As the budget for this project is limited to 25.000$, an intense travel preparation is required. To maximize the efficiency of our project, we will now take a closer look at the requirements of travel and budget for the country investigation.

Climate
According to the climate information about Dar Es Salaam, the local climate is characterized as tropical and temperatures vary by only 4.1 degrees throughout the year. There are two major rain periods from March to May and from November until December, so we will look into a travel plan between June and October to avoid travel discrepancies such as flooded roads and to keep our heads and clothes dry.

Visa
A visa is required to enter Tanzania. For our project, we require the Single Entry Business visa, which is valid for 90 days and can not be extended. The visa can be requested online here. The processing takes around 10 business days and the price amounts to around 320 NZD per person. Several document copies are required for the application process, including a cover letter stating the purpose of visit to Tanzania. I will prepare this letter until the end of next week.

Health & Safety
Our HR policy requires us to do a thorough Health & Safety risk analysis before going abroad for a longer period of time. Taking precautions based on the results of this analysis will guarantee an uninterrupted project realization and help to reduce the travel risks for the affected employees.
I understand that OCHO has an automated request process for business travel insurance, which makes our job a lot easier.
However, the living conditions of African countries are very different from ours and we need to be prepared to avoid unpleasant surprises.

On the website smartraveller.gov.au I found following important information regarding Health aspects that we should consider:

• The country has limited medical facilities and medicine is scarce. In case of illness, evacuation to another country may be necessary.
• The danger of being infected with Malaria is present year-round and a single sting from a mosquito is enough to get infected, which is why bringing anti-malarial medication is crucial.
• Yellow fever can occur.
• HIV/AIDS is widespread, so precautions should be taken to avoid infection (i.e. immediately bandaging an open wound).

I scheduled an appointment with a health professional for my travel companion and I on 20th April, 9:00am. He will provide advice and recommendations about necessary vaccines, medicine and precautions before our journey.

The same website provides essential safety aspects relevant to our project. They warn that violent armed robbery, petty theft and threats of violence are very common in Dar Es Salaam. Bag snatching from vehicles is to be expected and in worst cases, victims may be injured or killed, which is why it is advised not to resist bag-snatch attempts. This might prove to be difficult, as defending own property is a natural instinct. I therefore suggest that HR should schedule a training for us to ensure we are adequately prepared for these kinds of scenarios.
It is also recommended to only use registered taxis, as criminals target travelers using unlicensed ones. Risk of credit card fraud is also common in Tanzania, which is why it is essential for us to always keep our credit card in sight and not use ATMs on the street, but in banks or hotels. And last but not least, swimming is also off the table as going for a dive in lakes and rivers entails the risk of an animal attack or waterborne disease, which is not further classified.

Flight
Let us summarize: We limited the visit time frame from June to October due to the climate and we found that the visa duration for our project visit is limited to 90 days. But is a 90-days business trip really necessary? The answer is YES, as we should gain a deeper understanding of the local market conditions, especially in regards to chocolate. Furthermore, it is essential that we get to know cultural norms to learn about the local consumer behaviours and expectations, and we also need to build relationships with potential business partners such as wholesalers, retailers, media channels and even the competition for potential future collaborations. Building lasting relationships is crucial for our market expansion and is not simply achieved after one or two meetings, but requires commitment to meeting regularly over a longer period of time. To diminish subjective bias and for security reasons, I suggest to send two people out for a business trip of three months.

Taking these considerations into perspective, I looked for flights from June to September. I researched several travel agency websites like WebJet, Trivago and Skyscanner for flights from Dunedin to Dar Es Salaam and concluded that the tickets were within a price range from 5,000 to 5,500 NZD for two people, Business Class. Here is a suitable example for one of the cheaper flights that we can book for two at a price of 5,130 NZD in total.

Emirates´ Baggage Allowance is 32kg (one suitcase) of luggage and 7kg cabin baggage per person, which is sufficient for casual as well as business clothing for our stay without the need for an upgrade. Talking about our baggage, other items besides clothing and our work equipment that we should not forget to pack are:

• A good stock of business cards (I would suggest around 200), to hand them out to our business partners for a professional appearance.
• Samples from our products, to give our clientele the opportunity to taste what they´re signing up for and because…

“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”

THE PRINTWICK PAPERS

• For our safety, a first-aid kit and essential medicine should be packed, such as pain killers, anti-diarrhoeal agents (Let´s hope we won´t be needing these ones!) and anything else our GP recommends for our travels.

