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Monday October 15, 2018

Editor’s Note — TRO wants to remind its 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

Užupis: A Tiny Republic of Free Spirits
Residents say that if you stare into the eyes of the Užupis Mermaid as you cross the bridge into the tiny, self-declared Republic of Užupis from the surrounding Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, you’ll never want to leave. Created in 2002 by sculptor Romas Vilčiauskas, the bronze figure welcomes visitors to the tiny republic – and locals claim that it is she…

Top Cheapest Destinations to Escape Winter for a Week
Momondo specialists have analyzed the total cost of popular sunny destinations during European winter, taking into account flights, 3-4 star hotels, food, drinks and public transport to reveal the cheapest warm destination for this winter. Chiang Mai is the cheapest sunny holiday destination this winter, as Romanian travelers can catch a week…

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Tours and Activities

The Arctic Adventures You Need to Sign Up for This Winter
The Arctic Circle conjures up images of rosy-nosed reindeers and gift-laden elves, but it’s also got a dark side – and we’re not talking about potential over-exploitation of Santa’s workforce, either, but bone-chilling temperatures, wild animals and, during the winter, endless hours of darkness. To learn how to conquer this challenging wilderness, sign up…

Up Close and Personal With Churchill's Whimsical Bzeluga Whales
All it takes is a quick paddle from the western shore of Hudson Bay and the smiling, curious face of a beluga whale peeks out of the water to greet kayakers floating by. The northern Manitoba community of Churchill is known as the polar bear capital of the world, but the largest population of beluga whales also calls its Hudson Bay coastline…

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Cruise

AmaMagna: Realizing An Improbable Dream In River Cruising
In May 2019, AmaWaterways will launch AmaMagna, the largest luxury ship to cruise any European river. Built to cruise only on the Danube, this unique ship promises to add a whole new dimension to river cruising, offering twice the interior space of any other European river cruise ship. Although river cruising is one of the fastest growing…

River Cruising in 2019: New Destinations and Trends
Like their oceanic counterparts, river cruises are becoming ever more popular and catering for an increasingly broad range of travellers. The key advantages of river cruises for many are that they take you through the heart of the communities they call at, you tend to get more time on shore, and the ships are typically like floating boutique hotels.…

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Transportation

Can 18 Hours in the Air Be Bearable? Airlines Bet on Ultra-Long-Haul Flights
Last Thursday, the world’s longest nonstop flight — a 9,534-mile, 18-and-a-half-hour journey from Singapore to Newark on Singapore Airlines’ new Airbus A350-900 Ultra Long Range aircraft — touched down, raising the bar for super-long-haul travel, which most industry experts define as any flight over 8,000 miles one way. New, lighter…

Oversized Flyers a Challenge for Seatmates and Airlines
It's true, Americans are getting larger and airline seats are shrinking. So confrontations between oversize airline passengers and their fellow travelers are inevitable. The average American man weighs 15 pounds more than he did 20 years ago, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The average American woman weighs…

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Lodging

San Diego's Hotel del Coronado Celebrates Its 130th Anniversary
As luxurious as it is historic, Hotel Del Coronado has been a San Diego landmark since opening in…

Pontchartrain Hotel is Tops in New Orleans, Conde Nast Readers Say
The Pontchartrain Hotel has been named the No. 1 hotel in New Orleans in the Conde Naste Traveler's 2018 Readers Choice Awards, in a survey of the world's best hotels, resorts and more. "Attention to design details and value for money make The Pontchartrain Hotel a must-stay for anyone unafraid to stay outside of the French Quarter,''…

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Other and Odd

Google Launched a New Tool to Help You Plan a Vacation. Here's How to Use It
We know – you’ve good intentions. You catch a whiff of inspiration, fire up your favorite search engine, and start planning what will undoubtedly be the trip of a lifetime. Then, someone calls. Or, your kid discovers some strange residue that demands your immediate attention. In any case, your epic trip planning process gets…

You'll Never Believe What Passengers Steal From Planes
What do passengers steal from planes? Anything that isn't bolted down. Among the items snatched from commercial flights: coffee mugs, cutlery, blankets and life jackets. Life jackets? Yes, life jackets. When Joyce Kirby worked as a flight attendant, she says, passengers routinely grabbed the emergency flotation devices under their seats before…

Today in History

Anwar El Sadat Becomes President of Egypt
On this day in 1970 Anwar El Sadat became the third President of Egypt. He was installed in office and served until October 6, 1981 when he was assassinated. He succeeded Gamal Abdel Nasser and modernized Egypt's role in the western world. Multi-party elections were…

Editorial Musings

5 tips for making your travel practice hum
by John Frenaye
Monday October 15, 2018

Managing a travel practice is tough work. You’re in charge of all the details, from sales to marketing to hiring to firing to budgeting to supplier selection. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you’re keeping tabs on a million different details. The good news is that there are ways to simplify and make managing your business easier no matter how big or small you may be.  

Automate Your Operation

The adage is true – time is money. It’s especially true if you are solo and you have a limited amount of time to deal with all the day-to-day…

  — Travel Research Online
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One-to-One Interviews

John Burbidge, CFO, Sky Bird Travel

John Burbidge is the CFO of Sky Bird Travel and Tours. In his capacity of CFO, John directs Sky Bird’s fiscal functions and oversees its entire financial operations. He manages 13 offices in North America for Sky Bird.

John has been with the company for over 30 years and has seen massive changes in the travel industry. His biggest challenges are balancing cash flow along with developing new revenue streams. He sees technological advances as both blessing and challenge in the day-to-day work environment.

He holds BA and MBA degrees from Wayne State University. John lives in Michigan with his wife. They have one daughter who is a junior at the University of Alabama. He enjoys visiting MLB stadiums and…

  — Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner

Relationship Sales
by Richard Earls
Sunday October 14, 2018

They say every preacher really has only one sermon. Here's mine: success in the travel industry has everything to do with relationship selling. Too much of the agency population continues to act as though it is in the business of selling travel and is trapped in a transactional, retail mentality. The travel advisorys and agencies  doing really well have long ago left the retail model behind and have replaced it with relationship sales. It is an easy point to understand, but apparently difficult to implement for many travel agents.

The money collectively spent on travel has an astronomical ring to its tally. Reflect on the fact all travel agencies, including the largest online agencies, handle $240 billion dollars, or about 31% of all travel booked. The number is admittedly an estimate,…

  — Travel Research Online
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Mike's Morning Missives

I Am A Lot Smarter Than You!

I could wax eloquent on this boast but in the interest of time, I will immediately address the subject at hand.

I believe today’s headline to be true and I can say this for five simple…

  — 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!


Upcoming Training Opportunities


ARGENTINA FOOD WINE COUNTRYSIDE

ARGENTINA FOOD WINE COUNTRYSIDE

Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT

Hosted by: Mercedes Bassi “Wine & Gastronomy” coordinator and Ariel Cohen “ National Institute of Tourism Promotion, and Aerolineas Argentinas.

Register Now ➠


The Art cities in Flanders-Belgium

The Art cities in Flanders-Belgium

Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT

Flanders, the northern Dutch speaking part of Belgium, continues to surprise visitors with its wide array of culture, gastronomy, cycling and lifestyle & fashion opportunities. Join us for this webinar to learn more about the six major art cities where visitors can have these unique travel experiences: Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp, Ghent, Mechelen and Leuven. Learn why each city is different and find out about the highlights in 2019.

Register Now ➠


Experience the mystical magic of the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’

Experience the mystical magic of the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT

Experience the mystical magic of the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’ with Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines & Drukair Holidays.

Register Now ➠







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