page provides advice for suggested tips for services rendered in the United States or abroad. Just click the “Tips” page, and then “United States” or “International,” depending on where you are planning to travel. The international section is broken down by just a few countries and services. The U.S. section is more extensive, with the tip categories sorted by services offered.

Executive Planet offers business culture guides for 48 countries around the world. Learn how to schedule the best time for an appointment, how to address others with respect, and negotiating skills. Some of the country guides also link to other helpful sites for obtaining information about that country.

Bradmans Business Guides is “for the savvy business traveler.” Featuring a few major cities in North America, Europe, the Middle East/Africa region, and the Asia/Pacific region, the site provides some helpful hints and suggestions for your trip. Some of the guides for the international cities have a helpful “Cultural Dos and Don'ts” section.

time and date.com displays the time in multiple cities around the world. If you're traveling to, or need to know the time in a specific location, you can create a "Personal World Clock" that only lists the time in cities of your choice.

XE.com is an interactive Web site that allows you to choose foreign currencies and perform exchange rate calculations with live exchange rate information.

Travelex is a tool for business and personal travelers to order foreign currency online. Only U.S. residents may use this service, and orders for currency must total between $200 and $1,500 U.S. dollars. Banknotes are available in more than 100 foreign currencies. You may choose to have you currency delivered to you or pick up your currency at a specified location.

OnlineConversion.com converts length and measurements from metric to non-metric and vice versa.

International Electrical Supplies helps you to purchase voltage converters, plug adaptors, surge protectors, and other electrical supplies for travel abroad. This site is a little cluttered in appearance. For a specific type of supply, check the menu at the left of the page for the item you need. You can also search for supplies by country using the "Search" option at the top of the page. Just type the name of the country you will be visiting.

Cellular Abroad is a resource that will help you rent or purchase an international cell phone and other cell phone items for your trip. The “Quick Info Search” lists several destination countries. After you select the country of your choice, a product list will appear. You will have to register to use this site.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a page of its Web site dedicated to travelers' health. Search this page by country or by region to determine if you should have any vaccinations or be aware of any disease risks before leaving for a trip.

The Independent Traveler has some good safety tips and helpful hints that apply to any travel situation. On the left side of the page, check out the “Money & Insurance,” “Stay Connected,” and “Troubleshooting” sections.

Tripso.com provides travel news, advice for staying safe during travel, and forums about travel experiences or questions you may have. Registration is required to post messages on the forums, but not to read them. Use "advice" as a search term at this site and you'll pull up a variety of articles that might be helpful if you've had a bad travel experience. Tripso started as Ticked.com, and was last known as Travelcomment.com.