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Editor’s Note — TRO wants to remind it’s Travelgram readers the articles presented here are meant to assist you in remaining informed and prepared to discuss travel news of the day with clients.
Destinations
5 Tips for a Luxury Trip to Istanbul for Less
Travelers interested in visiting Istanbul are in luck: The United States dollar has been strong against the Turkish lira recently, and your money goes a long way. Karen Fedorko is the owner of Sea Song, a travel company in Istanbul that plans private trips to Turkey. “You can have a fabulous upscale vacation here without trying too hard,” she said. Having planned dozens of Turkish trips…
— New York Times
The Caribbean Island of St. Kitts is Private Getaway and an Up-and-Coming Destination
What do songstress Roberta Flack, reggae artist Damian (Jr. Gong) Marley, R&B singer Toni Braxton and Trinidadian soca star Machel Montano have in common? All were on the Caribbean island of St. Kitts this summer, celebrating a Sweet 16. Not just any Sweet 16, but the 16th annual St. Kitts Music Festival, which attracted some 5,000 people for three nights of concerts and Caribbean-style…
— Sun Sentinel
Tours and Activities
You Don't Have to Be a Kid to Get a Princess Makeover at Disney World
Living like a princess for a day isn’t just a dream anymore. At Walt Disney World in Orlando, salons are making wishes come true by offering couture princess makeovers for adults (as well as kids). Previously, children could visit the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, a beauty salon for kids, to be transformed into tiny princesses when they visit the park. But ever since last October, during…
— Travel+Leisure
The Best Niagara Falls Travel Tips From Our Readers
This week on Hack Your City, we got your travel advice on Superman’s favorite vacation spot, Niagara Falls. We’ve highlighted dozens of great tips in the Staff tab on the original comment thread. Below are a few of our favorites. Each Monday on Hack Your City, we ask readers for your best tips on a city: driving tips, restaurant recs, things to do, and any other advice for visitors and locals. Then on…
— LifeHacker
Cruise
I Scored the Strangest Job On a Cruise Ship
If you’ve ever been ice skating, you’ll know it’s not easy. And that’s on land. So imagine what it’s like ice skating on the ocean. Crazy, right? Cruise ships are rolling out more and more amazing entertainment, from flying foxes to bionic bars, and snow grottoes to bowling alleys. But only one cruise line has professional ice skaters and that’s Royal Caribbean. On-board Explorer of the Seas and…
— Escape
This Incredible Cruise Near the North Pole Lasts a Month, Costs $37,000
Silversea is planning a 25-day trip through some of the most incredible landscapes on Earth, skirting icebergs and getting up close with polar bears on a nearly month-long trip through the Northeast Passage next summer. The voyage, aboard the Silver Explorer, will depart Nome, Alaska, on August 10, 2019, before traveling 5,776 miles west, past the International Date Line and Russia to…
— Conde Nast Traveler
Transportation
How Safe is an Airport’s Wi-Fi? Cybersecurity Study Ranks the Nation’s Best and Worst
Some good news for patrons of Miami International Airport who use their smart phones and laptops to do business or pass time on social media while waiting on a flight. According to a new survey by Coronet, a Tel Aviv-based cloud security company, Miami International is one of the 10 most secure airports in the country when it comes to cybersecurity. MIA ranked No. 9, one position…
— Miami Herald
JetBlue Founder Plans to Launch a New Low-cost Airline
The number of airlines has been shrinking in the last decade as airlines merge and acquire rivals, cutting competition and reducing choices for air travelers. Now David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue and a major investor in the Portuguese airline TAP and Brazilian carrier Azul, says he is leading a group of investors to create a new airline in the United States. The investors group made a…
— LA Times
Lodging
Barcelona Continues Crackdown on Illegal Holiday Apartments
For tourists to Barcelona who want to avoid being duped by fake listings on holiday apartment websites and social media accounts, or who simply wish to be more ethical visitors, the city council has created a website providing checks on whether a rental is legal. To avoid arriving and discovering the rental is one of the 2,000 apartments the city has closed down in the past year because they were…
— The Guardian
Pop-up Hotels? Yeah, That's a Thing Now
Here’s an alternative to both a hotel and an Airbnb: a pop-up hotel. That’s the concept that startup WhyHotel has introduced to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore and hopes to expand across the country. Last year, WhyHotel began operating these pop-up hotels within newly-built luxury rental apartment buildings that have yet to lease out all their units. Once a building is completed, it can take…
— USA Today
Other and Odd
Travel agents: How to Find a Good One and How They Can Help
