Are you ready for your trip abroad?

Travel know-how• Travel planning tools for mobile phones –

www.worldmate.com

• iphone travel apps – Skype, Tripit, Babelingo, SodaSnap…

• Travel data - holidays, electric, currency, time-zones, country calling codes, weather http://www.expatknowhow.com/menus/main.asp?PN=Country

• When parking at the airport take a photo of your car!• Iris Recognition Immigration system (IRIS) – www.iris.gov.uk

• Luggage and liquid restrictions.• Travel adaptors – one size fits all!• Handbag security – table/bag hook.• Overcoming jet lag – melatonin/timed light

exposure/software

• Packing know-how? www.gotiny.co.uk

Culture know-howWhat Is Culture? The customs, beliefs, art and all other products of human thought made by

a particular group of people at a particular time.What is Culture Shock? Disorientation felt by a person subjected to unfamiliar way of life. Unless

you know the rules of other cultures you could make serious errors of judgment resulting in insulting your host or even starting an International crisis!

Here are a few general cultural differences to be considered:

• Greetings• Communication style• Personal space• Eye contact• Views of time• Gestures• Taboos

Do you have Cultural Intelligence?

Cultural know-how

• CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE Basic information • CULTURAL EXPECTATIONS Community values and attitudes• CULTURAL BEHAVIOUR How their values and attitudes translate into behaviour• CULTURAL STYLE Your own style compared with the culture you are

dealing with.• CULTURAL ADAPTATION What do you need to do to adapt? What do they need to

do to adapt to you?

Cultural dimensions

• Time spans• Use of time• Fate• Rules• Power• Responsibility• Group membership• Tasks• Communication• Conflict• Problem solving• Space

Cultural Quiz• Where do Chinese gooseberries come from?• What animals hair is in a camel brush?• What animal are the Canary Islands named after?• If a negotiation in India gets heated because of different objectives,

avoid eye contact as it could be seen as aggressive and disrespectful?

• Oral commitments can represent legally binding contracts in Germany?

• Negotiators in Israel often use silence as a pressure tactic to obtain further concessions?

• In the Netherlands a person sucking their thumb is signalling that they do not believe you?

• Contracts in Saudi Arabia are expected to include lots of detail and therefore take a long time to create and agree on?

• Negotiations in China are best conducted on a one-on-one basis since people generally prefer getting to know you well?

• When presenting in Spain, expect people’s attention to span for only about 20 -30 minutes

Happy Travels…..

www.expatknowhow.com