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Business Traveller

Challenges Facing Female Business Travelers

Aired November 16, 2003 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER. I'm Richard Quest, this month in Paris.
I'm in the French capital because this is the home of glamour, of French chic and style, the perfect place to bring you a program about women traveling (AUDIO GAP), the challenges they face.

So this month we look at the security issues for women, how to stay safe while you're on the road. And making women feel their best. We go ON THE ROAD with Evelyn Lauder, the woman behind the Estee Lauder empire. And getting away from the guys for some timeout with the girls. Sailing on the Solent (ph) with an all-ladies crew.

When it comes to business travel, you may be forgive for thinking it's a man's world. After all, surely it's mainly male executives checking into male-run hotels and flying on male-run airlines.

Well, I've got news for you. That's the way it used to be, but things have changed. These days, women executives are the fastest growing sector of the market. They're the ones calling the shots, and it begs the question, what's the industry doing to meet their needs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (voice-over): This is how it used to be. He makes the deals, she takes the calls. That's history.

(AUDIO GAP) almost as likely for a female executive to be on the road as a man.

DENIS CAMPBELL (ph), BUSINESS TRAVEL CONSULTANT: Things have been very tough in the business travel market these last few years. The (AUDIO GAP) there are more and more of them traveling. Hotels, car hire companies, need to address their needs.

Women are very discerning buyers. And they will go to those suppliers who meet their needs best.

QUEST: For Jackie Brierton, who's been traveling on business for 20 years, there's only one area of travel that really shows any sign of change.

JACKIE BRIERTON, PROWESS: I think if you look at the hotel chains, for example, we've seen a lot of changes, lots of awareness about women's needs in terms of security, in terms of what we want, in terms of services, et cetera.

QUEST: So women, perhaps more than men, appreciate details which make them feel at home in a hotel. Soaps, magazines, even where the hairdryer is placed, it all makes a difference.

And when it comes to eating, research shows 50 percent of women dislike taking meals on their own in a restaurant or sitting alone in a bar. But the problem is, they don't necessarily want to sit on their bed eating room service.

CAMPBELL (ph): You look at most hotels, most restaurants, they've redesigned the bar areas, so while the barstools are almost there for the sake of tradition, there are comfortable chairs, alcoves, but there's a lot more privacy, so you can sit and have a quiet drink and not feel you're on show.

QUEST: Car hire companies are also starting to realize they need to change. Women like to be walked to their cars rather than wander through a dark car park on their own. And one company Sixt (ph) has even launched a special loyalty card for women. 20 percent of its clients are female and it says the variety of vehicles is what's really important. Women, just like men, want choice.

PETER HADDOCK, SIXT (ph): A lot of people would think that women are hiring smaller vehicles, but that's just not the case. Women in executive positions in particular are actually hiring our larger vehicles, our BMWs and Mercedes.

Most travel companies would recognize this is a picture from the past. As women are traveling more, greater privacy, wider choices, better security, all are on offer, and guess what, this is something men too might appreciate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

A dark street in a foreign city. Of all the issues that differentiate men and women travelers, it is of course security that's No. 1, and for good reason. You're in a new place, you've got work on your mind, and you throw caution to the wind. And I'm not just talking about the obvious stuff, like don't take unlicensed cabs or making sure you don't end up on dark streets like this in the middle of the night on your own.

No, there are plenty of things you may not have thought of, and here are some.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CATHY PACXE (ph), TRAVEL WRITER: They think it's very odd in some countries for women to travel alone, and I don't think there's any point in getting agitated about that. I think you have to accept that there are cultural differences and it's probably easier to be wearing a wedding ring even if you don't normally.

PAULINE YOUNG, AUTHOR: If a hotel said my room number out loud, I would immediately say, "Excuse me, I'd rather you not say that. Can you give me another room number that you haven't (AUDIO GAP).

RICHARD CULVER, INTL. SICIS (ph): Some of the female employees at the hotel have perhaps got reservations because they may give you a (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but speak to some of the female employees that work there and just get a feel from them about the local environment.

