Travel Research Online | The voice of the travel agency community

Slump? I ain’t in no slump… I just ain’t hitting. ~ Yogi Berra

I hope nobody told you the travel business was easy.

I’m just back from a travel conference in the great city of Dallas.  The travel professionals in attendance seemed upbeat about business prospects, affirming the general sentiment that pent-up demand for travel is taking hold of the general public. One agent, however, indicated things had not been going her way lately and everyone else’s enthusiasm was just making her feel worse. Her business was down and she didn’t know why.

We have all experienced a slump in our business activity.  Suddenly things grow quiet… too quiet.  The reasons for a slump can be purely individual and unpredictable, but down-turns in business can be reversed if you take appropriate measures. Immediate action is the key. The worst thing you can do is “wait and see”- a slump is psychologically tough to handle, but giving into depression is self-defeating and prolongs the misery.   Read the rest of this entry »

Barbara Khan has sold a lot of Silversea cruises, and a lot of transatlantic cruises, in her career—but she had never sailed either. So when she was offered the chance to sail a repositioning cruise on Silver Moon, 14 days from Lisbon to Barbados at no charge, she jumped at the chance.

Angie Schwartz, on the other hand, has sailed across the Atlantic many times. The idea of spending two weeks at sea never grows old for her. She and her husband, a former Navy submariner, “love crossings, and we love sea time,” she says. So she, too, signed up.

When I am asked “What’s your favorite trip of all you’ve ever taken?” I am dumbfounded. But one that floats quickly to the surface of my mind, as one of the best trips ever, was a cruise on the Amazon River.

I had always wanted to see the jungle. From watching movies as a kid, I had thought of the jungle as being in Africa. When I went on safari to see the Great Migration in East Africa, the environment I found myself in was not a jungle at all. It was the high plains, the African savanna, which means “treeless plains.”

Let’s delve into a few best practices and a few legal issues that confront travel agency newsletter publishers. Many of the best practices pertain to any email marketing, but they are worthwhile repeating to keep you and your agency in good standing both with your clients and with some important third parties!

Best Practices

When formatting your newsletter, try to avoid complicated CSS style sheets. Many email readers, notably Outlook 7.0 are not kind to CSS and will play havoc with the appearance and layout of your newsletter. Have your designer use simple “in-line” html tags instead. Read the rest of this entry »

One of my best river cruises ever was one of my longest river cruises ever. In 2016, I spent 15 glorious days cruising from Amsterdam to Budapest on AmaWaterways’ AmaSonata. After transiting the Rhine, the Main, the Main-Danube Canal and the Danube, I was left with one thought: Could I stay on and do the cruise in the opposite direction?

Of course, the answer was yes – from me – but a hard no from AmaWaterways. In fact, AmaSonata was not headed back to Amsterdam but would instead operate a series of Danube cruises. Sigh.

According to me, February can be a funny month. Not “ha-ha” funny, but perhaps a better inference might be peculiar, or interesting, or often-times even mildly depressing.

Based on my 73 Februarys to date, I can say this will some degree of accuracy. I gently approach this infamous month from two angles.

Acknowledging the role of social media in our travel plans has become as obvious as recognizing that the sun is always shining. The focus now turns to understanding how deeply and widely this impact reaches. It’s no surprise that social media plays a huge part in planning out vacation itineraries; what remains unknown, however, is just how big its influence truly is.  Read the rest of this entry »

Salespeople have gotten a bad rap over the years. Who enjoys the car buying experience or negotiating with the cable salesperson? But there are times when dealing with a salesperson is a grand experience. Have you ever shopped at Nordstrom or a quality jeweler? A good salesperson can be a godsend when you are in over your head, like I am when buying jewelry. Or perhaps when someone is over their head in (dare I say) arranging their next vacation?  So what will differentiate you between the bad car salesperson and the one at Nordstrom’s? Read the rest of this entry »

For hosted advisors, knowing all the facts about different host agencies is a must. Yet, sometimes the facts found on the host company’s website aren’t the whole story. That’s where Host Agency Reviews will come to the rescue, in specific Host Week 2023. Now in its third year, registration is open for this virtual event featuring notable keynote speakers, offers, and information for advisors of all levels.

In an ideal world, travel advisors should have visited their recommended destinations and traveled as guests on the same ships or tours they select for clients. They would be familiar with local customs, explore attractions and transportation options, and provide other information their clients may need. This will provide their clients with choices that are a closer match for their preferences and interests.

American Cruise Lines proudly announces a brand new 15-Day National Parks & Legendary Rivers itinerary for 2023. Following successful product testing this year, the itinerary will be the country’s largest land-cruise package and the first-ever coupling of a river cruise with the mountain states’ national parks. Read the rest of this entry »

I had to admit to myself that I was a bit nervous about interviewing Laurie McAndish King. As the accomplished writer of An Elephant Ate My Arm: More True Stories from a Curious Traveler, published last year, she’s seen a rise in popularity. This book has won first place in the Paris Book Festival, with individual stories in the collection winning multiple other awards. Her writing voice is clearly her own, a daunting task most writers struggle with on a daily basis. So, yeah, I was clearly nervous that my questions wouldn’t grab her attention. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

From the starting conversation about our video backgrounds, there was a curiosity radiating from the image on the computer. Three minutes in, she’d asked more questions than me. When it naturally came around to a starting point, I launched in with the biggest question first: did you start this collection of stories during the primary part of the pandemic?

Crystal Cruises is back, offering customers who sign up for its 2023 itineraries a priority reward program.

Guests who join the Open Deposits program will have first access to itineraries, staterooms, suites, and experiences in 2023 and 2024 and also will get a $125 shipboard credit. Read the rest of this entry »

Japan is known for its sprawling metropolises, cities that bask in the light of every color from signs and advertisements. Yet, outside these massive cities is an island country with natural beauty that shines bright on the pale petals of the cherry blossom—on the delightful purple of the wisteria tree. Adored by Japanese poets and painters is a sight that soars above them all, the UNESCO World Heritage Mt. Fuji.

Social media platform Pinterest has announced the launch of a new program to celebrate Black History Month – the Black Travel Hub. This initiative is designed to provide users with inspiration, education and guidance for travel to destinations across the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Athens is a metropolis of the old world and new, an ancient city that has offered lasting world knowledge and architecture to civilization. This already marks it as a sought-after destination, but the crisp flavors of fresh olive oil and the white coasts of nearby Cyclades Islands mark it as a top-tier destination. History is evident all around this ancient land full of nature, beaches, and cultural landmarks to visit.

File this under “it’s hard to launch a new model.”

Seabourn’s new expedition ship, Seabourn Venture, is headed to drydock to fix its stabilizers, leaving five canceled cruises in its wake.

The unscheduled drydock will last from April 7 to April 30, 2023, said a letter sent to booked guests and travel advisors. Read the rest of this entry »

Slow travel is a grassroots approach that emphasizes sustainability, intentionality, and quality over speed and mass tourism. Slow travelers prioritize taking their time to get to know a place in its entirety – not just the main points of interest but also the culture, people, and everyday life. Unlike traditional mass tourism, slow travel emphasizes spending more time in each destination, experiencing local culture face-to-face. Rather than an effort to “tick off” as many places as possible, the slow traveler instead focuses on getting to know one place deeply Read the rest of this entry »

This year, Travel Show Marketing Group’s Las Vegas Travel Agent Forum at Caesars Palace received well-deserved praise from both suppliers and travel professionals for their efforts. Read the rest of this entry »