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Monday October 14, 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

Why you should visit St. Paul
Twin schmin. When I visited St. Paul this summer, I was vaguely aware of another city nearby. I saw skyscrapers in the distance and heard mention of a twin — a sparklier, sassier, busier, bigger city slightly to the west. A city that gets first billing and all the love. I registered that other city in my mind and then dismissed it altogether. Because St. Paul, I discovered, is more fun than second…

Croatia Is the Affordable European Destination You Need to Visit
Tourism is on the rise in Croatia and there’s no wonder why. This beautiful Central European country along the Adriatic Sea was Travel + Leisure’s Reader’s Choice Destination of the Year in 2016 due to its gorgeous beaches, historical points of interest, picturesque national parks, and delicious food. And frankly, there’s no sign of the country’s popularity waning amongst international travelers…

Lille wonder: a whistle-stop tour of a Franco-Belgian jewel
Lille may not be the obvious city for a short break, despite the fact it’s highly convenient to reach via Eurostar. On the train, I flick through the current issue of Metropolitan, the Eurostar magazine, which skips past Lille to focus on the more obvious tourist locations of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. However, when you alight here this city feels as if it’s transforming. Get past the sight of…

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Tours and Activities

Whether in Orlando or London, Harry Potter tourist attractions cast a magical spell
My 10-year-old daughter, Chloe, squared her feet, raised her arm toward the dark, diamond-paned windows, and waved her wand in a triangle pattern as she shouted an incantation into the night air. “Incendio!” Immediately, the building’s dark windows glowed with brilliant white light, and a small crowd of people around us gasped and clapped. Chloe looked at me with a smile as bright as…

Culinary Travel: The Big Cheese Tariff
Travel offers opportunities to savor foods and wines unique to certain countries and regions directly at their source. For example, who wouldn’t jump at the chance to sip Champagne at its appellation in France? Or, want to nibble on a piece of aged PDO Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy? Of course, for culinary travelers, one thing often leads to…

October Is LGBT History Month — Here’s Where to Celebrate Around the World
Every June, the world embraces a rainbow-hued glow as nations across the globe gather to celebrate . The festivities commemorate the Stonewall Rebellion in New York City on June 28, 1969, which is widely recognized as the birth of the modern LGBT movement. But October is another equally important month for the community, which marks the observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual,…

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Cruise

Huge cruise ship squeezes through Greek canal to claim record
Cruise passengers held their breath as a 22.5 meter wide cruise liner became the largest boat to pass through Greece's narrow Corinth Canal, according to its operator. Carrying 929 passengers on board, the Braemar cruise liner narrowly managed to squeeze through the rocky walls of the canal -- which measures a maximum of 25 meters wide at the water's surface -- making it the…

Carnival Cruise Line Offering 3 Different Cruise Deals
Carnival Cruise Line is offering three different deals on cruises that include everything from free cabin upgrades to 30% off on sailings on their cruise ships. The cruise deals include everything last minute sailings to Carnival cruises in 2022. Here is a look at the trio of savings that Carnival Cruise Line is currently offering. Last Minute Cruise Deals: Carnival’s Pack & Go Sale runs until Sunday night…

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Transportation

Teen makes snoring stepfather hand out 'care packages,' earplugs to fellow airline passengers
What a thoughtful and not-at-all insulting gesture. A 17-year-old from Australia recently decided that her stepfather’s snoring was so bad, he should be handing out care packages — complete with handwritten notes — to his fellow passengers on a 32-hour flight. Last month, Alan Tattersall, from Victoria, Australia, was preparing to head to Houston for business when his stepdaughter, Grace, got…

Ban air miles to fight climate change, committee says
Air miles programs should be banned and a levy on frequent flyers implemented in order to reduce carbon emissions from aviation, the UK government's climate advisory body has said in a new report. The measure is one of a number of recommendations from the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), which published its research Thursday on how the UK can meet its target of net-zero…

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Lodging

Airbnb's top 5 trending travel destinations for 2020
For those looking to travel somewhere new in 2020, Airbnb forecast which destinations will generate the most interest in the upcoming new year. These top cities across the world are lesser known and more eco-conscious, according to the property listing platform. Their research also found that cities with upcoming big events ranked higher. The overall findings for 2020 are based…

