Destinations
36 Hours in Los Angeles
Home to captivating art, deeply rooted ethnic communities and world-class food, the nation’s second largest city is vivid, soulful and eclectic…
— New York Times
A City Guide to Russia's Capital
Moscow: The capital of the Motherland. It’s the largest easternmost city on the European continent and is anything but modest about its historical or symbolical significance. From marble statues in the metro to the high cosmopolitan restaurants, Moscow is constantly showing off its majesty. The Russian parliament sits in Moscow and the city also serves as the capital of the Eastern Orthodox religion in the country, dubbing the city “The Third Rome.”…
— The Huffington Post
Tours and Activities
Away from the city lights of the West, the night sky promises a dazzling celestial show
When I was a kid, summers meant evenings outside, falling asleep while watching stars parade westward over my family’s corn and cotton fields in Northern California. My star atlas sat by my sleeping bag, its spine ragged from constant use, its pages sloughing off by the score. Only gathering clouds could thwart my regular communion with the heavens…
— LA Times
Bordeaux museum La Cité du Vin a playground for wine lovers
Bulbous, unexpected, strange, definitely fluid, luminous and curvy – some of the adjectives that come to mind at first view of the new La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux. It crouches beside the Garonne, looking shapewise a bit like a garden slug sunning itself by the river, but in colour like a mirror reflection of sky and water, or a swirl of wine in a glass…
— Globe and Mail
A tiny country of creative geniuses
The first time I glimpsed Edinburgh Castle, sprouting from the basalt like some giant stone apparition, I was stunned into an uncharacteristic silence. There is something about Edinburgh – indeed about all of Scotland – that inspires not only silence, but also a certain type of creative ingenuity…
— BBC Travel
Cruise
First look: Inside the makeover of Cunard's Queen Mary 2
Unveiled in 2003, Queen Mary 2 was the world's largest passenger vessel at the time of its debut and remains an icon of the cruise world. Built with a long, reinforced bow and powerful engines capable of a speedy 28 knots, the 151,200-ton ship was the last great ocean liner designed to cross the Atlantic in the summer and cruise in the winter…
— USA Today
Tidal Wave Slide Opens on Liberty of the Seas and Other Cruise News
After several months of delays, Royal Caribbean has opened its Tidal Wave water slide on Liberty of the Seas, and other cruise news…
— CruiseCritic.com
Transportation
Which airlines have the most legroom?
What's the most important thing to keep in mind when booking a flight? Aside from price, and how likely the airline is to lose your luggage, leg room and general seating comfort are tops. If you're flying for more than five hours, you probably want more space to move around since deep vein thrombosis can be a huge concern. Space, however, can be hard to find as carriers try to squeeze in more and more rows to maximize passenger capacity per plane…
— Fox Travel News
Six airlines receive approval to fly to Cuba
The Department of Transportation approved American Airlines (AAL), Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways (JBLU), Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines (LUV) and Sun Country Airlines to offer flights between the two nations. The flights could be available as early as this fall, and will be departing from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.…
— CNN Money
Lodging
10 of Britain's best-value hotels
It's possible to spend a night in a decent hotel without losing sleep over the cost. Here, the Good Hotel Guide recommends a selection of Britain’s best hotels for value, from urban cool to rural warmth…
— The Independent
15 palace hotels that are fit for a queen
As The Queen celebrates her official 90th birthday, we look to some of the world's most glamorous regal retreats that were constructed for discerning monarchs. All of these properties were selected by our luxury travel experts, and – in our opinion – are fully fit for a queen…
— Telegraph (London)
Other and Odd
10 of the best new travel books
There’s nothing like good travel writing to transport a reader into distant realms. We pick entertaining, inspiring and challenging books that offer a different kind of journey…
— The Guardian
How Scarlett Johansson Almost Ruined Our Family Road Trip
Confession: I have never been a fan of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Even as a literature major and after numerous attempts to dive into Lewis Carroll’s book or movies starring Johnny Depp, I often found myself lost and inevitably meh soon after Alice’s tumble down the rabbit hole. But the latest iteration of the novel, an audiobook released on Audible earlier this year and read by Scarlett Johansson, had me intrigued. How could anyone—man, woman, or child—resist the captivating appeal of that voice? How could Scarlett Johansson not move mountains for Alice?…
— Condé Nast Traveler
17 Rolling Backpacks, Duffels, and Weekender Bags that are Surprisingly Sleek
In a perfect world, your luggage would follow you around like a well-trained puppy. It would keep up with you while rushing to the gate to catch your flight and happily handle the cobblestoned streets of Rome without needing to be carried in your arms—all while looking incredibly cute and catching the attention of everyone you pass. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case (and, by the way, you’ll probably have to wait until next year before the trained puppy-like robotic luggage might be available to purchase). That vintage leather suitcase that’s seen every corner of the world is beautiful and romantic in theory, but schlepping it from the baggage carousel at Charles De Gaulle airport to the metro and up nine floors of uneven, winding…
— Travel Leisure
Today in History
Vancouver burns to the ground
On June 13, 1886, the newly incorporated city of Vancouver, British Columbia was clearing brush out of the areas between Main and Cambie streets. A controlled burn fire was started to burn the brush and debris…
— Travel Research Online
Editorial Musings
Don't lick the spoon
by John Frenaye
Monday June 13, 2016
 Last Friday night, my girlfriend and I went to try out a new restaurant in town that had come with rave reviews both on the service and the food. We were excited. As luck (or misfortune) would have it, we were seated at a table that was overlooking the “cook’s kitchen”, and we could see the preparation of all the meals. The service, as expected, was great. The initial appetizers were unique and also fantastic. This was well on the way to becoming a new favorite restaurant for us. Until…
They ruined it. It was a simple move that changed my mind and took it from a “must eat” to a “never again.” As we were watching the chefs prepare meals, one of them dipped a…
— Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines
Become the Exception: Myth #1 - Selling is a Numbers Game
 Undoubtedly you’ve heard this one before: Selling is a numbers game. Make the calls, make the presentations, work your way through enough people, and eventually you will make a sale. I’m not saying this is totally false, but raw volume does not necessarily produce success. And even if it does, it’s the hard way.
Rather than thinking of sales as a game of large numbers, begin to think of sales as a game of darts. By aiming your effort (the dart) at a clearly defined target (your pre-qualified prospect dart board), your chances for hitting the mark (a sale) are greatly enhanced. Contrast that mindset with a pure numbers game, where you buy a lottery ticket or throw a handful of marbles up in the air…
— Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner
Unexpected in Common Hours
by Richard Earls
Sunday June 12, 2016
 “I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~ Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Perhaps you remember the 2006 best seller, The Secret. The self-help book, authored by Rhonda Byrne, spoke to the Law of Attraction - the idea that we create our own realities by being open to possibility and attracting to ourselves the things we most want. The Secret describes gratitude and visualization as being two of the most potent forces in our quest for manifesting our desires.
It may seem a bit suspect to be calling on a book written in 2006 and as…
— Travel Research Online
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TRO SMITH
This New Tool May Be a Game Changer!
by Lori Hardegree
Monday June 13, 2016
 Don’t you love it when you find a new tool that just makes your life so much easier or that gets much better results than what you were using before? I think in terms of social media, Adobe Spark can be one of those game changer type tools for travel professionals.
Here’s something you may not know about me: I suck at graphics. Seriously bad. I am great with all kinds of technology, but when it comes to making things “look pretty,” I am just not your girl! Because of that, I am always on the lookout for new tools to make things like quote photos for Facebook look 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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