Road Warrior Bible: Living a Life Worth Living on the Road

By Todd Davis

This volume contains a wealth of knowledge on how to deal with a wide range of business travel problems that may occur. A set of guidelines and checklists are provided to avoid travel problems and how to get the most of travel for work, family and yourself -- the business traveler. Detailed suggestions are provided on responding to such issues as air traffic delays, saving money on travel, work around canceled or delayed flights, managing travel expenses, and the more complicated international business travel. Topics on travel health and safety are also provided. Information on how to plan, manage and follow-through with business travel opportunities, and how to use a wealth of travel apps and services. Effective ways to work with travel service personnel at airlines, hotels and corporate travel departments are also provided. This book is a must-read for both beginning business travelers as well as the most seasoned and experienced. Additional information can be found on www.rwbible.com.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781733280211

Book preview

Road Warrior Bible: Having a Life Worth Living on the Road

Copyright © May 1, 2019 by Todd Davis

ISBN (Print): 978-1-73328-020-4

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-73328-021-1

Published by Chester Springs Publishing Company

Chester Springs, PA 19465

www.chesterspringspublishingcompany.com

www.rwbible.com

Table of Contents

Preface

1. Develop an Effective Travel Lifestyle that Balances Personal and Professional Goals

2. Understand Travel Markets

The U.S. Business Travel Market

Travel Markets and Competition.

The Travel Strategy Should Consider Market Dynamics and Your Travel Values

The Business Travel Market is More Transparent Now and Good Opportunities Exist in Finding Attractive Travel Deals

3. Planning Your Trip

Develop a Checklist for Creating to Good Travel Habits

Avoid Unnecessary Risks

4. During Your Trip: Getting the Most Out of Your Trip

Develop a Comfortable Routine

Know Your Travel Rights

Fares Shown are the Full Price

If You Get Bumped Off a Flight

Delays and Cancellations

Tarmac Delays in the U.S.

Overbookings

Involuntary Bumping

Lost Baggage

Hazardous Items

Complaining

Have work time, relax time, exercise time, family time, food time and play time

Travel Safety and Security on the Road

Safety When Traveling Alone in a New City

Travel Safety at Your Hotel

Travel Liability and Insurance Health Coverage

Working with the Gate Agents and In-Flight Service Personnel

Having an Office Away from Home

Set goals for your flight and trip – some Useful Activities to Accomplish

Travel Socializing and Etiquette

Be a Good Conversationalist

Finalize Arrival Plans

Hotel Arrival, Upgrades and Base Setup

Tipping

Staying Healthy on the Road

Road Warrior Brain Food

Hotel Departure/Extending Your Stay/Using Electronic or Automatic Checkout

How to Avoid Losing Things

Staying in Contact

You are on your way home — Getting to and From the Airports or Train Stations

5. What to Do When Things Go Wrong

Lost Credit Cards and Credit Card Fraud

Your Flight is Delayed or Cancelled

Hotel Booking Problems and Imperfections

Travel Plans Change and You are Past the Cancellation Period for your hotel reservation

No Rental Car

Stranded Due to Bad Weather or a Storm? Make the Best of It and Think Multimodal.

Terrorist Events like 9/11?

Household Repair While You Are Away from Home

A Family Member Needs Money

Served with a local Notice while Traveling?

Trips Extended?

