http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog The voice of the travel agency community Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:06:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en For the active traveler, no location beats Hawaii for the amazing variety of outdoor activities. Let's start with the easiest - relax! While there are dozens of activities, and a thousand places to involve yourself in those activities on the Islands, know first and foremost that its OK to do ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/active-hawaii/ There are times when it pays to think...differently. Just because your were taught that travel consulting is done a certain way, or just because one travel ad looks like another, doesn't mean that is the way things have to be. Just because you have done things in a set way ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/fire-yourself/ With the uncertain economy and people keeping their travel wallets closed a bit more tightly than before; as long as your clients are traveling, why not suggest a private villa. Boy that does not sound right, but think about it. And when you do, think about LuxuryRetreats. It is a given ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/luxuryretreats-yes-even-in-a-poor-economy/ Travel is a "repeat buy." Many clients will travel on a schedule approaching every one or two years and some much more frequently. It is important to stay ahead of such clients by anticipating their needs. There is no reason to wait for the client to come to you with a trip ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/stay-ahead-of-clients/ As a travel consultant, you are constantly faced with the question of how to best market your services. When you finally arrive at an idea that seems reasonable and workable,  how do you figure out if it will work before investing too much time or money? Let's use the idea of ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/birthing-a-marketing-idea/ Though no one can predict the impact our current topsy-turvy economy will have on the travel industry, I have faith that the all-inclusive vacation – as a value through boom and bust – will endure. The birth of the all-inclusive during the oil crisis in the 1970s supports my ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/from-all-inclusives-to-un-inclusives-an-evolving-sense-of-value/ Fear, and its little buddy Worry, stands in the way of your success. Humans worry about things that have not, and may not ever, come to pass. You will find fear and worry to be of little use to you in your travel planning practice. Will I look bad making my ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/overcoming-fear/ A travel  agent I respect once told me: “We are all owners of our ambition, we are all employees of our dreams.” OK, maybe I dressed it up a bit, but that is what she meant. Too often, I am sure, the marketing advice TRO writes for agents each day seems all ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/taking-ownership-of-your-mission/ Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of agents from a small, yet powerful consortium called the IT Group on board Carnival’s Elation. This meeting was not nearly as large as the Baltimore Home Based Travel Agent Show, but in a more intimate setting you really ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/surviving-the-perfect-storm/ Confidence is easy to muster when things are going well. The key is to keep your self-confidence in place when things take a bad turn. It is too easy to let a bad week or a negative event affect the way you perceive your own performance as a travel planner. ... http://www.travelresearchonline.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/confidence/