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

World Travel Guide is considered “the Bible of the Travel Industry,” and offers a wide range of country, city, airport, and weather guides for locations around the world. The “News” link has both travel news and travel warnings (though the travel warning updates appear to be somewhat sporadic). World Travel Guide definitely has a leisure travel appeal to it, but most of the guides provided will be useful to the business traveler as well.

The Business Travel Center provides city guides for some major U.S. business destinations, as well as for all 50 states. This site is different from other general travel sites because of its “Where’s the closest?” feature, which helps you find a nearby UPS, FedEx, Post Office, Kinko’s, ATM, or Internet café. The “Leisure Time” section will help you answer questions like “How can I get theater tickets for this city?” and “Where can I play golf in x, y or z city?”

BusinessTown.com has a “Travel & Maps” section that contains advice for making business travel fun, displaying proper etiquette on the road, and maintaining a professional image while you travel. While it won’t be a comprehensive source of business travel information, some of the links provided under “Web Resources” might be helpful to you.

MSNBC lists articles related to business travel here. The business travel topics on this page include “In a hurry? Try these fast jets,” “Plugging in at the airport,” and more.

Gaebler Ventures has a helpful business travel section under the “Entrepreneurs” option. Here you’ll find articles called “Saving on Business Travel,” “Five Tips for Smart Business Travelers,” and “Benefits of Chartering a Jet."

Inc.com is the online portal for entrepreneur-focused Inc. magazine, and has this section on business travel. Especially useful are the “How-To Guides” found on the right side of the page or through the tab near the top under “Business Travel.”

One Bag teaches travelers what to pack, what to pack your things in, and how to pack them. The “Packing List” on the site also has reminders of things you might consider packing in the way of paperwork, audiovisual supplies, toiletries, and other items.

Magellan’s Travel Supplies describes itself as “The World’s Most Trusted Source of Travel Supplies.” Order clothing for men and women, alarm clocks, adaptor plugs and converters, luggage, and other items from this site. The “Customer Favorites” section has some pretty unique items you might not have considered bringing.

FrequentFlier.com is a source that teaches travelers how to use frequent flyer programs. Check the "Strategies & Tactics" page to learn how to enroll in a frequent flyer program, manage your miles, and find the retailers that award travel miles and points.

MileMaven.com searches for bonus miles promotions, offers for hotel points, and for bonus mile promotions on frequent flyer programs. Just click on the appropriate tab at the top of the page for the information you need. The “Popular” tab rates the popularity of the offers listed under the “Flights,” “Hotels,” “Airlines,” and “Frequent Flyer Programs” sections.

WebFlyer tracks bonus promotions, flight schedules, and blackout dates. You can also use this site to redeem frequent flier mileage awards. Use the "Mileage Mall" link to view deals at online shopping malls that will earn you miles.

AirGuideOnline.com offers travel and travel tech news, as well as access to travel planning links and flight news. The "Travel Links" option provides additional links for car rentals, bargain travel, and travel services, for example.

The Flight Delay Information page of the Federal Aviation Administration Web site provides a map highlighting airports in the United States that are experiencing flight delays. If your destination city is appearing on the map, match the city's color code to the appropriate color in the legend to see what type of delay you may expect.

The Travel Insider offers “Travel Planning and Assistance” advice, “Road Warrior Resources” for business and leisure travelers, and a compilation of “Scary, Silly and Stupid Security Stories.” The Travel Insider was founded after the September 11 attacks, and much of the advice offered here teaches you how to get through airport security without incident and be more comfortable on airplanes.

InsureMyTrip.com is a travel insurance comparison Web site that compares more than 100 travel insurance plans from 18 companies. The “quotes” page is easy to use. On the right side of the quotes page is a “Business Package” option. On the “products” page, you can compare business package policies.

Access America provides travel insurance for business and leisure travel. Select the “Business” option in the “Let’s get started” box and the site will take you through the process of finding and purchasing the insurance plan that will work best for you.

HTH Worldwide offers international insurance for business, leisure, and student travelers. From the homepage, select the insurance option that best suits your needs.

Abacus Travel, Inc. focuses solely on business travel. This Web site features a “Traveler’s Tools” section with online booking tools, automated expense reporting, and real-time flight information.

Corporate Travel Management Group (CTMG) helps both travel managers and travelers. To become a client of CTMG, go to “For Travel Managers” and click “Become a Client.” The “Traveler Tools” page under the “For Travelers” section offers access to the “GetThere” service for booking travel arrangements online, ResMail Internet for real-time flight information received via e- mail, and “Virtually There” travel information received via handheld devices.

American Travel Associates works with corporate business travelers and attempts to reduce travel budgets by 20–30 percent. The “Traveler Resources” page has toll-free phone numbers for several airlines, hotel chains, car rental agencies, and cruise lines. Use the “Contact Us” tab for information about becoming a client.

BCD Travel offers travel management, consulting, incentives, and leisure services. Read through the “What We Do” section for a description of BCD’s services.

Christopherson Business Travel assists in planning company meetings, coordinating conventions, or setting up company retreats.

TripSync allows companies to make reservations and handle travel arrangements for one or more travelers. This tool has a “Book and Hold” feature that permits you to make reservations and hold them for 24 hours just in case your travel plans are uncertain. To see how this free service works, try the “View Demo” option.

Thrifty deals with business car rentals. You can search for car rental rates, make and cancel rental reservations, or find a Thrifty rental location using a search tool on the site.