PACXE (ph): It's the location at the bar. I think if you're in a bar where people have actually had to make an effort to get up there, you know, at the top of the hotel, rather than in the lobby -- if you're in the lobby, a lot of people can come in and wait, and you don't know who they are. And that can be rather unsettling.

CULVER: Make sure that your cell phone is going to work in the country that you're visiting and have that preprogrammed with essential numbers, both in country, in terms of embassy, hotel, police, fire, all of those sorts of numbers, but also be sure that you have a number outside of the country that you can contact 24/7 in the event that you may run into an emergency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Advice on staying safe while on the road.

And coming up after the break, the woman who makes very women feel at their very best. We go ON THE ROAD with Evelyn Lauder, senior vice president of the entire Estee Lauder empire.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Welcome back to CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER in Paris. And these glamorous surroundings (AUDIO GAP).

When it comes to looking good, there are big differences between men and women. Men, for instance, don't wear makeup unless they work in television, and then it's just a bit of fake tan to give me a healthy glow. Women on the other hand, very different matter. You've got lipstick, foundation, blusher, mascara, and a whole host of things I didn't even recognize.

One woman who has made it her business to help others look good is Evelyn Lauder. She's the female inspiration for the Estee Lauder cosmetics brand, one of the largest in the world. We went ON THE ROAD.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVELYN LAUDER, ESTEE LAUDER: The reasons behind my trip to London were manifold. First of all, I did a personal appearance at (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for a book signing of my book called "An Eye for Beauty" and Elizabeth Hurley (AUDIO GAP). All the money going to the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hospital.

What I like about the travel is the fact that I can get away from the routine and it's a nice change.

What I don't like is the fact that it dries out my skin.

I wouldn't leave a car without my pillow, and that's because I'm allergic to the feathers and so I have my own pillow and my own pillow cases and I have them laundered wherever I go. But I sleep better on my own pillow.

My role in the Estee Lauder company began when I got married 44 years ago and I started out as the training director for the people who were learning how to teach beauty advisors how to sell. Now it's really nice because I am at an age where I've done my time and I have credibility, and when I make a suggestion and it's followed and people say, "My God, that was such a great idea."

The best advice I could ever give to any young woman doing anything, or any young man for that matter, starting out in a new career or a new job, is stay with it and don't give up. If you (AUDIO GAP) just don't give up.

Suddenly, somebody will say, "Oh, I know what that is. Are you that company," and you feel so good (AUDIO GAP).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: ON THE ROAD with Evelyn Lauder.

Now when it comes to traveling, in the old days they had it easy. Look what I found in this antique shop here in Paris. Aunt Bessie had no problems getting around the world with this steamer trunk. There's a place for her cosmetics, even somewhere for her dirty knick knacks. And she didn't have to worry about getting it into the overhead compartment.

It's very different for the likes of you and me.

We want to travel with one of these. And the problem is, how do you fit all of this into this.

Here's some thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE MCALPIN, PACK IT UP: Hi. My name is Anne McAlpin and my business is Pack It Up, teaching people how to pack properly.

Today I sent Richard and Sonia home to pack for a 4-day/3-night trip to Paris. Let's see how they did.

Oh, my goodness. OK. Let's see how we packed.

Oh, my. Lots of shoes. Too many shoes. How many shoes do you have? (AUDIO GAP). I recommend three, total.

How often have you really worked out when you travel?

QUEST: I the last year, once.

MCALPIN: There you have it. OK. Leave it at home.

QUEST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Shampoo and conditioner.

MCALPIN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

SONIA: You seem to like this (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

QUEST: Why don't you use the stuff in the hotel? It's free.

SONIA: It's not very good.

MCALPIN: I agree with you. So I would take my own, but get it in a small travel size, because you only need a little bit of shampoo every day.

OK. So now what we're going to do is actually show you how to pack it properly. So let's start with the shoes on the bottom first. The heaviest items should go down on the wheels. The drycleaner bag over the top of your suit as Sonia did. This will keep the wrinkles to a minimum because when items rub (AUDIO GAP) and get wrinkled.

