Tips about guide books, getting local information, learning about travel advisories and finding emergency medical care.

Guide Books

• City Guides without the heft. Aramis Communications, the developer of travel applications for handheld devices like the PalmPilot and Palm III organizers, has a new product for road warriors: the Aramis City Guide for the Palm OS platform. This $18 software ÏsolutionÓ offers travel information, from local restaurant reviews to current entertainment listings, for major international business centers (London, Paris, Rome) and seven U.S. cities (Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC.). For information, click on www.aramis-inc.com
• Know before You Go. The latest edition of Hellgate Press's World Travel Guide, a resource guide to travel in 189 countries, has just been published. It features maps, social and political briefings, embassy information, entry requirements, the lowdown on in-country transportation, and other vital information-for example, whether adults must present a certificate showing that they are HIV-negative before being able to enter the country; where beaches are polluted, and where traffic is likely to be congested. Information on health care is particularly comprehensive for Third World country entries--including whether the medical staff can communicate in English and if patients must make full cash payments. The book, written by geography professor Barry Mowell, costs $19.95 and can be ordered by calling 800-228-2275 or by clicking on http://www psi-research.com.
• A new international guide to airports available. Looking for an office during a long airport layover or a place to get slides made for a last-minute presentation? Air Travel Card has published a new worldwide edition of The Business Travel Airport Directory -- A Practical Guide to Airport Business Centers and Airport Clubs. The directory provides the terminal locations of all business centers and airline clubs at the 100 airports it covers. Each listing offers detailed information about a wide range of business services, including the availability and size of conference rooms, inbound and outbound facsimile services, computer and secretarial services, photocopy services, currency exchange, Delivery Services and notary public services. For information, click on www.air-travel-card.com.

Regional Information

• Destination Russia Dealing with Custom's Formalities. Russian Customs authorities recently started enforcing a new regulation requiring departing travelers to present a customs declaration which should have been stamped upon arrival for anyone carrying more than $500. The main purpose of this new regulation is to fight capital flight. The absence of a stamp has caused many travelers who are unaware of this new rule to miss their plane at their own expense while debating with Customs officers.
• All the following steps should be followed thoroughly in order to avoid the financial cost that may result from their non-observance:
  • Get out of the plane as quickly as possible upon arrival in Moscow;
  • Be proactive by asking for your declaration to be stamped upon arrival and by obtaining your customs declaration form upon departure (if you did not get an extra one while flying to Russia);
  • Remember the saying: "first come, first served";
  • Be patient and remain courteous to all customs officers as they are only implementing the instructions they have been given.
• Destination Europe A common international road warrior lament: flying to Europe or Asia overnight and arriving too early to check in to a hotel to nap or freshen up before a business meeting. Sheraton Airport Hotels has a solution: expanding the popular "Daybreak" program, where travelers can book a room between 8 am and 6 PM at a 50% discount off the regular rate. Ask for the "Transit Survival Kit" at check-in; it includes a toothbrush, T-shirt, moisturizer, razor, deodorant, mouthwash, comb and brush. The program is now available in London (Heathrow), Paris, Brussels, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf.
• Destination Hong Kong Business Traveler Association Offers Key Benefits. The Hong Kong-based Association of Business Travelers offers a series of value-added services in addition to serious discounts on car rentals and hotel rooms at major chains worldwide. Besides discounts, members are treated to automatic room upgrades when available, late checkout privileges, express check-in, luggage retrieval service, free membership at selected private clubs, and access to serviced office facilities in 19 major cities, where phone messages will be taken for them at no charge. For information, click on http://www.abt-travel.com, tel 852-2866 3444, e-mail abtl@attmail.com.
• Destination Japan Saving on Japan Hotel Rates. If hotel rates in Japan give you sticker shock, you may want to consider staying at an apartment for business trips that last longer than a week in any given city. English language newspapers and magazines such as Japan Times (http://www.japantimes.co.jp) and City Source, Tokyo's English telephone directory, carry ads for real estate accommodations for foreigners. Some prices for single rooms are so reasonable that the weekly charge may cost less than a single night at a mid-price hotel chain.
• Destination Korea An Easier Way to Navigate in Korea. Travelers to Korea now have more than phrase books and gestures to help them communicate: An aid service is available by phone. Operated by the Korea National Tourist Office, the service offers translation assistance, directions, advice on the best subway routes, and suggestions on what to see and do when you have spare time. "Travel Phone" is available during business hours from anywhere in the country, for the cost of a local phone call within Seoul and toll-free outside of the capital. Outside of Seoul: 080-757-2000. In Seoul: 757-0086.

