|
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
Five Reasons To Celebrate Fall 2019 In Boston
In some ways, Boston is synonymous with autumn – so many colleges, so much pretty foliage, so many apples... But there is so much more to the city – new luxury hotels, restaurants and many cocktails to enjoy. So here are five reasons to visit this fall. What’s better than sipping an elegant brown spirit to welcome cooler weather? Getting five cognac cocktails at some of Boston’s hottest…
— Forbes
48 hours in . . . Rhodes, an insider guide to the Island of the Knights
Despite being a classic bucket-and-spade destination, there is so much more to Rhodes than its 300-plus days of sunshine and long, sandy beaches. The grand Dodecanese island’s Unesco World Heritage-listed capital is Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited medieval town and worth a visit in its own right. The Knights of the Order of St John, the Ottomans and Fascist-era Italian…
— Telegraph (London)
Tours and Activities
Travel on Trial: Racing through a winter wonderland on a snowmobile in Finnish Lapland
When I was small, my mum used to create a miniature snow scene every December on our piano. She would scrunch up balls of newspaper and run sheets of cotton wool over the top. She’d then carefully place figurines on the snow: a tiny house with a battery-powered light that would glow in the evenings, a miniature snowman with a yellow scarf and a black top hat, dainty pine…
— Telegraph (London)
Ancient 'lost city' of the Khmer Empire uncovered in Cambodia
Shrouded in mystery for decades, Mahendraparvata has been dubbed the "lost city." Now, scientists say they have identified it for certain. "Here, we confirm the hypothesis, based on this accumulated body of evidence, that Mahendraparvata -- the eighth- to ninth-century AD capital of the Khmer Empire -- was located on the Phnom Kulen massif," said the report, which was published in…
— CNN
People Are Flocking to This Obscure Indonesian Pond for Underwater Selfies
A pond in Indonesia, where villagers used to wash their laundry, is now a bona fide tourist destination known as the “Instagram Pond.” The transformation of the area, Umbul Ponggok in Central Java, began in 2006 when elected village head Junaedi Mulyono wanted to create a tourist attraction but didn't know where to start. He brought in students from a nearby university who found…
— Travel+Leisure
Cruise
Windstar Cruises Begins Ambitious Three Ship “Stretching” Renovation Program In Italy
Windstar Cruises has kicked off one of the most ambitious refurbishment programs within cruising to date, beginning the process of “stretching” its three small cruise ships: Star Breeze, Star Legend and Star Pride. The $250 million Star Class Initiative will take the three ships, currently with a passenger capacity of 212, and essentially pull them apart, inserting a section with 50 staterooms…
— CruiseCritic.com
Doing it for the 'gram? Royal Caribbean says no to that, bans guests for life
Doing it for the 'gram? Royal Caribbean Cruises doesn't think that's a good idea, particularly when it's dangerous. “Earlier this week on the Allure of the Seas a guest was observed recklessly and dangerously posing for a photo by standing on her stateroom balcony railing with the help of her companion," Jonathon Fishman, corporate reputation manager for Royal Caribbean Cruises, told…
— USA Today
Transportation
A Cheeseburger Shortage Has Struck American Airlines
American Airlines is facing an unexpected complication: a cheeseburger shortage. About one year after introducing the cheeseburger onto its first class domestic service, the airline is dropping the American classic from its menu. The cheeseburger wasn’t supposed to disappear until mid-November, but earlier this month, the airline ran out of beef patties. And it doesn’t plan to reorder any more.…
— Travel+Leisure
These Are The Best Airlines To Fly This Fall
Creating a definitive list of the best airlines to fly is difficult at any time of the year. But with recent airline bankruptcies and shakeups, this fall is a particularly challenging time. No wonder, then, that the latest read on airline customer service contains a few surprises. The biggest one? An airline with a well-deserved reputation as a bottom-feeder has vaulted to the number two spot in the…
— Forbes
Lodging
You Can Stay In Barbie's Real-life Malibu Dreamhouse
If you were lucky enough to have a Barbie Dreamhouse as a kid, now's your chance to visit the pink paradise in real life. Thanks to Airbnb, lucky fans of the doll can stay in her iconic Dreamhouse located in Malibu, California to commemorate the brand's 60th anniversary. "As a modern homeowner and entrepreneur, Barbie is very excited to open her home by listing it on Airbnb to share…
— Travel+Leisure
Introducing Monkey Island Estate: The Picturesque Country Retreat Less Than An Hour From London
Monkey Island Estate has had many lives. A small island lapped by the Thames and neighbouring Bray, a group of monks first settled here as early as 1197. Centuries later, in 1723, the third Duke of Marlborough purchased Monkey Island to use as a fishing retreat. Later still, in the mid 1950s, after the duke’s death, the estate was sold and transformed into inn. It was during this epoch that…
— Forbes
9 lovely boutique hotels in Rio, from tropical guesthouses to beachfront boltholes
Away from its faceless seafront towers, Rio's backstreets, hidden corners and leafier neighbourhoods provide some brilliantly eccentric, intimate hotels. In terms of style, tropical influences tend to rule the roost, but there is also enticing faded colonial grandeur and lavish design aplenty to be found in the dramatic shared spaces of Santa Teresa’s Mama Ruisa or at La Suite's…
— Telegraph (London)
Other and Odd
A mosque in the land of midnight sun
As midnight approached on 27 July, scores of visitors to the Norwegian city of Tromsø – the largest non-Russian municipality north of the Arctic Circle – thronged to Mount Storsteinen, or “the mountain”, as it’s locally called. Some of the more intrepid midnight summiteers hiked a switch-backed trail through the woods along its flank; the most ambitious clambered nearly vertically to…
— BBC
Ethiopia opens its secretive Imperial Palace
For more than a century, the secretive imperial palace complex has stood over Ethiopia's capital city of Addis Ababa, closed off to everyone but the country's leaders and the troops who protected them. Almost hidden from view on a wooded bluff, its forbidding 40-acre compound was unknown even to some of those living beneath it. Behind its walls, plots were hatched, conquests planned…
— CNN
Today in History
The Basel Earthquake
On this day in 1356, one of the most devastating earthquakes ever to hit northern Europe struck the small Swiss town of Basel, situated at the southern end of the Upper Rhine Graben. Basel was nearly completely destroyed with over 300 people dead. Those wooden houses that were not destroyed by…
— Travel Research Online
Deck Plans
An Interview With Uniworld’s Ellen Bettridge
This week on  Avid Travel With Britton Frost I am joined by President and CEO of Uniworld, Ellen Bettridge.
With many new itineraries for 2020, and four new ships debuting, Uniworld has exciting plans ahead. Join us as we talk about what guests can expect from Uniworld and its sister company U River Cruises; as well as what these companies have planned for its guests in the future…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
|
Mike's Morning Missives
Why People Object
 It seems that we have all been blessed (or cursed) with the “Not Now Gene.” This is when we are offered a deal, opportunity, product or service when without giving it a second thought we immediately say “no thank you.”
But there are underlying reasons for people to step away from our “attractive” propositions. Here are just a…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
|
Upcoming Training Opportunities
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.
Register Now ➠
Become an Expert in Awesome
Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT
With new attractions, new hotels, and so much more, your clients may not be aware of all we have to do – or that they’ll need multiple days to see and do it all. Be sure to register to take our webinar course so you can stay an expert on everything going with Universal Parks & Resorts Vacations- the official travel company of Universal Theme Parks.
Register Now ➠
|
Cartoons
|
|
Use TRO every day to find travel guides, e-postcards, and other resources you can personalize and send to your clients.
|
TRO Travel Specials
|
|