(AUDIO GAP) makes a great shoe cover (AUDIO GAP) so they don't wrinkle, roll them up inside drycleaner bags as well.

QUEST: You're obsessed by drycleaner bags.

MCALPIN: I am, but they work amazingly.

OK. We've wasted all this space in here. So what are we putting in here? You could put toiletries in here. You can roll up your belts and put them in here. Your ties, you could roll up and put them in a plastic bag and put them in your shoes as well.

OK. So we've repacked your bags and they're much better. You have a lot more room in your bags. Now I'm going to show you how to pack the perfect bag.

This is a compression bag, and you have a one-way air valve on the other side. So the idea is, you can pack three times as much in the same amount of space.

And the tip for packing liquids so they don't leak is to actually full them only 3/4 of the way full with liquid. Squeeze out the air. Screw on the lid. And that makes it airtight so that when the plane reaches cruising altitude, nothing will leak.

Now, here's the real secret. By putting a piece of cardboard in here that I actually covered with contact paper, it actually will be nice and flat, so my clothing now won't get wrinkled. And you just zip it around, and the whole bag is good to go as your carryon bag. There you have it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Now we all have our favorite packing tips that help squeeze everything in and I'd like to hear yours. Send your best advice to the usual e-mail address. It's Quest@CNN.COM. How do you get it all in? And you can read the best advice on our Web site along with other tips for traveling female executives. It's at CNN.COM/BusinessTraveller.

So coming up after the break, time to relax away from the men. We spend a day at sea with an all-girls crew.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: It's a fair bet if you're a traveling executive you've been to places like Paris before and had your picture taken in front of great landmarks of the world, like the Eiffel Tower.

So in our new section, TWO HOURS TO KILL, we're going to show you how to spend that precious free time on the road doing something different and experiencing something new.

This month, of course, something for the women.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN (ph), "ELLE": Hi. My name is Erin (ph). I work for "Elle" magazine in France and I'm going to show you how to have a nice time in Paris.

Time to get your hair cut. The latest thing in Paris is to have it done in a hairdresser's apartment. It's nice here. It's very intimate, so you've got this very homey feeling, as if you're going to have a nice time. Everybody is very welcoming. Everything is very, very intimate, calm, quiet.

After all these business meetings, you're going to have to wind down. One place to do that is the Kenwood Bubbles (ph). The Kenwood Bubbles (ph) is bubbles, the real bubbles. When you walk in here, you absolutely forget everything that is on your mind. You might even forget you have a mind.

After you've had your spa, you might want to have your nails done. This place is called Venus and Mars. This place opened about a year ago. It's all the rage. Men and women can come, which is fairly new in Paris, to share. What's nice about the pedicures and manicures, they've got three themes going on. A Moroccan theme, a Thai theme, and the oriental theme.

Le Bon Marche is definitely the place you want to come shopping. High-end fashions. Great accessories. Very, very French. You can find day-to-day wear to evening wear, everything you want you'll find at Le Bon Marche. They've got a great selection. The buyers have a lot of taste.

You get color, color, color, like this very nice pink coat, pink little dress, which is pretty girly, but you can wear it, you know, at a restaurant in the evening.

Once you've done all of that, you might be hungry and thirsty. This is the place to come. This is the Baccarat House. It opened the beginning of October. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and it's going to be (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: So something different to do if you have two hours to kill. If you've got slightly longer, then get out of the city. Here for example at Sacre Coeur, you can see over 30 kilometers over the Parisian skyline, and then you can really leave the city behind you and go sailing. It's one of the few sports where women can compete on equal terms with men.

Take for example Ellen MacArthur. She can certainly compete with the best in the world.

So for this month's GETTING AWAY, going sailing with the girls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEARA ERDOZAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A beautiful autumn day on England's south coast. A perfect wind, a perfect temperature. There's only one thing missing here.

ANNIE O'SULLIVAN, GIRLS FOR SAIL: OK, ladies, we're going to try to put the main up now. OK, girls, nice and gently.

