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Monday December 12, 2016

 

Destinations

Tenerife with a twist: winter sun, plus wildlife and wine
A world away from the Canary Islands' touristy Tenerife, the north offers cloud forests, lava fields, vineyards and friendly towns - and some winter sunbathing, too…

Tanabe, Japan: Where aikido was born
There's no finer place to experience aikido -- and eat some amazing seafood in the process…


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Tours and Activities

7 Writers on Their Favorite Bookstores
Geraldine Brooks, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Pamela Paul and others in the literary world reveal their favorite bookstores…

Brunch Festivals Exist and It's About Time
Our favorite (and the most Instagrammable) meal is finally getting the recognition it deserves…

Walking the Cotswolds: 3,000 miles of curiosities in the English countryside
Swinbrook lies on one of the most fascinating public footpaths through golden limestone villages and sheep pastures…


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Cruise

Photo tour: The allure of an AmaWaterways river ship
The four-year-old, 164-passenger ship offers comfortable public spaces including a large forward lounge and bar with floor-to-ceiling windows; two eateries, a small spa and a fitness room…

Time to set sail: The Globe Guide to Cruises - 2017
From go-karts to zip lines to cruises for the 1% - here is The Globe's look at cruises in 2017…

Carnival Raises Bottled Water Prices ... Again
For the second time this year, Carnival Cruise Line has raised its prices for bottled water. In July 2015, the cruise line banned passengers from bringing their own bottles onboard but appeased the masses by offering inexpensive 12-packs for pre-order at a cost of $2.99 each. Cruisers would then find the water waiting in their cabins…


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Transportation

How Airplane Lights are Designed to Affect Your Mood
Airplanes are curious places. From how the toilet flushes when you're 40,000 feet in the air to why those windows have tiny holes in them, there are a lot of questions that pop up when you've got hours to sit in a tight space with nowhere else to go…

Switzerland opens the world’s longest train tunnel
Switzerland boasts a new attraction with the opening of the longest train tunnel in the world…


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Lodging

Morocco's best coastal resorts
Beaches might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Morocco, but the North African country boasts miles of beautiful coastline that borders both the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas. Here are some of the best seaside locations and where to stay when you get there…

The 10 most glamorous ski resorts on Earth
Palatial chalets, private mountain luxury, gourmet restaurants, sophisticated towns and immaculate slopes…


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Other and Odd

17 Experience Gifts That'll Make You Never Want A Regular Gift Again
If you’re feeling uninspired by gift offerings this holiday season, why not give away experiences instead of stuff? We’ve found 17 absolutely incredible experiences across the country that your friends and family will love…

9 wacky ways to see Santa Claus this year
Going to see Santa at the mall is so old school. This year, opt for a more unique Santa sighting—one that’s actually fun and active-- whether on a beach, a ski slope, city near home or somewhere you’ve never been…

Today in History

The First African American Congressman
On December 12, 1870, Joseph Hayne Rainey became the first African American to be elected and serve in the United States House of Representatives…

Press Releases of Interest

interCaribbean Introduces New Montego Bay Non-Stop Flight
interCaribbean Airways announces a new nonstop weekly flight between Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Montego Bay, Jamaica. As of December 18, 2016, the new service will operate every Sunday out of Providenciales (PLS), with a Thursday return out of Montego Bay (MBJ)…


Editorial Musings

Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and carry on

On Saturday, I attended the 117th Annual Army-Navy football game in Baltimore. It is a storied rivalry; some say the best in all sports. The Navy team had a 14-year winning streak and a record-setting season. They are scheduled to play in the Armed Forces Bowl and made the conference championship game last weekend. That game cost them two key players. Yesterday’s starting quarterback was the third stringer. Almost predictably, Navy lost. The streak was done. The bus ride home was surely like none of the ones over the past 14 years. But you know what? Navy will pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and carry on. Just like you need to do when you run into a setback in your travel business…

  — Travel Research Online
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Reading Between the Lines

Top Dog Sales Secrets: Your Job is to Help People... Plain and Simple

“Everybody loves to buy.”

Top Dog Sales Secrets by Michael Dalton Johnson, page 136

You finally bit the bullet and started your dream job. You are now an entrepreneur selling travel, and life doesn’t get any better than that. Or does it?

After you seek help and support from all your relatives and neighbors, you find that nobody seems to care about you or your new venture.  You find that some people act as if they are going to work with you, only to find out they went ahead and booked their trip themselves on the Internet. Upon entering the market, it appears that you failed to give proper consideration to the competitive nature of this business…

  — Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner

Travel Professionals: Believe In Yourself

Over the past few months, I have had the privilege of meeting and speaking with a great many travel consultants at trade shows, and as always, I have been impressed.  Today's travel professionals are smart, engaged, and well-informed.  They have taken on the challenges of learning their profession and the necessary technologies. There is a real eagerness to learn as much as possible and the attendees at the shows packed every training session offered.  A general sense of optimism is tangible in the air, a feeling that the pent-up demand for travel is starting to show in the marketplace.

A few of the newer agents reminded me of something, however, a marketing lesson so basic that we often forget its importance. These newbies would typically breach…

  — Travel Research Online
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Luxury Travel Tips

Turn Shoppers into Buyers

“WAVE” Season, the busiest time of the year for the travel industry, is just around the corner.  I challenge you to ask yourself a simple question: “Will you be busy selling or just be busy being busy?”

After the holidays, consumer interest in vacations increases exponentially. If someone takes the time to reach out to you, the odds are good they are actually planning a vacation.  They may be just getting started in the process or already know exactly what they want, but the real question is, will they book it with you?

If you treat new inquiries as though they are simply “shoppers”, you risk falling into the same trap many seasoned travel agents have done over the years and you will lose out on a tremendous amount of business. Conversely, if you assume everyone is a buyer, I promise – you will book a lot more 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!


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





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