Destinations
The three-minute guide to Graz
The capital of green, rolling Styria province is a lively getaway of considerable delight…
— Sydney Morning Herald
Why Your Next European Trip Should Be to Bosnia
After the Bosnian War, it seemed only overeager backpackers traveled to battle-scarred Sarajevo looking for Eastern Europe’s next edgy, rough-hewn frontier. But 20 years later, the country’s green-fringed capital is flush with Ottoman mosques and Habsburg-era cathedrals, not to mention a bazaar worth bringing another suitcase for. Here’s why you should consider a short trip there yourself…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Tours and Activities
In the Mountains of Bolivia, Encounters With Magic
A trek through Bolivia’s dramatic Cordillera de los Frailes reveals the fantastical culture and art of the indigenous Jalq’a people…
— New York Times
Mapped: All the world's 1,031 World Heritage Sites
Which countries punch above their weight when it comes to recognised tourist attractions?…
— Telegraph (London)
The lesser-known Incan trail
With Peru's more famous Inca Trail becoming increasingly overrun, the lesser-known Salkantay Trek is quickly gaining a reputation as both a less-crowded and more strenuous alternative…
— BBC Travel
Cruise
Princess App Wants You to Swipe Right and Other Cruise News
Princess Cruises' "Places at Sea" app features swipe-to-like technology to analyze users' interests and pair them with a fitting selection of cruise destinations, and other cruise news…
— CruiseCritic.com
What to do about lounge chair hogs on cruise ships?
On many cruise ships, guidelines mention a 60-minute rule. If a lounge chair is empty for 60 minutes, staff can remove the towels and belongings so someone else can use it. I've never seen it happen on any ship…
— Miami Herald
Transportation
Road Warriors name their favorite world airlines
When Scott McKain flies Singapore Airlines, the flight attendants don’t just return his jacket to him at the end of the journey. “They wait until you stand and help you put it on,” he says. And that’s why the author and speaker from Henderson, Nev., has named Singapore Airlines his favorite non-U.S. carrier…
— USA Today
Airport aims to use Uber drivers' fingerprints to check past
A battle over background checks for Uber drivers at the world's busiest airport comes as cities like Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, consider more thorough screenings…
— Fox Travel News
Lodging
Quaint and quirky Homestays around the world
One of the things travelers love about vacation rentals is the opportunity to live like a local. Accommodation site Homestay takes that a step further by only offering rentals with a local host on site. This gives travelers access to area expertise, and yields great bargains to boot, including a stay at an organic farm in Thailand for $29 a night or a Polish villa for $23…
— USA Today
The 6 best rooftop rooms
Taking glamping to a whole new level is this "hotel" in Melbourne, which actually comprises upmarket tents atop a city-centre shopping mall. But abandon any thoughts of cold nights in a sleeping bag, because these tipi-style tents are anything but rudimentary. Think queen-sized beds, minibars stocked with local craft beer and breakfast served with barista-made coffee, all against a backdrop of towering high-rises…
— The Independent
10 of the best small hotels in Paris
Alastair Sawday's pick of boutique Parisian hotels offers a touch of chic for those who prefer to avoid big-name chains…
— The Guardian
Other and Odd
10 Things You Won't Learn While Backpacking
Backpacking is the budgeting traveler’s salvation: the freedom of the journey with no extraneous ties to hefty luggage or cemented itineraries. Now I do love a good night’s rest in a fancy hotel or touring a high-ticket site, but I believe every trip can benefit from at least a little backpacking style. Because nothing feels like freedom quite like knowing you’re carrying everything you need on your back, passport in hand, ready to adventure…
— The Huffington Post
Travel advisories: What does 'exercise vigilance' mean?
After the terrorists strike, official government travel advisories usually follow, asking travelers to "exercise vigilance." But what does that mean?…
— CNN
Today in History
The Three Mile Island accident
The infamous Three Mile Island accident occurred near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when main feedwater pumps in a secondary cooling system of a nuclear power plant failed at exactly 4:00 a.m. EST on March 28, 1979. Three weeks before, the movie "The China Syndrome", starring Michael Douglas and Jane Fonda, had depicted a fictional near-meltdown at a nuclear power plant. Now the country was watching reality imitate art…
— Travel Research Online
Editorial Musings
Terror in Brussels—here we go again
by John Frenaye
Monday March 28, 2016
 Last week I mentioned that much of our business is out of our control. Commissions are cut and we are nearly powerless to change that. Shortly after my story was publishing, word began to cross the Atlantic of a terror bombing in Brussels, Belgium. Here we go again.
For those that have never been through an international incident as a travel agency owner, here are some tips. For those that have, consider this a refresher!
Keep calm, but keep…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Selling To Big Companies: Selling is a Contact Sport
 "New ways of thinking and acting are now required for sales success.”
Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath, page 29
Chapter 4: It’s all about making a difference
Note: Don’t let the title fool you. The material in this book pertains to all sales professionals regardless of the intended prospect.
Today’s quote got me thinking and I want to address it today from a different angle…
— Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner
Credentials: Investing in your travel career
by Richard Earls
Sunday March 27, 2016
A large part of your identity as a travel consultant is made up of the credentials you earn over time. The word “credential” comes from the Latin credentialis (giving authority), derived from credentia (trust and/or belief). Credentials are a third-party attestation of competence and skill. Typically, credentials have two sources. The first are the credentials you earn through study and testing, the type of credential that result in certificates from trade associations such as The Travel Institute. The second source for your credentials, of course, is the story that you build through the work you do each day for clients, and you should certainly strive to make those credentials as tangible as a destination specialist designation.
The effort to…
— Travel Research Online
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One-to-One Interviews
Marco Evangelista, Director of Group Sales for Central Holidays
 A native New Yorker with 20 years of living experience in Italy, Marco Evangelista, Director of Group Sales for Central Holidays, started his hospitality career with the Disney company. He moved within the industry, traveling extensively throughout the United States, North Africa, South Africa, and several European destinations.
Travel has always been a passion; hospitality is in the dominant gene in his family, which is almost entirely dedicated to restaurant operations between Italy, France, and the United States.
Joining the sales team as a Director for specialty groups returned Marco to Central Holidays; his original stint began in 1995. He is applying his international cultural experience with newly designed itineraries that focus on the experiential and discovery in all aspects…
— Travel Research Online
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TRO and The Travel Institute Scholarship Program
TRO believes ongoing training is important to the health of the travel professional. Therefore, we have partnered with The Travel Institute to assist travel agents to earn their Certified Travel Associate designation. TRO will be awarding a $100 scholarship to at least one attendee of TRO webinars each webinar. If you want to be considered for the scholarship you need only to register here:
http://www.thetravelinstitute.com/troscholarship/
…and then attend TRO’s webinars. Winners will be selected and notified immediately after each webinar!
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