International travel spotlight: CTM reviews global travel experiences

 

Organizations are getting back to business and traveling internationally again. CTM employees have embraced the opportunity to take to the skies. In this blog, they share their recent international travel experiences and provide useful insights on what business travelers can expect on their next journey.

Kristen Pratt, CTM Vice President, Global Customer Solutions, got back to business travel embarking on an international journey in October 2021, London bound. Kristen says, “the experience was just like riding a bike.”

What was different about your travel post-COVID?

Gratitude. Understanding what losing a slice of freedom is like, I was truly grateful to have it back.  On a business level, I have a new team that was established during COVID-19, with some members who I’d never even met. We never had the opportunity to meet in person and changing that was immensely valuable.

What guidance, tools, or apps were helpful during your travel experience?

Having someone in a foreign country to assist with local knowledge of government guidelines and provide tips is helpful.  I’ve taken two international trips, and I found the United Airlines Travel-Ready Center to be very comprehensive and helpful.

Was there anything that was simple or easier about your experience than you expected?

Getting through London Heathrow airport, both upon arrival and return, was surprisingly easy and I’m sure that having uploaded all the necessary documents in advance was key.

What did you realize you missed most about international travel?

Two things. I missed the downtime that comes with travel. It provided time to decompress. Secondly, while video calls aided connection with colleagues, it just isn’t the same and is certainly less personal.

What message would you want to ensure your fellow travelers take away from your experience as travel opens again?

I think people’s behavior and travel habits will change and that’s not necessarily a bad thing for us as humans or the environment. Travel is necessary for business and personal growth and a few new rules to follow isn’t the end of the world.

 

Mike Kubasik, CTM Global Chief Technology Officer, took to the skies in October 2021 to connect with CTM colleagues in Europe and attend the IATA Digital, Data and Retailing Symposium, Madrid.

What was different about your travel post-COVID?

The standout was the attention to sanitization while traveling. It felt clean and safe at all levels from air to hotel and on the ground. Attention to detail at airport gates made sure travelers were comfortable and understood the processes. Airline apps made the process easy to upload your vaccination card, health forms, and test results, where applicable. Green checkmarks indicated you were good to go for a boarding pass.

What guidance, tools, or apps were helpful during your travel experience?

When booking my trip, utilizing CTM’s COVID Hub tool to check travel requirements, and accessing air and hotel COVID travel features in Lightning (CTM’s online booking tool) was very helpful. And because of my complex multi-stop itinerary, I also leaned on the expertise of our travel consulting team to ensure I was on the right path. The airline app, My Clear App, rail app, Global Entry, and mobile passport for international travel made the process frictionless. Ensure you download the appropriate apps for air, car, rail, and hotels prior to your travel.

Was there anything that was simple or easier about your experience than you expected?

Yes, how everything is tech-enabled and can be done via an app, from the airline process to a digital key at the hotel, to touchless transactions on the train, Uber, or restaurant.

What part of your travel experience felt the most “normal”?

Everything from receiving a boarding pass to boarding, even the in-flight experience felt normal – including ground transport and hotel check-in.

What did you realize you missed most about traveling?

It was the face-to-face interaction, seeing smiles, reactions, and body language. I think business moves at a faster pace with in-person meetings. The value in being able to enjoy a meal and connect on a personal level with colleagues is important.

What travel or cultural experience left the biggest impression?

Each culture, airline, and hotel views mask-wearing differently and has rules or processes in place, so be cognizant of your surroundings. Ask questions.

What message would you want to ensure your fellow travelers take away from your experience as international travel reopens again?

My recommendation would be: don’t be intimidated, it’s like riding a bike. Make sure you prepare in advance. Arrive at the airport earlier than normal to take any stress out of the process. Your vaccination card is as valuable as your passport, make sure you have a digital and the original with you. I used the Clear App as a digital backup. Stay up to speed on changing requirements and call upon your trusted travel partner for up-to-date information.

 

Alexa Perry, CTM Executive Director, Marketing set off in October 2021 to visit CTM’s North American headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, and experienced a “streamlined” trip.

What was different about your travel post-COVID?

I think the sense of the importance of travel – in that we spent so long without it, it was easy to forget how important it is to get on a plane and see someone in-person. It actually made me think back on the majesty of being able to hop inside a metal tube and be transported somewhere else so quickly. Something that is very easy to take for granted.

What guidance, tools, or apps were helpful during your travel experience?

Since I was traveling domestically, I didn’t need to worry about international testing or vaccination requirements. However, America is a big country to “crisscross” around – so many of my flights were connections rather than direct flights. With US airports being extremely busy, there was often a gate change or two as part of this. Having the airline app with push notifications set up was great to track this.

I also used CTM’s own mobile app, CTM Mobile, to access my air, hotel, and car rental all in place. It was reassuring to just pull up one app and have my confirmation information for each step in my process spelled out for me, rather than sourcing it from many different places or digging around my email for a confirmation number. CTM’s in-house travel manager was also apprised of any changes while I was in the air (she let me know she saw a layover change, for example, and checked in on me to see how it was going). CTM’s Lightning booking tool also let me easily book it all at once pre-trip, and then pushed those reservations straight to the app for use on the go.