ERDOZAIN: This is an all-women's sailing trip, organized by Girls for Sail. Annie O'Sullivan started the company three years ago. She now has 2,000 members.

O'SULLIVAN: Ultimately, I really want to see more women enjoy the sport, so I want to encourage more women to sail. I think the sport itself is absolutely fantastic, and I don't think enough people know about it or try it, because I think it's got an elitist kind of feel about it.

ERDOZAIN: Despite the Ellen MacArthurs of this world, sailing is still a male dominated sport. It's not surprising. It demands a great deal of strength. And that's precisely why these women like to sail without the men.

LUCY WOOD: Some of the time they do tend to probably try and dominate some of the more physical jobs. Certainly (AUDIO GAP) or whatever those jobs are, whereas on Girls for Sail, we see everybody gets a chance to do all those things, and that gives you an opportunity to have a more well-rounded sailing experience.

ERDOZAIN: Barristers, managers, high-flying business women, they're all here putting their team building skills from work into practice.

O'SULLIVAN: OK, everybody about. Three, two, one, helm to lee.

I think if you're going to have a successful team, no matter what you do, but particularly sailing, the teams have to be able to be calm at all times. I've never seen a situation where anything other than calm makes you successful. We know if you get irate or shout, that doesn't work. So I think the team members have to be calm. They have to be excellent communicators.

Suzie, you're managing this (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

ERDOZAIN: Sailing is hard graft, much more exhausting than a couple of hours at the gym. But an increasing number of executives and professionals (AUDIO GAP) that's the whole point. They're familiar with it already. They're used to the pressure. They like the hard work. They know how to get the most out of the team. And there's a danger element thrown in as well.

For CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER, I'm Meara Erdozain, sailing on the Solent (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Frankly, this is more my sort of sailing, a gentle cruise along the River Seine.

And that's it for this edition of CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER, looking at the challenges facing the traveling female executive. I'm Richard Quest, in Paris. Wherever your travels may take you, I hope it's profitable. I'll see you next month.

END

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Aired November 16, 2003 - 08:30:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER. I'm Richard Quest, this month in Paris.
I'm in the French capital because this is the home of glamour, of French chic and style, the perfect place to bring you a program about women traveling (AUDIO GAP), the challenges they face.

So this month we look at the security issues for women, how to stay safe while you're on the road. And making women feel their best. We go ON THE ROAD with Evelyn Lauder, the woman behind the Estee Lauder empire. And getting away from the guys for some timeout with the girls. Sailing on the Solent (ph) with an all-ladies crew.

When it comes to business travel, you may be forgive for thinking it's a man's world. After all, surely it's mainly male executives checking into male-run hotels and flying on male-run airlines.

Well, I've got news for you. That's the way it used to be, but things have changed. These days, women executives are the fastest growing sector of the market. They're the ones calling the shots, and it begs the question, what's the industry doing to meet their needs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST (voice-over): This is how it used to be. He makes the deals, she takes the calls. That's history.

(AUDIO GAP) almost as likely for a female executive to be on the road as a man.

DENIS CAMPBELL (ph), BUSINESS TRAVEL CONSULTANT: Things have been very tough in the business travel market these last few years. The (AUDIO GAP) there are more and more of them traveling. Hotels, car hire companies, need to address their needs.

Women are very discerning buyers. And they will go to those suppliers who meet their needs best.

QUEST: For Jackie Brierton, who's been traveling on business for 20 years, there's only one area of travel that really shows any sign of change.

JACKIE BRIERTON, PROWESS: I think if you look at the hotel chains, for example, we've seen a lot of changes, lots of awareness about women's needs in terms of security, in terms of what we want, in terms of services, et cetera.

QUEST: So women, perhaps more than men, appreciate details which make them feel at home in a hotel. Soaps, magazines, even where the hairdryer is placed, it all makes a difference.

And when it comes to eating, research shows 50 percent of women dislike taking meals on their own in a restaurant or sitting alone in a bar. But the problem is, they don't necessarily want to sit on their bed eating room service.

