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
Downtown San José del Cabo Is Luring Visitors Out of the Resorts
For years, travelers have been coming to Los Cabos unaware that this region on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula comprises two different towns. And we can’t say we blame them. It’s only since the post Hurricane Odile–hotel boom that the area around the laidback, colonial town of San José del Cabo has started to steal the spotlight away from luxury resort-lined Cabo San…
— Conde Nast Traveler
My eagle-eyed winter wander around the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is having a moment. That’s what conservationist Dave Fairlamb tells me as we eat homemade cake on a silver-grey afternoon, watching meadow pipits above Newtown’s salt marshes. “From a nature perspective,” he says, “everything’s converging.” Dave has just launched Natural Links, offering birdwatching breaks and courses on the island, which has been focusing on its…
— The Guardian
Tours and Activities
Disney World Jungle Cruise boat full of passengers sinks, hilarious reactions ensue
Thankfully, the angry hippos aren't real. Disney World's Jungle Cruise ride, which takes passengers on a gentle tour through a river filled with robot animals, went awry on Thursday, when a boat full of passengers sank into the shallow, murky water. Though Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who is starring in an upcoming adventure film inspired by the ride, wasn't there to leap to the rescue, Florida's…
— USA Today
Spain's mysterious underwater 'Stonehenge'
Europe suffered an unusually hot summer in 2019. Seven weather stations in Spain recorded their highest temperatures ever in June, and higher-than-average temperatures and drought were registered across the country in July and August. However, the scorching weather conditions revealed an unexpected sight in the Spanish province of Cáceres: as the drought caused the shoreline of the…
— BBC
Cruise
The Moorings: Go Cruising Without The Crowds
While there’s no denying the appeal of getting away from it all on a cruise, there’s also the matter of the cruise ship itself. The current concerns over coronavirus have many people rethinking their cruise plans. But since the idea of escape and the water are so appealing to so many, it may be time to look at a smaller vessel. Make that a much smaller vessel, like a private yacht. Now if you happen to own…
— Forbes
MSC Meraviglia Cruise Ship to Dock in Cozumel After Being Turned Away From Cayman Islands
MSC Meraviglia is set to dock in Cozumel today, despite being turned away from the Cayman Islands yesterday over unfounded coronavirus fears. The ship is currently waiting for permission to dock in Cozumel due to high winds, which the line estimates will abate by around 8 a.m. ET today. Yesterday (February 26), the 4,475-passenger ship was turned away from the Cayman Islands and the…
— CruiseCritic.com
Transportation
Everything You Need to Know About Taking the Eurostar From London to Paris
In 2019, more people than ever before decided to travel by rail in the United States. Amtrak reported a three percent jump in short distance trips via its ever-popular Northeast Corridor route and a one percent increase in long-distance travel. Though small, it could mark the beginning of a new era for train travel in America. Yes, it seems more and more Americans are becoming wise to the merits…
— Travel+Leisure
Eco travel: What are our current options for green aviation
When the first commercial flight took off on 1 January 1914, the carbon emissions contributing to air pollution were probably not the highest priority. More than a century later, in 2019, the actions of young environmental activist Greta Thunberg helped raise awareness of the Swedish term flygskam — translated as “flight shame” — to the rest of the world. Her decision to cross the Atlantic Ocean…
— CNBC
Are fat fliers being discriminated against by airlines?
Earlier this year, a family of three women from New Zealand -- a mom and her two adult daughters -- made headlines around the world when they were denied the business class seats they'd paid for on a Thai Airways flight because they were too big to fit into them. Ironically, the family -- Huhana Iripa and daughters Tere and Renell -- had purchased business class seats because they'd assumed…
— CNN
Lodging
A Sneak Peek At Life House’s Charming Nantucket Inn Opening This Summer
Imagine a charming, coastal bed and breakfast run by a well-traveled innkeeper, showcasing treasures hand-picked from around the globe amidst vintage furnishings and local botany. That’s the ethos that inspired the forthcoming Life House, Nantucket—the sixth property in the tech-driven lifestyle hotel brand’s portfolio, which is set to open this summer in Nantucket, Massachusetts.…
— Forbes
Inside the luxe resort of addictive Netflix dating series ‘Love Is Blind’
Season 1 of Netflix dating series “Love Is Blind” has just come to an end, with the popular streaming service uploading its final wedding episode Thursday. The show’s premise — involving couples who meet, date and become engaged without seeing one another — immediately captivated viewers, as hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey guided the starry-eyed lovers through the ups and downs of…
— New York Post
Other and Odd
Should you travel during the coronavirus outbreak?
With new cases of novel coronavirus reported daily in countries across the globe, many travelers are wondering if they should cancel or postpone existing plans and hold off on booking trips. "Should I cancel my trip to Rome and Florence?" one CNN reader is wondering. "What is the threshold for rethinking domestic travel plans?," another asks. Unfortunately, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. It's…
— CNN
Be careful where you click when making flight or hotel reservations – or it could cost you
Francis Popiel made the worst booking mistake ever when he booked the right hotel on the wrong site. The right hotel, in his case, was the Holiday Inn Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia. Popiel, an engineer from Columbia Station, Ohio, had found the property by Googling "Holiday Inn Alexandria." But instead of taking him to the official hotel site, the search results led him to a third-party site…
— USA Today
Today in History
The Republican Party is Born
On this day in 1854, a group of former Democrats, Free Soilers, and other abolitionists (about 50 slavery opponents in all) met in Ripon, Wisconsin, to call for creation of a new political party. The American Civil War was still more than six years away, but slavery was on everyone's mind. The US Congress was…
— Travel Research Online
Agent Perspectives
Use Giants of English Literature to Create Your Own Profitable Masterpiece
by Paull Tickner Friday February 28, 2020
For you and many of your clients, the names in my top story read like a list of old friends. You, and they, will have studied them at school, college and university and then watched them as they appear on Masterpiece. With all the groundwork done, you will find that they need little persuasion when it comes to discovering the sources of literary inspiration and making visits to On Location sites of their favourites. To heighten the interest, we need to blend in privately owned castles, stately home and gardens, a pub lunch here and an afternoon tea there, and choral evensong in one of our magnificent cathedrals.
The UK has the product experiences. The target audience is ON YOUR DOORSTEP. The missing link? YOU, the…
— Travel Research Online Read the rest of this article »
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Deck Plans
How Are Ocean Cruises Different From River Cruises?
Thinking of switching from ocean cruising to river cruising, or the other way around, can be daunting. Those who have ocean cruised often feel like their options will be limited if they try a river cruise. Those who have river cruised often worry that they will be overwhelmed by the number of people on an ocean ship. But how much do these modes of transport actually differ? Let’s find out…
— Travel Research Online Read the rest of this article »
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Mike’s 1-Minute Marketing Memos
More On Service
Customer service in the travel, or any other, industry has become a cliché. Everybody says they give world-class service; yet, why is everybody whining about the absence of world-class service? Maybe it is because we are singing from the wrong song sheet. Perhaps it is because we are drinking from the wrong Kool-Aid vat. Maybe the answer is because you’re making this harder than it has to…
— Travel Research Online Read the rest of this article »
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Upcoming Training Opportunities
You CAN Compete with Costco Travel!
Thursday, March 5, 2020 at 11 am EST/8 am PST
Nothing is more frustrating than when your client tells you they called Costco.
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What can you do?
The answer is “A lot more than you might think.”
If you don’t think the Costco client is your target – you are dead wrong!
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