Paula Poundstone’s Cats, Cops, and Stuff… At the 4:14 glitch, she says, “it was never my intention…” (c) 1990 HBO
Wpisy otagowane ‘Travel’
Paula Poundstone -6- Airplane Travel, Closing Credits
wtorek, 2 Marzec 2010Best Uses Of Travel Rewards
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
Sometimes cash back is more valuable than travel or gifts, so consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen demonstrates to Harry Smith how to do some homework.
Become A Travel Agent And Live The American Dream
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
Often people considering a career change look to the travel industry and decide to become a travel agent. Nearly everyone desires to travel and many seek coastal vacation travel destinations.
Most families take an annual vacation and many head to the closest beach. Anyone who wants to become a travel agent will seek this lucrative market with millions of eager customers.
The travel industry rarely experiences a severe downturn, even at time when the economy suffers.
An entrepreneur seeking to become a travel agent will provide costal vacations for consumers and enjoy the sun and surf with his or her family as well. Different consumers want different coastal vacation travel packages.
Some want cheap Hawaiian vacation packages, some want to head to Orlando, FL to see Disneyworld. Franchise owners who begin a home based business and become a travel agent learn how to promote these destinations and many more coastal destinations around the world.
When a consumer decides to become a travel agent, the research often involved costal vacation travel. Travel franchise owners consider this travel “research,” since their knowledge of these destinations helps them market the coastal vacations better after they become a travel agent.
Most consumers spot a “stupid” travel agent who does not possess a clue about what they promote. Knowledge put the home based travel agent ahead of the competition.
Completing the “research” represents only the first step after the person decides to become a travel agent. Finding potential customers and closing the sale of the coastal vacation travel package challenges even the most experienced marketing professionals.
These tasks intimidate most people but the successful travel franchise owners who become a travel agent rise above the challenges.
Those who succeed after they decide to become a travel agent will see everyone as a potential traveler. Almost everyone responds positively when asked if he or she would enjoy coastal vacation travel.
Prospecting–a term that describes identifying potential customers–makes or breaks a business. A successful person who decides to become a travel agent keeps a list of potential customers and checks in with them often.
While many travel franchise owners who decide to become a travel agent know many prospective customers, the ability to close the sale eludes them. They did not consider how they would close the sales when they decided to become a travel agent.
The travel franchise owner fails even if he or she knows thousands of potential customers wanting coastal vacation travel packages if they cannot close the sale.
Finding a sales support team can eliminate this lack of experience for those who decided to become a travel agent. A coastal vacation call center provides solutions.
Sales center employees know how to convince customers to sign on the dotted line. They receive extensive training on selling the coastal vacation travel packages and help those who decide to become a travel agent.
Franchise owners who decided to become a travel agent need this type of support to be successful when selling coastal vacation travel packages. Using a coastal call center gives the travel franchise owner a professional sales team.
The coastal call center employees do not compete with those who become a travel agent and credit all sales of coastal vacation travel packages to the travel franchise owner.
Instead, the professional closers call center team enhances the franchise owner’s home based travel agency and assists the owner in bringing in more profits.
Ben Jordan an x-Fortune 500 executive turned coastal vacation director. His love is helping people use the coastal call center travel agent business. For a FREE 3day/2night hotel voucher visit www.abccallcenter.com
Vice guide to travel Liberia – part 6
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
Hassle-free Travel With Golf Travel Cases
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
Golf vacations have become more and more popular. People now travel specifically to golf resorts to enjoy this sport during their vacations. For those traveling specifically for a golf vacation, or for any other time when golf clubs will be taken on a trip, whether explicitly for golf or taken “just in case,” the golfer wants to know that their golf clubs are safe and also that their clubs will be easy to travel with, since without their clubs, the vacation is basically a wasted trip.
These golfers are traveling in a variety of ways, usually by car or by air. During the summer, it is not uncommon to see, as many golf travel cases at the airport as there are regular luggage. Even during the winter months, many travelers set out with their golf clubs to resorts in warmer climates.
While traveling with golf clubs – and any golfer knows it is better to use their own clubs then borrowed ones, it is important to protect the golf clubs whether traveling by car or by air. There are many different golf travel cases to choose from.
The most popular with travelers seem to be golf travel bags with wheels. In fact, most golf travel cases do have wheels, which set them apart from standard golf bags used while golfing at courses within a few miles of a person’s home. These bags are very convenient for people who plan to spend a lot of time carrying their clubs around since a set a golf clubs can become very heavy, especially for those with back problems or cannot lift very much weigh for any reason.