Travel Warnings

• Traveling Safely Abroad When you travel abroad, the odds are in your favor that you will have a safe and incident-free trip. However, crime and violence, as well as unexpected difficulties, do befall U.S. citizens in all parts of the world. Travelers who take precautions and educate themselves lessen their chances of experiencing difficulties on the road. The U.S. State Department is an excellent source of information to travelers about foreign destinations. The department provides free information about international destinations on their web site: http://travel.state.gov, and includes consular information sheets, travel warnings, and public announcements.
• Global Hotspots Listed on Security Site. Launching its web site earlier this year, Global Support Agency - a Melbourne, Australia-based company that provides security training - offers security tips, terrorism news stories and a listing of 60 global hot spots compiled by the U.S. National Defense Council Foundation. The site, www.gsasafety.com , also features tales of travel problems and issues.
• Caution advised for travel in Mexico. Violent crimes against travelers have become practically a daily occurrence in Mexico City. The crime wave sweeping Mexico City involves roving taxis, many of which are Volkswagens. The U.S. Embassy has issued numerous warnings and advises travelers to take only taxis they have ordered by phone.
• The State Department has also toughened its advice for travel to Mexico. While it does not recommend that U.S. Citizens refrain from traveling to Mexico, the department does counsel them to use caution in most areas of the country, warning of a marked increase in the level of the violence of the crimes committed, including what appears to be a significant incidence of sexual assaults in crimes committed against women. In several cases, travelers report that the uniformed police are the crime perpetrators, stopping vehicles and seeking money or assaulting and robbing those walking at night.
• Suggestions by the State Department include:
  • When ordering a taxi by phone get a license number when you order the car.
  • Don't drive at night.
  • Don't wear expensive jewelry or clothing.
  • Stick to indoor automated teller machines, in daylight hours.
  • Beware of spiked drinks in nightclubs.
  • Don't walk on empty beaches, on seldom-used trails or amid off-the-path ruins.
  • Be extremely cautious in Mexico City's Zona Rosa nightclub area and the neighborhood near the U.S. Embassy. Both are reported to be hot spots for street crime.
• The State Department noted that kidnappings of foreigners in Mexico are increasing, and it recommends extreme caution for U.S. Citizens traveling to the southern state of Chiapas.

Medical Care

• On the Road and Sick? It can happen to anyone. If you come down with the flu or a fever while away from home, here is how to get help in the United States when and where you need it. Call HotelDocs, toll-free at 1-800-468-3537, describe your symptoms, and a physician arrives on average within 35 minutes, often with needed medicine in hand. HotelDocs will dispatch a doctor to your room at any time of day or night, anywhere in the country. The price: $150-$195, plus the cost of medicine. (Source: Working Mother)

• corporategifts.com, the newest site, went live in May and offers, editorial features on corporate gift-giving trends and case studies of companies that use merchandise to reward and motivate employees, consumers and dealers. The site also features an inventory of gifts, A protocol expert is on hand to answer e-mail questions about gift-giving etiquette.
• At bravogifts.com, a gift concierge will advise you even as you surf the site for gift ideas or creative ways to stretch your budget.
• Ashford www.ashford.com recently added a corporate department to its lineup of 14,000 luxury goods - 800 of which were specifically selected with company gift-giving in mind. Businesses purchasing more than five of any individual item, from $20 pens to all-expense-paid vacations, are entitled to a discount.