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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
Massive 7.7-magnitude Earthquake Rattles the Caribbean
A massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck just northwest of the Jamaican town of Lucea on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 2:10 p.m. EST, data from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) showed. The powerful quake could be felt as far away as Cuba and southern Florida. According to the USGS, the earthquake’s epicenter was to the south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica. It happened along a strike-slip fault, which…
— Travel+Leisure
Tired Of Cancun? Try Charming Puerto Morelos Instead
If you think you already know what Cancun is all about and have decided it’s not for you, wait! Puerto Morelos is just as accessible but far more charming and exclusive than downtown Cancun. There’s something really quite magical about traveling to a well-known area and still finding something special. I went to Cancun, Mexico, as a young and wild tourist in search of sun, sand and tequila. The resort and…
— Forbes
Tours and Activities
Do photography bans help curb overtourism and bad behavior?
Looking at vacation photo albums used to be a chore. Kids around the world would sit, bored, as family members scrolled through endless slides or prints of a recent holiday. But the advent of the internet, especially the worldwide popularity of Instagram, changed everything. Not only was looking at a stranger's vacation snaps interesting, it was aspirational. The rise of social media grew parallel with a…
— CNN
Georgia's best dishes, and where to eat them in Tbilisi
People are slurping dumplings in Portland, Oregon and in Berlin. They're dipping bread crust into a cargo of melted cheese in Manhattan and Warsaw, and savoring bites of eggplant stuffed with ground walnuts in Washington DC and London. Georgian food and wine, long revered for its individuality, exoticness and delectability, is now finding its rightful place on tables around the world. The…
— CNN
An atomic marker hidden in plain sight
In the courtyard of a gift shop decorated with colourful ceramic frogs and dragonflies, it’s easy to overlook the historic marker. Perhaps that’s fitting for a secret site. In the early 1940s, the world’s top scientists and their families trudged through this patio, bedraggled from a cross-country train trip. Most didn’t know where they were headed. All they had were classified orders to report to the address "109…
— BBC
Cruise
The superyacht that thinks it's an airplane
The world of superyachts meets the world of aviation with this "one-of-a-kind" vessel that expertly merges aerial and nautical models. Italian shipyard Codecasa has unveiled plans for the new 230-foot superyacht concept which looks like a floating jumbo jet. Designed by owner Fulvio Codecasa, the upcoming Codecasa Jet 2020 is shaped like an aircraft and "borrows" many of its stylistic features. The…
— CNN
Coronavirus: What Cruisers Need to Know
Following an outbreak of coronavirus that has sickened thousands of people and killed more than 100, Cruise Critic answers some of the questions travelers have. Read on to learn about what the virus is, how cruise lines are handling the unfolding situation, whether it's safe to visit China and whether their travel insurance will cover them if they cancel. What is coronavirus, and why am I hearing about it? There…
— CruiseCritic.com
Transportation
US airlines extending travel waivers for passengers scheduled to fly to China amid coronavirus outbreak
Multiple U.S. airlines that fly to mainland China are extending their travel waivers for passengers scheduled to fly there amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak that’s already killed over 130 people and sickened thousands. On Monday, both American Airlines and Delta extended their change-fee waivers through the end of February, allowing ticket holders with flights scheduled before then to change their…
— Fox Travel News
JetBlue Has a Ridiculous Sale Happening This Week With $49 Flights
It’s the end of January. Perhaps you’re sitting at your desk, staring out the window, and the January blues are starting to set in. Summer is still months away and the glory of the holidays is now buried in the past but it doesn’t have to be this bleak. You can escape — and without busting your budget. JetBlue is offering a spring “Jet Away” sale on flights booked through Thursday, January 30. The sale applies for…
— Travel+Leisure
10 of Europe’s best rural train journeys
This cross-border line linking Switzerland’s Valais region with Haute-Savoie in France is a tiddler among international rail routes and has never been used by grand expresses (even though it’s called the Mont-Blanc Express). The metre-gauge local railway from Martigny to Chamonix skirts the north side of the Mont Blanc massif and so connects standard-gauge lines on either side of the border. Climbing…
— The Guardian
Lodging
Outpost Club: Making Long-Term City Travel A Reality
Have you dreamed about visiting a major metropolis for longer than a few weeks? Perhaps you want to test out what it would be like to live there, or experience a full summer in this destination. Whatever your motivation, traveling to a city for long periods time can be challenging in a multitude of ways, and finding housing can be especially tricky. That’s where Outpost Club can provide a solution. A modern,…