Was there anything that was simple or easier about your experience than you expected?

Security lines were actually fairly streamlined, which surprised me. I think people are getting used to flying again, and so there are fewer folks confused about the rules or taking more time at security. I also have TSA Pre-Check here in the US, which I’d recommend for pretty much anyone flying today. I saw a statistic recently that 95% of TSA PreCheck members waited less than 5 minutes in security lines. I almost DON’T want to tell people because it’s such a great “secret” way to get through security in just a few minutes.

What did you realize you missed most about traveling?

Those little moments of connections with strangers. I’m not usually a talker on flights but I found myself making friends with my seatmates – one flight I sat next to a pilot, another a Wounded Warrior, another a college student on her very first plane trip. Those moments of personal connection are why we fly.

What travel or cultural experience left the biggest impression?

On my trip to CTM’s North American headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska I had the life-changing experience of eating cheese curds, a delicacy in the US Midwest that this East Coaster had never tried. But in seriousness, the reminder that we travel for those little experiences of other cultures and to get to know one another’s way of life – even if it’s just from the East Coast to the Midwest.

 

Nicole Wilcock, CTM Vice President, Global Agency Partnerships, embarked on her first international trip flight post-COVID-19 in September 2021, reflecting on the notion of “you don’t know what you have got until it is gone.”

What guidance, tools, or apps, were helpful during your travel experience?

I’m based in the UK so the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office was a good source. I also cross-checked with the local government and airline requirements. The NHS vaccination app was very useful for proving status; but to be honest, I printed everything out just in case my phone failed me.

Was there anything that was simple or easier about your experience than you expected, perhaps even ‘normal’?

It was a welcomed surprise that the airport and onboard experience were much the same. Heathrow was more streamlined and I used the e-gates as normal.

What did you realize you missed most about traveling?

The impromptu conversations and genuine connections. Teams and Zoom are very impersonal often making it hard to read body language, misunderstanding the context of conversations, and let’s not forget technical difficulties. In-person meetings are far more important for building relationships or negotiating cultural barriers when it is not your first language. Sharing something as simple as a meal or drink together can break down barriers far more effectively than any online communication ever could.

What travel or cultural experience left the biggest impression?

How different the regulations are in each country. Germany and Italy required masks in all inside spaces as well as proof of vaccination. On the flip side, Poland was relaxed and not too dissimilar to the UK.

What message would you want to ensure your fellow travelers take away from your experience as travel opens again?

It is worth embracing the changes to make personal connections again. I would also encourage people to rethink the length of their trip – do longer trips to reduce carbon footprint rather than shuttling back and forth every other week. More purposeful travel is better for our mental health and the environment too.

 

Shelley Mathews, CTM General Manager Sales – Europe, visited Glasgow during October 2021 finding her travel experience very “normal” with a positive experience of people being more considerate of others.

What was different about your travel post-COVID?

In all honesty, the whole experience has felt very normal, I think everyone has just become a bit more conscious and considerate of other travelers.

What did you realize you missed most about international travel?

It was amazing to be flying for work and meeting people in person. Oh, how I have missed it. You really can’t replace personal connections.

What message would you want to ensure your fellow travelers take away from your experience as travel opens again?

I think the biggest thing when you travel is being organized. Have the necessary forms completed and be prepared – the airport staff will ask you questions (they are just doing their job, have patience), and having all the information to hand will take any anxiety away and ensure your trip runs smoothly.

 

Marlon Davey, CTM Head of Regional Sales, Asia, headed off on a “workcation” in October 2021, feeling “lucky” to be taking to the skies again.

What was different about your travel post-COVID?

It was a bit more emotive than usual. There was noticeably less people and more organization needed pre-trip (i.e., printing the vaccination certificate). It was bittersweet that I had rows to myself except on the Phuket – Bangkok flight which was full and was basically back to normality.

What guidance, tools, or apps were helpful during your travel experience?

For returning to Singapore, use the Safe Travel Concierge website, this gives you a checklist of what you need. Just be organized, and even though we’re in 2021, print your documents as it speeds up the airport experience. Use the Facebook group “Travelling in and out of Singapore” as many questions are answered there. Your airline will also help on that. I confirmed exactly what documents I’d need to present at check-in in Singapore to enter the Thailand “Sandbox” scheme.

Was there anything that was simple or easier about your experience than you expected?

Arrival, it was no different in terms of timing in both Singapore and Phuket, everything was organized, and you are guided at every stage. It was actually easier because you don’t have to look at any signs.

What travel or cultural experience left the biggest impression?

Arriving in one of my favorite countries in the world, greeted by the welcoming Thai hospitality. It was also good to see Thailand ramping up given the country depends heavily on travel and tourism. Having only joined CTM in January 2020, it was a wonderful experience traveling to meet a client in person. It was a great experience.

What message would you want to ensure your fellow travelers take away from your experience as travel opens again?

Don’t put travel off. If you have everything in order it’s easy. Also, right now is the most difficult that it will be. If you are looking at traveling into Europe, in most countries all you’ll need to show is your vaccination status.