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Friday October 04, 2019

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

Europe's most beautiful places
From Norwegian islands high above the Arctic Circle to forest-covered mountains in Romania, windswept sandy beaches in Wales and icy lakes in the Balkans, Europe is a spectacularly varied place. The old continent's historic cities and its Mediterranean beaches draw many of its visitors, but the best destinations are sometimes its more remote corners, known mainly to locals and a few…

Escapes: Keep the cost of a Santa Barbara trip in check
Years ago, a budget columnist suggested taking a small George Foreman grill on your trip to cut dining-out costs. The website descriptor of the appliance says it “delivers fast grilling and delicious results for steak, burgers, chicken, veggies and more.” Thanks for the idea, but no. I’m not above sandwiches in the cooler, but I also don’t want my hotel room to smell like hamburgers…

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Tours and Activities

India’s elephant-friendly tea garden
While most people think of poaching as the most significant danger to the world’s elephant population, there is another threat from a seemingly unlikely source: tea. In India, tea farms have sprouted up along much of the Asian elephant’s habitat, and the farms’ deep drainage ditches, harmful pesticides and electric fences now mark the endangered elephants’ natural migration routes between…

The world's best bar for 2019 revealed
New York real estate may be plummeting, but there's one spot in Greenwich Village where space remains at a premium: Dante, a 104-year-old hostelry that's just been voted top of the World's 50 Best Bar list for 2019. The historic bar, which originally opened as Caffe Dante in 1915, has been a hot ticket since it was reopened in 2015 by its current owners, Australians Linden Pride and…

A women-only surf break on Northern Ireland’s Causeway Coast
Icouldn’t feel my hands, and my feet were flopping around in soaked wetsuit boots as I walked from the sea to a small changing shack on the beach at Benone Strand in County Derry. The walk marked the end of my introduction to cold-water surfing at a location with seven miles of sand and lovely views of Donegal but a far cry from the temperatures I’d been used to while surfing in…

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Cruise

A quaint town with pristine beaches and fantastic views of the fjord – an expert guide to Kristiansand
Often described as the capital of southern Norway, Kristiansand has a quaint old town to stroll around and plenty of other activities on offer. Spend a day at the super-clean Bystranda Beach, go to a concert at Kilden Performing Arts Centre and enjoy the fresh seafood on the quayside at Fiskebrygga. Often described as the capital of southern Norway, Kristiansand has a quaint old town to stroll around…

Ben Mankiewicz Says What to Expect on 2019 TCM Cruise
Devotees of the cable channel Turner Classic Movies will tell you that TCM is to film enthusiasts what ESPN is to sports fans. More extreme TCM followers would argue that movies are a whole lot more than an avid loyalty to one's hometown team and only a mite less than a religion. It's no surprise, then, that TCM's fans can fill a cruise ship. The 7th annual TCM cruise sails October 22 -…

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Transportation

Future Planes Will Track Lots of Data on Passengers, Including How Long They Spend in the Bathroom
The airplane of the future is almost here. And, according to experts, it will know everything about you as a passenger. Including how long you spend in the bathroom. In early October, Airbus unveiled what it believes to be the future of its aircraft at an industry event in Los Angeles. It’s calling its new cabin the Airspace Connected Experience, CNN reported. The new planes will come with a host…

Flights in the U.S. Will Be the Cheapest in 6 Years This Month
It's shoulder season, and the cheap flights keep rolling in. According to a new analysis by airfare monitor app Hopper, fares for domestic flights this month will be the cheapest they've been in six years. "October flight prices are projected to reach the lowest levels since before 2013," Hopper's Consumer Airfare Index for October 2019 says. "Compared to the same time last year, flight…

As Thomas Cook Collapses Into Bankruptcy—Will Norwegian Be The Next Airline To Fail?
The collapse of Thomas Cook after a staggering 178 years of operations have sent shockwaves around the travel sector. The World’s oldest travel company had been facing financial difficulties for a number of years due to changing travel habits and a consumer move away from package holiday bookings. With the recent bankruptcy of several other airlines around the world, from Jet Airways and…