Want To Chase Away The Blues? Bed Down At Bern’s Jazz Hotel
My room at the Unique Hotel Innere Enge in Bern is full of jazz paraphernalia. Choc-a-bloc in fact. From my bed to the bathtub, I am immersed in jazz history in the form of photographs of jazz celebrities, newspaper clippings and colorful posters of jazz festivals around the world, from Newport to Montreux. If you are not a jazzophile, you may not recognise the man looking at you from…

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Other and Odd

Traveling while introverted: One semi-social writer’s guide
“How is the lack of talking?” a good friend asked in an email. I was eight days into a 10-day solo trip in Portland, Ore., and the lack of talking was, in a word, refreshing. Disclosure: There was some talking. I’d chat with neighbors at the house where I was staying, to cashiers at stores and to the occasional passerby. In between, I was loving every minute of what I’ve come to call my…

A woman wore a bikini so tiny she was arrested
A Taiwanese tourist was arrested and fined for wearing a particularly revealing bikini on the beach at the Philippines' newly reopened resort island of Boracay, local media reported. The tourist, who has not been named, sparked controversy by donning a string bikini on the island's famous white-sand beaches on October 9, according to the state-run Philippines News Agency (PNA). Traveling…

Today in History

The Battle of Hastings
On October 14th in the year 1066, a battle took place in England that in many ways determined the course of the next 1,000 years of western history. The army of Duke William of Normandy of France fought the English Army of King Harold II. Harold had been on the throne only a few months,…

Editorial Musings

Is Facebook sending your clients to your competition?
by John Frenaye
Monday October 14, 2019

Last week, we had a large boat show in our town and one of my favorite restaurants posted a photo with some sailing social media influencers who were in town grabbing a burger on their Facebook page. I was interested so I clicked on the image to enlarge it and got a…

  — Travel Research Online
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One-to-One Interviews

Gordon Dirker, VP of Business Development, Celestyal Cruises

Born and educated in the Netherlands, Gordon Dirker has enjoyed an extensive career in the travel industry. Prior to being appointed VP of Business Development, Americas for Celestyal Cruises in January 2018, Gordon spent nearly 18 years working for the Travel Corporation. This was followed by nearly 4 years with the Norway based expedition cruise and ferry line, Hurtigruten. He started as a BDM for Contiki Holidays based in Baltimore, MD. After 1 year, Gordon was promoted and moved to London to lead their sales and marketing efforts in the UK and Europe. This was followed by a move back to LA where he spent 6 years at Brendan Vacations in a similar senior role. He left the…

  — Travel Research Online
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Publishers Corner

Comfortable? What You Don't Know
by Richard Earls
Sunday October 13, 2019

Have you had the experience when driving of unexpectedly seeing a car or pedestrian emerge from your “blind-spot”?  The sudden awareness of a nearly missed accident is more than a little disconcerting. One moment everything is fine, and then without warning, you are blind-sided by something as obvious as a Ford Explorer.

The same thing can happen to you in your travel practice unless you take terrific precautions to be self-aware.

As a travel consultant, you know your business. You work to develop an understanding of travel product.  You study marketing, sales and customer service. The longer you are a part of the industry, the better you understand the essential workings of being an expert in your field.  You know your…

  — Travel Research Online
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Mike's Morning Missives

Choice of Style

Like everything else today, you have choices to consider. The style of organization you want to represent is one of them. What kind of reputation do you want to bring to the playing field? There are four to choose from.

Each of the four types consists of two primary elements, the procedure side of business and the personal side. One deals with the way you connect with your prospects and customers, while the other involves the actual mechanics of delivery your product or service in a professionally accepted fashion. Both are of equal importance, and the combination of the two define the type of organization you are running.

It may help to see these two elements as quadrants on a graph. The horizontal line (left to right)…

  — Travel Research Online
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Upcoming Training Opportunities


Discover New European Rail Adventures

Discover New European Rail Adventures

Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at 12 pm EDT/9 am PDT

Join Vacations By Rail’s New European Rail Adventures webinar and uncover the top-rated experiences and iconic trains that are the backbone of our collection of new European rail vacations. Learn about leading destinations, top activities and accommodations, and what makes these tours extra-special.

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Australia & New Zealand Guided Vacations: AAT Kings NEW 2020-2021 Brochure, Product and Destination Update

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 ➠







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