During the history of the human race, we have been pilgrims, wayfarers, explorers and pioneers.  Our feet and minds have carried us far. We migrated out of Africa and spread across the planet in search of food, fortune and, sometimes, just the horizon.  As we traveled, stories were created, told and shared. Our minds seem wired for both travel and narrative.

That’s why few industries are as perfectly situated for social media marketing as travel. Read the rest of this entry »

Stress seems to be an inevitable part of life. Our jobs, which can often be a source of fulfillment, demand our attention and keep us on our toes. Add in taking care of family issues that may arise and the plumbing getting backed up and the air conditioner going out… stress seems to always be knocking at the door of attention. Medical issues pop-up without warning, and may be daunting at times. Fortunately, Poland has plenty of ways for travelers to relax and truly enjoy life once again with spas and health resorts – as well as help people with issues that may be affecting their daily lives. Read the rest of this entry »

I remember as if it were yesterday, hearing the following words at the home of two Russian immigrants in Chicago. The husband was an emergency room surgeon, while his wife was a successful travel agent. Their home was modest, yet beautifully furnished. When they first arrived in the states as youngsters, neither one could speak a word of English.

The good doctor’s words at the dinner table will stick with me forever. After passing the rolls, he said, “If you can’t make it in America, you can’t make it.” Those words stuck with me ever since.

That was more than 25 years ago, and I think of that sentence every time I present to a room full of travel professionals. With a little poetic license, I now put a different spin on the same belief.

“If you can’t make it in the travel business, you can’t make it.”

How can I say this with the competition being what it is?

I say the following with all due respect: Whether home-based or not, travel agents grow on trees—a dime a dozen—they are everywhere. And, the internet makes it easy to book trips on one’s own.

Suppliers are contacting travelers directly and doing end-runs. The Big Box Stores are cutting prices. Clients to not want to pay fees and supplier commissions are being sliced and diced. “Mike, and you’re telling me if I can’t make it in this business there is something wrong with “me?” Explain, please!  Read the rest of this entry »

We have all seen the ads on Facebook. We have all clicked on some as well. And that is no accident. During the COVID pandemic, most of the nation was online and avoiding human interaction. And a lot of that was on Facebook. And as we all know, we are not the customer of Facebook—we are the product. Over the past 18 months, Americans have been feeding the Facebook monster incredible amounts of information. And that is exactly why, as travel professionals, we need to make sure we tap into that and utilize Facebook advertising. Why? Well, here are my top 5 reasons! Read the rest of this entry »

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.” ~ Marianne Williamson

We tend to play it safe. We set goals we are certain to hit rather than swinging for the fence. We accept our limitations. Let’s increase next year’s sales by 5%.  Let’s go for 15%!

But what if we didn’t? What if we went for a 50% increase?  100%? What if you set a goal to top five million a year as a travel professional? What would your business plan look like, what tactics would it include? The travel professionals who do so have a strategic and tactical plan to back them up, certainly, but they started with a big, big, goal. Naturally, it is hard to think beyond just survival in the time of Covid, but isn’t there the possibility that thinking big is important to that effort as well? Read the rest of this entry »

In case you missed last Friday’s announcement, from Monday 2nd August, fully vaccinated Americans can travel to the UK. Having been in the long, dark Covid tunnel for nearly 18 months, it’s hard to believe good news when it appears; but it’s true, and we’re slowly but surely emerging into a new landscape. There are still rules and regulations that have to be adhered to but, as far as Product GB is concerned, while the pandemic has stalled UK-bound travel, it hasn’t destroyed our historic sites, cathedrals, great castles and stately homes, literary shrines, pubs and tea rooms—or prevented Mother Nature from producing our great gardens!

