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Wednesday September 21, 2016

 

Destinations

In Crete, Henry Miller Found His Muse Amid the Ruins
Traveling from Athens to Crete in 1939, Henry Miller, the author of bawdy novels, many of them banned in America, flew in an airplane for the first time — an experience he described in “The Colossus of Maroussi,” his exuberant travelogue of a nine-month journey through Greece…

A city of woes and wonder: exploring Krakow
From one perspective, Krakow bears the proud beauty of the past. From another, the insistence of the everyday. Affinity Konar delves into both sides as she explores her family’s heritage and the backdrop for her new novel, Mischling…

The 5 Most Underrated Cities in the U.S.
What makes a city underrated? To start, it can’t have its own TV show. (Sorry, Portland. You too, Philadelphia.) Sometimes, it takes a wedding or a business trip to bring us to different parts of the country, but these American cities—from Athens, Georgia to Boise, Idaho—make great destinations unto themselves…


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Tours and Activities

Take me away: French châteaux of the Loire Valley
Known as the Cradle of the French, the Loire Valley is a land of fairy tale castles, royal residences and incredible Renaissance architecture. This historic region is home to about 300 magnificent châteaux, and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site…

The West: Four great places to go river rafting this fall
Summer's over, but that doesn't mean it's time to put your paddle away. River rafting is good in fall at these locations…

Iceland's psychedelic Stonehenge
In Iceland’s northeast corner, there’s a road that few will recommend. It has largely been forgotten by the tourism boom – and that’s what makes it so special…


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Cruise

MSC Cruises to Base Second Ship in China
MSC Cruises has confirmed it will deploy a second ship in China -- MSC Splendida -- from May 2018. The 3,274-passenger "Fantasia" class ship will be based in Shanghai, offering itineraries to China, Japan and Korea. MSC Lirica has been deployed in China since May this year and has recently moved to Tianjin, a port in northern China…

Holland America partners with 'America's Test Kitchen' for cooking classes
Holland America Line is beefing up its culinary education offerings in a new relationship with the long-running public television show America's Test Kitchen…


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Transportation

These are the worst inflight meals we've ever seen
We asked some of Britain's top travel writers - people who have travelled with more than their fair share of carriers all over the world - to tell us about the worst airline food they ever endured…

How airlines set the price of their tickets - and what you can do to beat them
The once-simple task of purchasing a plane ticket has become a science in its own right. The savvy traveller now has a myriad of variables to take into account when plotting air travel – from the day of booking and time of service to choice of airline and whether the route is direct or indirect…


Please support TRO and our Suppliers! The FREE resources and tools available to you are paid for by supplier sponsorship.

Lodging

The Standard's One:Night App Might Compete With Hotel Tonight
Booking an ultra-last-minute hotel room direct from your smartphone has never been easier—with apps like Hotel Tonight and Jetsetter, plus websites such as Expedia, Travelocity, and Kayak serving up instant availability and rock-bottom deals right at your fingertips…

For $805 a night at the Trump Hotel, you deserve what you get
Three years ago Donald Trump won a contract to transform downtown Washington's Old Post Office Pavilion, a grungy food court five blocks from the White House, into his 15th luxury hotel worldwide…


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Other and Odd

French hitchhiker 'goes berserk' in New Zealand after four days stuck without a lift
A Frenchman has gone on a frustrated rampage in a tiny New Zealand fishing village after he spent four days waiting for a hitchhiking ride. The 27-year-old Frenchman arrived in the west coast settlement of Punakaiki, home to just 70-full-time residents, late last week…

This Smart Jacket Will Hold Two Laptops—and a Whole Lot More
If you hate having to carry a bag, this jacket is for you. SCOTTeVEST, a company that specializes in “mobile” clothing, announced its highest capacity clothing yet on Wednesday, with the Off the Grid jacket: It boasts 29 pockets total, including two that will fit laptops…

Today in History

The Hobbit
On this day in 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien published The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. The story follows the character of Bilbo Baggins as he goes on a quest with other of the inhabitants of Middle Earth to capture treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug…

Point-to-Point

How to be found and build clients

Regardless of what you sell, one of the ongoing challenges running any business today is first being found. Getting potential clients “in the door” and then turning them into clients who purchase products using our professional services and expertise is the next critical step. In the case of travel agent professionals, once we get that first sale and get the booking in, the next step is getting those clients to come back and continue booking through us. What’s the best way to be found and build your clientele?

Building Trust and Elevating the Experience

In any sales situation, building that level of trust first is critical. Yes, as travel professionals we do have to “ask for the sale”, but that can be handled through the right phasing.…

  — Travel Research Online
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Supplier Profile

Experience the Unique Side of Italy with SIT Italy

SIT Italy was founded in 1999 by Giuseppe Aloi, a native Italian entrepreneur from the southern region of Calabria, with a background in the hotel business and a vision for the future.

Giuseppe, with his Ph.D. in Business, had already traveled extensively when he joined his uncle to operate several Sicilian hotels in the early 90s. His financial knowledge helped boost the business and Giuseppe’s many American friends and acquaintances, from his visits to California, populated the hotels…

  — Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines

Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Slow Down, Take a Breather

"The average golfer misses short putts because of fear (and the lack of concentration).”

Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book: Lessons and Teachings From a Lifetime In Golf by Harvey Penick with Bud Shrake, page 106

Some things should just be a “given.” They should just work. They should be a forgone conclusion. They should be a “piece of cake.” But sometimes they just don’t turn out that…

  — 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!


TRO Webinars: Short video based learning and training webinars from industry experts and suppliers.





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