World Business Travel Guide

Sue Giles was a librarian at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto.

This book is designed for the business traveller who has to visit a variety of foreign countries every year. As such, it should be in the library of most companies, institutions, and government agencies and departments that send people abroad.

Not every country or major city is covered by this guide. The editors selected what they considered to be primary business locations. Politically unstable areas such as Lebanon, Libya, Iran, and Iraq are not included. In all, some 56 countries and oven 90 cities are featured.

The traveller will find an assortment of useful information, and the book more or less lives up to the statement in the introduction that “the Uniglobe team has researched and compiled the most important facts and information that a business traveller might need when he [sic] arrives in a foreign city. What is the airport, and who are the car rental companies? How does one go into the city, and which hotels are there?”

The book begins with a number of sections of general information including how to make air travel less stressful, how to avoid and deal with medical problems, currency and exchange. “How to do business abroad” alerts you to cultural pitfalls such as, “In the Moslem East, keep your legs uncrossed; it is impolite to make the sole to your shoe visible.” This is followed by a section on terrorism and safety, an area of concern for all travellers today.

“Traveller’s Information” includes a list of international airports, currency and exchange rates, worldwide weather, international telephone codes, international clothing sizes and a short but useful foreign language glossary in English, French, German, and Spanish.

The countries are grouped by continent. Under each country, certain essential information appears, such as type of government, languages, religion, and public holidays. Following this is “Traveller’s Information” such as entry requirements, vaccinations required, tipping, etc., and a section called “Business Brief” covering natural resources, exports, imports, business hours, etc.

The information under each city is grouped under the headings “Airport Information,” “City Information,” and “Useful Addresses.” Most entries include a simplified map of the city centre. Airport information covers time, names of airports, airlines, transport to the city (with an indication of cost), facilities at the airport (duty-free shop, etc.), and airport taxes. City information covers the weather, transportation, car hire, hospitals, including telephone number, hotels, and a brief “What to see and do.” Useful addresses are grouped under embassies and consulates, business and commerce, and tourism and travel.

One topic not mentioned except in passing under “Terrorism and safety” is aspects of personal safety in each city — is it safe to go out for a walk at night in Washington or Toronto or London? Are there areas of the city that should be avoided? However, this is still a useful reference book for the business executive which also contains much information of value to a tourist.