I had a great evening with my team in Mumbai.  We met after work at a restaurant called Global Fusion.

It was a nice selection of food and deserts, but the company was the highlight.  It is wonderful to meet people in person who you have been working with via email and phone for some time.  You get to see how the team interacts together, and the individual personalities of each person.

It was a nice interaction, and worth the trip just for this one reason.

Ok. I made it to Atlanta to meet my colleagues. I had a couple hours to kill at the airport so I enjoyed a Cuban sandwich at a little place in the concourse. Leaving for Paris airport soon, before catching final plane to Mumbai! 

This should be quite an adventure. I can
hardly wait to meet everyone I have been working with the past year!

Business class rules!

What am I bringing with me on this trip?  I normally travel a couple hours to the same office locations inside the United States, so this is a big jump for me.  I like to travel light, but when planning for a couple weeks in another country, it seems like I should spend a little effort on this!

First, I think I should list out some of the things that I have read that concern me:

• Food – The food there will be different from what I normally eat, and there could be some “issues” according to some travelers.  I am adventurous and like different types of food, but I also have to be presentable and productive in an office environment, so some caution might be wise.
  • My solution:
    • I will eat locally at reputable-looking busy restaurants, and I will bring a few items from home to make sure I have some familiar and soothing things in case I need to dial-back my food adventures for a day or two during the trip. Instant oatmeal packs are light, cheap and easy to prepare, so I will bring some of those to keep a morning routine that is familiar most days.
    • I will bring some protein bars which will give me something mellow but nourishing if I need to not eat local for a day or so.  I am confident that I can find a banana or similar items locally to supplement these backup plans.
  • Water:  Drink bottled water brands I know, purchased from reputable places, like my hotel.
  • I will carry some Pepto type tablets to soothe stomach issues, just in case.
• Clothing –
  • For working days, I will be in a business environment, so I am guessing that my normal office clothes will be OK.
  • For weekend and sight seeing, I think casual pants will be fine but not shorts to avoid mosquito bites.  Still, I might opt to not wear blue jeans and sneakers, in a hope to blend in a bit with locals.  I am thinking cotton or linen pants, maybe some light weight chinos for non-working days.
  • I am not going to bring that much with me.  I like to travel light, and I can buy clothes if I see something I like, or I can get clothes laundered at hotel.
• Security –
  • I will be accompanied most of the time by team mates from the company that is hosting me in India, so not much to worry about generally.
  • Still, some precautions might be good.  I will probably lock my passport in the hotel safe if it looks sturdy to me.  If not, I will carry on my person in a deep pocket or hidden neck pouch perhaps, under my shirt.
• Electronics-
  • Cell phone will be set for roaming, so that should be good…hopefully it works well.
  • Work laptop – I need this, for obvious reasons.
  • Personal devices – I am always doing things online, and I have a great MacBook Pro that I use daily.  I would be very sad to have replace such an expensive device if damaged or stolen during the trip, so I am leaving it at home.  I should do more looking around in person than online while in India, still  I cannot quite cut the cord.  So I acquired a very nice little ChromeBook in case I need to do something.  I have found this beautiful little device will let me go online, terminal into a server if needed, and even access a MySQL database if an issue pops up that I need to address.  All for under $200 and about 2 hours of setup time to find all the tools I might need, and set them up!  If it gets damaged, I could replace it cheaply.

I think that is enough planning for now…please check back for updates and the next chapter!

My employer has asked if I am willing to travel to India.  I have a development team there.  Meeting them would be nice.  Still, I am not an experienced world traveler, so I have some doubts.

There is a lot of planning and paperwork to do, even if my employer points me to the proper procedures and places to help.  Here is a short list of the main steps needed to prepare:

• Get a passport if you need one!  Actually, this was probably the easiest step.  I had to run to the drugstore to get a passport photo, fill out the application, and go to the post office to send it in, but not too hard.  I had my passport in less than 3 weeks, because I chose expedited processing.
• Talk to your doctor about what shots and medicines you should take in preparation for your trip.  For me, I ended up getting the following vaccination/medicines:
  • Hepatitis – Accelerated vaccination schedule, one shot per week for four weeks
  • Typhoid – one pill every other day for 4 doses
  • Prescription for Malaria prevention – start taking 2 days before trip, every day during, and for 7 days after returning
  • Z-Pack or equivalent prescription to be taken in case it is needed during the trip
  • Over the counter Pepto or equivalent tablets for mild stomach issues
• Start visa process.  For my trip, I needed:
  • an invitation letter from the hosting company in India
  • Fill out online application
  • Send all the stuff in to be processed. I highly recommend using a service such as VisaLady.com to help get things done.
• Book the trip
• Check your phone plan or company provided cell phone plan for details about international roaming
• Are you taking a work laptop?  Do you need any approvals from your security department to transport and use the laptop?

All these steps are done now, so next I will look up what items I might want to bring with me!

Please check back for next edition soon!