by Mary Stephan
Friday June 19, 2015

There are a myriad of advertisements to entice people to become a travel agent, travel for free, and tap into the billion dollar travel industry. The reality is very different from the hype.

There is more to being a travel agent than printing business cards and having a slick website. Much more. Being a travel agent is work; it’s a job. There is no magic bullet to get clients, no free travel, and certainly no path to instant riches. On top of that, you need ongoing education to ensure you are selling the right products, matching them with your client, and keeping up with changes in hotels and destinations.

Too often I see agents on forums or bulletin boards asking questions because they either don’t know where…

Before we decided otherwise, Barbara and I were once investigating log homes and we did what any investigators might do. We purchased a log home magazine at the supermarket and sent away for all the free stuff that was not nailed down. We began planning our next home.

Send we did. Stuff we got. But here is where today's lesson begins.

I am absolutely appalled at the lack of professionalism shown by the log home industry.  (They do not have the monopoly on this, believe…