I do a lot of traveling. I mean more than most but not quite as much as George Clooney in the Hollywood film “Up In The Air”. I am constantly in conversations with people who are doing business all over the world. They fly about from country to country.  They work for multinational companies. They often have to travel to the same cities several times a year with their jobs.

They want to be intentional as they travel and do business abroad. They do not simply want to go on a trip to do their business and see a few sites. I know one businessperson who is what I would call an “Intentional Traveler.”

Take a look at some of the things he does to be purposeful and intentional with his trips:

• He stays at the same bed and breakfast each time in Paris. He plans ahead to be sure the owners of the hotel can spend one evening with him.
• He frequents the same restaurants and goes to the same news stand each morning to get his paper.
• He goes to the same coffee shops.
• He makes sure to spend time with people from his national company. He goes out to eat with his co-workers. He gets to know them as well as possible.
• He is trying to learn the language in order to communicate better in that country.
• He is meeting other Christians and Christian workers to develop his network there.
• He tries to make the most of his opportunities and if the Lord opens the doors for deeper conversations then he is ready.

Do you travel internationally? Do you travel frequently? Can you think of some practical things you can do on your next trip to be more intentional?

By Larry McCrary