WORLD TO THE WISE » business travel

Traveling in Comfort

admin — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:56:00 +0000

If you’ve traveled abroad, you know what I’m talking about — chances are, the airplane passengers or the tourists wearing white tennis shoes at the Eiffel Tower are Americans.

While travelers from many cultures don one of their nicer outfits for the trip, Americans opt for comfort. As Sarah Lanier puts it in her book, Foreign to Familiar, there is something in the American mindset that says being comfortable is of higher importance than looking appropriate.

There is a reason for this, Lanier goes on to explain. It turns out that cultures that are generally more informal — including not only the US, but also Australia, the modern state of Israel and Canada, for example — are the younger countries who have had less time to develop age-old traditions piled high on top of each other. The older, more traditional cultures are called “high-context” cultures, while the newer cultures are “low-context’. Even in poor countries, the people dress their very best when going to a meeting, out in public or to someone else’s home for dinner.

Americans, Australians and other low-context cultures are quick to address each other by their first names. Even though I’ve now been back in the US for fifteen years after living in Europe, I’m still taken aback at times how even in somewhat formal situations, such as in TV or radio interviews, the first name is used immediately.

Remember, we’re not talking necessarily about right or wrong here — but what is important is that the traveler be oriented to the host culture he or she is visiting. Otherwise, innocent mistakes will often be interpreted as insults. This works in both directions: the Korean culture, for example, is one of the oldest on the planet, therefore extremely high-context. Koreans immigrating to the US should be prepared for the shock of informal American culture. Many Koreans prefer to be addressed by Mr., Miss or Mrs. and their surname, and are often offended when immediately addressed by their first name.

The quintessential low-context culture is southern California, which explains why many people in California, whether natives or recent arrivals, feel a sense of freedom to be creative, start new trends, or be different.

Personal Space?

admin — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:03:00 +0000

If you value your personal space, you best not be a commuter in Japan. This video was shot a few years ago, and I understand things are not quite so extreme now, but even so….

It’s Your Planet — Go See It!

admin — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:07:00 +0000

If you have been a reader of mine for any length of time, you know at least a couple of things about me: I love this planet we’re on — its beauty, its diversity, its people; and I love the adventure of entrepreneurship and the importance of developing multiple streams of income. So in order to provide YOU with a one-stop travel shop – and to open up an additional stream of income for World to the Wise, I now have my very own TRAVEL PORTAL:

http://www.worldtothewisetravel.hemitc.com/

No, I am not a licensed travel agent, nor do I intend to become one. Instead, I have linked arms with Hemisphere Travel, the world’s largest private travel provider, with a search engine twice as large as Expedia, the next largest online travel provider. They are the ones making your travel arrangements for you, and they are the ones you will contact directly with customer services issues; but when you book your travel through this website, not only will you find true concierge service, you’ll be supporting World to the Wise as we develop into a multi-faceted organization.

Nothing else needs to change for you — simply save this URL in your Favorites and go there instead of the other guys, knowing that you’ll get the same competitive prices and be apprised of some pretty amazing specials from time to time. And when you hear the signal for the first World to the Wise cultural tour, your travel will be booked through this portal.

Check it out: http://www.worldtothewisetravel.hemitc.com/ — whether it’s to book flights, cruises, rental cars, hotels, group trips, or ski vacations, we’ve got you covered. I’ll tell you about some more cool features in future posts.

It’s your planet — go see it!