Alamo Rent A Car also has a section dedicated to business travelers, employees of the federal government, and military members, located at the top of the page on the “business travel” link. Check this section to rent a car for your business trip.

Hertz is another car rental service. This site has rental information for businesses and meetings and convention rates under the “Business to Business” tab on the left sidebar. You can also search for Hertz locations and make
reservations online.

GasBuddy.com searches for the lowest gas prices in the United States and Canada.

MapQuest is a resource you can use to obtain driving directions to and from specific locations before you actually have to start driving. You'll need to know the addresses for your departure and destination locations to gain the maximum benefit from this site.

Rand McNally also provides driving directions and maps. Again, knowing addresses for your departure and destination points will be helpful when using this site. You can also determine mileage between two points at this site.

HopStop works similarly to MapQuest but for public transportation. Simply enter your starting and ending destinations, and HopStop will tell you exactly how to get there via public transit and how long it will take. You’ll also find local attractions and city guides on this site. The site currently covers New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, with three Beta versions for New York area suburbs and New Jersey.

Google Ride Finder has provided taxi and shuttle locations for a few major cities in the United States. Click on a city and a map will appear showing ride locations.

Taxi Services is a national taxi directory for the United States. You can search for taxi services by city, state, and zip code at this site.

Business Traveller is a leading business travel magazine, publishing news about airlines, hotels, car rental, and technology. To find technology-related information, just type “technology,” or even “gadgets,” in the search box.

Fast Company contains a “Business Travel” guide, located under the “Guides” option on the homepage. Here you’ll find articles titled “Pack Light, Stay Connected,” “My High-Tech Road Test,” and “Virtually There?” Some of the tech-related articles also offer a few product reviews. Fast Company studies workplace trends with the goal of helping business leaders make their work smarter and more effective.

Business To Business Travel Websites Group assembles news about global business travel. This site has news for the Asia Pacific region, North America, Central and South America, and Europe, Middle East, and Africa. Click on the region you want and use the menu on the left side to see the content areas. Technology sections are accessible for all four regions.

Orbitz has introduced a “WiFi Locator” for travelers. Simply type an address into the locator box at the left side of the screen, click the “Go” button, and wait for a list of Wi-Fi hotspots to appear in a pop-up screen. If you’re good with computers, this Web page also has a list of tips for “unlocking the secrets of Wi-Fi."

Google Maps will provide you with locations of Internet cafés and map the area around the café. Start by positioning your destination city or country toward the center of the map and then type "Internet café" in the search box.

Cybercafes.com contains locations for more than 4,000 internet cafés in over 140 countries. Just follow the simple search instructions on the homepage to find a café in or near your destination city.

The Cybercafe Search Engine is a database of verified cybercafés, public Internet access locations, and kiosks in over 160 countries. You can search for Internet access by city, state, or country.

YouSendIt allows its customers to send files from one person to another via an e-mail attachment. The YouSendIt service is different than traditional e-mail because it allows you to send and download larger files than the average e-mail account can handle.

FolderShare is an application that allows you to share files with clients by dropping them into virtual folders. Try the free program and then create folders that you can share with clients as if on a network server. As long as you’re online, you can update files or move them in and out of the designated folders from your computer; they’ll be instantly updated on the computers of everyone else who has access to that folder.

Zoho has Web-based tools for almost any business need. Try “Zoho Show” for a Web-based PowerPoint-like presentation tool, “Zoho Meeting” for collaborative online meeting tools, “Zoho Planner” to keep yourself organized, or any of the other free (or free trial) applications that this site provides.

Google Docs has an online spreadsheet, document, and presentation tool where you can create an item and then work collaboratively on it with anyone with an Internet connection. Google Docs saves versions of your work so that, should you make a mistake or want to see an earlier version, you can do so quite easily. Publish your items online for multiple people to see (or allow them to edit) or keep certain items private.

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.

Citysearch provides information guides for several major U.S. cities if convention attendees need something to do when the seminars are over. Search for restaurant and hotel information, as well as event calendars, shopping, and movies for the cities included here.

Yelp is a community review site for a variety of entertainment options, including restaurants, bars, stores, and more in any area of the United States. Yelp lets you know what others have to say about the beer, the burgers, or whatever you’ve been hankering for, and you can add your own input after you’ve given a place a try. Plus, when you search for something (like pizza or wine), your results include a map of the locations according to reviews and distance.

Going caters to young urban professionals in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco (additional locations are coming soon). Search for cultural events, concerts, nightlife, and other activities, and sort by date and time, price, and type of event.

MenuPages provides customer reviews of restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, South Florida, and Washington, DC. Links to each establishment’s Web page are provided, in addition to printable maps and driving directions. An easy search tool helps you find eateries by neighborhood, restaurant name, or type of cuisine.

Zagat is a prolific restaurant and entertainment rating service presenting descriptions and ratings based on food, service, and atmosphere on its site. Portions of Zagat.com require a subscription to access, but for about $5 a month you’ll get expert opinions of hotels, nightlife, restaurants, and attractions in your area. Check to see what’s available in the area where you’ll be traveling before you subscribe.

Movies.com allows you to search for movies in theaters or on video. Find show times, general film information, reviews, and cast information. Also check out movie trailers and clips, as well as photos from movie premiers.

Apple’s Movie Trailers is easy and fun: just click on a film you want to preview. Links to soundtracks of some movies are also available through iTunes.

Ticketmaster sells tickets to all sorts of events all over the country, including music, sports, and arts and theater. If you've brought your family with you, click the "Family" link to find tickets to the circus, ice and magic shows, and other family-friendly events.