There’s a lot more to Puerto Rico than San Juan—and there’s a lot more to being a successful travel advisor than just sales skills. So when my Facebook friends Nina Sherman and Hema Khan suggested that I spend a week with them and 20 travel advisors on a CCRA fam trip on the Island of Enchantment, I was in.

Last week’s cautionary tale about travel advisor Debi King, who was put off an Oceania World Cruise in the Seychelles for “soliciting business” onboard the ship, resulted in lots of comments from travel advisors, most of them on Oceania’s side.

“Everyone” knows it’s prohibited, many said; there’s nothing new here (though no one could remember a case of it actually happening). And yet, my email and Facebook pages quickly were flooded with stories from travel advisors who themselves were solicited on board various ships, or who felt their clients were solicited by the cruise lines themselves.

“It’s too bad Oceania declined to comment on what occurred, as it is a missed opportunity for them,” says Sean Mouttet. “Their input could provide Read the rest of this entry »

My first interview with Lisa Watson went great. She was easy-going and her dedication of work to the creation of FyndTravel was obvious. However, a dead computer on my end took all text and recordings with it to the scrapyard. Chaos happens, I suppose.

We tried again and, as expected, I found the conversation just as enjoyable and informative.

Lisa started our conversation by pulling up a screen share Read the rest of this entry »

It’s got mountains and oceans, coral reefs and rain forests, mud baths and sulphur springs, and a drive-in volcano. There are affordable hotels with amazing views and well-known hospitality names like Sandals and Zoetry that hug the mountains and rest in the rainforests. While the weather is hot and the towns a little crowded, visitors will find an awful lot to love here—including “the most beautiful hotel room” and “the most beautiful spa” in the world. It’s easy to see why the French and the British fought over this island 14 times. Whether you are looking for the ultimate in privacy and luxury or an affordable, beautiful, romantic and flower-filled Caribbean getaway, you likely can find it on St. Lucia.

There’s nothing like a good fam trip. A picture of you having an amazing experience on Facebook is worth its weight in marketing gold, allowing your clients to envision themselves where you are. Meanwhile, you learn the nuances that show why they need you, and make the personal friendships and connections that keep the trip on track when they do go.

When your destination is Egypt—a third-world country with an ancient infrastructure and an old-fashioned economy that suddenly finds itself a top international destination

There are places in the world that call back to ancient times; their statues and relics made by hands long gone. The hands of these cultures are alive in the familiar artistry and style of the times. The most recognizable of these are the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, built as an eternal home to the pharaohs almost 4,500 years ago. But Egypt’s ancient allure has much more to offer than the heavenly heights of the Giza pyramids. One of the more legendary examples of this is the recently reopened and revamped Avenue of the Sphinxes, an archaeological wonderland in the once great city of Thebes, now known as Luxor. Read the rest of this entry »

The Familiarization (FAM) trip is a cherished institution travel suppliers and destinations use to reward top producers and encourage them to keep booking more sales. It’s also a carrot on a stick for advisors looking to build their business with a supplier.

But in a time of coronavirus, this time-worn tradition may be in need of a major upgrade. Both travel advisors and their hosts have taken huge hits to their bottom lines, so funding trips isn’t the easy decision it was before March 2020. Every penny counts. Read the rest of this entry »