TravelResearchOnline.com Blog

In almost every aspect of both your professional and personal life, you instinctively know the value of practice and being prepared. Actually, it’s not instinct at all. The desire to be ready to handle difficult questions arises from early failures to prepare. Practicing answers has saved many a school boy and many a relationship. At a certain age you learn the value of preparation, but often only after failing multiple times at a question you absolutely know is coming. There are some questions  it makes sense to develop answers for well ahead of being asked. You know they are coming, you know the penalty for failure, and yet you let other matters take precedence until it is too late and you instead decide to improvise.

For example, here is a reasonably predictable question that some large portion of the population will be asked several times a year – Does this dress make me look heavy? Read the rest of this entry »

OK, so we are not going to talk about pings this time, but it worked for me in the title. But let’s talk about profiles and pages in Facebook. In speaking with many travel professionals, there is still much confusion about the difference between the two. Hopefully I can shed some light on the differences. Read the rest of this entry »

Everywhere you go people are staring at their phones!  Look around. It’s happening at the mall, the car wash, the supermarket check-out line–people of all ages are all looking at their laps, mesmerized! What’s going on to make us all act like teens? Will we ever see a time when we talk to each other face to face again?

For good or bad, our communication habits have transformed as rapidly as technology has enabled them. Now, the norm is to not only have a phone, but a web enabled personal media device. What?? Read the rest of this entry »

It seems like just yesterday!
30 years ago today, I was 21, fresh out of college and anxious to get into the “real world.” It was 1980 and unemployment was at 8%, interest rates were soaring, and fortunately, we were not technically attuned to every terrifying moment of the recession.

I graduated with a triple major, Spanish, English, and secondary education, but teaching was not what I wanted to do. Not right away anyway. Because I was fluent in Spanish I was offered a job in international banking at an Atlanta bank, but that seemed way too serious. (Ah…the regret I feel sometimes about passing that opportunity up.)

I wanted a fun job! I couldn’t be a flight attendant because I couldn’t see the length of the plane without visual aid so I chose the second best job… Read the rest of this entry »

John T. Peters joined Tripology as President and CEO in June of 2008. Most recently, John navigated the company into a purchase by Rand McNally and is now the VP/GM Digital Strategy & Travel. Prior to Tripology, John was Vice President of Business Development & Travel Trade where he led the successful launch of Endless Vacation Rentals by Wyndham Worldwide. Earlier in his career, John founded Zeus Tours & Yacht Cruises, an international yacht cruise/tour and hotel business that grew to over $50 million in sales with over 100 employees in offices in New York, Athens, Rome and Buenos Aires.

John’s last interview left a few issues still to be discussed. This follow-up delves into those agents who have questions about making Tripology work consistently for them.

TRO: Let’s veer over to the Rand McNally side of things just for a moment.  How did Tripology fit into their portfolio?

JP:  Rand McNally has been around for over 150 years and has a brand that everyone over 40 recognizes.  Since the beginning, travelers have consulted Rand McNally for information including the maps and directions products that made them famous, as well as information on destinations, road trips and more.  Rand McNally is in many businesses and earlier this year they decided they want to expand their travel offerings.  They did not want to become yet another booking engine, but wanted to keep in their theme of providing travel information to consumers planning a trip.  Tripology is just that; we connect online consumers, frustrated with online booking engines, an alternative – travel agents.  In my opinion, travel specialists are the best option for anyone planning any kind of non-commodity travel. 

TRO: John, tell us about the role that the newly launched Rand McNally site is playing vis-a-vis Tripology.

JP:  Where do I start?  One thing that all travel companies struggle with online is getting traffic to their site.  Rand McNally has over one million people a month come to www.RandMcNally.com.  We just re-launched the site and I’m so proud to see Tripology integrated on almost every page.  When a consumer comes to RandMcNally.com to gather information on destinations (including the exclusive video travel guides on things like where to eat, what to do and what not to miss), consumers will have the very visible option of using Tripology to connect with a travel specialist.  The new RandMcNally.com is already giving us 15% of our traffic – and that’s just the first week after launch.  Needless to say, I’m thrilled to see our logo all over the Rand McNally site.

TRO: Tripology recently hit an important milestone in its growth.  Do you want to tell us about that? Read the rest of this entry »

Some people re-arrange their bedroom every month or so. Military families move after every tour of duty (or so it seems). These people know how to get out of a rut. And as difficult as it is to admit, I am in a rut and I need some change.

I feel my business has been stagnating for a while and I’ve decided to take a new direction. How many years can you keep doing the same thing with approximately the same bottom line? Being a one woman show and wearing many hats, it leaves little time to think about the next step. I recently spoke  John Peters of Tripology about how to grow my business and which direction to take. He had some very good ideas for me. Because there are only so many hours in the day, I feel as though I can’t possibly take on any more business, therefore I’m not able to make more sales or commission. Read the rest of this entry »

Excuse me, dahrlings, but…
Later Slater Is My Hero

Overnight, Steven Slater is the service sector’s Captain Fantastic. Waitresses, sales clerks and travel agents are hailing the feisty flight attendant for doing what none of us have the gumption to. (And, from what I’ve seen, some of you have pretty significant gumptions.)

Not only did he totally slate that passenger’s dumbass behaviour, he escaped the scene in a Bondian flourish, grabbing beers on the way.
Read the rest of this entry »