There are a variety of golf travel bags to choose from, depending on the needs and wants of the golfer.
The first type is soft travel golf bags. The advantages of soft travel bags are that they are usually lighter and more compact. These types of golf travel bags are great for people traveling by car. These soft travel bags can be found with padded sides for extra protection, these types of travel bags are usually more economical. They come in a variety of sizes from smaller weekend bags to traditional size golf bags. Golfers, who cannot lift much weight, can use soft travel bags which also come in lightweight varieties. These types of golf travel bags typically do not include wheels, making them the exception to the rule that practically every travel golf bag includes wheels. By eliminating the feature of wheels, the bag is usually lighter to carry.
For people traveling by air it is usually advisable to travel with hard golf travel cases. These cases will protect the golf clubs throughout the course of the trip and survive the abuse that comes to any baggage as a result of air travel. Hard cased golf travel bags give the golf clubs added protection and at the same time giving the golfer added piece of mind knowing their golf clubs are safe.
Whether hard or soft, wheeled or lightweight, golf travel bags also have other differences allowing the golfer to find one that is just right for him or her while traveling with golf clubs. Some will collapse, which is great for those traveling by car. Some golf travel bags have plenty of compartments for other golf paraphernalia and others are meant to be very compact. Golf travel bags also come in several different sizes, which is great since different people use different size golf clubs, for instance, men will generally use longer clubs then women.
Golf clubs are without a question, a golfer’s most valuable asset while traveling on a golf vacation; their golf travel bag should and normally is their next most valuable possession on their golf vacation. Choosing the bag that is just right will make all the difference in a golf vacation.
AllGolfShop.com is a new online Golf Equipment Store.
To check out our selection of Golf Travel Bags, please click here: Golf Travel Cases and Covers
Why Do you Pay Commissions When you Do your Own Travel Bookings?
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
When you buy a travel package, tour or service your price may include a number of levels of commission added to the original pure cost of the product direct from the supplier.
To give an example of such:
Let’s take a tour operated in Australia at a cost direct from the operator of say $1,000:
1. This tour may be listed with an Inbound Tour Operator.
2. The ITO buys for $1,000, marks up 10%, sells to Wholesaler- tour price now $1,100.
3. The Wholesaler buys for $1,100, marks up !0%, sells to Retailer- tour price now $1,210.
4. The Retailer buys for $1210, marks up 10%, sells to Traveller- tour price now $1,331.
(prices change if percentages are higher, or less if the ITO is not in this equation)
(without the ITO, retail price would be $1,210 at 10% or $1322 at 15%).
The commission element, without the ITO at 10% mark-up is $210 per tour per person (21%).
The commission element, without the ITO at 15% mark-up is $322 per tour per person (32%).
So the Traveller pays variable levels of middleman commissions.. When you have 2 or 3 or a family of travellers, this is a considerable amount of cash and if you have a tour costing in excess of $1,000, just do the math.
Similarly, brochure prices have commissions built in to them for the retailers of 10 – 25%.
If a consumer goes to an Outlet Store they expect outlet prices, if they go directly to the Manufacturer they expect ‘go-direct’ prices, so why not handle travel arrangements in a similar way?
Because, it is only fair that each level of the product sales cycle earns revenue for the business involved and these businesses are necessary and needed to ensure that products are marketed, promoted, brochured and sold to consumers around the world who may not be comfortable with handling their own bookings and need the assistance of an expert professional travel consultant.. However, with the growth of the internet and the ability to now find the source of travel products, travellers who handle their own arrangements should get a fairer deal on the pricing as a middleman is not needed in the purchasing process.
It does not make sense for most travel operators to show different prices on their websites, Retail, Wholesale or Internet Direct etc as this could undermine their supply chain by deterring the efficient middlemen from representing their products, so we have to find a way for all of the
‘do-it-yourself’ bookers to get a fairer price.
There is a way. A new service has been introduced that enables travel operators to encourage and reward travellers who are comfortable with direct bookings and for them to get a fair price break for the commission no longer required to be paid out. The new service, operated by TopTravelSites.com, offers TopTravelVouchers for sale that have values equivalent to, or more than the commission elements on the operator’s travel products. These may be purchased by travellers at very deep discounts to their redemption values, getting closer to the direct cost price of the travel product for the consumer… think outlet pricing or go-direct deals.
The Travel Operator still incurs the commission cost by issuing a toptravelvoucher but the beneficiary of the price break is the traveller, not the middleman. By encouraging and rewarding travellers, the operators should get more traffic to their websites.
