Company Retreats: Travel to a Different Country
- 28114 Views
- May 4, 2012
- 6
Shaping Cultural Experiences
Travel has been an integral part of my life since I was a young child. I grew up in a multicultural, bilingual home in the Netherlands with a Polish mother and a Dutch father. My
- 19081 Views
- May 10, 2012
- 7
Update & BBC News Link
A brief update: One interview video will be uploaded tomorrow evening. I believe the BBC News One-Minute World News provides well-balanced reporting of news, hence why I wanted to share it. Top stories on May
- 24472 Views
- May 11, 2012
- 5
From Nigeria to Boston
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VNkCazT_T4&feature=youtu.be
When you first meet Oluwagbeminiyi Osidipe, you encounter a very vibrant, friendly, and unique personality. Oluwagbeminiyi or Niyi – as she shortened her name for simplicity – was named by her mother, who had a “very personal experience” when she had her, Niyi explained. Niyi is a Yoruba Nigerian transplant who arrived in the U.S. in 2006. As one of the most densely populated (West) African countries, Nigeria derives its name from the river that spans its land. To the South, it borders the Gulf of Guinea to the Atlantic Ocean. Originally colonized by the British, Nigeria gained independence in 1960. Its main ethnic groups are the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba, who speak English and their own respective languages, while major religions include Islam, Christianity and indigenous beliefs. Niyi shares her story, her views on politics, cultural differences she’s embraced with humor, and what we can learn from each other by expressing curiosity. Her message is simple: travel enriches us through its exposure to new cultures, and enables us to grow.
- 13857 Views
- May 16, 2012
- 6
Mark Twain on Travel
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” (American author Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad).
Have you had the opportunity to travel (extensively, within your country, or even once abroad)? Can you relate to Twain’s sentiments? How does travel enrich us?
- 13948 Views
- May 19, 2012
- 19
Pleasing The Taste Palate
Food has the wonderful quality of uniting us no matter where we are. There is nothing partisan or narrow-minded about food. It simply invites us to indulge, create recipes, and share with others. Two of my favorite Polish dishes (included in collage) are pierogies and barszcz czerwony – a beetroot soup – served on Christmas Eve in Poland. How does food bring us together? What are some of your favorite dishes and why? Can food trigger memories?
- 13978 Views
- May 23, 2012
- 2
Stereotypes: Truth or Fiction?
DEFINING STEREOTYPES: “An idea or statement about all of the members of a group or all the instances of a situation.” (Merriam-Webster). Stereotypes enable bias and preconceived notions to perpetuate, but can also reveal valid
- 12831 Views
- May 29, 2012
- 4
Annual Human Rights Report
“The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011. Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and
- 11153 Views
- May 31, 2012
- 4
Euro Crisis & Emerging Stereotypes
Brief Crisis Breakdown Since the onset of the global financial crisis, or Great Recession, in 2007, the Eurozone has feared impending growing global debt levels, as well as sovereign debt within European countries themselves. In
- 11675 Views
- June 4, 2012
- 2
Remembering Tiananmen
Today marks the 23rd anniversary of Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in Beijing, China. Inflation, a lack of career prospects, the fall of Eastern European communism, and political corruption, are all said to have fueled anger
- 13322 Views
- June 7, 2012
- 18
Coffee's Uniting Power
A cup of coffee can bridge cultural gaps. At least, that’s what Gizem Salgicil White, founder of Turkayfe.org, believes. Her organization aims to create awareness of Turkish culture, particularly within America. Gizem is a Turkish native,
- 3469 Views
- Guest Blogger
- July 9, 2018
- Local Culture
Today’s Culture with Travel post is by Sarah Kearns
Company retreats have lots of benefits both for the employees and for the business. It’s a great opportunity to try and get through some large agenda items without the distractions of the office. If you’re considering the possibility of international travel for your company retreat, there are a lot of extra things to take into consideration. Most companies don’t want to invest in an international trip that doesn’t involve dealing with international business interests, but if you’re willing to put in the money and the effort, you can come away with some fantastic results and build a reputation as a great place to work.
Plan Your Budget Carefully
International travel is expensive. If your company is small, you might be better able to afford the trip if it means taking fewer people. Flights, hotels, transportation, meals; all of these things are going to add up when you’re travelling internationally. You also need to consider the time that the offices will be closed. If you wind up selecting a destination that will take 10 hours to travel to, you’re going to have to consider 2 extra days that those employees won’t be in the office- one there and one back.
Look for Group Discounts
Consider consulting with a travel agent. While there is an added cost, the knowledge and experience that they bring can actually save you money as they negotiate the best deals for a large group. They may also have some inside information on a quiet, off-the-beaten-path retreat center that you wouldn’t find otherwise. Give them flexibility with dates and times for travel and they’ll be able to provide you with the best possible deals on flights and hotels.
Provide Plenty of Notice
If you’re taking the step of planning an international retreat, you need to make sure that you give several months’ notice to employees that will be attending. Preparing passports can often take a few weeks or even months to get done if they aren’t already in order and there will likely be someone that doesn’t even have one yet. Making arrangements for childcare and house-sitting will also be more difficult, especially since there will likely be additional time away due to extensive travel times.
Consider Language
While you do want to give your employees the opportunity to explore another culture and see a part of the world that they otherwise might not, it’s important to consider the difficulties of navigating a new environment when you don’t speak the language. Either pick a destination that shares a language with you, or remember to invest in interpreters to assist your crew on the trip.
Make Sure There are Things to Do
For some of your employees, this will be a once-in-a lifetime trip. Consider visiting a location that has plenty to do and to see. If you’re going to spend the money and effort putting together a trip to another country, you want to experience more than the airport and the retreat center. Otherwise you would have been better off going to a center within driving distance and saved yourself the costs.
Give Employees Some Down-time
If you’re offering an international retreat as part of your strong benefits and wellness package, make sure that the employees can make the most of the trip. In addition to your workshops and planning sessions, make sure that you build in plenty of time for people to head out and explore a bit. If they aren’t getting a chance to engage with the local culture, what was the point of planning an international trip?
The rewards for planning to travel to a different country for your company retreat can be fantastic. Employee engagement, business reputation, loyalty, and morale can all be boosted by providing such an incredible opportunity to your employees. Just make sure you plan things well for as smooth a trip as possible.
Sarah Kearns is a hard working mother of three daughters. She is a Senior Communications Manager for BizDb, an online resource with information about businesses in the UK. She loves cooking, reading history books and writing about green living.
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