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Travel Tips
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Traveling to Brazil
Editor’s note: Global business, and subsequently, global business travel, continues to expand rapidly. In response, CWT Traveler will provide to readers each month in 2007 insights and tips on traveling from North America to other countries around the world. This month’s installment focuses on Brazil.
In business:
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As Latin America’s largest and most populated country, Brazil is a largely diverse nation, making it critical that business travelers understand the specific cultural background of their client. Knowing the client’s ethnicity, language, and belief system ahead of time will go a long way toward establishing a lasting relationship.
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Lack of punctuality is quite common. Be prepared to wait for Brazilian counterparts and, if invited to a business party, arrive at least 15 minutes late.
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Appointments should be made a week in advance, and ideally should be scheduled between 10 a.m. and 12 noon.
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Key to building a relationship with a Brazilian prospect is hosting a good meal; however, do not expect to discuss business until coffee is served after the meal. Inquire locally to get recommendations for respected restaurants to use when hosting.
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Brazilians expect patience. Keep in mind that it may require several visits to complete business. Avoid aggressive business tactics, as they are considered offensive.
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It is important that businesswomen sport conservative attire – a woman’s wardrobe is considered to be a direct reflection of the company she represents and could affect whether a Brazilian will conduct business with her.
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Be aware that Brazilians tend to bend the rules when faced with a business obstacle, a gesture commonly referred to as a “jeito.” Don’t be surprised if a businessperson calls in a favor to an acquaintance to get around a problematic rule or regulation.
Good to know:
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Brazil’s official language is Portuguese; however, the country’s diverse population speaks many languages, including German, Spanish, Italian, French, English, and various Amerindian languages.
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Visitors should use great caution when alone in various urban areas, especially at night. Crime rates continue to rise and even the local police can be a potential hazard for uninformed travelers.
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Recognize that Brazilians consider themselves Americans too, so avoid saying “in America” when referring to the United States. Brazilians do not consider themselves Hispanic and they resent being spoken to in Spanish.
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Close, physical communication, such as touching arms or shoulders during a conversation, is an acceptable gesture. Don’t be alarmed if a Brazilian invades the personal space maintained by most U.S. citizens.
Source: “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries,” by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway. Published by Adams Media of Avon, Massachusetts.
Keeping laptops safe when connecting wirelessly
For business travelers looking to stay connected on the road, wireless internet hot spots are often a quick and easy solution. Unfortunately, they can sometimes present a risk to data security. Hackers have been known to create look-alike networks in public areas like airports – disguised with names that look legitimate – to access sensitive information from computers being used wirelessly. To avoid becoming a victim, travelers can take a number of steps to increase their security:
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Connect manually – Instead of setting the computer to automatically detect and connect to wireless networks in range, travelers should disable this capability and manually connect to networks they deem safe.
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Use a VPN – By using a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, data will be encrypted and cannot be accessed by users on the public network.
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Watch out for look-alikes – If there are two networks available with the same or similar names, be wary, as one of these could be a look-alike. If possible, check with someone who can verify which is the legitimate network.
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Disable file sharing – If the computer is normally set to share files, turn off this capability when traveling.
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Do not access highly sensitive information – If it can be avoided, try not to access sensitive information, such as financial data, while wirelessly connected. Save such activities for secure, wired connections.
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