Twelve years ago, I wrote an article that caught the attention of more than a few readers. I thought it might serve another purpose today. Here goes:

The scene was Annapolis, Maryland, the home of the United States Naval Academy. Annapolis is one pretty town—especially on a bright, clear Saturday morning in late May. Weather-wise, my wife and I hit a home run as we sauntered in and out of the cute little shops along the main drag.

Good bartenders are almost a breed apart.  Alternating between multiple clients, these professionals have developed a skill set useful to travel consultants.  The most accomplished bartenders deftly manage their many clients while effectively multitasking their way through the evening. Let’s look at the characteristics the most proficient resourcefully exhibit. Read the rest of this entry »

There are loads of lessons to be gained by watching a professional waiter. In many ways, the profession of being a server in a dining establishment is especially instructive. Not only do most of us have frequent exposure to waiters, but many of us have actually been servers.

Who does not enjoy a truly great waiter? It does not matter if the meal is in a breakfast diner or a fine restaurant, a great waiter improves the experience. Equally true, a bad waiter can ruin the best of food. Here’s what I see as the quality that makes a great waiter great: intuition and timing. Read the rest of this entry »

Guests Will Earn Up to $2,000 Concierge Credit on Luxury Villa Rental Bookings through the End of July

Rental Escapes, a full-service luxury villa company that provides customized villa experiences, has launched a limited-time offer providing travelers with the opportunity to attain a credit of up to $2,000 that can be used on experiences or services booked through the company’s concierge team. The promotion will be applied to any new bookings made throughout the month of July 2022 with a check-in date occurring before December 31, 2023.

“Through our personalized luxury concierge services, we open the door to a world of exclusive experiences where our guests can embrace their most desired vacation pursuits,” said Willie Fernandez, chief marketing officer of Rental Escapes. “We encourage our guests to work with their travel advisors to book their dream vacation and learn about the variety of experiences that await through our unmatched concierge team.”

Whether looking for ultimate relaxation or adrenaline-rushing adventures, travelers can embark on their next vacation and look forward to utilizing their concierge credit for experiences ranging from white water rafting in Papagayo, Costa Rica, or sailing through the sunset in Key West, Florida, to indulging in extravagant meals made by private chefs around the world or enjoying in-villa massages followed by private yoga instruction. Not only will Rental Escapes’ guests receive credit for luxurious adventures, but they will also enjoy the ease of planning through Rental Escapes’ trusted concierge team and the unrivaled support of the valued travel advisor community.

For more information on Rental Escapes, visit RentalEscapes.com. Stay up-to-date on the latest news by following Rental Escapes on Facebook Facebook.com/RentalEscapes, Instagram @RentalEscapes, Twitter @RentalEscapes and LinkedIn.

At the heart of every business is what many call a “customer value proposition.”  Simply put, what value do you offer the customer?  Can you answer, without hesitation, the question, “Why should I use your services?” At countless trade shows and presentations, I’ve witnessed too many agents stumble over this important question.  Your value proposition should be a matter of muscle memory, not a pop quiz.

To assist you with developing your own answer, let’s consider three very important issues. Read the rest of this entry »

“Revenge is like a rolling stone, which, when a man hath forced up a hill, will return upon him with a greater violence, and break those bones whose sinews gave it motion.” ~ Jeremy Taylor

I cringe when I hear the term “revenge travel.” The phrase seems wrong on so many levels. Primarily, it runs counter to the reason I travel…it seems imbued with a bit too much anger. With millions of passengers striking out on “revenge travel,” a certain amount of mayhem seems inevitable. Read the rest of this entry »

At All Points Travel in Salt Lake City, Corina Johnson made an easy sale yesterday. A member of her Theater Lovers whom she books trips three or four times a year, saw a post about an interesting offering from Norwegian Cruise Line: “The Broadway Cruise” to Bermuda, launching in March 2023. Read the rest of this entry »

“When you begin to see the possibilities of music, you desire to do something really good for people, to help humanity free itself from its hangups.” ~ John Coltrane

There are many reasons to be grateful for having a career in travel planning, but I think the most important is the impact a travel professional has on the life of the client. Travel professionals assist clients to turn vacations, family travel and even business trips into the best possible experiences. By visiting the streets of new cities, meeting people from around the world, and exposure to different cultures, we are all made better people, citizens of a larger reality. As a travel professional, you have the opportunity to play an important part in people’s lives. Read the rest of this entry »

It was 7 pm. As luck would have it, the race was just about to begin when I switched on my TV. I thought I’d missed it since I believed the race was at 5 pm.

