Destinations
36 Hours on the Amalfi Coast
In a 1953 Harper’s Bazaar essay, John Steinbeck drew back the curtain on Positano, most likely changing the course of history for the most picturesque town on the Amalfi Coast. This romanticized 30-mile stretch of Italian coast on the southern edge of the Sorrentine Peninsula still impresses with cliffs towering above pebbled coves and villages hugging improbably steep slopes…
— New York Times
The new face of Bordeaux: Famous French food and wine reimagined
Mention your travel plans include Bordeaux, and visions of the vinous world’s equivalent of sugar plum fairies start dancing in heads: fabled chateaux, expensive wine, lavish dinners. These attributes helped define the city as a luxury destination, but according to locals, the weight of all that grandeur pressed the centuries-old epicenter of French wine commerce into a culturally static state…
— USA Today
A landscape carved with legends: Discover Ireland's literature and history in County Sligo
Ireland is a nation of storytellers, and few regions are as steeped in literature and history as County Sligo. It's a place of ancient cairns and a warrior queen, where 2,000 monks died defending a book - and where Yeats drew inspiration for his influential poetry…
— Globe and Mail
Tours and Activities
Happy Earth Day! 6 places to celebrate in California this weekend
Earth Day is officially marked every April 22. Here are six things to do that can help connect you to the outdoors and put you in a planet-loving mood…
— LA Times
Travel guide to... Gourmet Italy
There's no such thing as "Italian food". In Italy, arguably more than anywhere else in the world, food is supremely site specific, which makes for a great excuse to get out, explore and eat. From the infinite varieties of sun-ripened grapes and grains that carpet the country's hillsides, to the olive trees and pungent, often priceless tubers that have, for centuries, taken root in its rich red soils, produce here paints a very detailed culinary map of Italy's mainland, and seafood-blessed beaches and islands…
— The Independent
On the trail of Gertrude Bell and Turkey's hidden beauty
Gertrude Bell was one of Britain’s most extraordinary women – an explorer in the late 19th and early 20th century, a great linguist, an archaeologist, a writer, a mountaineer ... Between the first and second world wars she was better known than Lawrence of Arabia, yet today few people are aware of her. She’s best known for her travels in Syria and Iraq – but she travelled extensively in Turkey, too, and I’ve been following in her footsteps there…
— The Guardian
Cruise
Cuba to Lift Ban for Cuban-Born Cruise Ship Passengers, Clears Way for Fathom
As of April 26, 2016 Cuba will lift a ban on Cuban-born people entering and leaving the country by cruise ship, clearing the way for Fathom to begin sailing as scheduled on May 1. A statement aired on state-run media, and confirmed by Carnival Corporation, said that Cuban citizens would be authorized "independently of their migratory status to enter and leave as passengers and crews of cruise ships."…
— CruiseCritic.com
Fashion, wellness: New themed cruises for 2017-18
Hapag-Lloyd's luxury Europa 2 will be presenting some new cruise-itinerary formats in the 2017-18 season, including cruises themed on fashion, art, contemporary issues and wellness, which will include Far Eastern relaxation techniques such as yoga and shiatsu…
— Sydney Morning Herald
Transportation
The 21 Worst People You Always See At The Airport
The airport can feel like a terrible place. While we love going on vacation, having to wait in an airport is the worst. If the long lines, awful food and close-quarters weren’t bad enough, then the other passengers breaking the rules and hogging seats are…
— The Huffington Post
Air India Flight Forced to Land After Rat Is Spotted On Board
An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner recently diverted its Melbourne-Delhi flight to Singapore, but not for the usual reasons: After all, the weather was clear, no fist fights broke out on board, and there wasn't a medical emergency. Instead, the plane had to change course because of another sort of unruly, unwelcome passenger: a rat…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Lodging
The 50 best hotels in Italy
An expert guide to the 50 best hotels in Italy, featuring the most amazing hotels in Venice, Rome, Florence, Amalfi Coast, Italian Lakes and other fabulous locations throughout the country…
— Telegraph (London)
New Orleans Hotel Celebrates the Queen's Birthday With a $90k Dessert
The Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans is offering The Queen’s Royal ‘Birthday’ Package to guests who are looking to experience the royal treatment during her season-long celebration. While the package includes luxuries like a three-night stay in the two bedroom Presidential Suite, a four-hour private day at the spa, and a tour of the $8 million 18th-century British art collection, it’s an uber expensive dessert that takes the proverbial birthday cake…
— Travel Leisure
Other and Odd
Kuwait to test tourists' DNA before letting them into the country
Kuwait is taking homeland security to new heights — or, as some see it — new lows. Later this year, the Persian Gulf nation will require its citizens, temporary residents and tourists to submit DNA samples to a $400 million security database…
— Fox Travel News
UK travel warning about anti-gay laws in U.S.
North Carolina and Mississippi's controversial new laws affecting LGBT rights are already threatening to cost the U.S. states millions in lost business…
— CNN
Today in History
The First Earth Day
On April 22 of each year, millions of people celebrate Earth Day, regarded by many to mark the birth of the modern environmental movement. Gaylord Nelson, a Democratic Senator from Wisconsin, was the principal founder of the first Earth Day…
— Travel Research Online
Agent Perspectives
What Kobe Bryant taught me about travel
by Judith White
Friday April 22, 2016
 Did you watch the basketball game on April 13th to close out the Kobe Bryant era? I didn’t but I certainly heard about it, and later watched a few highlights. Occasionally in my life as travel agent, I feel as if some people will watch my whole game, and some will just watch the highlights. But if I think of myself as Kobe, I force myself to come out 100% for every game and capture the attention of my audience.
Let’s break this whole travel agent life into bite size pieces, because to do otherwise is like playing the whole basketball season at once instead of game by game or each win or loss…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Reading Between the Lines
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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