To avoid the risk of a climb in ticket prices, I would usually suggest booking the flight right away. However, with the present uncertainty of the development the COVID-19 virus, I recommend we wait until the end of May to book this flight and consider the chance of a rise in the cost of at least +20% – Better safe than sorry! The return ticket should also be booked as a flex, in case the country or city goes on lockdown and there is no point in us staying there.
I recommend we take an airport shuttle from Airport Shuttles Dunedin to catch the flight. In Tanzania, the hotel mentioned below can organize a pick-up from the Dar Es Salaam airport. We should call them a week before our flight to get that sorted.

Accommodation
As we offer premium quality products, we should make sure to choose accommodation that fits what our company stands for. By doing so, we will not lose face with our clientele if they ask about our place of stay or if they offer us a ride home.
As this is a business trip, it is important for us to maintain a normal workplace routine for maximum productivity and to achieve that, there are a few criteria we should consider when selecting a hotel option:

• A stable internet connection in the lobbies as well as in our bedrooms with no daily data restrictions is essential for us to carry out our project.
• The hotel should also offer adequate workspace for us, such as a desk in the bedroom or even give options to book meeting rooms or at least meeting pods in their common areas.
• Another criterion to consider is proximity, as traveling from and to the hotel can be a hassle. The accommodation should be centrally located to save travel time and enable us to use public transport. An additional bonus for living in the center of a town is that we will get the best insights into the culture by staying in the heart of Dar Es Salaam.
• As we won´t have much time (or the necessary skills) to cook for ourselves, it could be beneficial to look for a hotel that offers healthy and nutritious meals. We won´t want to waste time in the morning to go looking for a place to have breakfast at, so reliable room service and breakfast buffet options should definitely be included.
• This one is rather optional, but to maintain our regular exercise schedule and remain physically fit, fitness facilities on site would be nice to have.

As expected, it was impossible to find a 5-star hotel that fulfills all criteria, but when browsing through websites that offer hotel room bookings online such as hotel.com and booking.com, I came across this offer from a 3-Star Hotel located in the center of the city that I found suitable for our project:

They offer a two-bedroom apartment with free, unlimited WiFi all around the hotel, including daily continental breakfast for 4,270 NZD per month, which will add up to a total of 12,810 NZD for our entire stay. Both bedrooms include a desk each, so we will have an individual space to work from.
The hotel features an à la carte restaurant and offers its customers a 24-hour front desk service, so we always have someone to contact if we are in need of advice or help. According to the website, business travellers rated the hotel 8.4/10 for work-related trips. Special services such as daily housekeeping, trouser press, ironing service, laundry and dry cleaning are included in this offer, which will enable us to meet our business partners crinkle-free. For an additional charge, we can also host our business partners by booking a meeting room within the hotel.
All facts considered, this accommodation option fulfills 4 out of 5 criteria I set before the search and I therefore strongly suggest booking it right after the confirmation of the flight tickets. Just in case anything does not go according to plan, they offer free cancellation before 6pm on 16th June.

Total Estimated Travel Budget
Now lets summarize all of our travel costs:

• Business Visa for two – 640 NZD
• Flexible two-way flight tickets – 5,130 NZD
• Shuttles from / to the airport (both countries) – 100 NZD [estimate]
• Accommodation incl. breakfast – 12,810 NZD
• Monthly living costs (without rent) in Dar Es Salaam for 3 months, 2 people – 4,860 NZD
  
  This amounts to an anticipated total of 23,540 NZD, leaving us with a bit reserve for booking meeting rooms in the hotel, inviting our business partners for dinners or other expenses that might be required. In case there are clear indicators that the market entry will not be successful for OCHO, the hotel´s policies and our flexible flight ticket will allow us to prematurely cancel our trip for a small fee.

Around two weeks before we get started with our travels to Dar Es Salaam, I suggest we watch this video that explains DOs and DONTs we should be considering within the country. This lovely lady also teaches a few words in Swahili and as the locals are very keen on strangers who go the extra mile and speak a bit of their language, knowing and using these might give us a few bonus points from the get go.