International Business Travel Blog+ 

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 The Importance of Passport Visa Entry Stamps: A Lesson from a January 5, 2024 Wall Street Journal Article The Wall Street  Journal

By Mark Lamb 
January 7, 2024

The Wall Street Journal article below underscores the critical importance of obtaining a passport visa entry stamp when entering a country, especially those adversarial to your own, as exemplified by the recent case of an American traveler in Venezuela. Immigration agents may, intentionally or unintentionally, fail to stamp a passport, or stamps may be illegible. The absence of a clear entry stamp can lead to fines, departure delays, and, as illustrated in this instance, a 15-month detention for the American traveler in Venezuela, who became a bargaining chip for the autocratic regime. Reflecting on my experiences with missing visa stamps, I delve into this significant travel risk in my book, Compass and a Map: A Guide for the International Business Development Manager, where you can find further insights on this topic in Chapter 14 – In-Transit Challenges and Hurdles – Land and Air.  


Mark Lamb Interview with The Future of the Ocean
December 12, 2023 

Mark Lamb Presents to Global Young Professionals – World Affairs Council – Houston 
November 16, 2023
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7133182480618049536?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

April 18, 2023  -Mark Lamb completes seven week course: U.S. Foreign Policy & Global Affairs Institute Course sponsored by the World Affairs Council  of Greater Houston  

A noteworthy quotation from Daniel Yergin’s book – THE NEW MAP – ENERGY, CLIMATE, and the CLASH OF NATIONS
March 26, 2023
“The coronavirus crisis demonstrated the degree to which digitalization has become a competitor with transportation using electrons to connect people rather than molecules to move them.”

Challenges of International Business Travel Post-Pandemic (and now in Economically Challenging Times)

Compass and a Map stresses the growing importance of detailed trip planning in the post-pandemic period, and now in challenging global financial times. A recent article in the March 22, 2023, Wall Street Journal highlights several of the points I discuss. It states: “Companies are encouraging travelers to cram more meetings into a single trip to get more bang for their buck, or adding more parameters to their travel policies.” In Chapter 6 – Planning Challenges and Considerations – I comment on the critical importance of detailed (complex) trip planning in a post-pandemic period, stating: “I have been on complex trips where travel team members wanted to depart from home on a Sunday evening or Monday morning and return home by Friday for the weekend, regardless of the time required to accomplish the business goals. International travel is typically spread over a reasonable period throughout the year. As such, the travel plan should provide adequate time in-country to achieve the business goals, and this often requires flying on the weekend and returning on the following weekend or the next week. In a post-pandemic era, we may no longer have the luxury of flying in and out of a country for a short stay, as many did in the past. Most of us will have to plan to stay abroad for sufficient days to complete the plan in one trip.” Today’s business development manager operates in a completely different world from three years ago.

The WSJ hits on several of the business travel challenges we now face:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/airfare-prices-business-travel-flights-38cc33c9?st=y1uzinm225rpa6q&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Lamb’s book, Compass and a Map, was recognized  in the Texas Tech University alumni magazine,  TexasTechsan, 2023 winter edition. 

The Elevator Pitch “Presentation”
From the Grammarly website blog
November 8, 2022 
Chapter 10 of my book, Compass and a Map, discusses the importance of writing, memorizing and delivering a well-rehearsed Elevator Pitch in a conversational tone.  Grammarly’s blog, found at the following link, presents excellent information to supplement my comments. 
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/elevator-pitch/?utm_source=BlogNL&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=B2C_11-12-22&utm_content=email

Passports are required for all international travelers – The only exception was Her Magesty the Queen of England
From Travel + Lesiure (4-19-17)
September 16, 2022 

That’s right, her Majesty the Queen had no need for commoner items like passports when she traveled abroad. As the official website of the British monarchy describes: When traveling overseas, The Queen does not require a British passport. The cover of a British passport features the Royal Arms, and the first page contains another representation of the Arms, together with the following wording: Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary. As a British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, it was unnecessary for the Queen to possess one. All other members of the Royal Family, including The Duke of Edinburgh and The Prince of Wales, have passports.

EY Alumni Magazine recognizes Mark Lamb and his book ‘Compass and a Map.“
EY Alumni Partner Connector 
June 2022 Issue

One More Covid Related Takeaway! Always travel with your original ‘unlaminated’ vaccination records!
By Mark Lamb
June 27, 2022 

Many international destinations continue to require proof of vaccination documentation to enter the country. You must carry original covid vaccination documents, not a laminated copy. Please, never laminate the original record, as I did!

I write this en route to Paramaribo, Suriname, where the country requires documentation of full covid vaccination to enter the country. Departing Houston, the airline agent would not accept my laminated vaccination record. (The original document is in my home safe!)

