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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
The Best Solo Trips to Take Before the Year Is Over
The year is more than halfway over, so if you’re behind on some of your 2019 travel goals, it may be time to ditch your favorite travel partner and take matters into your own hands. And why not? Unlike the pre-Google days, you now have an interactive map and translation…
— Travel+Leisure
What Japan can teach us about cleanliness
The students sit with their satchels on their desks, eager to get home after another long day of seven 50-minute classes. They listen patiently as their teacher makes a few announcements about tomorrow’s timetable. Then, as every day, the teacher’s final words: “OK…
— BBC
Peak and mix: adventure activities in Glen Coe, Scotland
The Lost Valley of Glen Coe isn’t hard to find. The path to it starts at a car park on the A82, crosses the glen and River Coe, then starts to ascend. After a nerve-racking narrow stretch above a gorge, the route continues, curving round boulders and crossing the river again…
— The Guardian
Tours and Activities
Where to Drink Martinis in New York City
You can’t go wrong with ordering a classic Martini. It’s a bold, no-nonsense cocktail that can be made with a variety of different spirits, modifiers and garnishes to suit even the pickiest palate. But if you’re new to the Martini, its robust flavor can be tough to get used to at first. So…
— Travel+Leisure
How to travel like Steve Irwin's family: See wildlife responsibly on these trips
Wildlife tourism can benefit animal populations as it brings awareness and interest, though there are good and bad ways to interact with wildlife. "You need people just being aware of wildlife and issues surrounding it," says Robert Irwin, son of the late wildlife expert…
— USA Today
Lost Egyptian temple unearthed 2,200 years after it was built for King Ptolemy IV
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a long-lost 2,200-year-old temple thought to belong to Pharaoh Ptolemy IV. The ancient tomb structure was accidentally found by construction workers during drilling on a sewage drain in the village of Kom Shakau in the Tama township…
— CNN
Cruise
Beyond the glamor: Reality of superyacht jobs
The symbols of Dubai's transformation into a global city are on show wherever you look in the "City of Gold," from soaring skyscrapers to five-star hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants.
Perhaps the most recognizable symbols of Dubai are found floating in its ever-expanding…
— CNN
What People Are Most Excited About
Love that new ship smell? This fall is proving to be a bumper season for new cruise ships, with megaships debuting from Princess Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Carnival Cruises -- all within a few months. Even though none of these ships are first in their class, each has…
— CruiseCritic.com
Transportation
Traveling Abroad for Thanksgiving Is a Great Way to Save Money — Here’s Where to Go for the Best Deal
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times to fly in America as hordes of people head home for some turkey, stuffing — maybe a pumpkin spice latte? — and good, old-fashioned family time. But Thanksgiving also happens to be one of the cheapest times to plan that…
— Travel+Leisure
Flying The Queen Of The Skies In Business Class: A Ride On The British Airways 747
The majority of the flying public doesn’t pay much attention to aircraft types and the variety of seating configurations found within any given airline, and it’s easy to see why. Information isn’t often readily available, and these things get complicated. One plane type at American…
— Forbes
Lodging
The Best Hotels Near Atlanta Airport
As the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson has dozens of hotels that are all within an extremely short drive from the terminals. You don’t even need to leave the airport itself to find a place to spend the night. People from all across the world end up in Atlanta.…
— Travel+Leisure
How One Tweet Unleashed A Flood Of Brilliant Hotel Hacks On Twitter
At their worst, social media platforms can reveal society’s ugly underbelly. At their best, they can harness the wisdom of the crowd. Last week, Twitter was an example of the latter, as users created a viral thread of clever hacks for hotel guests. It all started when Rick Klau,…
— Forbes
Other and Odd
Heading south in Steinbeck's footsteps, with a Prius and a plan
Soon the beauty of fall will be gone, the festive holidays a memory. The snow will have outstayed its welcome, and the world outside will be pale and cold. For those of us in the Mountain West, February, the shortest month, can be 28 long days of despair. That’s when…
— LA Times
The UFO seekers flocking to a remote Thai hilltop in search of Buddhist aliens
A hilltop in central Thailand is attracting UFO seekers who believe extraterrestrials hover above a huge Buddha statue, send telepathic communiques, walk across nearby sugarcane fields and use a crocodile-infested lake as a portal from their planets -- Pluto and Loku. Though it…
— CNN
Today in History
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Founded
Founded on October 7, 1919, was the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the oldest airline in the world operating under its original name. The first flight was on May 17, 1920 from Croydon Airport in London to Amsterdam on a press flight. For the entire year in 1920 the airline carried only 440 passengers, but…
— Travel Research Online
Publishers Corner
Birthing New Ideas
by Richard Earls
Sunday October 06, 2019
I spend many o f my columns speaking to the importance of positioning and differentiation - setting your travel practice apart from the crowd. From the emails and comments I received, however, it's clear that it's not always easy to really BE different. Where do the ideas arise that will energize your travel practice in such a way that travelers will choose you over another agency or booking on their own?
The most important thing is to lead with your personality. You are the one thing that is truly unique about your travel practice. You are the one thing not duplicated online, in your office, or at another agency. You are the human element with which people want to engage. Learn to infuse your creative thinking with your own…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Mike's Morning Missives
A Double Whammy: Two Set-Backs Worth Noting
 I once was reminded of how the sine wave of life actually worked. Although today’s examples are coming to you via my archives, I feel the message is as poignant today as it was back then.
The first example comes by way of a horse. A very fast horse. A very beautiful and elegant four-legged creature who went by the name of American Pharoah. (Spelled wrong, correctly.)
American Pharoah overcame incredible odds to win the Triple Crown. This was the first time that happened since Affirmed won it in…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
Australia & New Zealand Guided Vacations: AAT Kings NEW 2020-2021 Brochure, Product and Destination Update
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
AAT Kings is thrilled for the launch of our new 2020-2021 season brochure!
Explore. Connect. Smile.
Discover two lands of extraordinary landscapes, a tapestry of ancient cultures and rugged wilderness, on two remarkable island nations.
Register Now ➠
TheBestAgent.Pro: A free Revolutionary Online Booking Engine that will add $$$ to your bottom line
Thursday, October 10, 2019 at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT
As one of America’s leading and largest air travel consolidators, Downtown Travel deals with travel agents and airlines all day, every day. We heard the need to simplify the searching, booking, and ticketing process so that agents can concentrate on supporting their customers instead of fighting computer screens and telephones.
For this reason, we are happy to announce our revolutionary new booking engine TheBestAgent.Pro. The engine provides the greatest variety of Net and Published fares offered by any air consolidator and allows users to ticket 24-7 themselves. Our simple and intuitive platform is completely point and click and built to be enjoyed by both the tech savvy and the less technically inclined alike. Gone are the days of blue screens with blinking cursors and telephone hold times.
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