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Friday April 02, 2021

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

12 travel destinations you could visit more easily if you're vaccinated
Many are wondering where they can go once vaccinated. A handful of countries around the world are making travel easier for fully vaccinated…

Delta Offering New Service To Iceland, Country Now Open To Vaccinated Americans
Iceland has become the first European nation to open its borders to all international travelers who have received the coronavirus…

Top Trips for Women in France
Have wanderlust? Itching to travel? Here we recommend 12 of the best trips for women traveling together (or solo) to…

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Tours and Activities

Baja California whale-watching tours resume at half capacity
Mexico allows whale watching boat tours to start again in time for migration south of grey whales to mate and give…

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Cruise

Venice will divert cruise ships from its historic city center
Unesco called for Venice to reconcile the challenge of preserving the lagoon with the economics of cruise…

Report: CDC will issue new guidance for cruise ships "shortly"
Believe it or not, it looks like perhaps the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) may be giving cruise lines instructions on how to resume…

Cruise Ships Sailing April 2021 Update
More cruise ships have returned to operations for the month of April while more plan to start operations in a phased-in approach globally throughout…

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Transportation

Delta to Unblock Middle Seats; Snacks, Drinks Return
Delta has unveiled several customer experience changes for the coming months, as inflight service begins to return to normal after months of Covid-19 restrictions. From May 1 the carrier will open up middle seat travel in economy and premium economy on its aircraft…

Shopping for flights? Change fees and other pre-pandemic penalties are back or returning soon on cheapest tickets
With vacation travel rebounding, several airlines are reinstating ticket restrictions they lifted during the coronavirus…

Why Most Airlines Don't Have A Row 13 On Their Planes
Have you ever looked at an aircraft seat map, or noticed the numbering when onboard, and realized that row 13 is missing? This practice is followed by several airlines…

Lodging

More US Hotels Performing at ‘Recovery’ Levels
U.S. hotel demand dipped slightly week to week in the latest data from CoStar Group’s hospitality analytics firm STR, but the hotel industry continued to perform at pandemic-era-high…

Why infrequent travellers shouldn't book with hotel chains
Why OTAs like Hotels.com make sense for infrequent travellers seeking the best…

Other and Odd

Travel industry starts to roar back to life
With vaccination rates rising by the day and summer on the way, a lot of people are anxious to plan their next getaways. NBC national correspondent Miguel Almaguer has more on what the travel industry hopes is a much-needed…

Vaccine passports: How to prove you've gotten your COVID-19 shots for travel and avoid scams
Beth Marcus wants a vaccine passport. She's had both of her shots but can't prove it. Unless she can, she's afraid she may not be allowed to visit Europe. How do you get a vaccine…

Today in History

Coinage Act of 1792
An act establishing a mint, and regulating the Coins of the United States. That was the long title of a law passed by the United States Congress on April 2, 1792. The Coinage Act established the United States Mint and regulated the minting of legal coinage of the United States. The Coinage Act established the dollar as the official unit of currency in the United States, declared the dollar and minted coins to…

Agent Perspectives

The Cotswolds, The UK’s Definitive Travel Less, See More Destination
by Paull Tickner
Friday April 02, 2021

If you’re looking for the ultimate travel-less, see-more UK destination, look no further than the Cotswolds. An area with Stratford upon Avon to the north, Bath to the southwest, and accessed through Oxford with a one-hour drive from London Heathrow; it’s the perfect place to park your jetlag for a few days, putting you in great shape for early starts and late finishes when you get to London.

But first, a traveller’s tip. With a wealth of 4- and 5-star hotels to work with, Fridays and Saturdays are super-popular for weddings. To ensure that we secure the best prices for you, try to plan your transatlantic flights for Saturday so that you can start your customised Cotswolds Experience with the first night in the Cotswolds on…

  — Travel Research Online
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Deck Plans

Yep, More Cruises Announced This Week, Bermuda, Alaska, Galapagos, Greece & More

We love it when we’re right (and wish it were more often). In last week’s post, we suggested that additional cruise restarts would be announced before the end of the month. And no sooner than those words were released into the digital sphere that we got word that Royal Caribbean would be sailing from Bermuda. This is a first for Royal Caribbean. By home-porting outside the United States, big ship cruise companies are finding ways to circumvent—or outright avoid—CDC requirements that are attempting to stall cruising’s restart. Crystal, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean had already announced cruises from home ports in the Bahamas and St. Maarten. Bermuda is the newest twist, and we think it’s a good…

  — Travel Research Online
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The Rosen Report

​Undeterred by Vaccine Mandates and the CDC, Cruisers Head for the Caribbean
by Cheryl Rosen
Friday April 02, 2021

“We opened at 5 am and the bookings were coming in fast and furious,” says Royal Caribbean Group chairman and CEO Richard Fain, referring to the response to the vaccine-required cruises that Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are offering from Bermuda, St. Maarten and the Bahamas in June and July.

In short, Royal Caribbean isn’t waiting for those free test cruises it was promising customers, in order to meet the CDC protocols for reopening (though see below for more on that). This summer, travel advisors and their customers seem happy to get a vaccine and wear a mask—and pay their own way while they do it.

In fact, that’s not the only erroneous assumption Royal Caribbean made in the early days of restoring cruises, Fain noted. “We assumed…

  — Travel Research Online
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Upcoming Training Opportunities


Which vacation package is right for your client? An overview of Universal Orlando Resort’s Vacation Packages and Offers

Which vacation package is right for your client? An overview of Universal Orlando Resort’s Vacation Packages and Offers

Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 2 pm EDT/11 am PDT

With many different Universal packages and offers available, how do you decide which is the best for your clients? Join Cynthia Holmes as she reviews all of Universal Orlando Resort’s vacation packages and special offers you can book. TRO SOCIAL MEDIA ASSIST: As an added bonus, attend our webinar and get a package of 10 social media memes to use in your own promotions. You must attend in order to receive the memes.

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Enhanced Trip Cancellation Insurance to Travelers During the Pandemic

Enhanced Trip Cancellation Insurance to Travelers During the Pandemic

Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 1 pm EDT/10 am PDT

Our mission at Trawick International is to research ground-breaking products and ideas which meet the needs of travelers everywhere. Trawick strives to offer plans that not only meet those needs but exceed the expectations of our clients. Over the past year, we launched our Safe Travels Explorer, Journey and Voyager plans that do not exclude losses because of COVID-19. We also offer the highly sought-after and rarely available Cancel for Any Reason benefit. We are proud to say that we are one of the few that provides this benefit on select plans and we have one of the highest reimbursement rates at 75%.

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