To celebrate this significant step forward, here are five bright ideas that will help you to immediately profit from some of the pent-up demand especially among your anglophile clients. They include the late September Chelsea Flower Show, in October the spectacular Japan Festival at Kew Gardens Read the rest of this entry »

Douro River Cruise Prices 2022 is part of a continuing series of comparison charts and articles featuring European River Cruises offered by world class river cruise lines. Our goal is to provide a True Per Diem for each cruise, or the daily cost breakdown of the trip once all extra fees are added to the cruise fare. Read the rest of this entry »

To some it’s a matter of principle; to others, a question of client confidentiality. Travel advisors are split on whether to mandate vaccines for their clients – but no matter your position, the lawyers say, get a waiver absolving you of responsibility should someone fall ill.

But first things first: Can travel advisors legally mandate that their clients be vaccinated?

“The short answer is yes they can,” says Jeff Tenenbaum, managing partner at Tenenbaum Law Group PLLC in Washington DC, who consults with many not-for-profit organizations about their meetings and events.

When it comes to mandatory vaccinations, federal law offers some protections in an employment setting – but not in the context of meetings, events and travel where employees are not involved, Tenenbaum says. “So if a travel agency wants to say that customers have to be fully covid vaccinated, it can do that without any exceptions.” Read the rest of this entry »

After a year of being locked down, it’s understandable that people may want to double up on their bucket list trips to make up for lost time. But Africa and Antarctica in the same trip? That seems a stretch.

When I first learned that two tour operators, Wilderness Safaris and White Desert, joined forces to offer two trips that combine an African safari with an Antarctic expedition, my reaction was that the combination was incongruous at best. In my mind, they seemed to be two separate worlds, almost like two opposite poles of experience. But, when I looked closer, I found that it makes perfect sense. Read the rest of this entry »

A decade ago, many expedition ships were retired ice breakers lacking in creature comforts such as nice staterooms and good food. That situation started to change when some traditional luxury small ship cruise lines and charter operators ordered “luxury expedition ships.” These ships combined their usual cruising features with polar-rated PC6 hulls that could handle ice packs in Antarctica and, hopefully, transit the Northwest Passage unassisted.

Many of the ship designers let their imaginations run wild. They added a helicopter and a mini-submarine; and “garages” that permitted the vessels to launch and retrieve Zodiacs and water toys from inside the ship. Most also supplemented the crew with naturalists, professional photographers, and armed polar bear guards—bringing some guest-crew ratios to almost 1:1. Read the rest of this entry »

How easy is it to do business with you? We sometimes miss how baffled a client may feel when first launching out on their vacation planning. First, they have to know you exist, a result of how well you have executed your marketing plan.  But let’s start somewhat further down the road. Let’s say the client knows you exist –  they must now be motivated to use you as opposed to using another agency or booking themselves online.

Most of us gravitate to the path of least resistance; this includes your clients. After all, their computer is right there on the desk.  They don’t have to speak with anyone when they use their computer or pay a research fee. They don’t have to feel any pressure “to buy” and they don’t have to feel embarrassed if their budget doesn’t meet what they feel is your threshold for “interesting.” Read the rest of this entry »

I am writing this article at ten minutes to three in the morning. Maybe you too have trouble sleeping as the world continues to spin, while the days, weeks, months and years show no interest in slowing down. At this time of night, I find myself thinking about things I have trouble understanding… like whatever happened to telling the truth.

Somebody recently mentioned in conversation that “lying” today appears to have become an acceptable behavior. I find this belief to be incredible and downright insulting.

“To tell you the truth, I’m …” Don’t you just LOVE this phrase? Or, “As long as we are being honest….” Where along the line did we ever get the notion that it is okay to be dishonest… that it is okay to tell a lie?

Here is an idea: Let’s be honest with each other for a change. Let’s see how it feels to simply tell the naked truth. You go first. (Incredible!) Read the rest of this entry »

As travel begins to resume, I thought it might make sense to look at some basic strategies to help us all recover. Remember when Facebook was the place you went to tell your friends what you ate for lunch? Social media has become much more than just a place to connect with friends. It is now a full-blown powerhouse for businesses of every stripe.  But you already knew that right?

Every user is a potential customer, and to make sure you place your best foot forward, every engagement matters. So, how do you maximize that engagement? Here are seven tips. Read the rest of this entry »