TopTravelSites can be compared to a retail travel company but it does not sell travel. It only introduces travellers to operators involved with the program and invites them to go directly to the travel websites of its clients. If travellers want to do business directly with the travel providers on the site they can get a price break by purchasing toptravelvouchers online at prices of $30, $50 or $100usd (or equivalent foreign currency). The vouchers have a 100% money-back guarantee and if, after the travel has been completed, the traveller is unhappy with the product, the cost of the voucher is reimbursed and redress is sought from the operator.
Hundreds of vouchers are currently available and new vouchers are being added each month but when you see a voucher valued at 1,500 euros for sale for $100usd it may not be long before you will see thousands of choices. Many other vouchers are available and can be purchased by single travellers, groups or families, leading to very healthy savings for all ‘do-it-yourself’ bookers.
Many travel operators will continue to sell through a supply chain but there are thousands of travel businesses around the world that want to improve their representation and for their services to be seen by a wider audience of travellers. Most travel operators would always be willing to pay a commission on sales and so this site might offer great appeal to them. It will surely attract travellers booking their own arrangements and being rewarded by rebated commission and as long as the site operator keeps to low overheads (no bricks and mortar stores or expensive brochures) it will also appeal to many more travellers and travel providers. .
You can visit the site at http://www.toptravelsites.com where you can also link to some last minute deals, a travel ezine and some destination specific sites for the South Pacific..
A UK Chartered Accountant with over 40 years of international travel and over 25 years in the travel industry. Now addressing internet pricing of travel when booked directly with the travel provider by travelers. Editor of http://www.thetravelinsider.net and developer of TopTravelVouchers from http://www.toptravelsites.com
Does the Internet Benefit Small Travel Businesses?
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
Yes, of course it does, but as much as it should?
When you think of the number of travel directories and websites available to travelers you would think that this is a world free of the normal conventions of business but unfortunately it is often bound by restrictions that travelers would not appreciate. Pricing of travel is one of the conventions that are not yet totally free of restrictions and understandably so due to distribution considerations.
Travel businesses using the traditional distribution chains for the sale of their products need to allow for the payments of commission to various levels of middlemen, Inbound Tour Operators, Wholesalers and Retailers, all who need to take a percentage for their efforts in enabling travel services and products to reach the consumer.
Websites however, reach directly to consumers and enable them to make direct bookings with travel providers but they can still incur the costs attributed to these middlemen. But, to place a two-tier price for each product could deter the agents from representing products so a new way had to be found. This is where TopTravelSites stepped in with their newly developed service for the travel provider who wants to continue with the traditional supply chain but also wants to encourage travelers who are comfortable with making their own arrangements directly with providers and who do not need the services of travel agents, just the internet.
The service called TopTravelVouchers gives travelers a ‘fair fare price’ on direct bookings but the provider still incurs the cost of commission.
This new price format is achieved by the travel operator issuing a voucher in exchange for marketing, promotion and deliverance of travelers directly to their websites to make their bookings. The voucher is sold to travelers at deeply discounted prices to their redemption values enabling the traveler to be the beneficiary of a ‘nearly net’ price for the travel package or service. The operator of TopTravelVouchers does not have the normal costs that are attributable to retail and wholesale agents such as shops, reservation systems, brochures and high staffing and is thus able to encourage travelers to book directly with their clients and to get a price saving for their efforts. It is in effect a travel agent that does not sell travel, only travel vouchers, which are to be used towards travel purchased from the travel companies who are participating in the service.
Many travel businesses do not use middlemen, often due to the small size of their travel operation, but they would still be prepared to pay a commission or fee for a referral or a sale. They still need to make travelers aware of their products and services and to be able to offer encouragement and a reward gives them an opportunity to reach out to travelers who prefer to deal directly with operators.
There are thousands of smaller travel businesses around the world ranging from B&B’s, Family Boutique Hotels, Small Tour Operators, Adventure and Eco Tours that are rarely seen by the vast majority of travelers. These operators are not found in the glossy travel brochures or represented by travel agents but they often have excellent products and services which can be seen on their websites. Many of them are willing to pay a commission to a seller of their products but are not able to get travel agent representation. This new voucher system allows them to encourage and reward travelers who prefer to handle their own arrangements directly with the operators by offering a price that reflects discounted commission costs and thus savings for the do-it-yourself traveler.
