As if flying was not bad enough; hold on, it is going to get a lot worse. In March, the US put a ban on laptops and tablets in cabins from incoming flights from a select few countries, which affected about 50 daily flights. Now it seems that the ban may be extended to include EU countries and is expected to affect more than 400 daily flights and 65 million travelers per year. So what is a traveler to do? What is an agent to…

While self-motivation is a simple concept, we all know that it’s one of the hardest things to attain. Despite purely good intentions, most of us are better at slacking off than getting motivated. But no matter what your attention span, it is possible for you to motivate yourself and reach your goals; you just need to follow a few simple steps (I still feel that it is not possible for others to motivate you. Motivation is a do-it-to-yourself…

Let’s state definitively we are all the owners of our own brand, our own “company” called “me, myself and I”. This was the insight of Tom Peter’s famous 1997 article “The Brand Called You.” The success of social media platforms like Linkedin was largely presaged by the notion of the individual as a brand. With that in mind, we need to consider how we promote and monitor our individual brands.

Is it too much to think every travel consultant, whether an employee or owner, should have their own mission statement separate and apart from the company for which they work? Even as an employee, you are building your own brand. Your relationships with clients are your own. Too often, I am sure, the marketing advice TRO writes for…

With over 20 years of travel industry experience, Ted Sykes knows cruising. Before coming to American Queen Steamboat Company he had previously been CEO of eWaterways, as well as CFO of Viking and The Vantage Group. Ted made his entry into deep sea cruising by launching the cruise shipping division of Saga Group in England, where he served as CEO from conception to full operation. Holding a B.B.A in Finance from the University of Wisconsin, Ted Sykes got his start in the travel industry through finance; before diving head first into travel he was a partner with Young & Rubicam, Inc. In 2012 Ted became President and COO of American Queen Steamboat Company where he…