Destinations
36 Hours in Philadelphia
With the Democratic National Convention to be held here in July, Philadelphia has never been more ready to show itself off to the world…
— New York Times
48 hours in Toronto
Despite a brief flurry of snow in mid-May, the people of Toronto are enjoying the onset of summer. The city wears shirtsleeves from June to September, and celebrates its astonish cultural diversity with events such as Taste of Toronto (23-26 June, tasteoftoronto.com) – in which top chefs conduct cooking classes and demonstrations. For British visitors, reaching Canada’s biggest metropolis has never been cheaper nor easier, with intense competition from budget airlines…
— The Independent
Tours and Activities
Memorial Day: 10 beaches to start summer off right
Memorial Day is the unofficial kick off to summer, even though the season doesn't officially begin for another three weeks. And summer means the beach to many: a time to play in the sun, build castles in the sand, and swim in some cool blue water. From golden beaches circling lakes to swaths of white sand fronting salty turquoise-tinged ocean, here are our 10 top picks for the best beaches to salute summer on this Memorial Day weekend…
— USA Today
Places where women are banned - and one where no men are allowed
This mountain and peninsula in northern Greece is home to more than 2,000 monks living the ascetic life in one of 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries. Outsiders, such as Vladimir Putin, who will visit this weekend, are allowed in with special permission - so long as they aren't female (as has been the case for more than 1,000 years)…
— Telegraph (London)
World's 25 most popular amusement parks
Mickey Mouse reigns again. The world's most famous mouse house has topped the list of the world's 25 most popular theme and amusement parks. The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Florida welcomed more than 20.4 million visitors in 2015, a 6% increase of over 2014, according to a report released Wednesday…
— CNN
Cruise
Empress of the Seas Returns to Royal Caribbean Service
Empress of the Seas has returned to service for Royal Caribbean, nearly two months later than originally planned. The ship arrived at its Miami homeport after a $50 million revitalization and will depart on its first sailing for Royal Caribbean on May 27…
— CruiseCritic.com
Aussies swapping the car for cruise ships
An annual snapshot of the cruise industry shows almost 270,000 Aussies boarded a ship in the last year to visit local destinations, up 80,000 (or 42 per cent) on the previous year. The figure made Australia the second most popular cruise destination for travellers after the South Pacific…
— Escape
Transportation
Memorial Day weekend: 4 workarounds for Yosemite's expected traffic crush
Don't want to spend your weekend in Yosemite stuck in traffic? Plan ahead and follow these four tips…
— LA Times
319 People Flee as Passenger Jet Catches Fire
An engine fire broke out on a Korean Air jet about to take off from a Tokyo on Friday, authorities said. The incident prompted authorities to temporarily close down Japan's busiest aviation hub. Firefighters put out the blaze within the hour. No injuries were reported, although around 30 passengers said they felt unwell, according to state-owned broadcaster NHK…
— CNN
Lodging
Vacation like a king in French farmland at Domaine des Etangs
The Charente-Limousin region has lush landscapes, few foreign tourists and this new luxury property…
— Globe and Mail
These Italian Airbnbs Might Be Better Than a 5-Star Hotel
Home-sharing site Airbnb expands its luxury offerings with Tuscan villas, some with their own chef and amphitheater…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Hotels Bring the Outdoors Inside
In lobbies and even guest rooms, gardens, ponds and trees bring a sense of natural peace…
— New York Times
Other and Odd
4 apps for a worry-free vacation
Memorial Day means the start of summer and that means the start of peak travel season in the US. That’s great! Wait...is it? That also means that everyone else has the same bright idea. The age old statistic about the increase of home burglaries during the summer months hasn’t changed, and criminals keep their eyes open for families to take their week long escapes…
— The Huffington Post
You Can Pick Up Shia LaBeouf on Your Next Roadtrip
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to take a road trip with Shia LeBeouf, now's your chance. The actor-turned-artists is currently making his way across the United States with help from a few lucky drivers open to picking up a famous hitchhiker. He's calling the endeavor #TakeMeAnywhere, and kicked off the adventure last Monday. Drivers can track LeBeouf's progress on Twitter, where the star is sharing his GPS coordinates in the hopes that people passing through will take notice…
— Travel Leisure
Today in History
The Opening of the Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge opened on this date in 1937. The bridge is the link between San Francisco and points north, joining U.S. Route 101 and State Route 1. On an average day more than 120,000 vehicles cross the span…
— Travel Research Online
Agent Perspectives
Building your business one connection at a time
by Marti Litwin
Friday May 27, 2016
As our success  depends upon the client-travel advisor relationship, I have been paying particular attention to the initial “pitch” when potential new clients call. Sometimes they are eager to launch into the specifics of the trip or start their line of questions to get advice. Of course the initial call must go extremely well to obtain their business and make a prospect an actual client. So it's of relevance to know how that actually happens, and while this is not a scientific or foolproof method - I think most would agree that success is found in the connection we make with the client or prospect. The critical element in success to our business is our ability to connect with our clients!
At first glance, everything and…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Spin Selling: The Devil is in the Details
 “Perhaps the most important conclusion I’ve come to is about the importance of details.”
Spin Selling — Neil Rackham, page 159
Last March, I took a ride up to Port St. Lucie to watch The New York Mets kick-off their spring training rituals. Knowing a little bit about the game, I should not have been surprised at what I was…
— Travel Research Online
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TRO SMITH
How to Supercharge Your Social Ad Targeting
by Catherine Heeg
Friday May 27, 2016
 Are your social ads bringing you exposure, engagement, and extraordinary results?
The science of ad creation has taken on a life of it’s own. Let’s sort through some of the details and the best ways you can make sure your social ads reach the right people, at the right time, with the right style of conversation.
Novice Level Advertising Tips
To Boost or not to Boost! That’s the question on top of the minds of many travel pros. While Boosting a post on Facebook is really easy, it may not afford you the best use of your advertising dollars… or it may! It becomes a trade-off of quick and simple versus time and talent.
Boosting a post can be an effective way to reach more of your fans when you select one of these boost options…
— 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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