Destinations
Life truly is beautiful in Tuscany's underappreciated Arezzo
It’s taken me 3 1/2 hours and almost 15 years to get here. Standing slack-mouthed in the centre of Piazza Grande, I rotate 360 degrees to gape at this arrestingly beautiful sloping piazza of medieval houses, Gothic and Renaissance palazzi, a multi-arched loggia and, the pièce de resistance, the rounded wedding-cake-like apse of the church of Santa Maria della Pieve…
— Globe and Mail
Europe's 16 oldest cities
While many of the world's oldest cities, settled around the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, are off-limits to travellers at present, Europe's most ancient settlements are very much open to visitors. These are the continent's 16 oldest continually inhabited…
— Telegraph (London)
Tours and Activities
These 14 desert parks are the hottest destinations in the Southwest
The National Park Service oversees dozens of desert parks throughout the American Southwest. Here are some you won't want to miss…
— LA Times
Cool Place of the Day: The Beach at Bude, Cornwall
Ask a local to direct you to the coolest bar in Bude, and most of them will wave you towards The Beach Bar. For here, killer cocktails – or, by day, simply coffee and cake – are as much a part of the lifestyle as the sandy beach in view from its terrace…
— The Independent
The Best Hikes in the World
We've rounded up 13 of the best hiking trails around the world perfect for your next adventure. Time to lace up your boots and hit the trail…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Cruise
Adventure of the Seas to Receive Water Slides, FlowRiders
Royal Caribbean will add multiple water slides, an aqua park and its popular Izumi Asian restaurant to Adventure of the Seas during the ship's November dry dock, RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com has revealed. Among the additions will be the cyclone and typhoon water slides, which can also be found on Liberty of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas…
— CruiseCritic.com
World’s newest cruise ship Viking Sea, second ocean liner in Viking fleet, christened in Greenwich, London
As the swift swing of a Scandinavian battle-axe shattered a bottle of Norwegian Aquavit, the world’s newest cruise ship Viking Sea was christened in a ceremony paying perfect homage to its Nordic namesake. “I name you Viking Sea. May God bless you and all who sail on you!” declared Godmother Karine Hagen, officially naming the world’s newest ocean cruise liner during a glittering ceremony in the heart of London…
— Escape
Transportation
Too Much Baggage? How to Ship Your Luggage
Door-to-door luggage services, from new apps to veteran websites, allow travelers to breeze through airports and cities baggage-free…
— New York Times
Cities Consider Privatizing TSA To Speed Up Checkpoints, But Would It?
Some experts say replacing the TSA with private airport security firms wouldn't solve the problems causing long wait times and would do little to help this summer's busy travel season…
— NPR
The Cheapest Way to Book a Flight
A vital part of your travel planning will be the purchase of your airline tickets. The days of totally relying on a travel agent to find you the best prices and complete your bookings are long gone. Agents still have a significant role to play in the travel industry but with the evolution of online booking, you now have an assurance of getting the best possible deal…
— The Huffington Post
Lodging
Favorite upscale hotels: Top picks from our travel panel
These days, robots are increasingly appearing with hotel room service orders, smartphones are serving as keys, and tablets are controlling the room temperature. But for USA TODAY Road Warriors who have the budget to stay at upscale hotels, human interaction is the key to making them loyal to a particular brand. “The difference is the people,” says Robert Getzenberg, a scientist in…
— USA Today
Iceland plans Airbnb restrictions amid tourism explosion
Iceland is poised to curb an Airbnb explosion as it tries to balance record tourist numbers with the protection of its spectacular unspoilt landscape and traditional lifestyle. Proposed legislation, which could become law this week, seeks to restrict the number of days residents can offer Airbnb rentals in their properties to 90 days a year before they must pay business tax…
— The Guardian
Other and Odd
How to win a fight with a shark
Ah, the joys of summer. Getting lost on road trips. Firework injuries. Shark attacks. Yes, we know there are a ton of terrible things more likely to befall you than a shark taking a liking to you. But it does happen (last year, there were about 100 attacks worldwide). So, as you head to the beach, here are some tips to keep you from becoming shark snack…
— CNN
My Memorial Day Tribute to Someone Who Told Me to Travel
Memorial Day is something that should be celebrated more than just once a year. To me, memories are the most valuable thing you can poses, and remembrance is the highest value that someone can leave once they’re gone. I know that Memorial Day is meant to specifically honor our past and present soldiers, but for me it has more of an impact because of how much it impacted my grandfather; a World War II Ex-Prisoner of War, who before his last days, finally told me to travel…
— The Huffington Post
Today in History
Big Ben
Big Ben, the tower clock in St. Stephen's Tower that looks out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London began keeping time on this date in 1859. Designed by Edmund Beckett Denison, the clock was completed in 1854…
— Travel Research Online
Travel Agent Diaries
En Route Travel --A mixed up May
 Well, you know what they say about the best-laid plans. It has been a crazy May on many levels. My intention and written goal for May was to focus on a plan for generating referrals, but honestly I was pulled in many directions and backed away from that goal. At the moment, I am going to keep it simple with my policy regarding referrals - I only work on referrals from a current client. Thankfully, business is strong and I would like to consciously develop the caliber of clientele that I enjoy, and that will be profitable and hassle free. That may mean breaking away from a few current clients or sometimes referring business to a colleague; but I am ready to embark on the…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Hey, I'm The Customer: Customers Can Tell
 “Something to think about: when you value people your sincerity causes them to feel good about you and trust you.”
Hey, I'm The Customer — Ron Willingham, page 33
I’m reminded of the fact that in order to be considered as interesting, you first must become interested…
— Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner
No News isn’t Good News
by Richard Earls
Monday May 30, 2016
 I had a travel agent take me to task last week because we featured this article in the Cruise News: The world’s largest cruise ship and its supersized pollution problem. The article purports to describe the amount of pollution generated by mega-cruise ships and comes from a reasonably credible source. I want to state up-front TRO has no idea of the accuracy of the article.
But that is not the point.
The editorial mission of TRO’s Travelgram and Cruise News is to daily inform travel professionals of what their clients are reading. The article above was picked up by numerous other publications and syndicated across the internet. No doubt many of your clients read the article. If you as a travel professional don’t know the article exists, you could be blindsided by the questions posed by clients. The Travelgram is circulated only to travel professionals, and we are not supporting or validating any of the news we pass along to our readers…
— Travel Research Online
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One-to-One Interviews
Linda Gruneklee, Southeastern Regional Sales Manager for Emerald Waterways
by Elizabeth Cody
Tuesday May 31, 2016
Linda Gruneklee joined Emerald Waterways as the SE Regional Sales Manager in September 2015. Her territory includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas. Linda is an industry veteran, having begun her career in 1980 with Eastern Airlines, where she worked as a ticket and gate agent. Prior to joining Emerald Waterways, she held the position of Business Development Manager for MSC Cruises. Her cruise experience is extensive, having worked with Norwegian Cruise Line for 24 years, most notably as Business Development Manager in North and South Carolina for 16 years…
— 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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