In this economy, businesses are finding it harder to budget sending employees overseas.\u00a0 So, British Airways is offering a contest to help your company out with their “The Face of Opportunity” contest.\u00a0 To enter the contest, you need to tell British Airways how being able to travel overseas to meet clients face-to-face will help your business grow. If they like your answer, you just might win a free international flight for yourself and a business companion.<\/p>\n
To enter, you have to be a member of the British Airways Executive Club, and you have to get your application in before July 31st.\u00a0 If you win, your first stop will be\u00a0 London, where you will be introduced to business leaders and government officials. The next stop? The sky is the limit, as long as British Airways flies there.<\/p>\n
So, start thinking about what a chance to network overseas could mean for your business. And, start thinking about passports for you and your companion if you don’t already have them!\u00a0 Winners will be notified around August 13.\u00a0 Flights depart in September, October and November, which doesn’t leave as much time as you might think for getting passports in order. After all, if you apply for a passport with normal processing, you can expect a wait of at least 6 weeks before it arrives in the mail. If you apply for a passport with the government’s expedited processing, expect to wait at least 3 weeks.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, business travelers who have to travel on short notice can use a private passport expediting company to get a passport quickly. An expediting company will hand-deliver your application for faster processing. With a private company, processing times for passports can be as short as 24 hours or as long as slightly more than a week, depending on your travel needs and the package that you order. Please note that in addition to the normal paperwork,\u00a0 you’ll need a copy of your itinerary<\/a> or a company letter<\/a> explaining why you need your passports expedited.<\/p>\n