Destinations
Where to Go in Europe, and How to Stay Safe
The terrorist attacks in Europe over the last year haven’t lessened travelers’ enthusiasm for vacationing there this summer. Virtuoso, a global luxury network of travel advisers and more than 1,700 hotels, cruise lines and tour operators, recently analyzed more than $35 billion of transactions from its clients and found that Europe dominated the top 10 list of future bookings, with Italy, Britain, France, Spain and the Netherlands being the most popular destinations…
— New York Times
7 Reasons to Visit the Philippines
The Philippines is a beautiful mass of contradictions. Crowded, dirty cities juxtapose pristine lagoons and empty beaches. Beautiful Catholic churches overlook controversial ‘love hotels.’ Vacationers in Boracay lounge in the sun while villages in the northeast islands are washed away by typhoons…
— The Huffington Post
Tours and Activities
Italy: Walk from Siena to Rome along the ancient Via Francigena
Tens of thousands of people hike the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in Spain each year. But less known and far less traveled is the Via Francigena in Italy…
— LA Times
Futuristic aquarium planned for New York City
Set within a man-made basin on the East River at the tip of Roosevelt Island, opposite Manhattan, the proposed 'Aquatrium' will feature a submerged two-level aquarium with eight bubble-like glass domes, housing marine life from the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Tasman, Red and the Southern oceans, placed around an iceberg that represents the North and South Poles…
— Telegraph (London)
Cruise
Crystal Adds Two New River Cruise Ships to Future Order
Citing customer interest, Crystal Cruises is upping the number of new river ships that it's building to sail on Europe's rivers. The luxury line signed an order for a total of eight ships Tuesday, all to be built through the Lloyd Werft Group, a collection of four shipyards in northern Germany that are owned by Crystal's parent company, Genting Hong Kong…
— CruiseCritic.com
Making friends at sea — or keeping your distance
Many vacationers choose cruise ships for more than the itineraries and the amenities on board. A primary goal is to pick a ship that will provide them with the experience they desire, along with like-minded fellow passengers…
— Miami Herald
Transportation
Airport sleeping pods: how to snooze between flights
You’ve just spent 12 hours in an economy class seat, you missed your connection, you’re facing six hours in the terminal until your onward flight - and all you really want to do is get a few hours’ slumber…
— The Independent
Star Alliance plane makes emergency landing after passenger dies during flight
On Saturday, a Star Alliance flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Billings, Montana, when one of the passengers onboard died. According to the Billings Gazette, a female passenger from California was on a flight from Chicago to San Francisco when she suffered a medical emergency. The flight crew on the Star Alliance plane notified officials at Billings Logan International Airport at around 9:30 p.m. local time that the Boeing 737 would be making an emergency landing in Montana…
— Fox Travel News
Airlines Launch New Website Dedicated to Hating on Long Lines at Airports
An airline trade group, Airlines for America, just launched a website called “ihatethewait.com” for passengers to complain about long waits in airport security lines — the bane of any air traveler’s existence…
— Travel Leisure
Lodging
Eight budget-friendly hotels in Nashville
Nashville is one of the hottest destinations in the country right now, and once a city is officially dubbed a “hot spot,” it almost always means it’s going to cost you to visit. But don’t shelve your plans to head to the land of hot country and hot chicken, because there are some hotels where you can find a solid bang for your buck. Here are eight budget-friendly Nashville hotels with price tags of just about $100/night (rates are based on May dates)…
— USA Today
Central and chic: Vienna's Grand Ferdinand Hotel
If the walls of the Grand Ferdinand Hotel could talk, they might have some juicy tales to tell. Vienna’s newest boutique hotel is steeped in history: originally a 19th-century palace, it was bombed in the last days of the Second World War. It was subsequently used as an office building in the 1950s, but rumours swirl that it also housed Austria’s Secret Service headquarters…
— Globe and Mail
20 of Europe's most beautiful hotels
With so many iconic cities and diverse landscapes, beautiful hotels in Europe are commonplace. But some are, quite simply, more beautiful than others. From clifftop luxury retreats on Italy's Amalfi Coast to art nouveau masterpieces in the heart of Budapest, we've handpicked Europe's 20 most beautiful hotels…
— CNN
Other and Odd
Selfie Taker Destroys Antique Statue
A man accidentally destroyed a 126-year-old statue earlier this week, during a disastrous attempt to snap a selfie. Please carry this story in your heart the next time you visit a museum, because it really seems like a matter of time before somebody smashes a valuable piece of ancient Greek artwork…
— Pictorial
A 15-Year-Old Just Discovered a Lost Mayan City
Should the satellite images be verified, the city would be one of the largest Mayan centers in discovery…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Today in History
ValuJet Flight 592
On May 11, 1996, technicians for the SabreTech corporation loaded cases of oxygen canisters aboard low cost carrier ValuJet's flight 592 from Miami to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia. The canisters were mistakenly thought to be empty, but loading them into the cargo hold was in contravention of FAA regulations which forbid the transport of hazardous materials in the cargo hold of a commercial flight…
— Travel Research Online
Press Releases of Interest
Variety Cruises to Enter Iceland with Journey in the Land of Fire & Ice Cruise Sailings Begin in June 2017
Beginning in June 2017, small ship cruise line Variety Cruises will offer Iceland: Journey in the Land of Fire & Ice, a week-long yacht cruise of the Nordic island nation. Defined by its dramatic volcanic landscape of geysers, hot springs, waterfalls, glaciers and black-sand beaches, Iceland is a nature lover's paradise. Sailing on the elegant M/Y Callisto, the newest addition to Variety Cruises' fleet of yachts, up to 35 passengers will discover a fascinating country with amazing rugged landscapes and old legacies of Viking and Norse conquerors…
— Travel Research Online
Point-to-Point
What do you have in common with a yoot?
 by Mike Marchev
Wednesday May 11, 2016
It's graduation time all over the country. Young people have neither won nor lost the game of life. Their game will be getting started the moment they graduate from high school. And even then, many will postpone ramifications from poor judgment for another four years. But just the same, recently I found myself sharing a number of ideas and suggestions with a group of high school seniors.
So, what did this old gut have to say to bunch of…
— Travel Research Online
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Supplier Profile
Take a Bite out of the Big Apple With New York City Vacation Packages!
 New York Vacation Packages (NYCVP) is a full service NYC tourism company providing FIT and group travelers with customized, flexible vacation options including accommodations, Broadway shows, transportation, dining and top sightseeing attractions and museum admissions. The Company operates several tours and special events, including preferred viewing options for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NY Yankees Baseball Weekends, 4th of July BBQ Over Broadway & Fireworks Cruise, and exclusive parties for the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Flip: Feel Versus Real
 “Customer Satisfaction Sucks.”
Flip: How to Turn Everything You Know on Its Head—and Succeed Beyond Your Wildest Imaginings — Peter Sheahan, page 76
Too strong an opinion you say? These are not my words, but I do endorse the…
— 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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