When you are away on that business trip, it's the little bits of insider information that make your whole programme a lot less stressful. At the same time the unwary traveller can fall into a whole lot of traps that can create upsets or even ruin the trip. Walter Glaser brings you 20 items that you may find helpful.

Things that go bump in the night: Arriving at airport check-ins at the last minute in the knowledge that, because you have a Business or First Class ticket, the airline will get you on anyhow, is now riskier than a game of Russian roulette. Why? Because airline policy is changing with many carriers placing emphasis on punctuality. This means that, since most of the airlines overbook if they get half a chance to do so, the seat that you thought you would get will go to somebody being upgraded from Economy. Once boarding closes and a seat is allocated to an upgrade, you are going to be left behind, expensive ticket or not. So, don't risk it and get to that airport on time. If this is not possible, and you are running really late, ring the airline. At the airport, tell them that--and why--you are late (hearts and flowers do help) and ask them if they can hold your seat. That may be the only chance you have, because many airlines don't even ask for reconfirmation now and simply go by the 'early bird gets the worm' principle.

Airlines and hotels: Have more and more websites and this is often a very good way of finding out what special deals are going. The problem with travel agents is that very often the staff don't bother to check out 'deals' on your behalf and you have a better chance of finding these direct. For example, Intercontinental has, on its website, discounts for the coming weekend for all its European properties and these discounts go on to the Web each Monday for the following weekend. If you are a computer buff, check it out, but don't expect this information on all websites. Some just list their rack rates and use their websites to give you availability information and get your bookings.

Health advice: If you are planning a trip overseas and wonder whether there are any health hazards involved, try a website called Shoreland's Travel Health on-line address (http://www.tripprep.com). This website is mainly set up for doctors to access but the public can also tap into it. There is information on over 200 countries that gives you country profiles, health problems, preventative measures and travel-illness summaries. A very handy travel tool indeed.

May the force be with you: Make sure you always carry an international electric socket adapter that can be used to convert your appliances to the various power points in different countries.

Strange habits: The food and beverage managers of Hyatt hotels around the world have unearthed some strange culinary customs. In Mexico, take a second look at the caviar on the Tacos you are served. Instead of being the eggs of the rare sturgeon fish, here, they are more likely to be those of giant ants. Another delicacy here is fried grasshoppers covered in spicy sauce. If it's fried scorpions you prefer, the herbal restaurants in China will be just the shot. And in Australia, aboriginal food, such as witchety grubs, a large, white, squishy caterpillar-shaped grub found under tree bark is sometimes served live on the dinner plate. Aboriginal food is the 'in flavour' Down-Under, so prepare yourself for items like ostrich carpaccio, fried crocodiles strips, and kangaroo steak or stew.

Exchange rate rip-offs: We have recently become aware of the very common practice that hotels, banks and credit cards frequently exercise--ripping off the client with a totally unrealistic exchange rate. In hotels this is notable by the establishment charging foreign guests in US dollars at an exchange rate that can be 20 per cent above that which the same guest can obtain from a nearby bank's foreign-exchange counter. You also lose even further when your credit-card provider then translates the US dollar amount into your currency at a rate that is great for him but bad for you. The other people who benefit hugely through exchange rate rip-offs are the credit-card companies whose 'spread' (the difference between their buying and selling rates for the same currency) can vary as much as 20 per cent on any given day for a currency they consider under threat. The way to overcome these two very annoying forms of overcharging is to buy US travellers' cheques, change these at a bank when you arrive in the country (perhaps at the airport), and then pay all your bills in the local currency. But don't change too much.

Some countries create difficulties when you try to change your leftovers back into US dollars. The smart thing to do then is to buy birthday presents or other gifts for friends which you usually shop for at the last minute.

Flying tips: Anyone who is not in 100/100 position health-wise should take a number of precautions on long-haul flights. Dehydration is always a problem on aircraft, so drink plenty of bottled water, but without gas of any kind. Also remember that any alcohol intake will triple its effect on an aircraft, so moderation is critical when it comes to alcohol. But the most important health hint anyone can possibly have is to get up at least once an hour in your waking time on an airplane, walk right up and down from the front to the tail of the aircraft (subject to restrictions of movement if you are flying coach), and stretch your legs. When you get to the back of the aircraft where nobody is looking at you, stand on your toes 20 or 30 times, and then bring you knee up to your chest in an imaginary parade-ground march, again 20 or 30 times, at the same time raising your hands from the shoulders to the outstretched 'I surrender' position. The only surrendering you will be doing is to common sense and good health.

Car rentals: Hertz Europe Limited, the world's largest car-rental company, has come out with some interesting new products for frequent travellers. These include Hertz#1 Club Gold where one can avoid the customer-service desk altogether by looking at a sign with one's name, and details showing exactly where the car one has booked is parked. When you get there, the rental agreement is in the car, ready to go. If, like myself, you have fumed at standing in a rental-car queue for an hour before finding out that the agency didn't even have your booking, you will realise what a boon such a service is. Hertz also has other great international innovations, like the Satellite Navigation System in USA, a 'rent-it-here, leave-it-there' system, computerised driving directions, cellular in-car rental telephones, and much much more.