CAMPBELL (ph): You look at most hotels, most restaurants, they've redesigned the bar areas, so while the barstools are almost there for the sake of tradition, there are comfortable chairs, alcoves, but there's a lot more privacy, so you can sit and have a quiet drink and not feel you're on show.

QUEST: Car hire companies are also starting to realize they need to change. Women like to be walked to their cars rather than wander through a dark car park on their own. And one company Sixt (ph) has even launched a special loyalty card for women. 20 percent of its clients are female and it says the variety of vehicles is what's really important. Women, just like men, want choice.

PETER HADDOCK, SIXT (ph): A lot of people would think that women are hiring smaller vehicles, but that's just not the case. Women in executive positions in particular are actually hiring our larger vehicles, our BMWs and Mercedes.

Most travel companies would recognize this is a picture from the past. As women are traveling more, greater privacy, wider choices, better security, all are on offer, and guess what, this is something men too might appreciate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

A dark street in a foreign city. Of all the issues that differentiate men and women travelers, it is of course security that's No. 1, and for good reason. You're in a new place, you've got work on your mind, and you throw caution to the wind. And I'm not just talking about the obvious stuff, like don't take unlicensed cabs or making sure you don't end up on dark streets like this in the middle of the night on your own.

No, there are plenty of things you may not have thought of, and here are some.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CATHY PACXE (ph), TRAVEL WRITER: They think it's very odd in some countries for women to travel alone, and I don't think there's any point in getting agitated about that. I think you have to accept that there are cultural differences and it's probably easier to be wearing a wedding ring even if you don't normally.

PAULINE YOUNG, AUTHOR: If a hotel said my room number out loud, I would immediately say, "Excuse me, I'd rather you not say that. Can you give me another room number that you haven't (AUDIO GAP).

RICHARD CULVER, INTL. SICIS (ph): Some of the female employees at the hotel have perhaps got reservations because they may give you a (UNINTELLIGIBLE), but speak to some of the female employees that work there and just get a feel from them about the local environment.

PACXE (ph): It's the location at the bar. I think if you're in a bar where people have actually had to make an effort to get up there, you know, at the top of the hotel, rather than in the lobby -- if you're in the lobby, a lot of people can come in and wait, and you don't know who they are. And that can be rather unsettling.

CULVER: Make sure that your cell phone is going to work in the country that you're visiting and have that preprogrammed with essential numbers, both in country, in terms of embassy, hotel, police, fire, all of those sorts of numbers, but also be sure that you have a number outside of the country that you can contact 24/7 in the event that you may run into an emergency.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Advice on staying safe while on the road.

And coming up after the break, the woman who makes very women feel at their very best. We go ON THE ROAD with Evelyn Lauder, senior vice president of the entire Estee Lauder empire.

That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: Welcome back to CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER in Paris. And these glamorous surroundings (AUDIO GAP).

When it comes to looking good, there are big differences between men and women. Men, for instance, don't wear makeup unless they work in television, and then it's just a bit of fake tan to give me a healthy glow. Women on the other hand, very different matter. You've got lipstick, foundation, blusher, mascara, and a whole host of things I didn't even recognize.

One woman who has made it her business to help others look good is Evelyn Lauder. She's the female inspiration for the Estee Lauder cosmetics brand, one of the largest in the world. We went ON THE ROAD.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVELYN LAUDER, ESTEE LAUDER: The reasons behind my trip to London were manifold. First of all, I did a personal appearance at (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for a book signing of my book called "An Eye for Beauty" and Elizabeth Hurley (AUDIO GAP). All the money going to the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) hospital.

What I like about the travel is the fact that I can get away from the routine and it's a nice change.

What I don't like is the fact that it dries out my skin.

I wouldn't leave a car without my pillow, and that's because I'm allergic to the feathers and so I have my own pillow and my own pillow cases and I have them laundered wherever I go. But I sleep better on my own pillow.

My role in the Estee Lauder company began when I got married 44 years ago and I started out as the training director for the people who were learning how to teach beauty advisors how to sell. Now it's really nice because I am at an age where I've done my time and I have credibility, and when I make a suggestion and it's followed and people say, "My God, that was such a great idea."

