Destinations
10 alternatives to popular holiday destinations
There’s a reason why everyone flocks to destinations like New York City, South Florida and Cancun in December and January — between great weather, fun activities and festive atmospheres, they’re popular around the holidays year after year…
— USA Today
Valence - and other delicious French destinations you've probably never heard of
From the outside, France presently appears a country in crisis. On the inside, the French are eating. Simple as that. Irritations come and go, but it is the mark of a great nation to pursue its destiny regardless…
— Telegraph (London)
Tours and Activities
The celebrity homes you can visit
One way to see inside a celebrity home is by getting invited over. Prince was famed for hosting all-night parties, but he’s not the only one to have opened up his doors; Justin Bieber’s done it and Elton John is famed for it…
— The Independent
Moviegoers get the luxe treatment at new iPic theater in New York
‘Sinfully decadent’ seating and ‘farm-to-table cocktails’ entice one writer to see what all the fuss is about and whether it’s worth $28 for the premium experience…
— The Guardian
Cruise
How much does Wi-Fi cost on cruises?
Fretting for your Facebook fix while on a cruise? Help is at hand. Not so long ago many people heading off on a cruise did not know what Wi-Fi was, now they can’t do without it…
— Escape
Two giant new ships on the way for Royal Caribbean
Get ready for a new class of ship at Royal Caribbean. The Miami-based cruise giant on Monday ordered a pair of 5,000-passenger vessels from a Finnish shipyard that will have an all-new design…
— USA Today
Transportation
If You Get Sick After A Flight, It's Not The Reason You Think
If you’ve ever come down with a cold after a plane trip, you may have blamed the recycled air in the cabin. But as the SciShow video above explains, this notion doesn’t quite fly…
— The Huffington Post
Will Uber's New Plane Concept Really Take-Off?
Courier service, helicopters, food delivery. Uber has been making a slow but nonetheless deliberate exploration into ride-sharing in its many iterations…
— Fox Travel News
Southwest grows out West, adds two Salt Lake City-California routes
Southwest Airlines is adding two new destination from Salt Lake City. The carrier will launch the California routes on March 9, adding daily nonstop service to both Burbank and Sacramento. Southwest will offer two daily round-trips on the Burbank route and one to Sacramento…
— USA Today
Lodging
Restored mansion in Quebec countryside offers relaxing escape
This stately mansion had fallen into such disrepair that when owners Valérie Arseneau and Martin Bouchard first laid eyes on the property, rain was falling indoors and plaster was dropping off the walls…
— Globe and Mail
Waldorf Astoria Is Coming to California
Look out, California: The Waldorf Astoria is launching a full-on plan of attack. The hotel brand, which recently announced plans to open its first-ever property in San Francisco—in the trendy SoMa neighborhood in 2020 or 2021—is also coming to Los Angeles…
— Condé Nast Traveler
Airbnb beefs up lobbying presence in Washington
Airbnb has hired a trio of Democratic lobbyists at the high-powered lobby firm Podesta Group, marking an increase in the company's Washington lobbying presence at a time when "sharing economy" companies like Airbnb and Uber are drawing scrutiny from federal and local lawmakers…
— The Times-Picayune
Other and Odd
TripAdvisor to Stop Selling Tickets to Many Animal Attractions
TripAdvisor, one of the world’s largest travel websites, and its booking service, Viator, will no longer sell tickets to hundreds of attractions where travelers come into contact with wild animals or endangered species held in captivity, the company announced Tuesday…
— New York Times
These Cities Have the Best Access to Public Transportation
A new study by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy found that Paris is city most accessible via public transit…
— Travel Leisure
Today in History
The Knights Templar
In the year 1307 AD, October 13th fell on a Friday. King Philip IV of France was deeply in debt to the powerful religious order, the Knights Templar. The King began to pressure Pope Clement V to disband the order and seize their holdings which had grown vastly since the order's humble beginnings during the early crusades…
— Travel Research Online
Reading Between the Lines
TRO SMITH
5 Tips for Facebook Ads that Get Real Results!
by Lori Hardegree
Thursday October 13, 2016
 Are you using Facebook Ads in your business? Most travel professionals I speak with WANT to use Facebook Ads, but they aren’t always sure they are getting a good return on investment from them.
Today I’ve got 5 tips for you to create Facebook Ads that get noticed… and get results…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Luxury Travel Tips
Advice from Gary Brown
by Dan Chappelle
Thursday October 13, 2016
The best piece  of advice I got in this business was also one of the first, and I have lived by it my entire career. I got into the travel business after recognizing an opportunity. I came to realize most of the problems we dealt with, as a purser onboard cruise ships at the time, tended to be travel-agent related. It was then I decided to start a cruise-only travel agency. Back in those days, there were probably fewer than 500 cruise specialists in the US and far fewer dedicated cruise agencies. From the ship, I sent letters to 5 or 6 cruise-focused and franchise companies for information on starting the business. Not a single one responded, with the exception of Gary Brown, owner of…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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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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