My colleague is the one who does the traveling these days, but the bulk of the recent effort has gone to Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, and France over the past couple of years. Apparently we're able to do things for less cost/risk/something than their local talent.

I find it takes me about 5 minutes to generate a message in email, whereas it would take me 30 minutes to communicate the same information by voice. Writing forces one to congeal one's thinking and reduce what might look like lots of handwaves to just a few paragraphs. Further, one can read a message several times in order to discern its precise meaning, while that goes away immediately as a conversation progresses.

If I take time to compose an email and attach the requisite illustrations and documents, a lot more information is communicated than if I pick up the phone.

Aside from that, if they ask me, I simply tell them I'm wearing a white shirt and blue necktie, when, in reality, I'm sitting there in my underwear, having let my beard grow for a week or more.

RE