Travel Wise: How to Be Safe, Savvy and Secure Abroad [Paperback]

Ray S. Leki (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2008

In an age when an international voyage is as easy as it is unsettling, people need a variety of skills to cope with the unknown. Simple country information is not enough. You need cultural competence as well as a clear understanding of your tolerance for risk. With a solid understanding of your strengths and vulnerabilities you can explore strategies for minimizing risk and maximizing the gain in your travels. Travel Wise combines insight and practical advice to help travelers develop the right attitude, the right training, and the right approach for a successful journey.Used with countless individuals and organizations around the globe, the Travel Wise Model can guide your decision-making. Whether you are in corporate security, international HR, business planning for a corporation or running a study abroad program Leki's seasoned advice will work for you.Essential reading for anyone who carries a passport.-Laurette Bennhold-Samaan, Sr. Manager Global Mobility, Accenture Ltd.Designed for anyone concerned with international travel, this book also provides a series of rehearsed skills that will help even seasoned travelers face a variety of unexpected situations.-Book News Inc., August 2008ContentsForeword by Prudence Bushnell, Former U.S Ambassador to Kenya and GuatemalaIntroduction: A New Way to Look at Travel Safety1 The Travel Wise Model2 The Travel Wise Personal Inventory3 Making Sense of Your Personal and Interpersonal Skills Profile4 Personal Skills: Beyond the Basics5 Making Sense of Your Cross-Cultural Skills Profile6 Security Skills: Beyond the Basics7 Making Sense of Your Security Skills Profile8 Understanding Your Motivations9 Organizational Security10 Putting Your Skills into PracticeSpecial Issues: Managing Students and Young Adults/ProfessionalsAppendix: Information Strategies and ResourcesAbout the AuthorIndex

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Safe, savvy and secure traveling is essential in today's world. Ray Leki draws on his 25 years of international travel experience to show corporate and government employees, as well as the casual traveler, how to assess and mitigate threats and operate successfully in our new and sometimes dangerous cross-cultural world. With humor, insights and hundreds of real-life examples drawn from his own experience, Leki shows us how to cross borders and safely navigate the world. Essential reading for anyone who carries a passport."
--Laurette Bennhold-Samaan, Sr. Manager Global Mobility, Accenture Ltd

"Travel Wise: How to Be Safe, Savvy and Secure Abroad is a most valuable reference book for the experienced as well as the novice sojourner. As an international business professional who has traveled the world for the last 40 years I find author Ray Leki's book to be right on point. It is comprehensive, readable and informative, even for the experienced traveler. His personal and professional experiences come across in a clear and useful manner."
--William R. Sheridan, Vice President-International Human Resource Services, National Foreign Trade Council

"Combining traditional security awareness, cross-cultural, and interpersonal skills with proven emotional intelligence concepts; Ray Leki's Travel Wise Model offers an innovative and relevant primer for 21st century Globe Trotters! Travel Wise is a must-read for novice and seasoned travelers alike."
--David J. Benson Senior Diplomatic Security Special Agent (Retired) Former Director of the Diplomatic Security Training Center

"Travel Wise has a wealth of wisdom and information that will serve experts and novices alike. I use this material in my research, intercultural training programs and graduate courses. I recommend it to all, and thank Ray for doing a great service to the intercultural community."
--Professor Dharm P. S. Bhawuk, Shidler College of Business, University of Hawai`i, Manoa

"Travel Wise provides a holistic, frank and intelligent approach to safe travel and raises the bar for preparation and competency for personal safety and security. No matter your level of travel expertise, Ray Leki presents information to make smart, thoughtful and well-informed decisions."
--Nancy R. Lockwood, MA, SPHR, GPHR, Senior HR professional, researcher and author

About the Author

Ray S. Leki has more than 20 years of experience as a government trainer and program manager, preparing diplomats, employees and families for assignments overseas. An adjunct professor at American University's Graduate School of International Service, Leki began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal and has continued with a variety of assignments in the Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of State. He is widely known in the inetercultural and international security arenas, and is a frequent contributor to professional conferences. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing (June 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931930368
• ISBN-13: 978-1931930369
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #488,694 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Business Travel

More About the Author

Ray is the author is Travel Wise: How to Be Safe, Savvy and Secure Abroad, a professor, and a senior government official. His wide ranging interests include personal and organizational security, trauma psychiatry, cross-cultural communication, leadership and management, and international diplomacy. He is the recipient of the Peace Corps Travel Writer of the Year award and is a popular and sought after speaker at conferences. His custom tailored workshops have helped organizations and countless travelers become more internationally effective and successful.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn from the expert, June 22, 2008

By 

Sandra M. Fowler "Senior Interculturalist" (La Jolla, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Travel Wise: How to Be Safe, Savvy and Secure Abroad (Paperback)

We are about to leave on a month long journey to Eastern Europe,and despite having visited over 50 countries, these are countries we've never visited before like Croatia and Montenegro. This book arrived just in time and it is so worth reading. The Travel Wise Model makes good sense. The Travel Wise Personal Inventory was eye-opening and so useful. Leki explains each question on the survey in terms of its realtionship to safety and security (I learned that they are not the same thing) and how my answers relate to risk assessment. Who could ask for more? Leki also relates emotional intelligence to safe travel abroad giving me a new way to think about intercultural encounters. He is respectful of intercultural experiences and cross-cultural skills and clearly describes those. His examples from personal experience (I found his graphic description of his trek in Nepal with the leeches and stinging nettles engaging while also being rather discomfitting) and the illustrations he used from his vast experience brought his ideas right down to earth. Laurette Bennhold-Samaan says on the cover that this book is "essential reading for anyone who carries a passport." I couldn't agree more!

5.0 out of 5 stars Very practical and easily accessible, June 5, 2011

By 

A. L. Stewart-allen (london) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Travel Wise: How to Be Safe, Savvy and Secure Abroad (Paperback)

This is the book every business and leisure traveler should be issued with their passport, regardless of which country they'll be visiting. Ray Leki's vast experience and anecdotes are terrific, making it an easily accessible read. I hope I never need to use the advice he gives, but if I ever do, at least I'll know it has come from a real expert.