The agent said, “your original vaccination documents are your ‘passport’ “ – without the original or other official documentation, you don’t fly!”

Two hours before departure, my only option was to retrieve my vaccination records from my doctor’s My Chart website. Fortunately, there was a reasonably strong Wi-Fi signal at the airport, and I could download and present official vaccination records.

The critically important takeaway from this experience is:
1. Always carry your original immunization record
2. Never laminate the original record
3. Download official immunization documents or QR codes to your device in order not to be dependent on unreliable WiFi signals
4. We can never be over “back-up” vaccination documentation.
5. Always arrive at the airport at least 3 hours in advance of your flight to have sufficient time to manage documentation problems

As noted in prior blogs, each departure airport manages covid protocols differently – there is very little consistency in the requirements, we must be prepared, or we risk missing our flight and not accomplishing our business goals.  

June 2022 – Reader Stories, Takeaways and Posts 

Mark Lamb Interview with Maritime Professionals
June 22, 2022 

“Travel in the Time of Covid“  
By Doug Miller 
June 19, 2022 

Relationship with bosses – if you don’t like something, tell them!
By a good friend
June 20, 2022 

International Travel Planning Must Consider the Risk of Being Stranded Abroad After a Positive Covid Test  
By ML
June 11, 2022 
Effective 6-13-22, the Biden administration lifted its requirement that international travelers test negative for COVID-19 within a day before boarding a flight to the United States, ending one of the last remaining government mandates designed to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The following blog still applies to destination countries requiring the negative test.

In a Thursday, June 2, 2022, Wall Street Journal Article, Dawn Gilbertson highlights the issues of a positive test stranding the traveler abroad. Covid restrictions have eased around the globe; however, many countries, including the US, require passengers to test negative a day before departure or prove recovery from Covid in the past 90 days. Gilbertson says, “Travelers face pricy extended stays and rebooked flights, confusion over which quarantine rules reign and a near-daily scramble to test negative or get a doctor to note vouching for recovery from Covid. Then there’s the off-the-chart stress”.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who test positive for Covid avoid travel until a full 10 days after the positive test date. Other countries have their own recommendations. It is possible to test positive for up to three months after contracting the virus, so it is wise to check out proof of recovery options before leaving home. An extended trip due to a positive Covid test can be expensive; travel insurance is a must today for most. The travel insurance industry says most searches today are for insurance protecting stranded travelers rather than the more comprehensive trip-cancellation policies.

Gilbertson says that packing for longer-than-expected trips requires some thought, such as packing extra medicine. She also advises bringing extra self-Covid tests for the daily testing, as well as multiple credit cards if credit limits are a concern.

In closing the article, Gilbertson quotes a Covid stranded friend who said she “won’t travel internationally again until the CDC restrictions are lifted – you are rolling the dice”, she said. Unfortunately for the international business traveler, we often have no option but to travel, and we are rolling the dice on each trip. By the end of this month, I will have traveled to Trinidad Tobago, Panama and Suriname, in one month. The chances of contrating Covid and being stranded in these countries is significant.  Our travel planning must consider the high risk of being stranded, so it is important to pack extra prescriptions, carry sufficient financial tools (credit cards and cash), Covid self-test kits, and the critical items I discuss in Compass and a Map – Chapter 17 – Control and Maintenance of Nine Critical Travel Tools.
Safe travels!

Quotation for the Month of June 2022 
When presenting or making a speech, remembering Mark Twain’s famous quote might help: 
“”There are only two types of speakers in the world. The Nervous and the Liars”

Different Cultures – Different Meeting Protocols – No One Shoe Fits All!
By TN
May 19, 2022 
The most important thing I have learned is understanding the cultural and business behaviors, rules and norms of different countries. For example, meetings and communications with a Korean client are very different from that of a Russian client, or even a Chinese client. Meetings have different purposes in different cultures, words mean different things. And different cultures have different ideas as to timelines.  Examples: the Japanese will never tell you “no” in a meeting. Koreans are extremely hierarchical, and you have to be careful to which counterparty one addresses. So templates for different meetings would have to be significantly different. There is “no one shoe that fits all.”

Time to ditch the career path?
By Solange Uwimana, Editor at LinkedIn News
May 22, 2022
“Members have been sharing the path they took to arrive at their current role, proving that the traditional, linear career path may just be outdated. Many people used to decide on a career early on, pursue a postgraduate degree in that subject, and go on to land a succession of roles in that field. But with more and more people switching jobs, switching careers, and even re-evaluating work altogether, research suggests that the “nonlinear career path” is indeed the new normal.”

Author’s note:
In Chapter 1 of Compass and a Map, I discuss the career path and illustrate how mine was “nonlinear” and filled with unexpected turns and challenges. One story I share is how a giant west Texas rattlesnake effectively altered my planned career path. The linear career path that our parents might have experienced is, without question,  a thing of the past. 

