Using lessons from movies to improve your life is a good thing that proves that movies can be more than entertainment: they can be our teachers, mentors and friends, keeping us on track especially when we are away from our familiar surroundings. This is how movies can help you battle the stress of business traveling and help you overcome loneliness, homesickness, and the worry that creeps in when things go wrong with your flight.1. Carry your favorite movies with you–and a set of good earphones. Create your portable DVD library, and pop a movie in your laptop when you flight delays keep you stuck at the airport; after a long day of meetings with nothing to do in the evening except drinking at the bar; when you need to cheer up with a good, “alcohol-free”, comedy; when you need inspiration from your favorite movie to face next morning’s meetings; when you miss your kids or spouse and the movies you watch together, back home.2. Watch international movies to learn about the cultures you visit. If you travel internationally for business take advantage from the hundreds of movies made in the countries you visit. Pick some up before you leave home. They can give you insights into how people interact at home and work, how they dress, what their values are, and how they face conflict, competition and challenge.3. Watch an American movie in a theater when you are in a foreign country–just make sure it’s not dubbed, but with subtitles. The benefits from this activity are plenty. First, you get out of the hotel and explore the city. Second, you get to see how big an influence American culture has outside the U.S.A. Third, you observe how people abroad react to a movie made in America, about Americans. Fourth, you get to see a piece of your own culture shown in the context of a foreign country. And fifth, you have a safe adventure that gives you perspectives, keeps you entertained and soothes your homesickness.Loneliness and homesickness on business trips are inevitable. The best ways to face them is by being prepared for such challenging moments and by knowing what to do when they come.
Where the Wi-Fi Is and How to Save on Roaming Charges When Traveling
When you’re traveling on business, you know how important it is to be able to log onto to your PDA or laptop. Thankfully, free hotspots are more widely available than ever – you just need to know where to look. Here’s a list of stores, restaurants, hotels and other businesses that offer free connections.Beware of False ConnectionsBefore we offer advice on where to find free wireless connections, it’s important to remember not to do any banking or other sensitive surfing on public sites, if you can help it. Make sure you are logging on to is provided by a legitimate business, and that you are passing through their router. Sometimes, it’s not so easy to tell. There are very devious and smart people out there who can set up their personal routers in a public place, and name them “free Wi-Fi” or something more specific, such as “Mom’s Donuts Wi-Fi” to fool you into logging on through their router. Even more insidious, hackers can create banking and other sensitive websites that look identical to the real thing. So to be safe, avoid banking on public Wi-Fi, and if you have to, look for Wi-Fi’s that are encrypted, so you need a password to log on.Tips for Finding Free Connections
Look for local libraries. No matter what city you’re in, most have a local public library that offers free Wi-Fi. They’re also a nice, quiet place to work.
Wi-Fi and a latte. Starbucks offers free, one-click, unlimited Wi-Fi at all company-owned stores in the U.S., including instant access to the Starbucks Digital Network. It’s a nice place to enjoy the coffee house vibe without feeling rushed. For more information, go to Starbuck’s wireless Internet page.
Hungry? You can eat and find free Wi-Fi at Whole Foods, Panera Bread, Denny’s, McDonald’s, Big Boy, Krystal, and yes, even Hooters.
Most hotels, motels, inns and resorts offer guests free Wi-Fi. For a comprehensive, alphabetized list of national hotel chains that offer free connections, go to wififreespot.com.
Use Boingo to find free Wi-Fi hotspots. Boingo’s app, called the Wi-Finder was named one of Travel & Leisure magazine’s Top 10 Apps of 2010. For around $10.00 a month, Boingo provides unlimited Wi-Fi access for mobile devices and laptops at more than 30,000 free and paid hot spots in north and South America. And for around $35.00 a month, Boingo lets you get Wi-Fi access at more than 200,000 hot spots throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Before Traveling Internationally…
Call your wireless service provider before traveling to discuss where you’re going, and any international calling plans they offer. You may be able to save significantly on voice calls, text messaging and data streaming.
Visit the Federal Communication Commission’s Guide to International Calling from Wireless Providers, VoIP Services and Smartphone Manufacturers for tips, resources and links by the major wireless providers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, in addition to Blackberry, iPhone and Droid/Android smartphones.
To help keep Internet access charges low, XCom Global offers unlimited data usage and the freedom to wirelessly roam abroad at a fixed rate in 195 countries for around $17.00 a month.
Place one of Truphone’s Tru SIM international cards in your AT&T, T-Mobile or other standard cell phone, and you get 100 calling minutes to use in the U.S., Britain, the Netherlands and Australia for about $30.00 a month.
Rules For Air Travel That You Cannot Afford To Miss
Everyday across the world, a great number of folks, couples, and even families are traveling by air. Among such travelers, many are traveling abroad to some foreign destination. As intercontinental travel escalates, there is a need to understand the rules associated with traveling. The biggest concern for travelers is their baggage which they maneuver across the terminal with a wheeled cart or occasionally with a folding cart. Knowing the international rules will help you make better decisions. When this is actually the case, you need to get acquainted with the rules for traveling worldwide.Speaking of global traveling rules, there are several travelers who are bound to get confused. It happens because most of them are not well-informed when it comes to domestic or/and international rules for air travel. Obviously, they are not completely same but you won’t find much disparity either. In spite of the common points, it is yet recommended that you lay a center on intercontinental air travel, particularly because you need to travel internationally.As mentioned earlier, you will discover that a lot of air travel policies are alike among domestic and intercontinental travel. One such rule is the screening process at airport. In various airports, even when they are not known as an international terminal, passengers will have to go through some particular airport security stations. This screening procedure includes the secure inspection of your already checked luggage. Not like the past, currently about all airlines carefully examine checked luggage searching for explosive, flammable, or unlawful substances.Given that a great number of international terminals not just offer global flights, but also domestic flights, intentional travelers are not necessarily different from the domestic ones. Basically, this shows that the traveler screening process, plus the inspection for all bags will be similar. Travelers are recommended to get rid of all of their additional items, which may be found from metal detectors, along with their shoes. Traveler’s shoes also go through X-ray scan. This ensures that there were no explosives or any such potentially harmful item in them.Another difference in air travel through domestic or international flight is the first check-in. the moment you arrive at the airport, you have to get yourself registered from airline counter. This is what checking in is all about? After this your luggage will be inspected for any illegal hidden item.The evidence of recognition that you will require will depend on terminal from which you are checking in and from the one you are checking out. In case you are inquired to reveal more than one picture id, there is a need to carry your birth certificate, passport, visa, or citizenship. It is not necessary to have all of them, just one valid certification will do. Unless completely essential, you will need to maintain these significant personal papers secure at home.These standard rules for air travel are only a few of those that you have to follow. In case you have difficulty in understanding some rule, then better seek professional help. It can be assistance from the international terminal or even directly from the airline.