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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
Here's How to Help the Bahamas After Hurricane Dorian
People are coming together to help days after Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, killing at least seven people and causing complete devastation throughout the islands. The catastrophic and slow-moving storm made landfall on Great Abaco Island with sustained winds of 185 mph over the weekend, the strongest storm to hit the area since 1935. Images of…
— Travel+Leisure
The World's Most-Visited City Is Bangkok
Mastercard has released its Global Destination Cities Index, which ranks 200 cities around the world with the most international visitors. The list is based on the card issuer’s proprietary analysis of publicly available spending data and visitor numbers. The results, which include information on the most-visited cities as well as consumers’ spending habits, are telling. For the…
— Forbes
Tours and Activities
An exhilarating train journey across the Sahara
Wrapping my Touareg scarf around my face to shield my eyes from the sand and dirt, I climbed the ladder, hoisted myself onto the lip of the freight wagon and surveyed the scene. An endless line of wagons stretched out to the horizon, rocking and swaying. To either side, a landscape of boundless sandy plains and low dunes was sliding past, pin-sharp in the limpid light of the…
— BBC
Autumn In New York: Try 7 Inviting Ideas For Travel Lovers
As a New Yorker who has had a love affair with this city for decades, I never tire of experiencing its energy and ingenuity, culture and charisma. With 41 Broadway theaters, nearly 100 museums, more than 1,700 parks and recreation facilities and approximately 40,000 restaurants across the five boroughs, there are always interesting sights, sounds and tastes to explore. One of the best…
— Forbes
The best classic New York City restaurants
You could easily go broke trying to visit every restaurant in New York City's five boroughs. But while there will always be plenty of people chasing the next hot thing -- rainbow unicorn ramen -- there are certain restaurants that have outlasted the rest. These spots are known for their style, their service and especially their food, and have survived against cutthroat competition. Some…
— CNN
Cruise
Hurricane Dorian forces Norwegian Breakaway cruise to divert to New Orleans, stranding 200
An estimated 200 cruise passengers were stuck in New Orleans after the Norwegian Breakaway was forced to divert to Louisiana on Tuesday morning because of Hurricane Dorian. The cruise was originally scheduled to return to Miami on Sunday, but due to the storm, the ship altered course and diverted to New Orleans, where passengers are claiming they have been left…
— Fox Travel News
Hurricane Dorian: Royal Caribbean, Disney Cruise Line, others pledge support to Bahamas
Royal Caribbean International, The Walt Disney Co. and other companies are stepping up and offering support to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian ripped a destructive path across the island nation. Dorian was a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 185 mph when it pummeled the Bahamas Sunday for more than 36 hours, leaving at least 20 people dead and an estimated…
— USA Today
Transportation
American Airlines retires classic MD-80 planes
It's the end of an era for American Airlines' Super 80 planes. The carrier flew its last revenue flight of the classic McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Wednesday. The aircraft, also called Super 80 by the airline, has been an American Airlines workhorse since 1983, when the airline operated three of them. By 2003, the airline had 362 crisscrossing the sky -- about a third of all the MD-80s ever…
— CNN
Tips for getting an appointment for your Global Entry application
If you are trying to complete your Global Entry application but have been stymied by the scarcity of available appointments, keep on trying. Customs and Border Protection, which said in an email Tuesday that the Los Angeles office where those applications can be completed would reopen Oct. 1, said Wednesday that the office would remain closed indefinitely. Global Entry, which costs $100…
— LA Times
Lodging
This Cabin Was Built for Mars—But You Can Test it Out in Upstate New York
Odds are, you didn't make it onto the shortlist of astro-tourists heading on a space vacation with Virgin Galactic or SpaceX in the not-too-distant future. But you can still travel to Mars—or at least, pretend to—thanks to a new cabin in New York's Hudson Valley. Next spring, the two-story Tera cabin will be 3D-printed on site in upstate New York. It will be made from a biopolymer…
— Conde Nast Traveler
Dolphins, whisky and safari tents: You find more than birds as a Hebridean twitcher
Though the potency of early morning Scottish sea gales looked set to pinch the cap from my head, I craned my neck around the boat’s cabin, drops of seawater speckling my face as we whipped over swells at 30 knots, to just about make out Ailsa Craig growing mighty ahead of the bow. The prehistoric hump of scarped granite columns capped by verdure looked more fearsome now than…
— Telegraph (London)
Hotel de la Coupole: Inside Sapa's first luxury hotel
Once a sleepy town famous for its rice terraces and ethnic tribal cultures, Sapa -- a five-hour drive from Hanoi -- has grown in recent years to become one of the hottest tourist destinations in Vietnam. With a population of less than 140,000, the area welcomed more than 1.6 million visitors in the first half of 2019 -- accounting for 57% of tourists visiting the entire Lao Cai…