— Forbes
A Backlash Brews Against Phantom Hotel Fees
The tables may be turning on those maddening, meaningless hotel “resort” fees: For once, it’s the hotels instead of travelers who may face unexpected penalties. Expedia has started penalizing hotels that charge mandatory daily fees but don’t include them in room rates by placing them lower in search results, leveling the playing field a bit with hotels that include their full cost in the advertised room…
— The Wall Street Journal
Other and Odd
Grieving man quits job to travel the world with pet ferret
A UK Royal Air Force airman quit his job and sold everything to travel the world — with his pet ferret. Charlie Hammerton, 25, was grieving following the deaths of his best friend, mother and adopted mom in just a year. So, in a bid to feel more positive, he decided to travel the world with his “best pal,” rescue ferret Bandit. He quit his job, sold his three cars and almost all his possessions — drumming up $19,585…
— New York Post
Coronavirus outbreak prompts CDC to update China travel recommendations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday announced its updated travel recommendations for China amid the outbreak of novel coronavirus. In a statement provided to Fox News, the federal health agency said it is now recommending that travelers “avoid all nonessential travel" to all of China in response to the outbreak, which has killed some 106 people and sickened thousands…
— Fox Travel News
Today in History
King George III Dies
George III was the third British monarch of the House of Hanover, all of whom were of German, not British, descent. In fact, he was the first of the Hanovers to actually be born in Britain and speak English as his first language. But his reign was not an easy one, marked by decisive military struggles. Early in his reign,…
— Travel Research Online
Point-to-Point
The Sherpas of Everest: The Economy Of The World’s Tallest Peak
by Carol Dimopoulos
Wednesday January 29, 2020
In the closing  scene of the 1924 film Epic of Everest, a blood-red sunset sinks below the horizon of the Himalayans in Tibet. Photographer Captain John Noel captured the brutal conditions and desolation of the landscape, as well as the humanity and courage of the Tibetan people. Epic of Everest is one of the earliest visual recordings of life in Tibet. As well as documenting their lives, the film also framed the assault on Mount Everest by the British in the 1920’s by George Mallory as an act of imperial conquest. This is shown most clearly when, despite the climbing teams’ admiration for the hardiness of the Tibetans, they announce with clear relief “All whites are safe!” during an avalanche. The accident claimed the lives…
— Travel Research Online
Read the rest of this article »
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Motivationally Speaking...
Are You Serving Up the Best Ribs in America?
by Stuart Cohen
Wednesday January 29, 2020
Eric is the own er of The Bar-B-Q Shop here in Memphis. His restaurant was voted #1 ribs in America on the list of the Food Network’s “Top Five Restaurants”. That’s quite an achievement considering Memphis is just one city with no shortage of lip-smacking, succulently smoked pork, brisket and chicken restaurants.
It’s fair to say that Eric has got a secret sauce. His web site reveals, “The unique taste of The Bar-B-Q Shop’s gourmet award-winning sauces has always been something that has set The Bar-B-Q Shop off from other barbeque restaurants.”
Having met him, I will reveal something else; the award-winning sauce is just one of his secrets. Eric’s endearing ear-to-ear smile, blended with an authentic zeal for perfection,…
— Travel Research Online
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Mike’s 1-Minute Marketing Memos
Attitude Adjustment: Part 7, Not Taking Pride In Your Work
 Not Taking Pride In Your Job Is a Common Mistake
What you do for a living is important. It affects more people than you will ever know. If you haven’t already done so, it is about time to adopt the following mantra: “I am in position to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Maybe your immediate supervisors or family members are too busy with their own problems that they fail to reinforce the importance of your contributions. Amateurs can easily get bent out of shape when this happens. True professionals however, know the importance of his or her contributions and they don’t need to hear it from others on an hourly basis. (They do need to hear it from time to time, just like everyone else. Applause goes…
— Travel Research Online
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
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Changing How Travel Is Being Viewed NOW And In the FUTURE
Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 1 pm EST/10 am PST
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Graham states, “Virtual Reality Video is quickly becoming the most powerful way for travel advisors to sell travel!”
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Register Now ➠
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