Destinations
What I love - and loathe - about Italy
I have recently been to two extremities of Italy – Sicily and Liguria – so have been reminded that I like almost everything about the country…
— Telegraph (London)
The part of Thailand tourists haven't discovered
There was an argument ensuing between my host, Andrew, and the waitress at the little restaurant we'd just been eating at. It was all in Thai, but I had a feeling I knew what it would be about: she'd tried to overcharge us for something, thrown a few extra baht onto the bill to see if she could get away with it…
— Sydney Morning Herald
Tours and Activities
Is this the best city in America to eat a sandwich?
Pittsburgh unabashedly stands behind its sammies. From spicy sausage and crispy fish to French fries, anything goes inside a bun in this town…
— Globe and Mail
A gourmet tour of Chicago
One of the great things about being on holiday is morning Martinis. I'm thinking this as I swizzle an olive round a perfectly-chilled glass while trying to act as if I'm the kind of bon vivant for whom this is just any other Tuesday morning. At the same time a man in a trilby has walked into Gibsons Steakhouse on North Rush Street in Chicago, where I'm perched on a high stool as part of a day-long eating and drinking stopover en-route home to England from the West Coast…
— The Independent
Disney's food magic begins in the Flavor Lab
It isn't open to the public, but the everyone who visits a Disney park reaps the benefits of what happens here…
— Fox Travel News
Cruise
How the rise of air travel sparked a new industry: cruise lines
Annie Wichert set sail for the first time in 1946 on a transatlantic voyage aboard the Queen Mary, now a floating hotel in Long Beach. Her next cruise…
— LA Times
Carnival to Return to Europe in 2018 With Second Vista Ship
Carnival Cruise Line will return to Europe in 2018 with its second Vista-class ship, currently being built in Italy, the line's president Christine Duffy revealed at a Q&A onboard Carnival Vista…
— CruiseCritic.com
Transportation
How to avoid long TSA lines on your next flight
You’ve probably already heard horror stories about unusually long TSA security lines at airports, which may only get worse as the summer travel crush adds more travelers. While we wait for the TSA to fix this (mainly by adding more employees and trying to keep the ones they have), here are some strategies to make sure you don’t miss your flight…
— USA Today
Plane Grounded After Grown Man Locks Himself in the Airplane Lavatory After Being Denied Booze
A man is facing federal charges after locking himself in the airplane lavatory in protest of not receiving an in-flight beer. The hubbub forced the flight, from Sacramento to Seattle, to land in Portland…
— Travel Leisure
Man pleads guilty to puling off Muslim woman's headscarf
A man who yanked a Muslim woman's hijab from her head during an airline flight pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of obstruction of a person's free exercise of religious rights…
— CNN
Lodging
Stuck With a Pricey Hotel Reservation? Maybe You Can Sell It
As travel cancellation restrictions and fees become more widespread, travelers are listing nonrefundable hotel reservations on resale sites…
— New York Times
10 of the best waterside holiday cabins in Europe
Romantic hideaways, back-to-basics eco-huts, treehouses and high-spec shacks for lapping up nature by lakes, rivers and fjords…
— The Guardian
Other and Odd
Summer Study Abroad and Travel in the Age of ISIS
If you read my last travel blog, “Women Using the ‘Gap Year’ to Close the Gender Gap,” or my book, Look Before Leaping: Risks, Liabilities and Repair of Study Abroad in Higher Education (2016), you know I mince no words about the fact that safe havens no longer exist for Americans who study and travel abroad. It is today’s reality, particularly in the age of ISIS…
— The Huffington Post
New 'Pilot' Earpiece Translates Languages for You in Real Time
This could be a game changer when traveling abroad. We've all been there: You're standing in a foreign country, struggling to communicate in another language, and kicking yourself for thinking that listening to 20 minutes of "how to speak whatever" on your phone during the plane ride over would somehow get you by. The Pilot, an earpiece being developed by the wearable-technology company Waverly Labs and designed for the international traveler, aims to change all that, so you never get lost in translation again…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Today in History
Brown v. Board of Education
On this day in 1954, the United States Supreme Court handed down the decision in the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education. Earlier case law as set out in Plessy v. Ferguson, decided in 1896, had declared that separate schools for white students and black students were constitutional if the schools were "separate but equal"…
— Travel Research Online
Travel Agent Diaries
Art of Travel - Competing with online booking sites
 It’s May and we’re almost half a year through 2016. Time flies fast and now, we’re looking at our half-year results versus targets.
In my last diary, I wrote about how it’s been a challenge for us when we’ve accounted for business such as large groups, only to see it disappear just before it materializes due to political or economic reasons, like the incidents in Brussels or Paris last year. It’s a fact of life we have to face and in reality, it could mean meeting our financial objectives or missing the mark completely on account of situations beyond our control.
On the other hand, in today’s world there are also other completely different challenges. As a travel agent, we’re also faced with how to deal with…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Launch: Your Business Is Not A Hobby
 “If you want to make it in this business, you need to treat it like a business.”
Launch: An Internet Millionaire's Secret Formula To Sell Almost Anything Online, Build a Business You Love, and Live the Life of Your Dreams — Jeff Walker, page 55
Said another way, it may be time to stop treating your business like you would a hobby. If recommending, selling, and managing travel itineraries results in you eating regularly or not, then it is time to recognize this activity as your meal…
— Travel Research Online
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Spotlight
Interview with Dave Holman – Travel With Purpose
by Susan Schaefer
Tuesday May 17, 2016
 Although David Holman is a professional travel consultant, he is currently working on a mobile app that all travel professionals can share with their clients and incorporate into their own business models. We recently sat down with David to learn more about Travel with Purpose.
Travel Research Online: Let’s start with a quick description of Travel with Purpose.
David Holman: It is a mobile app and website that will match travelers seeking volunteer opportunities with nonprofits looking for help on projects or for ongoing needs. There is a growing trend towards people desiring to make a positive, meaningful impact on the people and places they visit. Currently, it requires a lot of footwork prior to travel to accomplish that goal. By making it easier to connect with nonprofits, even last minute, we hope to grow that legion of travelers who desire to “Leave It Better.”…
— 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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Use TRO every day to find travel guides, e-postcards, and other resources you can personalize and send to your clients.
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