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What I've Learned in Business So Far...

Artisan Fan

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Originally Posted by ramuman
Do you have more tips on traveling within a city? I received a lot of tips on credit cards, airline programs, etc. to use from friends and folks at the company, but not much on local travel...even from home to the airport in Atlanta.
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By default I'd just get a Breeze/BART/MTA/yada yada cards when I go into a city.

I tend to save the reloadable ones from cities I've been to, but many have crappy subways that aren't too useful...so do you have any additional suggestions on rental vs. cabs etc.?


In Europe I tend to use cabs but since I go to Paris and London a lot, I use the subways there. I just walk in Milan for the most part. I tend to keep a MARTA card for Atlanta and a MTA card for NYC.

I live in the Atlanta burbs so I drive to our airport on the south side of town. The subway can be useful but I find the AC is spotty and the train is slow. I'm too busy for slow subways. It's a good 45 minute ride from the North Springs station to the airport. Plus, my company reimburses $0.52 or so on the mileage.

I did leave out one important thing:

The Zagat Guide is more or less accurate in every global city I have been in. I buy one for each city.
 

Artisan Fan

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Paying for things overseas:

1. Use an Amex card.

2. Have a debit card for backup. Note: European debit cards have a smart chip so your SunTrust or BofA card may not always work in things like token machines, etc.

3. When traveling in APAC, I got card fraud flagged while in Tokyo. What happened was the algorithm saw my legitimate Japanese charges and thought I may have been the victim of identity theft. It was a freak thing but a hassle. Took the bank two days to figure it out. Moral of the story? Always have a second or third funding option. Travelers checks are handy in an emergency.

4. Buy as much as you can in advance. My last trip to paris, I bought the Eurostar tickets online. Very convenient.

5. Currency exchanges? A racket. Often the ole Amex or pre-trip exchange will save you money.

Domestic travel funding:

6. I have a second checking account just for business travel in the U.S. Works well.

7. Find out who your firm's car rental provider is and get a preferred card. Saves a lot of hassle and time. If things get sideways, there is a lot more than can do to keep your business and fix the problem.
 

ramuman

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I think if we keep AF away from CE, he's full of amazing and insightful info
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. Also, a theme I've heard is keep an Amex with a Visa 'backup'...does that sound right?
 

mintyfresh

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Originally Posted by Artisan Fan
Paying for things overseas: 1. Use an Amex card.
+5 I worked overseas in Europe for a few years and AMEX offers the best customer service for those who do a lot of traveling. Before you travel, just let them know where you will be going, and you will have no issues with preemptive id-theft protection.
 

Artisan Fan

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Originally Posted by ramuman
Also, a theme I've heard is keep an Amex with a Visa 'backup'...does that sound right?

Originally Posted by mintyfresh
+5

I worked overseas in Europe for a few years and they offer the best customer service of all the cards I used. Before you travel, just let them know where you will be going, and you will have no issues with preemptive id-theft protection.


Correct on both accounts.
 

cross22

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Originally Posted by Artisan Fan
5. Currency exchanges? A racket. Often the ole Amex or pre-trip exchange will save you money.

Currency exchange rate and fees

Cash: Get a bank account that has no ATM fees and use it to get cash locally. You get the best exchange rate (interbank rate)

Credit: Schwab has a no foreign transaction fee Visa card that may be worth it if you travel a lot. I heard Capital One (
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) has one too
 

ter1413

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Good stuff....
Re travel:
-Make sure that you bring the chargers/adapters/extra batteries for your electronics.
-I keep a dopp kit with all of my travel stuff so that I only need to grab a toothbrush(saves me time the night before I leave.)
-100% agree with arriving the night before vs the day of.
-I keep relevant travel related 800 numbers and accounts in my berry: Starwood/Hertz Gold/etc.
-Arriving early to a meeting is KEY! This is not an interview. I don't know how many times I have said to the receptionist, "I am here to se XYZ, but I am 10-15 min early. I can wait."
 

emilo

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Awesome thread! What really interests me, as a business administration & communications master student is the more consulting specific advice on mindset, what to read, how to prepare, protips on presenting etc., and not so much 'general' good advice, like sleeping enough, getting exercise, hygiene etc.

But please continue, this is very relevant to my interests.
worship.gif
 

Artisan Fan

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Originally Posted by ter1413
Good stuff....
Re travel:
-Make sure that you bring the chargers/adapters/extra batteries for your electronics.
-I keep a dopp kit with all of my travel stuff so that I only need to grab a toothbrush(saves me time the night before I leave.)
-100% agree with arriving the night before vs the day of.
-I keep relevant travel related 800 numbers and accounts in my berry: Starwood/Hertz Gold/etc.
-Arriving early to a meeting is KEY! This is not an interview. I don't know how many times I have said to the receptionist, "I am here to se XYZ, but I am 10-15 min early. I can wait."


I like this with one small exception. I don't like Dopp kits. One of the secrets I learned from McKinsey is to buy gallon sized ziplocks...why? They lay flat in a rollerboard pocket. Also I stuff my socks into my shoes and fold any sport coats inside out which helps with wrinkles.
 

Artisan Fan

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"Great people talk about ideas.
Average people talk about things.
Small people talk about other people."
Author: Unknown
 

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