Five great travel gift ideas for the executive traveler

Forbes.com has recently posted a video interview of Adam Rich, the co-founder of Thrillist (a newsletter and website that caters to male urban professionals in their twenties and thirties), who mentioned five great ideas about what to get an executive traveler who has everything. Adam’s gift ideas included:

• Grid-it by Cocoon Innovations is a lattice work of elastic straps to keep everything inside your laptop bag. The Grid-it retails for US$19.95.
• The Movie Wedge is a beanbag with a wedge on it that acts as a stand to hold up your iPhone plus the microfiber case can be used to clean its screen. The Movie Wedge retails for US9.95.
• The Southern Brand iPhone sleeve is a sleeve made out of cowhide and the sale proceeds will go to assist struggling musicians. The Southern Brand iPhone sleeve retails for US$29.00.
• The Balanzza Too is a 3 in 1 travel accessory that includes a timer, flashlight and a luggage scale to prevent you from being overcharged for overweight luggage. The Balanzza Too retails for US$31.00.
• The Eskuche Headphones has a great retro look and also comes with several interchangable cords – including one that allows you to use your phone handsfree. The Eskuche Headphones retails for US$58.00. 

So if you or someone you know is a regular business traveler who has just about everything, some of the above gift ideas might be worth considering.

 

How to bargain when shopping in Asia

If you are on your first visit to Asia and plan to do any shopping, get ready to learn how to bargain – something that many Westerners are not accustomed to. Hence, PassportChop.com has recently posted a short article about bargain shopping techniques to use in Shenzhen or Hong Kong. However, these bargaining techniques could be employed anywhere in Asia when shopping. 

Some of the bargaining techniques suggested by PassportChop.com include:

1. Do your research.  In other words, compare prices for similar products at different shops as well as back home. There may be instances where what your are looking for will actually cost less back home than in Asia (check out our Price Survey postings to get an idea of prices in Asia and how they compare with prices around the world).
2. Make a lower offer than you would plan to see what price the vendor will agree on.  If your target price is 50% of the opening price, start with 40%.
3. You will most definitely be made a counter offer (usually 80% of opening price).  Consider the offer and then make a 5-10% concession from your starting price. After a long pause, the vendor may cut his price even further.
4. During the bargaining process, keep smiling and keep the exchange of offers and counter-offers light and relaxed.  Remember, in most Asian cultures, showing anger in public is not considered appropriate.
5. Continue Step 3. Keep doing a give and take with the vendor until you come to an agreement on a price - usually 50-60% of original price.
6. If you still cannot get a good price, politely reject his counter offer, smile and walk away slowly.  If the vendor follows you, try to negotiate a lower price.
7. If he/she doesn’t come running after you, it is quite clear that the vendor is not making a profit at the price you want.  In other words, you now know what the real market price is for the item that you want.

Keeping the above tips in mind will save you money on your next shopping trip in Asia.

What am I allowed to buy abroad & take home?

Shopping abroad can easily become a minefield as travelers must consider what they are legally allowed to take out of a country and what they are legally allowed to bring back home. For starters, all countries have export watch lists which outlines the objects that will generally get travelers into trouble when they leave if they are not careful. These items can range from those made from endangered species (tortoiseshell, coral and ivory objects especially) to food products (which may also contain pests) to antiquities or cultural treasures – some of which can be taken out of the country so long as you obtain an export license (but again, this will vary from country to country and it does not mean that you will be able to bring the item back to your home country).

However, major global courier services maintain detailed profiles of all the countries they serve and what can and cannot be taken out of them. In addition, 169 countries have signed the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) where they agreed to forbid the sale of more than 5,000 animal species and 25,000 plant species and these items are listed on the treaty’s website.

In addition, Conde Nast Traveller has compiled a list of the types of items that can be bought in Asia but cannot be legal brought into the USA and hence, this list will give you a good idea of what you will probably not be allowed to bring to your home country even if its not the USA.

Buying gold jewelry in Singapore

Business travelers to Singapore may be surprised to learn that Singapore is actually a mecca for purchasing gold jewelry – especially for Indians. In fact, even Indians living as far away as Australia or even New Zealand will fly all the way to Singapore to purchase wedding jewelry to take back home with them or to take to relatives living in India. Why go all the way to or make a detour to Singapore? Simply put, Singapore is a well-regulated city state and thus, you can be confident about the purity and the quality of the gold jewelery that is sold there.

Hence, many gold jewelry shops can be found in Singapore’s Little India neighborhood and especially along Serangoon Road near the the Little India MRT station. One of the more popular destinations for gold jewelry buyers is Mustafa’s – a 6,300-square-meter department store that has a huge jewelry department and is open 24 hours a day. Other popular jewelry shops include retail chains such as Lee Hwa, Goldheart and Soo Kee which have branches all over the city.

When shopping though, shoppers should check to see if the shop they plan to patronize is participating in the GST Refund Scheme for tourists. Such shops will display signs such as 'Global Refund' or 'Premier Tax Free' while other shops like Mustafa’s will administer their own refund scheme.