Frequent-flyer points: You can keep winning these points time and time again, but be careful to use them up promptly. Many airlines cunningly date their frequent-flyer points in such a way that they are obsolete after a relatively short time. Check yours out and see what benefits you can get for them. You may be in for a pleasant surprise.

Useful gadgets: Want to know who is calling you before you pick up the phone? Well that's now easy, with a small gadget made by Solar Tune Industries Limited in Hong Kong, and only costing about Rs 1,000. Their call-teller unit will show you the number of the incoming call so that if it is someone you do not wish to speak to, you can divert the call. If half your day is taken up answering calls from people you don't really want to speak to, this gadget can be a life saver. Does that conference with your bank manager threaten to send your blood pressure through the roof, or do you have a problem in that direction anyway? If so, do you wish to monitor your own blood pressure without having to carry cumbersome, large or heavy equipment? The Japanese Omron company has now developed a battery-operated hand-held gadget costing around Rs 6,000 and measuring your blood pressure from your finger.

Don't believe everything you see: You've seen those American Express ads where smiling staff take money and a replacement card to strand the travellers in out-of-the-way places? Forget it! If you are ever really stuck, the very best that you can expect is to get some money wired to the nearest American Express or associate office--and even then the red tape is usually substantial. The situation is not too bad in major cities where American Express has its own offices but once you get into the boondocks, forget it!

Back-up for your sanity: If you are taking your laptop overseas, make sure you have back-up copies of all your most important files 'back at the ranch'. If your laptop gets into trouble, you won't, at least, lose all your data--and your mind.

Parlez-vous?: The businessman who is going to have a lot of contact with French-speaking countries can do a lot worse than going to France and learning to speak French 'in situ'. For this purpose a wonderful Chateau near Lyon offers residential French courses that will help you feel at ease or get you through the culture shock and get you motivated. Classes are held (for a maximum of six people) and accommodation is in the family atmosphere that gives you maximum exposure to French lifestyle and manners. On the other hand, the manager, Margaret O'Loan, is an English speaker so there is no problem with communication. An added bonus is that if you take your wife, the same establishment also offers superb cooking lessons under a local chef who really knows his onions (and French cuisine). For details, contact: Margaret O'Loan, Ecole Des Trois Ponts, Chateau de Matel, 42300 Roanne, France.

Seat selection: When you have to travel Economy, always choose an aisle seat. These generally have more elbow room--and you don't have to climb over people to go to the toilet. Window seats are also the most drafty.

Avoid assault and battery: If the batteries in your laptop are not fully charged, you can be in trouble. During checks, security people may ask you to open your laptop and switch it on. If your battery is flat and your laptop does not start up, they have the right to confiscate it, as it may be an explosive device dressed up to look like a laptop. And by the way, never check your laptop in with your baggage! It's practically an invitation for it to go missing, as the X-ray check will pinpoint its presence.

Electronic organiser hazard: More and more businessmen are carrying electronic organisers in their shirt or jacket pockets these days. And they don't always remember to take them out when they go through airport security checks. This is what happened to me, and I found out--sadly too late--that the magnetic field set up by the security archway can play havoc with the data in the electronic organiser, even when the latter is switched off. Mine was completely corrupted by the experience, and had to be overwritten from the back-up when I came home. The answer is to make sure that you either ask the security staff to hand-check your organiser, or put it through the X-ray scanner in one of the small trays every airport supplies for that purpose. As opposed to the magnetic doorways, X-ray scanners do not damage the information in electronic organisers or laptop computers.

Amenity kits: We were given the amenity kits from Emirates Airlines and found them outstanding. Whoever designed these knew what they were doing and we understand they cost a small fortune to produce. The men's kits are of attractive leather and contain everything a passenger could want. The ladies' kits are in a deep burgundy in a most attractive shape and which, I'm told by passengers, are something they really treasure. We've always thought that Emirates was a quite outstanding airline. This is yet another reason.

Watching costs: If you plan your international business trips for the period between September and November, you may be in for a pleasant surprise. Don't just make a booking with your travel agent. Get him to check out the best deals that are being offered. This is very much an off-season period with most airlines and you'll be surprised how many great discount offers you will get--in First and Business as well as Economy. Some airlines also offer a second ticket free if the first one is bought at the normal fare. The period just after Christmas, i.e. February through to early April, is also a time to check out special offers.

Credit-card headaches: Have you checked your credit-card statement recently? I've just had one with a number of purchases I made in Turkey and not a single item had an exchange rate on it. In that way there is no way I can tell whether I'm being ripped off by the bank or just how much I'm now paying in comparison to what I had expected to pay for originally. I know that one item which had been quoted at an equivalent of $480 in Turkey has appeared on my bank statement as something like a $650 equivalent. Check your bankers!!! They may not be quite as honest as they claim to be!

Hotel e-mail: If you travel with a laptop computer, it is worth faxing ahead to see if all the hotels in which you plan to stay have e-mail-friendly telephone points in the rooms. In far too many hotels around the world, the management has no idea that guests may need to use e-mail or that normal hotel switchboards prevent e-mail calls placed through them to get through. You may be able to overcome this by going to their business office centres and asking them to switch your laptop through their fax line. Unfortunately, even then half the people in international hotels calling themselves five-star establishments are so ignorant of modern equipment that I suspect they think modem is a fashion magazine title.

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