When you can book every aspect of a trip online, in minutes, why would you use a travel agent? And how do you find a good one? Erika Richter, communications director for the American Society of Travel Agents, joined this week’s episode of the AP Travel podcast “Get Outta Here! ” to explain how travel agents work and how to find one. Here are some excerpts from the podcast, edited for…
— Vancouver Sun
From Africa to Tea with the Queen
Eighty-year-old women are supposed to stay at home. The neatly dressed grandmother of our collective imagination derives her pleasure from indoor pursuits – cooking, reading, knitting. One thing octogenarian women aren’t supposed to do is embark on a solo five-month journey through Africa, driving from Cape Town to Cairo in a battered Toyota Conquest. Julia Albu never set out to be…
— BBC
Today in History
The Sinking of the Mary Rose
The Mary Rose was one of the largest ships in the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. She had seen nearly thirty years of warfare and had recently been upfitted with a new innovation: gun ports along the side of the ship, allowing it to fire a broadside. However, the battle tactics to support the new innovation were not fully developed. Accounts indicate that, having exhausted her guns on her port side, the captain…
— Travel Research Online
Press Releases of Interest
SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS HONORED FOR “BEST AIRLINE STAFF IN AFRICA”AT THE SKYTRAX 2018 WORLD AIRLINE AWARDS
Fort Lauderdale, FL (July 18, 2018) – South African Airways (SAA), the leading airline from the U.S. to South Africa with the most daily flights, was honored with the “Best Airline Staff in Africa” award at the 2018 World Airline Awards hosted by world renowned aviation experts Skytrax™. The award presented at a special ceremony held at the Farnborough International Airshow attributed South African Airways’…
— Travel Research Online
TRO SMITH
5 Ways to Standout Socially & Professionally
by Catherine Heeg
Thursday July 19, 2018
Do your clients ever say to you, “I didn’t know you were still in the travel industry”?
Or worse yet, “I didn’t know you were able to book ________.” (Fill in the blank with your top selling destination or ship.)
What if you bumped into a former tour operator colleague at a conference? They said, “I wanted to include your new attraction or hotel (you fill in the blank) in our upcoming group tour, but didn’t know where you currently work.…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Mike's Morning Missives
Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
 For many of you this advice may sound incredibly boring, mundane, or even amateurish. It isn’t. Here is a cliché worth internalizing: Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
I tell you this because before you know it you will be writing yet another year-end, fictitious list outlining all the things you are not going to accomplish in the coming year. We are well into the current year and I am betting you still have a number of items on this year’s list yet to be addressed - no less accomplished.
Hence, my advice to you today is very…
— 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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Upcoming Training Opportunities
DESTINATION: ARGENTINA With Aerolineas Argentinas, Inprotur and Delta Airlines
Monday, July 30, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
There are many reasons why you should sell Argentina with Aerolineas Argentinas:
Register Now ➠
How To Engage Prospects: Stuart's 15-Step Plan
Friday, July 27, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
To sell more, engage more. But how do we get people to respond? How do we grow our list and win more sales? Stuart's 15 methods are a fresh approach to radically increasing your success: 5 ways to engage prospects already on your list, 5 ways to engage brand new leads, 5 ways to engage at networking events.
Register Now ➠
Fly Solomon Airlines and Discover a ‘Hidden Gem’ in the South Pacific
Wednesday, July 25, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
Tucked away in the South Pacific, the Solomon Islands are a little known, unspoiled paradise. The Solomon Islands are an archipelago of almost 1,000 islands, located between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu – a three hour journey from Australia. These islands are laid-back, welcoming and often surprisingly untouched. Crystal clear waters with an abundance of the world’s most colorful fish, rays, and turtles make it a paradise for diving and snorkeling.
Register Now ➠
Small Group Touring through Europe
Tuesday, July 24, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
Do you have clients interested in the concept of an escorted tour but no desire to travel long days in a large bus? Look no further! Join us for an informative webinar about Back-Roads Touring Co and give those clients an option they will love! Back-Roads Touring Co, a London based tour company, has specialized in leisurely paced scheduled departures through the UK, Europe, and Asia for the last 28 years. This webinar will cover their touring portfolio, including their newly released 2019 schedules, all the selling features you’ll need to know to sell their destinations, and give a more in depth look into the unique travel experience provided to your clients.
Register Now ➠
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