Also, gold jewelry is sold by the weight and is based on the current price of gold. Hence, shopping for gold jewelry is a matter of picking out a design and then placing it on a scale to determine its value. And even if you are not in the market for the more unique and elaborate ethnic designs or wedding ensembles, Singapore’s jewelry shops offer a wide selection of rings, pendants, earrings and gold bracelets to choose from.

Thus, should you find yourself in the market for gold jewelry and you plan to take a business trip to Singapore or reside there as an expatriate, consider allocating some time for browsing the local jewelry shops.

Navigating Hong Kong’s jade minefield

Hong Kong has a well earned reputation as a city where you can purchase high quality jade - the perfect gift to purchase on your next business trip to the city for someone special back home (or even just for yourself). After all, jade has long been considered to be a good luck stone and for the Chinese its a symbol of beauty, grace and purity. However, unlike purchasing gold, pearls, diamonds or other precious gems, finding a reputable jade dealer and then purchasing high quality pieces that are not fakes can be a daunting task.

Fortunately, the New York Times’ travel section recently had an article about purchasing jade in Hong Kong and listed several locations that travelers should check out depending on just what they are looking for. For those who want to consider purchasing high quality jade pieces (with prices to match), the NY Times article suggests Chinese Arts & Crafts (but don’t be shocked when you see just how much a high quality piece will cost you). However, if you are just seeking something pretty and green, then the NY Times article suggests that you visit the group of shops in Kowloon that constitutes Hong Kong’s so-called Jade Market. Here, venders hawk everything from jade amulets and jewelry to jade carvings but don’t expect to find high quality jade pieces unless you do a bit of detective work. On the other hand, higher quality jade pieces can be found at the 30 or so branches of the Chow Tai Fook – one of Hong Kong’s best known and reputable jewelers.

Once you have found a trustworthy source to make a purchase, it is important to know a little bit about the stone. Although jade comes in many colors or shades, green is the most popular color and stones with the darkest green hue are considered to be the most valuable pieces. If you wish to purchase a color other than green, then it is important to select a piece with the most intense color. Moreover, clear or semi-clear pieces are also considered to be more valuable and always avoid any jade that has visible cracks or flaws.

In addition, keep in mind that there are three grades of jade:

• Grade A are pieces that are made from pure jadeite and are natural. In other words, they are simply carved and then polished and waxed.
• Grade B are pieces are those that have been bleached with chemicals and hence, they can be more brittle as the bleaching process can leave tiny fractures in the structure of the stone itself.
• Grade C pieces are those that are poor in quality to start with and may have had artificial dyes injected into them. These pieces will likely fade over time and are not worth purchasing.

And remember: the most important thing when purchasing jade is to buy from a reputable source as some jade dealers may in fact be selling dyed quartz passed off as jade.

Keeping the above tips in mind when purchasing jade on your next business trip to Hong Kong will help you make an informed purchase of a stone whose beauty and purity will be prized for generations to come.

Having clothes tailor-made in Asia

One of the benefits of being an expatriate in or having a business trip to Asia is the availability and cost effectiveness of having clothes custom tailored rather than buying off the rack. This is especially true if your trip takes you to Bangkok, Hong Kong and increasingly mainland China. However, with so many tailors to choose from, finding a reputable tailor who will tailor you a new set of clothes that won’t fall apart after the first dry cleaning or wash is always easier said than done.

Hence, here are some of the pitfalls to avoid and some tips to follow when choosing a tailor on your next business trip to Asia:

• First of all, do not just walk into the first tailor shop (especially in tourist districts) you see as their owners and sales people are adept at spotting and seducing foreign tourists.
• Furthermore, NEVER use a tailor recommended by a taxi cab or tuk tuk driver or even a tour guide or hotel staff as they no doubt are receiving a commission on the referral.
• Instead, do research, research, and more research before you arrive. A good source of information for reputable tailors are up-to-date upscale travel magazines that recommend specific shops to visit.
• Furthermore, reputable blogs and travel sites on the internet with customer reviews posted are another helpful source of information. However, many of these sites or customer reviews may be no better than asking that tuk tuk or taxi driver for advice.
• Hence, your best source of accurate and up-to-date information would be to ask where other expats (who are long term residents in your destination) or local business acquaintances as to where they have their clothes tailored (and be sure to drop their names when you go visit the shop so the tailor knows you are not just another visiting tourist).
• Also, completely avoid the shops that are offering deals that just seem to good to be true. Most likely, they are using fabrics that are poor in quality and the quality of the overall tailoring will be low.
• And once you have selected a tailor, be sure that you have enough time on your trip to have alterations made if you are not completely satisfied with the results. A reputable tailor who wants you business (and referrals) in the future will be more than happy to make the necessary alterations to your satisfaction.

And remember: If you are female, choosing the right tailor in Asia can be more daunting as many tailors (in Bangkok for example) are more accustomed to tailoring business attire for men rather than for women. A reputable tailor will turn away your business while a not so reputable one will be more than happy to tailor you that new blouse or outfit but you may not be completely satisfied with the style or fit. Hence, it would be a good idea to ask local female expats where they go to have their blouses and business attire tailored.

Keeping the above tips and pitfalls in mind will greatly aid you when selecting a tailor on your next business trip to Asia.