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Lodging

How This Travel Site Makes It Easy For Families To Attend Music Festivals
The weekend that all music lovers have been waiting for is finally here. Today marks the first day of Austin City Limits 2019. What makes the iconic music festival exceed the rest is the fact that it’s an experience open to all ages. No matter how old your kids are, the three-day long event does what it can to accommodate the youngsters in the squad. Parents won’t even have to pay extra…

Conrad Washington DC
The impeccably designed, 360-room Conrad Washington DC hotel is set in the heart of Washington’s high-end retail district, CityCenterDC. A trendy restaurant and rooftop bar and chic contemporary flare appeal to globe-trotting guests with an eye for luxury. In downtown Washington, two blocks from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. It's immediately surrounded by a public…

The 15 best hotels in the USA, according to Fodor's Travel
Fodor's Travel just announced its picks for the Finest Hotels of 2020, including 100 of the best hotels around the world. See which 15 hotels in the U.S. made the cut and what Fodor's had to say about them, starting with Camp Wandawega in Elkhorn, Wisconsin: At the hands of a Chicago advertising couple, this former mobster hideaway (1930s), family-friendly lake resort (1950s), and…

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Other and Odd

Has Travel Become More About The Influence Than The Actual Experience?
I’ve literally been traveling all my life. My first passport stamp was earned after catching a flight to Guyana to spend time with my mom’s side of the family long before my first birthday. My parents recall all the preparation and planning that went into that trip and also recall my teeny body covered in hideous mosquito bites when I returned home. My memories of this special…

Kiss Will Play an Underwater Concert for Great White Sharks — and You Could Attend in a Submarine
A lucky few Kiss fans will be able to rock ‘n’ roll all night while inside a submarine. According to USA Today, the ultimate glam rock band will be putting on a private concert in Australia for great white sharks and a few die-hard fans as part of a promotion for Airbnb. The special concert is just one of many Animal Experiences recently launched by Airbnb. On the morning of Nov. 18, eight fans of…

Today in History

Sputnik
On October 4th, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first Earth-orbiting man-made satellite. Sputnik I was the first in a series of satellites in the Sputnik program. Caught off-guard by the speed with which the Soviets launched, Sputnik ignited a race in space within the context of…

Press Releases of Interest

South African Airways And Air Seychelles Announce New Code Share Flights From New York
Fort Lauderdale, FL (October 3, 2019) – South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier of South Africa and Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelle, announced today a new code share agreement for customers traveling between New York and Seychelles. Air Seychelles will add its…

Agent Perspectives

My Experience with Airbnb
by Fred Kerner
Friday October 04, 2019

Let me start off by saying this: I do not like Airbnb. I cringe every time a client calls or walks in the door and asks, “Do you book Airbnb?” My standard reply is ‘No.’ I then proceed to tell them why Airbnb is not a suitable alternative to a hotel or vacation package through our agency.

Airbnb began in 2008 when two designers who had space to share hosted three travelers looking for a place to stay. Now, millions of hosts and travelers choose to create a free Airbnb account so they can list their space and book unique accommodations anywhere in the world. And Airbnb experience hosts share their passions and interests with both travelers and locals.

Needless to say, Airbnb’s have been a thorn…

  — Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »

Deck Plans

AmaWaterways Adds New Wine Themed Itineraries

AmaWaterways will offer 67 Wine Cruises during the 2020 cruise season, including two new itineraries showcasing the vineyards and sights of France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Hosted by North American wine experts, certified sommeliers, and vineyard owners, the specialty wine-themed sailings offer guests onboard lectures and tastings to complement an array of included shore…

  — Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »

Mike's Morning Missives

Sales Mistake #10: Not Looking Your Best

It is as true today, as ever, that a book is still judged by its cover. So is a movie, a magazine, a car, a house, you, me and all people in general.

You can’t afford to take the chance that your prospect might not approve of your “packaging.” I’m not talking about the price of your wardrobe. I’m referring to the condition of it… and…

  — Travel Research Online
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Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT

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