6. After Your Trip

Post Trip Checklist

Get in Touch

Complete Your Expenses On Time

Unpacking and Filing

Write a Trip Report

Follow-through

Assessment

7. Leveraging Business and Family Travel

Work-Related

The Family Side of Road Warrior Travel

The Obligatory Details of Foreign Business Travel with Families

The Negative

The Good Side of Foreign Business Travel

The Return from Foreign Lands: The Adjustment Period

8. Getting More Out of Travel Gear and Gadgets

9. Using the Web and Online Tools

Travel Planning and Scheduling Apps

Apps Useful During Your Trip

Post Trip Travel Apps and Tools Including Expense Reporting

International Travel

Travel Electronics, Gear and Updates

Travel Etiquette

General Travel Reference Web Sites Useful to Business Travelers

10. Display Good Travel Manners, Etiquette and Companionship

11. International Travel Considerations

Plan Ahead

See the World

Know Customs and Visa Requirements

Check the Department of State Web site

Know Exchange Rates and Commissions

Be Aware of Travel Security and Risks

Blend in

Work and Travel with Local Associates

Use Your Sixth Sense, be in groups and talk within cultural norms

Avoid Going to Unfamiliar Places Alone at Night

Let People Know How to Reach You

Keep a Copy of Important Papers

Take Cash but Store It Wisely

Check the CDC Web Site

Make Medical Arrangements in Advance

Be Sure Your Insurance Covers You

For Extended Stay, Be Sure You Know About Your Corporate Compensation Package and How It Compares to Purchasing Power Parity

Keep Your Hand on the Pulse at Home and Work

Travel Security When Traveling — Check the locks on your door and windows and Use In-Room Safes

Be Aware of the Foreign Earned Income Tax Credit

Carefully Select Your International Air Carrier

Some Caution About Code Sharing Arrangements

General International Travel Tips

Know Something about the History and Geography of the Country You Are Going To

Knowing about the Culture of the Area Where You are Working,

Seeing the sites.

My Recent Experience in the UAE

Know About Business Culture and Conventions

Manage Your Optics and Persona Abroad — Avoid the U.S. Calvary Syndrome

Know some of the foreign language but you do not need to be fluent – know the 5 key words

Know about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

Save Time with Global Entry and/or TSA Pre-check

12. Conclusions and Observations on My Road Warrior Years

Appendix A: Road Warrior Travel Checklist

Trip Checklist

Appendix B. The Road Warrior’s Creed

Appendix C. References for Great Travel and Fly Books for Road Warriors to Know More About What’s Behind Travel and the Experiences that Are Possible

Appendix D. Road Warrior Travel Hints Summarized

The Biz Travel Market and Saving Money

Planning Your Trip for Saving Time and Reducing Risks

During Your Trip

What to do When Things Go Wrong

After Your Trip

How to Leverage Business and Family Travel

Travel Gear

Best and Essential Travel Apps

International Travel

About The Authorz

Preface

I wrote this book to help bridge the gap between the seasoned Road Warrior and the beginning business traveler. I have spent all my life traveling in the pursuit of economic opportunity that has provided both inconvenience and rewards to my family. My family was able to discover great international and local attractions for vacations and new lands to live in, learning new cultures and even learning more about our own homeland. My travels have taken me to every U.S. state, to living in Europe and the Middle East, working on location in Central Asia and the Silk Route, and doing business in Australia. I have been on 25-hour door-to-door flights from the East Coast of the U.S. to Sydney, Australia, arriving at 6:30AM, and then going straight to work. I have flown from Philadelphia to Rio de Janeiro and from Rio de Janeiro to Dubai via London. I have also had the opportunity to fly around the world. These trips, though exciting, take their toll and you must carefully plan.

I have been to most major European cities on business and vacation. I had the great pleasure of living in Copenhagen, Denmark for three years, two of which were with my wife and youngest child. I have also lived in the United Arab Emirates, living in Al Ain and working in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. When you spend so many years on the road, winning business, managing projects, plus carving out personal time with family, you build Road Warrior experience. Not only responding to what can go wrong on domestic and international travel, but you also learn how to adapt and solve the litany of travel glitches that occur. When you live on the road, you also need to discover a life worth living. There is an unbelievable amount of adventure out there when doing business travel. There are also many risks. The key is to develop travel savvy habits that benefit you, who you work for and your family. From extensive international travel you will grow professionally, personally, and your family can also gain in some of the benefits of what other destinations hold. It is a great gift to include your family to see major historical sights and attractions.

There are challenges to overcome, rules to live by, but great rewards if you work at managing your business travel style. Road Warrior business travel is something we can all share in. To share the ongoing information exchange with business travelers, go to www.RWBible.com and join a community of world travelers who make a living on the road, have problems and experiences to share, and who can open the door to huge opportunities for travel learning, economic growth and entertainment. My advice is to be travel wise, proactive in your planning and management, and this will lead to an experience you will never forget.