There in front of me was a long cage filled with horses with numbers 1-21. I noticed stall #20 was empty and thought to myself that #21 was so far off the rail it was simply a futile attempt. At least the owner, trainer, and jockey could one day say that they were in The Kentucky Derby.

The horse was named Rich Strike and was listed at odds of 80-1. There was no way a horse in that position had a snowball’s chance in hell to win anything. Good luck, Rich Strike. Read the rest of this entry »

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” ~ Winston Churchill

Even at its best, when presented with tact and grace, criticism can be hard to take. When phrased as a complaint, criticism can be even tougher to endure. There is no doubt we have fostered a culture of complaint in our economic, political, and social system.  We have even trained people to complain as a way of getting windfalls in free services and goods.  Complain loudly enough and you get your way, we seem to be saying.

You need a response to criticism, one that demonstrates your company’s no-nonsense ethic.  Here is what I suggest. The next time you are criticized, say this:

“Thank you.” Read the rest of this entry »

Explora Journeys, the new luxury lifestyle travel brand of the MSC Group, today announced two new group programs for travel advisors called ‘Journey Together’ and ‘Journey Together +’ and also unveiled details of ‘By Appointment +` , a development of its industry-leading ‘By Appointment` service.

Michael Ungerer, Chief Executive Officer of Explora Journeys said, “we are firmly on track for our maiden journey from Barcelona to Athens in May 2023, and we remain absolutely committed to providing our travel advisor community the resources and customized solutions to ensure mutual success for the long term.”

Journey Together

Designed for travel advisors to book small groups, extended and multi-generational families, and meetings and incentive groups.  The new offering starts with five suites and a minimum of 10 guests.  Travel advisors can benefit from a complimentary host berth, rewarding commission payments and each suite reserved comes with a complimentary Journey Experience credit to use onboard.

Journey Together +

The program starts with a 10 suite, 20 guest minimum and offers travel advisors a complimentary host suite, rewarding commissions and a value fare to significantly increase their profit potential.

Full ship charter requests can also be submitted by travel advisors and shipping brokers and are  negotiated independently of the Journey Together program based upon the length of the customized journey and time of year.

By Appointment +

Launched in December last year, Explora Journeys `By Appointment’ service completely removes any on hold time and is exclusively available to Travel Advisors. With immediate effect, travel advisors can now invite their clients on a `By Appointment +` call to allow Explora Journeys’ Ambassadors to answer questions and finalise their bookings.  Travel advisors can set up an appointment on their chosen date and time with an Explora Journeys Ambassador which is immediately confirmed with an introductory personalised message of a dedicated Ambassador. Bookings can be made for any of EXPLORA I `s inaugural journeys` collection, including the ship’s maiden journey in May 2023 from Barcelona to Athens.

Chris Austin, Chief Sales Officer, of Explora Journeys, said, “Designing our Journey Together group programs and developing our ‘By Appointment +`service’ has been a highly collaborative process with the travel advisor community.  We are enormously proud to launch these industry-leading programs to protect the health and longevity of the travel advisor community.”

Sales are now open for the Inaugural Journeys Collection for EXPLORA I from May 2023 and in its first year, the ship will visit 132 ports in 40 different countries, including two destinations, Kastellorizo, Greece and Saint Pierre, Martinique that have not been visited by cruise ships before. The itineraries include the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the UK, Iceland, Greenland, Canada, the U.S. East Coast, Caribbean, South America, and Hawaii. Sailings start from six-night journeys and culminate in an epic 44-night Northern Europe Grand Journey.

With the addition of the `By Appointment` + service travel advisors can choose their preferred booking option including booking online via the digital booking suite at the Explora Travel Advisor Centre www.explorajourneys.com/traveladvisors selecting the `By Appointment` service or contact our Journey Together Ambassadors via journeytogether@explorajourneys.com.

Most of us have encountered the “do-it-yourselfer” who researches and books everything themselves online. Estimates are that as high as 61% of some demographic groups at least research travel online Read the rest of this entry »

Rochelle Zemke and Stephanie Cavelli are two travel professionals who saw a need common to many, if not all, travel advisors and set out to meet it. The challenges they faced will sound familiar to anyone who has decided to build a web application on their own.

TRO: Rochelle and Stephanie, thanks for the opportunity to speak to you about My Fam Trip. I certainly want to get into the capabilities and functionality of your brainchild, but give me a little bit of background on the two of you. Read the rest of this entry »