The best advice I could ever give to any young woman doing anything, or any young man for that matter, starting out in a new career or a new job, is stay with it and don't give up. If you (AUDIO GAP) just don't give up.

Suddenly, somebody will say, "Oh, I know what that is. Are you that company," and you feel so good (AUDIO GAP).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: ON THE ROAD with Evelyn Lauder.

Now when it comes to traveling, in the old days they had it easy. Look what I found in this antique shop here in Paris. Aunt Bessie had no problems getting around the world with this steamer trunk. There's a place for her cosmetics, even somewhere for her dirty knick knacks. And she didn't have to worry about getting it into the overhead compartment.

It's very different for the likes of you and me.

We want to travel with one of these. And the problem is, how do you fit all of this into this.

Here's some thoughts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE MCALPIN, PACK IT UP: Hi. My name is Anne McAlpin and my business is Pack It Up, teaching people how to pack properly.

Today I sent Richard and Sonia home to pack for a 4-day/3-night trip to Paris. Let's see how they did.

Oh, my goodness. OK. Let's see how we packed.

Oh, my. Lots of shoes. Too many shoes. How many shoes do you have? (AUDIO GAP). I recommend three, total.

How often have you really worked out when you travel?

QUEST: I the last year, once.

MCALPIN: There you have it. OK. Leave it at home.

QUEST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Shampoo and conditioner.

MCALPIN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

SONIA: You seem to like this (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

QUEST: Why don't you use the stuff in the hotel? It's free.

SONIA: It's not very good.

MCALPIN: I agree with you. So I would take my own, but get it in a small travel size, because you only need a little bit of shampoo every day.

OK. So now what we're going to do is actually show you how to pack it properly. So let's start with the shoes on the bottom first. The heaviest items should go down on the wheels. The drycleaner bag over the top of your suit as Sonia did. This will keep the wrinkles to a minimum because when items rub (AUDIO GAP) and get wrinkled.

(AUDIO GAP) makes a great shoe cover (AUDIO GAP) so they don't wrinkle, roll them up inside drycleaner bags as well.

QUEST: You're obsessed by drycleaner bags.

MCALPIN: I am, but they work amazingly.

OK. We've wasted all this space in here. So what are we putting in here? You could put toiletries in here. You can roll up your belts and put them in here. Your ties, you could roll up and put them in a plastic bag and put them in your shoes as well.

OK. So we've repacked your bags and they're much better. You have a lot more room in your bags. Now I'm going to show you how to pack the perfect bag.

This is a compression bag, and you have a one-way air valve on the other side. So the idea is, you can pack three times as much in the same amount of space.

And the tip for packing liquids so they don't leak is to actually full them only 3/4 of the way full with liquid. Squeeze out the air. Screw on the lid. And that makes it airtight so that when the plane reaches cruising altitude, nothing will leak.

Now, here's the real secret. By putting a piece of cardboard in here that I actually covered with contact paper, it actually will be nice and flat, so my clothing now won't get wrinkled. And you just zip it around, and the whole bag is good to go as your carryon bag. There you have it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Now we all have our favorite packing tips that help squeeze everything in and I'd like to hear yours. Send your best advice to the usual e-mail address. It's Quest@CNN.COM. How do you get it all in? And you can read the best advice on our Web site along with other tips for traveling female executives. It's at CNN.COM/BusinessTraveller.

So coming up after the break, time to relax away from the men. We spend a day at sea with an all-girls crew.

Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: It's a fair bet if you're a traveling executive you've been to places like Paris before and had your picture taken in front of great landmarks of the world, like the Eiffel Tower.

So in our new section, TWO HOURS TO KILL, we're going to show you how to spend that precious free time on the road doing something different and experiencing something new.

This month, of course, something for the women.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIN (ph), "ELLE": Hi. My name is Erin (ph). I work for "Elle" magazine in France and I'm going to show you how to have a nice time in Paris.

