Destinations
36 Hours in Burgundy, France
Satisfaction for nearly every appetite awaits in Burgundy. Food? The venerable aristocratic city of Dijon and the nearby medieval town of Beaune both reap the region’s bounty, which features numerous icons of French gastronomy…
— New York Times
Italian city-states where art was used for power and influence
Federico II Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua, loved horses. So when he asked Giulio Romano to build him a new showpiece palace in 1524, the instructions were precise…
— Traveller
City guide to Paris: Where to eat, sleep, shop and play
It’s been more than 60 years since Audrey Hepburn’s character Sabrina first said that Paris is always a good idea, but it’s one piece of travel advice that has stood the test of time…
— Escape
Tours and Activities
10 places in the USA that every music lover should visit
The USA is a country in thrall to music. Over the past century (and a bit), it has watched the heady ascents of numerous stars – from B B King and Louis Armstrong through to Bob Dylan, Debbie Harry and Nirvana – in genres as diverse as blues, jazz, folk and rock…
— Telegraph (London)
The Best Museums in the Country
According to a recent survey, about 36 percent of Americans are planning to visit a museum this fall. If you count yourself among them, these are the top 10 institutions of art, science, and history to put on your list…
— Travel Leisure
Cruise
Princess Cruises to Raise Daily Gratuities -- Again
For the second time in 2016, Princess Cruises will raise the daily gratuities automatically charged to passengers' onboard accounts. The new service charge, which affects all cruises departing on or after December 15, will increase from $12.95 to $13.50 for interior, ocean view and balcony cabin passengers (adults and children). Those in mini-suites and suites will no longer pay the same amount of $13.95. Under the new policy, mini-suite (including Club Class) passengers will be charged $14.50 and suite passengers $15.50…
— CruiseCritic.com
Royal Caribbean pulls the plug on Dynamic Dining
One of the bigger experiments in changing the main dining room concept at sea is over. Royal Caribbean International will pull the plug on Dynamic Dining, which split the main dining room on several of its ships into three or four themed restaurants, each with a different menu…
— USA Today
Transportation
Cell Phone Battery Catches Fire Aboard Delta Air Lines Flight To Atlanta
A cell phone battery caused an inflight disruption after catching fire on a Delta Air Lines flight from Norfolk, Va. to Atlanta Friday morning. According to The Virginian-Pilot, the fire started about 15 minutes after flight 2557’s departure…
— Fox Travel News
Las Vegas lands first-ever airline route to mainland China
It’s official: Las Vegas is getting its long-desired airline route to China. Hainan Airlines will begin flying from Las Vegas on Dec. 2, launching three weekly flights to Beijing on Boeing 787 Dreamliners. The carrier announced its intention to operate the flights earlier this year, but received the needed regulatory approvals this week…
— USA Today
Lodging
In Brittany, a Stylish Boutique Hotel Blends Past Lives
In its former life, Castelbrac, a 25-room boutique hotel that opened last summer, was a private mansion owned by an English lord in the late 1800s, then a marine research center and aquarium in the 1930s…
— New York Times
Coolest hotel elevators around the world
While most elevators serve as mundane mechanical boxes that transport passengers from point A to point B, some hotels are turning them into attractions in their own right…
— USA Today
Other and Odd
Underground tube maps of ski resorts
For most people, London’s underground network is an essential part of their daily commute or a useful way of travelling between the city’s tourist hotspots – but just imagine if you could catch the tube from your local station and follow a direct line to the mountains…
— Telegraph (London)
'It was cold, confusing and foreign': your stories of moving to a new city
From Austin’s howling coyotes to Amsterdam’s cycling etiquette and Abu Dhabi’s taxi drivers, readers share their experiences of settling in a new city…
— The Guardian
Protest targets rail line over Kenya's oldest wildlife park
Angry protesters marched in Kenya's capital on Friday against plans to build an elevated railway line over the country's oldest national park, saying the project will threaten wildlife that includes lions, leopards and giraffes…
— CNBC
Today in History
The 1920 Wall Street Bombing
At noon on September 16, 1920, a wagon drawn by a horse paused outside of the J.P. Morgan building at 23 Wall Street, near a very busy corner of the financial district of New York City. Inside the wagon was more than 100 pounds of dynamite with 500 pounds of metal…
— Travel Research Online
Agent Perspectives
Who's time is being devalued anyway?
by Susan Schaefer
Friday September 16, 2016
 The topic of charging fees comes up in travel agent forums on a regular basis, and this week was no different. In the most recent discussion, some of the travel agents complained about how clients don’t value our time, which leads to their resistance to paying fees.
They are wrong.
I do not think it is our time that clients devalue. I believe it is their time that they do not value. Some of my clients balk at paying fees, while others whip out the checkbook without blinking an eye. And I’ve even had a few clients tell me over the years that I’m not charging enough. When I look at some of these clients specifically, what sets them apart? — Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Reading Between the Lines
Strategic Selling: Strategy Means Don't Quit After The First Try
 "What specific tasks can I perform right now to move this particular sales objective further down the sales funnel?”
Strategic Selling: The Unique Sales System Proven Successful by America's Best Companies by Robert B. Miller and Stephen E. Heiman with Tad Tuleja, page 244
It has been stated that the majority of sales occur after five contacts with your targeted prospect. This should come as no surprise since trust takes time. It is also believed among sales professionals that 50% of those in sales quit after the initial attempt to close a sale. An additional 25% quit after a second attempt. In both cases, these salespeople fail to understand how sales works. It take multiple contacts to complete 80% of sales…
— 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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