1. Your ticket and visa will probably be taken care of by your travel department. However, check the date of expiry of your passport as well as the ECNR (Emigration Clearance Not Required). Many a traveler has been offloaded at the nth moment due to an oversight of ECNR.
2. The size and number of your suitcase/s and hand luggage should match the prescribed specifications. Most airports outside our country have a charge for the use of baggage trolleys. It is preferable to travel light with suitcases that you can wheel along.
3. Do not unofficially change your seat in the aircraft to sit near your friends. This creates problems for the airline staff regarding customer requests.
4. To avoid hassles on Day 1 in a new country, collect your foreign exchange in assorted denominations. Later, you will find that almost every establishment gives you change.
5. While traveling, keep in hand only the most important travel documents - passport, ticket. En route at stop-overs, put away your ticket and keep in hand only passport and your boarding passes. Do not mix up your boarding passes if you are traveling in multiple phases, changing aircraft. Preferably wear a jacket with large zipped or buttoned down front pockets that allow you access to your travel documents and keep your wallet safe while you are otherwise occupied. Take your time to check that you have collected all that you need from the front-desk official, and that you have left nothing behind. A little care at this point at every airport will save you a lot of tension and trouble during your journey.
6. The USA is an idiot-proof country. Take time to read sign boards and instructions carefully. Everything is explained very well. When in doubt, ask. There are help desks everywhere; people are also very helpful. Be sure to speak slowly. Ask simple direct questions.
7. If you are carrying electrical items, ensure that it is suited to the voltage specifications of the country.
8. It is not unusual for persons dining together to ask for individual checks at restaurants. Offer to pay for yourself unless you are sure of your host's intentions.
9. Pre-paid phone cards are extremely useful. Take time to read the instructions carefully; they are fool proof.
10. Shake hands with the women as well. Introduce yourself. Pronounce your name slowly. If you have a long second name, mention only your first name. It is considered okay to call persons in your group by their first name.
11. If you are a smoker, first check if smoking is permitted in your surroundings. Do not light up before asking the persons around you if you may. If permitted, remember to offer a cigarette to the ladies as well as the men in your group.
12. If you need to be dropped at some unknown location, either ask for directions or for a lift. Do not expect others to think for you.
13. Most restaurants have at least one vegetarian item on the menu. Ask for it if you have specific food preferences.
14. In restaurants, the portions are usually very large. If you are unable to finish your meal, you can have the rest packed. Almost everyone does this.
15. Practice eating with a fork, knife and spoon. You may have to attend lunches and dinners with your clients and colleagues. The Americans, however, eat freely with their fingers, particularly pizza.
16. Get used to using toilet paper. Though you are advised to travel light, ensure you have enough spare clothing to last a couple of days without laundry facilities, in case you are on the move. Hotels provide plastic laundry bags that come in handy to sort out your washed and unwashed clothes.
17. The Americans dine at hours that are unfamiliar to us Indians. Keep handy some fruit, candy bars or cookies (available in small packs at hotel lobbies, coffee tables and hotel rooms) for a light snack.
18. If traveling by subway or metro, obtain details of your route from colleagues or from the starting point of your journey by checking the map put up in every station. Try not to travel during peak hours or hours of remote travel.
Be alert and, above all, do not panic. The country is a melting pot of people from all parts of the world. There is surely someone who is more nervous than you are. Besides, you know English. You have nothing to fear, except fear itself!
No comments:
Post a Comment