Last week I flew from Greensboro, North Carolina, to Los Angeles, California, for the naming of Viking’s newest ocean ship, Viking Jupiter. The event consisted of the naming of Viking Jupiter as well as dinner. The ship’s godmother, Sissel Kyrkjebø, was at the event and performed for us after dinner.

As tempted as I am to say that Sissel’s performance was the highlight of the night (look up her song Where The Lost Ones Go with Espen Lind), there was another shining star that would make an appearance that night. During the event Founder and Chairman of Viking, Torstein Hagen, took to the…

Over the years I have witnessed many travel professionals exhibit an attitude of superiority. They talk and act in somewhat of a demeaning fashion. They fail to remember that their prospects also have access to the Internet and know how to Google.

I suppose acting like this can soften the blow when rejection enters the picture. After all, the guy who just turned down your supremely researched and thought-out itinerary must be a dummy, right? But all this does is insure rejection.

Most people are smarter than you give them credit for. They may not be book smart or school smart. But people usually have a pretty good feel for how they want to spend their time and money. Although they may be contrary to yours, they…