by John Frenaye
Monday October 26, 2015

The news was bad—a major hurricane, Patricia, was headed toward Puerto Vallarta. Then it got worse. It was the largest, most powerful hurricane ever recorded (according to some reports) in the Western hemisphere. The tourist areas along Mexico’s Pacific Coast prepared for the worst. Airports were closed. Guests were evacuated from resorts. Electricity was pre-emptively turned off in preparation of the devastation to come. And when it finally made landfall…

Ehh… not so much!

I am not sure why, but there seem to have been a lot of storms lately that have had the potential to be lions; yet in reality, they are mere mice. Perhaps it is the media hype. Perhaps it is global warming. Perhaps it is just Mother Nature’s way of keeping us on…

80/20 Rule – This rule is uncanny in its effectiveness. It implies that 80% of your profit originates from 20% of your client base. What does this mean to you as far as Customer Service goes? Plenty.

1.6% Rule – This is a rule I founded myself resulting from a little math following the Winter Olympics a few years back (Nagano, Japan). The difference between a gold medal winner in the men’s downhill and the seventeenth place finisher was less than 2% in time differential. In a race that takes 1 min and 30 seconds (90 seconds) that isn’t much difference between first and seventeenth place.

This rule can influence your future. To be really good at what you do doesn’t mean you have to be…

by Richard Earls
Sunday October 25, 2015

From earliest childhood, we are taught to listen to stories. We develop a real, active interest in the lead character of a tale. No doubt some people tell stories better than others. But the one story you should spend time writing and polishing is your own. Why are you in travel? What do you do? How do you do it? Have you ever had a really special moment traveling? What was it? Is that why you are a travel agent? Did you travel with your parents? Why do you think people should travel?

The process of thinking through your own story, of putting it together in a narrative form, will help you to better articulate and express your…

As a 20-year plus travel Industry career veteran Jen Duckworth has worked on both the supplier and agent sides of the business in the roles of Agent, Manager, Sales Representative, Ticketing Specialist, Corporate Agent, and now Special Services Manager.

Her path in the travel industry started in the early 1980’s with an OAG and a Res Card. From those early beginnings at a local agency she moved to a bigger player, American Express, and was one of the first 50 persons asked to service a new product by the name of the Platinum card. That brand had only a vision, and her team developed the rules as the product evolved.

Jen then opened the Western Regional Office for…