April 2019.

1

Develop an Effective Travel Lifestyle that Balances Personal and Professional Goals

Business travel affects our personal life, professional career, wealth and health. We need to find a balance. A Road Warrior is a person who spends a good part of their life on the road for business travel. We are a major part of the lucrative business travel industry.

A Road Warrior pushes the envelope on both sides – business/profession and family. This book is about how to do this more efficiently and effectively. Plus, there are many savvy travel tips included in the book. People who follow the recommendations in this book, should expect more pleasurable, less costly and exciting travel that has payoffs for work and family.

There is a certain mindset and travel sophistication that evolves when you spend a substantial amount of time on business travel. For relatively new business travelers and those who travel on business infrequently skills need to be nurtured and used to get the most out of business travel and to avoid the many inconveniences that can occur. Many travel mishaps can be prevented or reduced through better planning and trip management. In fact, a life of business travel as I have experienced can be quite painful if proper planning does not occur. Yet, it can also be rewarding if you manage it properly. You can live a life on the road and have a very exciting personal and professional life experience if you plan for it. I am still learning from my travels. I still make mistakes. I am still working on how to be a better Road Warrior.

Special skills are needed to address all the things that can go wrong on a business trip and all the work and family demands that exist. The first has to do with defining your travel values. These will grow and change over time. There will also be many tradeoffs involved. Good business travel also requires quick, decisive action and thinking on your feet when things go wrong as shown in the pages that follow. The insights of this book are based on over 30 years of global and domestic travel experience. What do you value the most when you plan and complete your business travel? Answer these questions:

1. What are your travel priorities and values? Saving money, using your time well and getting the most out of your trip? Avoiding travel delays and cancelled flights?

2. Being safe?

3. Maintaining proper health and avoid getting sick?

4. Balancing time away from home and achieving your business travel objectives?

5. Complying with corporate travel policy and minimizing time doing the trip planning and expense reports?

6. Complying with country immigration and customs rules including obtaining the proper work visas?

7. Being good at completing an effective and efficient travel itinerary and finding time to enjoy foreign locations and traveling well with colleagues?

8. Taking time to see the sights and prospect for future family vacations?

Where this gets tricky is when you must make tradeoffs among these various travel considerations. Trading off flight departures with costs and convenience and even having a backup if the flight is delayed or cancelled. More importantly, being proactive and avoiding risky flights where delays or cancellation could occur, and your backup options are slim and none. Packing for extended trips and what to bring with you or buy abroad is another trade off along with what to bring home when your foreign travel assignment is over. There are many more tradeoffs that will be discussed in this book.

Road Warriors may also have dual goals including pushing the envelope in travel by cramming a tight flight and meeting schedule and balance the risks and rewards, plus get home in time to spend time at a family event. A seasoned business traveler must know and make up for the inconveniences caused to family and the emotional bank account must be replenished by sharing with family some of the fruits of business travel. When major surprises occur, there is a need to have a Plan B so that you can still meet your schedule and deliver on your family obligations.

I, being a Road Warrior, break down my travel into distinct components or phases and have a set way of doing things. I have a specific process developed that helps me stay on time, not forget what I need, or lose things while traveling. I use good travel gear and technology to help me be efficient and economical. I like to blend into my travel schedule the amenities that an away location has to offer.

Road Warrior s know the formal and informal when it comes to business travel. There are times when you can take advantage of formal procedures or rules and try to modify them to your advantage. I am not talking about breaking the law, but I am referring to finding ways to work within the system and still come out ahead when barriers arise (More on this later).

As we travel more, we become an explorer which can lead to riches and rewards; we can also face some peril if we are not careful and calculating. The goal is to come out ahead often. Managed right, pushing the envelope in business travel can be quite rewarding. It is easy for it to get out of control, however, and the recommendations and insights in this book are designed to keep the experiences under some control and balance.

A key theme in this volume is that we must know our options and take charge when things go wrong or when we plan our trip. Corporate travel advisors are often not as savvy as an experienced business traveler. Sometimes we are asked to leave later, make too many connections to save a few bucks.