So you're about to head to Botswana for a few days of meetings. All your bags are packed, you're ready to go. You're standing there outside your door. And you realize: you have no idea what Botswana is like.

[Note: If you'd like to get an idea of what this app is like, check out the free Sampler app, available in the App Store via search term "ridicsampler".]

Sure, you know where you're staying. Maybe you've got a guidebook that says where to visit if you manage to scrape together a few hours of sightseeing. But what's Botswana really like? More practically:

How should you greet your business partners?

If you're invited to someone's house, should you be on time? What sort of gift should you bring? If flowers are OK, what kinds of flowers are appropriate--or inappropriate? Does it matter what color paper is used to wrap the flowers? (hint: yes)

Are there any special considerations for female travelers?
Or female business associates?

What do the electrical outlets look like?

Perhaps most importantly: if you order the seswaa with some magwinya, what on Earth is that going to look like?


Botswana: Business Traveler's Passport is an iPhone/iPad app for business travelers. It contains a hundred pages of information on Botswana, focusing on areas of particular concern to the business traveler. While it does contain a small amount of information on hotels and sightseeing opportunities, these sections are intentionally light. Instead, it has entire sections of information on:

• Botswana Basics: A brief history of Botswana, with some background and historical highlights.
• Country Facts: demographics and other statistical data.
• Doing Business: Greetings & courtesies, meeting protocol, business attire, business entertaining, etc.

• Women: As travelers, are there any special considerations in Botswana? As a businesswoman, are any extra measures needed? How are Batswana women treated in their own country?

• Money: What does the money look like? How much should different service people be tipped, if at all?

• Travel: Visa info, embassy & consulate locations, departure formalities, electrical system, etc.

• Safety: Emergency numbers, notes on street crime, hospital locations, health & medical care

• Points of Interest: Some interesting museums and cultural sites, in case there's time in between meetings.

• City Views: Background on Gabarone, with a handful of hotel descriptions.

• Telephone System: The subtleties of dialing to & from Botswana. There's even a section on how to use the different Batswana pay phones (without needing to speak Setswana).
• Life Cycle: From birth to marriage to old age, what's life like?
• Gift Giving: A few pages on the subtleties of giving personal or business gifts.
• Holidays and Festivals: Solid background on the popular holidays and festivals.
• Religion: Background on Botswana's varying religious climates.
• Superstitions and Folklore: Common superstitions, along with Batswana stereotypes.
• Food and Recipes: Descriptions of common Batswana foods, along with recipes for appetizers, main dishes, side dishes, and desserts, including vegetable stew, potjiekos, morogo, mopane stew, seswaa, and bogobe.

• Terms Dictionary: The official language of Botswana is English, but a handful of words & phrases are provided here in Setswana.

• Embassies: Embassy locations and contact info for the dozen or so countries with representation in Botswana.
  

Being part of the Business Traveler's Passport series means that the app also has easy navigation, editable bookmarks, changeable font sizes, is searchable, and has an array of text & background color choices. If you've got any questions, do drop us a note! Shockingly, we actually enjoy talking to our customers.