The Complexities of International Travel Due to Different and Constantly Changing Covid Protocols  
By M. Lamb 
May 22, 2022 
The following presents the complexies of international travel today with the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.

I am currently preparing to travel from the US to Trinidad at the end of May 2022, then to Panama. Trinidad’s border control entry requirement for fully vaccinated travelers requires a 72-hour pre-arrival negative Covid 19 PCR or Lab Acquired Antigen test result (home antigen test results are not be accepted.  Quoting the website, “Travellers who are NOT FULLY VACCINATED will be required to enter a MANDATORY 7 Day Quarantine and submit to PCR Retesting at an APPROVED STATE SUPERVISED QUARANTINE HOTEL , at their own expense. 72 hours before arrival into Trinidad, travelers must complete and submit a (highly detailed) Trinidad Travel Pass. The receipt of (the)  TTravel Pass does not guarantee access to the flight nor entry into Trinidad and Tobago. All travelers are still subject to the validation processes of the airlines and Border Control Authorities in Trinidad and Tobago.”

For the Trinidad to Panama flight leg, one airline’s website presents conflicting information with one section stating that fully vaccinated passengers do not require a COVID test, followed by a statement that all passengers must test negative within 24 hours of arrival??

For the last leg of the trip, Panama to Houston, fully vaccinated passengers must present a negative test taken 24 hours before departure from Panama. This requirement had changed from what I read on the website the day before!

The above protocols for a  three-country trip are examples of the inconsistencies, complexities and confusion imposed on the international traveler today.  The protocols change frequently.  You should always first review the protocols published by the airline you are flying, then double-check the information via other sources. 

For the international business traveler, it is critical to research in advance and clearly understand the protocols of the countries you are traveling to. I recently missed a flight because I was unaware of a required QR Code to transit through London Heathrow to change planes. I was unable to complete the electronic forms and receive the QR Code required for flight check-in because the airport wifi signal was weak and intermittent. Had I arrived at the airport 5 hours before the flight, I would have had sufficient time to recover from this travel error by going to an area with reliable internet, completing the forms, and I would not have missed my flight. Had I done the proper preflight research, I would have downloaded the required electronic QR Code before arriving at the airport. Most importantly, I would not have missed the important meeting I was scheduled to attend the following day.

One other suggestion is to carry a Covid 19 self-test kit. Even though this test may not accepted by the airlines and immigration,  by testing early and learning that you are Covid positive,  you will not lose precious time, often ranging from 24 to 48 hours waiting for the test result. You can commence alternative planning immediately. Lab-acquired antigen test results, in some cases,  may take up to 24 hours, and results from a PCR test might take 48 hours or more.  All test turnaround times depend on where you are tested and by whom.

Please remember that each country will have varying (and constantly changing) COVID protocols. Not following the protocols will typically prevent you from departing, or worse, if you are outside of your home country,  you might be placed in foreign quarantine and unable to travel for the required period.   

As emphasized throughout my book, Compass and a Map,  realizing the goals of an international business development campaign is highly dependent on early and well-organized planning. COVID protocol planning and research should have the highest priority in the process and on your travel checklist.

(Note: The author is not responsible for the accurateness of the above COVID protocol information. The comments and points made are presented only for the purpose of alerting the traveler of the complexities of international travel due to COVID 19 protocols.)  
 

Twitter – An Essential International Travel Security Tool? 
By M. Lamb
May 15, 2022 
I just received a copy of Bill Browder’s new book, Freezing Order. In the opening pages he recounts a security incident in Madrid  in which he first thought he had been kidnapped, but ultimately learned was a botched arrest by Spanish police. Having been detained at the Geneva Airport just months before and unable to immediately reach anyone by phone, Browder’s wife told him that “If something like this ever happens again and you can’t reach anyone by phone, post it on Twitter”.  Fortunately, Browder who has over 135,000 followers, followed his wife’s instructions, and tweeted: “Urgent: Just was arrested by Spanish police in Madrid on a Russian Interpol arrest warrant. Going to the police station right now”. He carried two mobile phones. Just before they confiscated the second phone, Browder tweeted a photo of the police radio mounted on the car’s dashboard to prove he had been arrested. Within seconds his phone (set on silent) lit up and “calls started coming in from journalist everywhere” as well as from his lawyer.  His Twitter followers knew he was in trouble and his location.  In the end, and to make the longer story short, Browder said  “What saved me was Twitter”. 

Browder’s wife’s Twitter suggestion is a fantastic security tool for both the international and leisure traveler to compliment those presented in my book, Compass and a Map,  Chapter 16 – Health, Safety and Security. You also might consider adding this item to the downloadable travel checklist:  Tool No. 7 – Checklist – Comprehensive Travel Packing – Business and Personal.