TopTravelVouchers sell at three price levels according to the savings on each: $30, $50 or $100usd or equivalent currency if purchased outside of the USA. They may often be purchased in multiples, benefiting families or groups and at the time of this article there was a voucher costing $100usd with a value of 1,500euros (around $2,000usd) offered on a small ship cruise in Greece that is also a small travel operator not normally represented by the agency system.
Travelers are given 100% money-back guarantees if the vouchers are not used within 1 year of issue but maybe this should be for two years as the vouchers are normally valid for 2 years. Even after the completion of travel and travelers are unhappy with the quality, the voucher cost is reimbursed by TopTravelSites and the problem taken up with the travel operator.
It is obvious that this service will only work for TopTravelSites if supported by the world of travel providers who need to expand their representation as the retention of only a small percentage on each sale needs to be followed by high volumes of voucher sales but it is a unique service offering benefits to both travelers and the smaller travel businesses in the travel industry utilising the logical use of the internet for direct bookings.
If you want to see the current voucher offers you can visit them at toptravelsites.com
A UK Chartered Accountant with over 40yrs of international travel and over 25yrs in the travel industry. Editor of http://www.thetravelinsider.net and developer of the TopTravelService at http://www.toptravelsites.com
Coast to Coast AM – 19 August 2009 – Lucid Dreams, Astral Travel & Secret Societies part 1/12
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
www.youtube.com Writer on contemporary spirituality specializing in alchemy, Kabbalah and consciousness studies, Mark Stavish spoke about such topics as lucid dreaming, astral projection, and secret societies and their use of ritual. Lucid dreaming, which is becoming aware that you’re dreaming while in a dream state, presents certain advantages, he said. It allows people to consciously interact in their dreams while their mind is awake, and can offer learning opportunities, such as receiving spiritual instruction. To have a lucid dream, he suggested that a person pray fervently with that intent before going to sleep, and repeat this prayer during the day. Lucid dreaming sets a person up for the next phase of their spiritual development with astral projection or obes (out-of-body experiences), Stavish said. At the start of a projection, a person might experience a spinning sensation, as they leave their body like a “silken tether being unraveled,” and feel their consciousness extend beyond their physical body. There are two types of astral projections, he detailed: In the first, a person travels to everyday locations like their kitchen or nearby street; the second type involves visits to various astral realms beyond physical reality. Stavish stressed the importance of understanding the mind. Such understanding makes you unafraid of your own thoughts– you can simply accept or reject them, he commented. Secret societies such as the Free Masons use initiation ceremonies, often with a death/rebirth ritual. Such rituals can stimulate a person’s psyche or subconscious so they can gain spiritual insights, and overcome the fear of death, he noted.
Business Travel Insurance
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
Anyone that travels a lot should consider travel insurance, but those that travel for business often overlook the importance of this protection. Business travel insurance is simply a good idea because it can provide you with the protection that you need whether you are travelling just a short or long distance away from home. You never know when you are going to need the protection that insurance can provide, so you should look into business travel insurance before you go on your next trip.
The great thing about business travel insurance is that the individual can purchase it or a company can purchase it. Many companies are choosing to purchase the insurance for all of their employees that travel. This is a very economical way to buy the coverage as many companies can offer bulk buy discounts. This can be a particularly good idea for companies that host a lot of conferences, meetings, team building events, training courses, product launches, and the like. Many businesses offer corporate hospitality outings and the like, and even on these fun getaways employees should be protected and business travel insurance is a great way to get that protection.
If you happen to be an employee that travels to a lot of business oriented annual general meetings, exhibitions, seminars, or conventions and you aren’t provided with business travel insurance you can buy it yourself. The coverage is not at all expensive, and you may even be able to purchase the coverage at the same time that you plan an event or plan your travel, which will make it convenient to purchase. When you purchase this protection you can go on your business travels and not worry about what would happen if you were robbed, if your luggage was lost, or if you needed medical attention in an area where your usual medical or dental insurance was not valid.
Many of us think about travel insurance when we are going on vacation or visiting exotic vacations, but this is not the only time when you need the protection that this type of insurance can provide. Business travel insurance is just as important as the insurance that you would buy when flying across the world for an exotic vacation or honeymoon because there is just as much opportunity for you to encounter health problems or circumstances that you just did not plan for. Why should you be any less equipped to handle these problems on a business trip than you would be when you are on vacation? When you leave home you should feel safe, secure, and confident in your abilities to handle any situation and with business travel insurance you can do this.
