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Travel Tips - September 2008
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Traveling to Italy
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 2008, insights and tips on traveling from North America to other countries around the world. This month’s installment focuses on Italy.
In business:
- Be on time, particularly in the north.
- Italians like to do business with persons they know. Before traveling, engage a capable representative who can make introductions and appointments.
- Italians like to get acquainted before talking business, be prepared to answer questions about family.
- Make appointments between 10 and 11 a.m., and after 3 p.m.
- Women dress in understated expensive elegance; men’s suits and ties are well cut and fashionable. Casual clothes are equally stylish.
Don't:- Exchange business cards at social functions.
- Agree too strongly when a host criticizes something in their own country, and never offer negative remarks or criticisms.
- Talk about politics, religion, or World War II.
- Refuse an invitation to dining in a restaurant.
- Drink too much; Italians consider wine as a food to be sipped.
- Eat any fruits except grapes and cherries with your hand—use utensils for picking up cheese.
- Drink too much; Italians consider wine as a food to be sipped.
- Give gifts with a company’s logo.
- Give an even number of flowers, or chrysanthemums, they are for funerals. Brooches, handkerchiefs, and knives all imply sadness.
Good to know:
- Italians generally conduct themselves in a refined, formal manner. Appearance, behavior, and performance reflect a refined dignity—pay attention to these details from first meeting to final departure. Investing in personal appearance and technical research will contribute to success in Italy.
- Italians have an awareness of art, science, history, literature, music, excellent meals and wine, and will respect well-educated business people with interests and accomplishments beyond the work place.
- When scheduling visits to conduct business, consider the following: July and August find many Italian businesses closed for vacations. Almost every city celebrates the feast of its patron saint as a legal holiday. Holidays falling on Thursdays or Tuesdays often become four-day weekends. Many businesses celebrate Christmas and New Year for at least a week.
- Italian is the official language, but many business people speak English. An effort to learn and use basic greetings and pleasantries in Italian will be rewarding.
Source: “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Best selling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries,” by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway. Published by Adams Media of Avon, Massachusetts.
Preparing for upcoming airline capacity cuts
As widely reported by North American media, many airlines will reduce capacity in the next several months, including the number of flights and size of planes on certain routes. Reductions will vary by airline, market, and other factors, but travelers should be aware of the situation and consider the following actions to ensure business travel is minimally impacted:
- Plan trips and book flights as far in advance as possible. While 7-14 day advance purchase typically results in significant savings, travelers would be well served to book their travel 14-21 days before departure if possible, as they will be vying with other business and leisure travelers for fewer available seats.
- Taking flights early in the day continues to be optimal, as delays will not yet have spread across the network, and if delays do occur, travelers will have more chances to be re-routed on another flight later in the day. Conversely, travelers whose late afternoon or evening flights are delayed may have fewer opportunities to be rebooked if an airline has reduced the number of flights or seats available out of their particular market.
- In accordance with their organization’s travel policy, travelers should continue to book travel only with their company’s preferred airlines, hotels and car rental suppliers. In a climate where the cost of travel services is increasing, this practice provides companies the data needed to maintain current discount levels or negotiate minimal increases or even price decreases.
Sources: Carlson Wagonlit Travel, The Dallas Morning News, USA TODAY
