Destinations
My Berlin: Reckoning With the Past
Last year, after nearly a decade of long sojourns in Berlin, I signed the lease on an apartment in a pre-World War I, or altbau, building on a tree-shaded block just off Güntzelstrasse, a quiet neighborhood southwest of the city center. Although I was vaguely aware that the city’s Jewish community had once been centered here, I found it unsettling to discover that Nazi terror had unfolded just outside my front door…
— New York Times
Travel guide to... the Philippines
Considering it’s a country with thousands of postcard-perfect islands - 7,107 to be precise – and world-class diving, surfing and beach-flopping, the Philippines remains relatively little-known among British travellers…
— The Independent
Oakland city guide: what to see plus the best bars, hotels and restaurants
The city across the bay has shed its inferiority complex and offers plenty of reasons to visit. In fact you can skip San Francisco altogether, and fly to Oakland direct from the UK…
— The Guardian
Tours and Activities
Central Park's lost corner - and five more New York sights you didn't know about
New York is, by most definitions, the best-known city on the planet – a noisy, glittering metropolis where the skyscrapers are celebrities and every other street corner and broad avenue has cropped up in a blockbuster movie, an arthouse film or an iconic song lyric…
— Telegraph (London)
5 places to see bison, America's newly named national mammal
The shaggy bearded American bison finally got some respect Monday when President Obama decreed it to be the country's national mammal. In ancient times, millions of bison (whose species name is Bison bison bison) roamed from Alaska to Mexico, and from Nevada to the Appalachian Mountains. These days, there are far fewer wild bison, just about 30,000, after the creatures were hunted nearly to extinction in the 19th century…
— Chicago Tribune
Tokyo's mad world of gaming, manga and maids
Welcome to Akihabara, centre of Tokyo's otaku (geek) culture, a bewildering maze of video game arcades, manga stores and maid cafes…
— Sydney Morning Herald
Cruise
Carnival Valor Cruise Ship Gets New Bars, Restaurants After Dry Dock
Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Valor emerged from a 16-day dry dock Sunday with a host of new bars and restaurants, including upgrades that have already been received by most of the rest of the line's fleet…
— CruiseCritic.com
Terrorism hurting European cruise industry, company CEOs claim
The terrorist attacks in Paris, Brussels and Turkey over the last year haven’t dissuaded Americans from visiting Europe, but they appear to be having an effect on the cruise line industry. Fewer Americans are signing up for Mediterranean cruises this year, according to executives at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Royal Caribbean Cruises, indicating that the attacks by Islamic State jihadists are affecting the industry…
— Fox Travel News
Transportation
Man arrested trying to catch missed plane in Detroit
A man who missed his flight Wednesday at Detroit Metro Airport apparently wasn't interested in rebooking. Instead, he left the airport's North Terminal through an emergency exit and was arrested in an apparent attempt to reach the plane where it was parked outside…
— USA Today
Rare flight for biggest plane in the world
The undisputed superstar of the skies -- the biggest airplane in the world -- is taking flight on a rare delivery mission across three continents. The Ukrainian cargo jet named "Mriya" is one of a kind. There is no other. That's why the gawkers showed up Tuesday in Prague. They watched in awe as this big boy defied gravity before it touched down at Vaclav Havel Airport in the Czech Republic…
— CNN
Lodging
The New Trend Shaking Up The Hotel Industry
While in the past, fully equipped serviced apartments were considered only for relocation and extended stays of more than a week or two, times are changing. Apart’hotels, or Serviced apartments, are popping up in major cities across the world, and with comparable nightly rates to traditional hotel rooms, they are staking their claim on the hotel industry…
— The Huffington Post
5 Tips for Booking a Hotel Room That Won't Leave You Feeling Sick
Minibars stocked with fresh fruit, on-site gardens that help boost traveler’s moods, complimentary bike rentals: Hotels with a focus on wellness are the new norm. But there’s more to a healthy getaway than locally-sourced ingredients or unique ways to sweat. Next time you travel, book a room that won't leave you feeling sluggish or sick, with these suggestions from industry insiders…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Other and Odd
How to Pay for Your Road Trip by Driving Lyft
One Lyft driver has spent the last six months driving coast to coast, picking up passengers (and extra cash) along the way. When Kelsey Myers quit her job just over six months ago, she had her next step mapped out—well, almost. Instead of starting a new job or moving to a new city, Myers was going on a cross-country road trip with no real itinerary. Instead, she would be driving in cities with Lyft, a ride-sharing app, picking up locals and getting tips on where to go and what to see in their own city…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Pizza Hut Just Delivered A Pizza To The Top Of Mt. Kilimanjaro
Climbing a mountain works up an appetite, so mountaineers will undoubtedly be overjoyed to learn that Pizza Hut now delivers to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. To mark the chain’s launch in Tanzania, the 100th country in which it operates, Pizza Hut sent a special delivery to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Randall Blackford, the General Manager of Pizza Hut Africa, set out with a team and professional guides to deliver a pizza to the top of Africa’s tallest mountain—and set a new Guinness World Record for Highest Altitude Pizza Delivery on Land, at 19,341 feet, while they were at it…
— Travel Leisure
Today in History
Florence Nightingale is born
The pioneer of modern nursing was born on this day in 1820. Florence Nightingale was born into privileged English society. Early in her life she felt called into the profession of nursing, scandalizing her family. At the time, nursing was considered a task of the poor and ill-educated…
— Travel Research Online
Reading Between the Lines
Flip: Add Something Extra
 “Fast, Good, Cheap: Pick Three: Then add something extra.”
Flip: How to Turn Everything You Know on Its Head—and Succeed Beyond Your Wildest Imaginings — Peter Sheahan, page 85
There was a time when you would expect me to say, “Pick two out of three.” Not anymore. The customer is in the driver’s seat today and the competition is scrambling to gain the upper…
— Travel Research Online
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TRO SMITH
Are you being strategic with your social media marketing?
by Lori Hardegree
Thursday May 12, 2016
 Social media is an important part of any online marketing strategy, but it’s important to realize that it’s only a part and not the whole thing. You may find that Facebook works so well to build your audience that you neglect other marketing channels. Social media should be just one aspect of your overall strategy.
There are several reasons that this is the case. For one thing, people generally aren’t on social media to buy. Social media provides a way to build brand awareness and make connections with potential clients. You usually have to lead them off of social media in order to make the sale.
Another reason is that it’s simply always good to diversify. You don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket. What if one day, the excellent results you’re getting from Facebook stop? You’ll have to start from scratch elsewhere…
— Travel Research Online
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Luxury Travel Tips
Take a Walk!
by Dan Chappelle
Thursday May 12, 2016
 Most of us in this business tend behind a desk – all day, every day. Our ears become permanently glued to our headsets. It doesn’t matter if we work from home or an office. The only difference is the commute; our habits are the same. Once we get to our desks, we allow our work to totally consume us. While we may wander into the kitchen or breakroom for a snack or take a couple of bio breaks throughout the day, we go right back to our desks and pick up where we left off. I am as guilty as the next person: I will go into my home office around 7am and look at the clock – wow, it's after 6pm!…
— 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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