If you don’t travel often or you only travel once a year you can opt to purchase your business travel insurance for just one trip. All you have to do is disclose when you will be travelling, where you will be going, and when you will be returning. This is generally very affordable and will offer you the protection that you should have on your one trip. If you travel all the time for work you can choose to buy your business travel insurance for the whole year. While this is more expensive in the beginning, it is cheaper over the course of the year than it would be to purchase the coverage every time you go away on travel. Many times there are also different levels of coverage to choose from, so you can choose from very basic coverage to very extensive coverage, based on your needs. When you purchase the travel business insurance you may want to consider the areas that you travel to as well as what sort of coverage your other insurance coverage may provide as this information will help you determine what sort of coverage you need.
It used to be more difficult to buy travel insurance, and that is why many people simply opted not to do it. In many cases you had to go right to an insurance agent and you had to fill out a ton of paperwork, or you could go to a travel agent and do the same thing. Now, you can purchase your business travel insurance right along with your other travel needs such as but not limited to your event planning services, your car rental services, lodging, transportation, and airfare. This is very convenient and allows for those that didn’t want to bother with the coverage before because of the hassle to purchase the benefits of travel insurance. Next time you receive notice that you have to travel for your job, why not look into travel business insurance and see what protection it can offer you? It’s better to have the protection and not need it than need it and not have it!
Corporate travel for people who book business trips from all continents Tel: 08700 490002 or +44 (0)1780 484824
visit http://www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/ or http://www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/Travel
Travel Agents Event Management
poniedziałek, 1 Marzec 2010
It does not matter the size of the conference or where it is, travel agents can be a major help in their planning. Travel agents can be especially helpful if it is an international conference. Travel agents can have knowledge of the area as well as such things as transportation, accommodations, and hospitality issues. One of the main hassles when planning a conference is taking care of the needs of the people attending. It doesn’t matter if it is a press release, convention, training seminar, or product launch, travel agents can take care of many of the needs of the attendees so that the people attending or the people running the conferences do not have to worry about those details. The larger the conference the more travel agents can be of service.
One of the main ways that travel agents can help with conferences is with transportation and travel needs. Many times if the conference is international the people attending the conference will need a way to get there. Travel agents can help with flight, train or bus information as well as procuring tickets. The larger the group travelling to a conference the more travel agents can be used and many times they can also get better deals. Travel agents are in direct contact with airlines, train lines, and bus services so they can find out if there is space available as well as the best price for the ticket. They can also contact charter services, as it may be cheaper to travel this way for larger groups. Another advantage of using travel agents is that they can be available to coordinate travel times so that it can be easier, once the people arrive, that they do so around the same time making it easier to either get to accommodations or to the conference itself.
Another beneficial aspect when using travel agents when dealing with conferences are accommodation issues. Much like travel issues the travel agent can have direct contact with hotels and inns as they can find accommodations for people that are travelling to the conference. Also much like travel they may be able to find better rates than if the people travelling to the conference booked accommodations themselves. One thing that travel agents have as well are information about package deals, which can save people, or a company, a lot of money as travel, accommodation, and transportation services can all be packaged in one deal. When people travel out of town to go to a conference they will also have transportation needs so they can get to and from the conference itself. They can also help with such things as arranging for car rentals and taxi services to and from the conference. Travel agents can also find accommodations that are closest to the conference site. If a travel agent is working with one group of people there is also a better chance that they will be staying in one location, or, at least, close to each other. This is a crucial aspect of a conference if many people from one organization or company are in attendance.
While travel agents can be used for many types of conferences one of the most important ways in which they can be used is for companies that need to have many employees in attendance. For example, if the company is having a training seminar for hundreds of employees their main goal is to make sure that the seminar runs smoothly. The company needs to find a conference site and deal with the information that will be presented at a seminar. If the company uses travel agents there is a huge amount of time and resources that can be saved that can be used in areas of more importance. Any time that the company needs to take care of the travel needs of the people in attendance travel agents should be used.
Travel agents can also be of service when dealing with hospitality issues as well. If the conference runs more than one day they can find out information such as where to eat and what there is to do in the area that people are travelling to. If the people that attend the conference do everything for themselves they will not be as informed, as if a travel agents took care of them. Travel agents can find restaurants, make reservations, book lunches, and rent out halls, just to name a few things they can do.
The hassles that can arise when travelling to conventions can be great for the people travelling to them and the people running them. By using travel agents many of those hassles are taken care of. When dealing with conferences, especially international ones and ones where many people will be in attendance, the things that travel agents can take care can be invaluable to both the company and/or the traveller.
Corporate travel for people who book business trips from all continents Tel: 08700 490002 or +44 (0)1780 484824
visit http://www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/ or http://www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/Travel