Stay in touch, even on exotic vacations

I'm back from my longest overseas vacation in 10 years -- 15 days in Greece -- and I can honestly say that I was able to relax and not worry about my business thanks to two things: a good staff and technology.

You'll have to take care of the staff part, but I can tell you about some technology that will make your next international trip more worry-free.

If you're like most small business owners or managers, it's often difficult to get away without spending an hour or so each day tending to matters back at the world headquarters.

The key to international travel is the Internet. It's global. With that in mind, I use lots of Web-based services so that I don't have to be in the office -- or the country -- to manage my business.

I make all purchases online, manage bank and credit card accounts, use an Internet payroll service to direct-deposit paychecks, and check e-mail, faxes and voice mail all via the Web.

The Internet may be worldwide, but access isn't always. If you travel in tourist areas, there are Internet cafes and wireless hot spots abound.

Off the beaten track, access can be a challenge. At our boutique hotel in Athens, "free Internet access" meant that the clerk gave guests the phone number, user name and password for the hotel's dial-up account to use on their laptops.

In my father-in-law's hometown of 5,000 on the coast in southern Greece, the only Internet access was a single terminal in a tavern off the town square.

Haralambos, the young proprietor, and I became close friends during our three day visit.

Telephone communication overseas can be difficult, because most of us aren't familiar with International dialing procedures. Beyond that, most U.S. cellular services don't work in other countries.

The most reliable mode of telephone communication is to get an International calling card. With cards, calls to the U.S. are 20 cents per minute or less.

The knock on calling cards is they are cumbersome. You have to dial an international toll free number and enter long codes before you dial the U.S. number.

An international cell phone is convenient, but expensive. Check with your cell provider for international coverage. T-Mobile and Cingular are popular choices of globe-trotting BlackBerry users.

If your provider doesn't offer International service, there are plenty of places to rent or buy international cell or satellite phones.

I bought a global cell phone from Mobal for $99 (www.mobalrental.com) and paid $1.50 per minute to call the U.S. It's a British number, but it works in 160 countries. I was pleased with the service.

You can rent international cell phones for about $60 a week with similar calling rates, if you don't want to buy.

Satellite phones are more expensive to rent and cost up to $4 per minute to use, but they work in remote areas and on cruise ships where there isn't cellular coverage.

For the technologically adventurous, there are Web-based Internet telephone services and Internet Protocol telephones. My brother, who lives in London, swears by Skype (www.skype.com). It allows him free, Web-based calls to other Skype users and discounted rates to call regular phones.

I brought along a so-called "soft IP phone" to use on my laptop. Calls to the U.S. were free, but in many places the Internet connection was so poor it didn't work well.

Web-based e-mail access is a no-brainer these days.

Most Web-host companies offer it. If yours doesn't, consider setting up a free account with Yahoo, Hotmail or Google to use while on vacation.

For e-mail and voice mail, I always recommend setting up a vacation message to notify users you are out of town.

Even if you can reply, you may not be able to do so in a timely manner, due to time differences.

Remote access to your network is a bit trickier. Many businesses have virtual private networks for remote users. If your network doesn't have a VPN, consider a service.

I use GoToMyPC (www.gotomypc.com). For $20 per month, I can remote-control my PC via the Web. It's simple to set up and use and it's reasonably fast.

Of course, if you take electronic gizmos overseas, you'll need to bring along an electrical adapter (most foreign plugs are different) and converter (most foreign power is different). Universal adapter/converter kits are available for $30 at many department stores.

With a little preparation and technology, you'll be able to get away from your office on your International trip, and stay connected. For small business owners and managers, that's a great vacation.