Time to get your hair cut. The latest thing in Paris is to have it done in a hairdresser's apartment. It's nice here. It's very intimate, so you've got this very homey feeling, as if you're going to have a nice time. Everybody is very welcoming. Everything is very, very intimate, calm, quiet.

After all these business meetings, you're going to have to wind down. One place to do that is the Kenwood Bubbles (ph). The Kenwood Bubbles (ph) is bubbles, the real bubbles. When you walk in here, you absolutely forget everything that is on your mind. You might even forget you have a mind.

After you've had your spa, you might want to have your nails done. This place is called Venus and Mars. This place opened about a year ago. It's all the rage. Men and women can come, which is fairly new in Paris, to share. What's nice about the pedicures and manicures, they've got three themes going on. A Moroccan theme, a Thai theme, and the oriental theme.

Le Bon Marche is definitely the place you want to come shopping. High-end fashions. Great accessories. Very, very French. You can find day-to-day wear to evening wear, everything you want you'll find at Le Bon Marche. They've got a great selection. The buyers have a lot of taste.

You get color, color, color, like this very nice pink coat, pink little dress, which is pretty girly, but you can wear it, you know, at a restaurant in the evening.

Once you've done all of that, you might be hungry and thirsty. This is the place to come. This is the Baccarat House. It opened the beginning of October. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and it's going to be (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: So something different to do if you have two hours to kill. If you've got slightly longer, then get out of the city. Here for example at Sacre Coeur, you can see over 30 kilometers over the Parisian skyline, and then you can really leave the city behind you and go sailing. It's one of the few sports where women can compete on equal terms with men.

Take for example Ellen MacArthur. She can certainly compete with the best in the world.

So for this month's GETTING AWAY, going sailing with the girls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEARA ERDOZAIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A beautiful autumn day on England's south coast. A perfect wind, a perfect temperature. There's only one thing missing here.

ANNIE O'SULLIVAN, GIRLS FOR SAIL: OK, ladies, we're going to try to put the main up now. OK, girls, nice and gently.

ERDOZAIN: This is an all-women's sailing trip, organized by Girls for Sail. Annie O'Sullivan started the company three years ago. She now has 2,000 members.

O'SULLIVAN: Ultimately, I really want to see more women enjoy the sport, so I want to encourage more women to sail. I think the sport itself is absolutely fantastic, and I don't think enough people know about it or try it, because I think it's got an elitist kind of feel about it.

ERDOZAIN: Despite the Ellen MacArthurs of this world, sailing is still a male dominated sport. It's not surprising. It demands a great deal of strength. And that's precisely why these women like to sail without the men.

LUCY WOOD: Some of the time they do tend to probably try and dominate some of the more physical jobs. Certainly (AUDIO GAP) or whatever those jobs are, whereas on Girls for Sail, we see everybody gets a chance to do all those things, and that gives you an opportunity to have a more well-rounded sailing experience.

ERDOZAIN: Barristers, managers, high-flying business women, they're all here putting their team building skills from work into practice.

O'SULLIVAN: OK, everybody about. Three, two, one, helm to lee.

I think if you're going to have a successful team, no matter what you do, but particularly sailing, the teams have to be able to be calm at all times. I've never seen a situation where anything other than calm makes you successful. We know if you get irate or shout, that doesn't work. So I think the team members have to be calm. They have to be excellent communicators.

Suzie, you're managing this (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

ERDOZAIN: Sailing is hard graft, much more exhausting than a couple of hours at the gym. But an increasing number of executives and professionals (AUDIO GAP) that's the whole point. They're familiar with it already. They're used to the pressure. They like the hard work. They know how to get the most out of the team. And there's a danger element thrown in as well.

For CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER, I'm Meara Erdozain, sailing on the Solent (ph).

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: Frankly, this is more my sort of sailing, a gentle cruise along the River Seine.

And that's it for this edition of CNN BUSINESS TRAVELLER, looking at the challenges facing the traveling female executive. I'm Richard Quest, in Paris. Wherever your travels may take you, I hope it's profitable. I'll see you next month.

END

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