Destinations
New Zealand: a country for all seasons
New Zealand provides spectacular escapes whatever the time of year, but spring and autumn often deliver unique opportunities for travellers…
— Telegraph (UK)
The two worlds of Vancouver Island
‘Pity about the traffic, eh?” Our chatty taxi driver means the opposite of what he says. It’s a classic Canadian “ironic overstatement”. Only two cars have passed us on the three-hour drive from Qualicum to Tofino, a stunning route that links the east and west of Canada’s Vancouver Island…
— Herald Sun
Tours and Activities
Last-minute getaway: Silent films with orchestra music at Catalina's Casino Theatre
The Avalon museum's annual Silent Film Benefit will feature two movies that are considered among the funniest made during the silent film era…
— LA Times
Walt Disney World Basically Just Opened A Theme Park For Food
Start studying your menus and get ready to eat the wildest, weirdest and most wonderful food Disney World has to offer…
— Travel Leisure
Cruise
New Cruise Line Dream Cruises Opens For Sale in Australia and NZ
Dream Cruises, the newest addition to the Genting Hong Kong stable and claimed to be the first-ever Asian luxury cruise line, is now available for sale in Australia and New Zealand…
— CruiseCritic.com
Superyachting not just for the mega-wealthy
Tell friends you’re going on a cruise and they may be a little jealous. Tell friends you’re going on a superyacht and watch their jaws drop. But who can afford such a luxurious getaway? Thanks to the game-changing debut of Crystal Cruises’ new yacht line, the dream of island hopping via yacht is within reach. And it’s a little more affordable…
— Fox Travel News
Transportation
Frequently Asked Questions: Air Travel and EgyptAir
The crash of the EgyptAir flight on Thursday morning has raised fears among travelers. Here is what you need to know about safety in the skies…
— New York Times
Fly First Class for Free: Travel Hacking 101
Ever wonder what it’s like to fly First Class and wake up at your destination feeling refreshed? Want to learn to save time by cutting the lines at airport security or customs and immigration? What if I told you that I do all of this without paying a dime?…
— The Huffington Post
Lodging
Getting down to business with a good hotel breakfast
I'm a rabid breakfaster, and it's not just because I veer into Hulk-level "hanger" (hunger plus anger) if I don't eat within half an hour of waking up. I'm not even falling prey to that faddish obsession with endless morning meals, the rise of so-called breakfastarians who are cereally committed to eating morning food all day. Rather, in a lifetime of travelling, I've found that nothing sums up a destination better than the first meal of the day…
— The Independent
The Devonshire Arms, Pilsley, Peak District: hotel review
Smart, good-value rooms upstairs from this 18th-century pub are let down by clumsily old-fashioned food. Good job the beer’s a winner…
— The Guardian
Best new U.S. coastal hotels
With summer just around the corner, what's more ideal that a stay at the beach? These six new U.S. coastal hotels add elegance and whimsy to any stay…
— CNN
Other and Odd
Lower Manhattan's boom draws business travelers
In recent years, business travelers visiting New York City often made a beeline for Midtown. But the massive redevelopment that has transformed lower Manhattan into a bustling cultural and business destination is leading a growing number of road warriors to stay, meet and socialize downtown…
— USA Today
How the Irish lost their words
New storytelling groups are reintroducing the Irish to ancient myths and the art of blarney…
— BBC Travel
Japan Unveils Beautiful New Passport Design
As a country, Japan is an undeniable mix of tech-forward and traditional, creative and rigid in routine: there are hedgehog cafes and "invisible" trains, sure, but there are also revered, ancient shrines and deeply rooted etiquette traditions that can trip up even the most seasoned of travelers. It's fitting, then, that the country's new passports have all the trappings of technology while hewing toward the historical…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Today in History
The Deaths of Bonnie and Clyde
Bonnie Elizabeth Parker and Clyde Barrow, better known as "Bonnie and Clyde" share the same date of death: May 23, 1934. On that day, the notorious outlaws were ambushed and killed by Texas and Louisiana law enforcement in Bienville Parish, Louisiana…
— Travel Research Online
Editorial Musings
A bison? Really people??
by John Frenaye
Monday May 23, 2016
 We need to do a better job of educating our clients.
I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Always. But every now and then, I get a stark reminder that many people (some may argue “most people”) can be clueless or helpless or a combination of both. In either case, when it comes to travel, I think we need to do a better job of educating them; or, at least making sure that our assumptions are somewhat correct.
It’s out of my…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Spin Selling: Objection Prevention
 “Successful sellers concentrate on objection prevention and not objection handling.”
Spin Selling — Neil Rackham, page 5
For the first 500 years of professional selling, every book written on the subject had a chapter teaching the importance of overcoming a buyer’s objections. “If they say this, you say that. If they bring up this concern, you counter with the following to keep them off…
— Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner
Trying Softer
by Richard Earls
Sunday May 22, 2016
 "Why doesn't anyone ever try softer?" ~ Lily Tomlin
Last week I received a call from a business associate who was expecting a spreadsheet from me. With the best of intentions I had promised to have it to him mid-week. Then suddenly it was Friday and the half-finished project was still, well, half-finished.
If I had to tally the partially complete projects on my desk, I'm afraid the number would point to a revealing fact - I'm easily distracted and try to do too much. It is always tempting to over-commit to any number of personal and professional activities with the result that none of them are done as well as I originally intended. I sometimes manage to convince myself working harder is the best way to achieve my goals…
— Travel Research Online
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TRO SMITH
The Marketing Funnel and your Travel Agency Website: I know where your leads are going
by Richard Earls
Friday May 20, 2016
 Marketing has two goals: the retention of existing clients and the acquisition of new clients. From existing clients you achieve stability, and it is from new clients you achieve growth. When you design your marketing properly, both your new clients and existing clients first notice or are reminded of your presence, investigate your offerings, and finally enter into conversation with you about the services or products you offer. At this stage you have an actionable lead and enter into the sales cycle. The process of drawing the potential client closer and closer to you, finally resulting in an actionable lead, is sometimes referred to as the “Marketing Funnel.”…
— 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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