1. Schedule flights and cities.
Travelocity.com
is a great place to check scheduling information as is Oagflights.com.
Make sure contacts will
be around in the places you are visiting. I always choose the schedules
(because flights are not always available) and, then make sure people
are
around, and then plan the details.
2. Select hotels. Amex Platinum and
Andrew Harper are good places to look; TripAdvisor tells you which
hotels are living up to their reputation.
3. Visas when necessary; allow enough
lead time
for your passport to make the rounds of the various embassies. Use
priority
mail and the telephone to speed things along here.
4. Cellphone rental or put the Global
Plan on your worldwide phone. Make sure you know how to
use it and get your voicemail. Take instructions with you.
5. Arrange air tickets; confirm seats,
meals and
frequent flyer points.
6. Arrange airport transfers and
sightseeing.
7. Make sure all items on packing list
are available
and that luggage is in good condition.
8. Get climate information and dress
code information.
9. Pack for as many days between the
longest laundry
and plan outfits accordingly. Get shirts folded for easy packing. But
remember
that you will never wear as much clothes as you think you will.
10. Confirm all appointments and
guarantee all
reservations.
11. Write Vital Statistics to carry on
trip with
contact numbers and emergency information:
credit card numbers, passport number,
medical
insurance information, doctor contact information, travel agent number,
telecard access numbers and cellphone instructions, all local numbers
of
people you will call in a particular city on one page to carry around
with
reserved appointments listed; names, addresses and tel. #s of hotels
and
airlines and flight numbers to reconfirm flights; radio frequencies,
hotel
reservations.
12. Advise people on e-mail list you
will be out;
update voicemail; change passwords
if necessary to keep people out of programs that could disrupt you if
they
are invaded such as e-mail. Suspend e-mail lists that create clutter.
13. Advise credit cards of your
absence; suspend
newspapers and magazines you might rather read while abroad (ie: The
Economist);
arrange for mail pickup and prepay bills that must be paid while you
are
gone (ie: rent, estimated taxes); prepay credit card balances to have
sufficient
credit lines open.
14. Order DVD's from
Netflix for the trip for the kids!
15. Get: Haircut. Medicines. Laundry.
Send
items ahead if necessary so that you can carry less with you.
16. Let family and office know where
you will
be; make sure emergency transition instructions are current.
17. Review Global Thoughts journals
for past visits
notes.
18. Travel Agent Introduction letter
and take
your ID card with you.
19. Make notes in your diary planner
of things
you have to do when you come back so you can forget about them while
you’re
away! |