New database: The Global Road Warrior

No (perhaps unfortunately), this new database in our collection has nothing to do with Mel Gibson or his famous role as "Mad Max" in the movie The Road Warrior, nor does it chronicle the professional wrestling career of "Hawk" and "Animal", known first as "the Road Warriors" and later as "The Legion of Doom."

However, if you aspire to be a "road warrior" yourself as an international traveler, especially if you're interested in international business, then you may find this resource very helpful.

The Global Road Warrior claims, a trifle immodestly, to be "the ultimate guide to the world." You may have to be the judge of that yourself. Certainly, the site is very easy to navigate. Search for any nation on the planet and find information on a variety of topics: communications (including area codes, cellular providers and postal service information), climate, money and banking (including exchange rates), travel essentials (customs, immunizations, et cetera), health and medical, transportation, culture (divided into social and business sections), security briefings and more.

(I particularly found interesting the section specifically targeting issues for the female business traveler, from suitable attire to personal safety and business strategies. Is it still a man's world? Well, some areas of the world do present their own unique challenges, but for the most part it seems foreign businesswomen are well treated--often accorded a higher status than the country's female citizens).

As I said, the site is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. It's an interesting blend of hard facts (check out its demographic statistics) and practical (if subjective) advice for the traveler. Its city-specific data is limited (the section on the United States, for example, included information on only Chicago, New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC, and when I clicked on the Top 10 "Do Not Miss" destinations for the country, they were all in Miami. I can only assume that this is a work-in-progress, and the database will be updated with more information).

Check it out, and let us know what you think! I'm going to go back to planning my fantasy vacations now. I wonder what the exchange rate is like in Jamaica right now...)