— CNN
Other and Odd
Black bear found resting in Montana lodge washroom
Guests and staff at a hotel in Montana got the surprise of their lives recently, when a black bear was found chilling out in the women's bathroom. In a video shared by Buck's T-4 Lodge in Big Sky, hotel workers were astonished to encounter the young bear sprawling on the bathroom countertop, apparently unfazed by its surroundings. "A yearling black bear found its way through…
— CNN
José Andrés Mobilizes World Central Kitchen in the Bahamas After Hurricane Dorian
Over the past several years, chef José Andrés and his non-profit, World Central Kitchen, have been working to feed people in times of crisis. They were on the ground in Southern California this summer preparing meals for residents and first responders in the wake of earthquakes; when Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, Andrés famously prepared giant vats of paella that served 5,000…
— Travel+Leisure
Today in History
First Continental Congress
The long-distance relationship between King George III of England and his American colonies was not going well. On September 5, 1774, a convention was held in Philadelphia, attended by 55 appointed members from twelve of the thirteen British colonies. Only the state of Georgia did not send…
— Travel Research Online
One-to-One Interviews
Ernie Sylvester, Owner & Operator, Ernie's Tours
 Ernie has been conducting tours since 2003. He has conducted Ghost, Voodoo, and Cemetery tours for Haunted History Tours longer than most tour companies have been in business. In fact, Ernie is a native of Louisiana who was born in Slidell and raised in New Orleans, Georgia, and Florida. After returning home from active duty he attended Delgado Community College. Ernie discovered the tour guide profession, by chance, one night after taking a Ghost tour. Ernie's love for the culture and unique history of New Orleans led him to become a licensed professional tour guide
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Luxury Travel Tips
Look… Squirrel!
by Dan Chappelle
Thursday September 05, 2019
Recently I have been cleaning out my email of the many free e-newsletters I have signed up for over the years. Many with the promise of easy riches in webinars, self-filling sales funnels, and coaching programs who guarantee their secret system will make me a rich by ____ (you fill in the blank).
And then there is Russ Ruffino. I like his style. He and his company are an open book. His system is simple and successful. And unlike most other coaches, he uses it in his own business.
Believe me – most business coaches in any industry, don’t practice what they preach. Many have virtually no experience, but are happy to tell you how they think you should be running your…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Mike's Morning Missives
Mistake #3: You are not client centered
 This is marketing mistake #3 of 15. Most customers are getting tired of hearing companies chant the “CUSTOMER SERVICE MANTRA.” Based on my experiences in the marketplace, chances are pretty good that most companies are just saying the words they want their customers to hear.
There are a great number of organizations out there who still don’t know how to spell customer service, no less how to deliver it on a regular and consistent basis. TOO MANY!
Allow me to clarify. You might be good at it – servicing your clients – now and then, when you feel like it. But how often is that? Based on my experiences, not often enough. You provide good service when you want to… when it is convenient for you to…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
Discover the Happy Isles with Solomon Airlines
Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm 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 ➠
What's Your 2020 Vision?
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 at 12 pm EDT/9 am PDT
We only get one go around in life, so make it count!
- Are you earning less than minimum wage?
- Did you think you would be able to travel more?
- Have you spent a fortune on marketing - with little to show for it?
- Is your family pressuring you to quit?
- Has your business plateaued, and you have tried everything to get unstuck?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you must attend this free training.
Register Now ➠
Destination Bariloche (presented by INPROTUR)
Tuesday, September 10, 2019 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
San Carlos de Bariloche (commonly known as Bariloche), is a town in the Argentina’s Patagonia region. Bariloche is an all-season destination for all travelers, offering great skiing during the winter months as well trekking, climbing, etc. in the summer.
Register Now ➠
Affordable Non-Stop Flights to Paris with XL Airways
Thursday, September 5, 2019 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT
“Paris is always a good idea!”, famously said Audrey Hepburn, and we couldn’t agree more. Now that XL Airways has year-round scheduled flights between New York and Paris, the magnetic ‘City of Light’ becomes even more accessible on a budget. Paris is one of the “World’s Best Places to Visit”, and there has never been a better time to enjoy it than in the fall and around the winter holidays! The crowds are gone, the mood is mellow, and its beautiful colors add just a notch more charm and romanticism.
Register Now ➠
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