“What’s that sound? 

I didn’t notice it yesterday?

There it goes again!”

These were my exact words a week or two back, when my clothes dryer began squeaking for what I could best determine was for no reason what so ever. Like many people who share my upbeat attitude toward life, I knew that it would probably go away as fast as it came. I went back to living my life.

But when it started to make the same noise again the next day, I took notice. Read the rest of this entry »

Read the rest of this entry »

This week’s message comes via an article I read recently, in some well-known magazine. Dick Nettell was running the transition between Bank of America and FleetBoston (his first job was as an 18-year-old ‘lot boy’ cleaning company vehicles.) Dick’s personal leadership philosophy contains five bullet points. I feel they are worth sharing. Read the rest of this entry »

We all have ideas. In fact, ideas are a dime a dozen. The sad truth is that most ideas die on the vine, without being given the opportunity to prove themselves as ‘great ideas’ or otherwise. Ideas can disappear as fast as they appear.

I read this passage just last week: ” We all get great ideas while taking a shower. Too bad 99% of them stay in the shower.” Sad but true.

When asked why you didn’t act on a particular brainchild of yours, three of the more popular knee-jerk excuses include: Read the rest of this entry »

Influence, by definition, isn’t always good by default. We can be negatively influenced by someone as easily as we can be positively influenced. Bottom line, they have an effect.

Business leaders, both strong and weak, yield powerful influence and drive measurable results. Strong leaders create a culture of high performance and productivity, which leads to healthy profit. Weak leaders create a culture of complacency and mediocrity, which leads to unhealthy fear and turnover.

No doubt, weak leadership is the greatest gift we give to competitors. It is an aversion for employees. It has a ripple effect that reaches and repels consumers. Read the rest of this entry »

There are many travel suppliers in the industry. Most are great at what they do, which is offer the traveler an experience of a destination. Ya’lla tours is no different in that aspect; but they shine more when it comes to the more personalized experience. Having been in the industry since 1993, they’ve learned a few things about customizing the journey of travelers. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently found myself surfing the net and I came across the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Ralph McTell.

Ralph used to busk for money in the subway systems of Paris. “Busking” is a term for playing music in public for handouts.  (I did that once in NYC – but that is another story for another day.)

In any event, Streets of London is a song that reminds us that as bad as it may get sometimes, one doesn’t have to look too far to see that others may be worse off.  Read the rest of this entry »

When most people think of Italy, they think of the rolling vineyards, Roman monuments, and boats in place of cars meandering down canals. While these are sights to be found in this romantic country, the border it shares with Switzerland and Austria has a very different feel. Here, in the northeast where the iconic Alps carry down, sits Cortina d’Ampezzo (commonly known as simply Cortina). A jet set destination since the 18^th century, it has been an all-year-long destination for quite some time. Read the rest of this entry »

Jenn has over ten years of experience in the execution of successful business to business events and marketing campaigns. She joined the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) in March 2017 as the Director of Marketing Programs.

In her role, she is responsible for supporting ASTA’s initiatives by driving the promotion of events, membership, and education. Before joining ASTA, Jenn worked at Choice Hotels HQ in Rockville, MD where she supported the Global Sales team with B2B industry events, as well as, developed marketing promotions for TMCs.

Jenn’s passion for travel traces back to when she spent 1.5 years teaching English in South Korea. During her time overseas, she gained an overwhelming love for the travel industry, and all that encompasses it. Jenn received a BS in Communications and Marketing from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. She currently resides in Washington, DC. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Too Many Choices’

That was the headline of the article I read on page 14 of a recent edition of the AARP Bulletin. (That is a weekly news rag for us fossils… and fossils to be.)

The subhead read, “From cookies to cell phones, dog food to discount drug cards, are Americans finding that more is less?”

I have believed this has been the case for years, ever since I focused on the choices we have in hand soap today. Don’t get me started on the available options you have when trying to put an end to a simple headache. Read the rest of this entry »

H1N1, Ebola, Zika, Avian Flu, Mad Cow Disease. Do any of these ring a bell with you? They should, they have all impacted our businesses to some degree.  And the latest is the Coronavirus. And no, it has nothing to do with the beer at poolside bar on your favorite cruise ship. But do we need to worry? Read the rest of this entry »