TravelResearchOnline.com Blog

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, [...]

As travel consultants, we spend a lot of time thinking and talking about how our clients like to interact with us when planning their vacations: Do they prefer to do it themselves online? Should we have booking engines on our web sites to facilitate that?  Should they have to speak with us in person, or [...]

Recently I was filling out a form for my daughter’s school, and I told my wife that I so no reason to include our daughter’s social security number on the form. My wife asked, “Why do you ALWAYS have to go against the grain?”
After responding that there is no shame in being a contrarian and [...]

In my home state and many states across the country travel agents are not regulated.  There aren’t any education, licensing or insurance requirements. Travel agents do not have to submit to criminal background checks. Anyone can be a travel agent. The infiltration of “card mills or MLMs” is out of control.
Other professionals in my state [...]

After a large sale last week, I was reminded of the importance of follow-up. The sale was for two families at Christmas and it was for $26,000.00.
After closing a sale, I always ask the client what the main reasons were that caused them to purchase from us. I find that this is a great learning [...]

Lisa Green is a group travel specialist located in the small town of Elkins, WV.  She holds destination specialist certifications in the Caribbean, Mexico and Disney as well as many others.  She has been in the travel industry for 15 + years while living in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina (her favorite) and Colorado.  Lisa’s dream destinations are Australia and [...]

Beginning her travel career at age 16, travel agent Jean Kuhn recounts her 35 years in the industry, moving from a store-front, airline oriented business to her current travel practice.
I lived in a small town in Westchester County, NY about 30 miles outside “the city” of New York. When I walked home from school, I [...]

Does anyone else find the term “Home Based Agent,” to be overused and insulting? Maybe I am getting old but I find the term derogatory. I know an attorney who works at home. He is not called a “Home Based Attorney.” Just an attorney. The same with an accountant. He is an accountant [...]

One of my niche specialties is cruise groups, and fellow travel professionals have contacted me seeking my input on them.  This article is the first in a series designed to give you an overview on cruise group basics, including where to find group prospects, how to approach a potential Pied Piper, and how to manage [...]

What exactly does the term “business ethics” mean? Why are ethics important in today’s wiifmw (what’s in it for me world?)
Wikepedia’s defines “ Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and [...]