In the 60’s it was “signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs.” Today in travel, we have the internet, and it is all about online forums and communities. For instance, Travel Research Online has the Community.  These internet forums are quite valuable, especially to the home-based professional who typically operates without the benefit of a co-worker in the same office.  They provide a connection to colleagues all across the country, with different specializations and levels of experience.  Story after story can be told of an agent asking a question on a message board and receiving immeasurable help, from advice for handling difficult situations to destination recommendations. But, there is a problem! Read the rest of this entry »

UPDATE:  Uber has suspended operations in Nevada based on a court ruling.

Recently, I attended Travel Weekly’s Cruise World in Ft. Lauderdale. If you haven’t been to this show, you are missing out and I highly encourage you to make plans to attend the next one, in November 2015. But, that isn’t what this article is about.

My hotel was about 3 miles away from the convention center where Cruise World was held. Although shuttle buses were provided for attendees, there were times they were not convenient, or not running at all. Taxicabs are plentiful in Ft. Lauderdale, but they’re rather expensive. For the 3-mile trek from the hotel to the convention center, the fare was about $15. Sure, I could walk, but some destinations just require a vehicle. Enter Uber. Read the rest of this entry »

There are experts everywhere. We are surrounded by self-proclaimed experts in virtually every facet of our lives–just look around.  There are experts for social media (even specialized experts in one platform of social media), experts for websites, experts for sales…if you can think of it, there’s an expert out there for it!  It can be difficult to weed out all the riff-raff and find the GOOD experts, the ones who not only know what they’re talking about, they have a historical record of positives to back up their expert claims.  I call these experts my “certified gurus.” Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last year, I have noticed a surprising disease beginning to spread throughout the travel industry.  It is a horrible disease, one that affects some of us just a little bit, others a great deal, and still others not at all.  This disease has the potential to sharply divide our industry in a way never seen before, and has in fact already started to divide us, especially within Facebook groups and online agent-only forums.  In fact, as I write this article, I am deeply troubled by this disease and what its appearance means for our industry’s future. Read the rest of this entry »

Although email communication has become a popular choice for many people in our industry, a great portion of   client communication still relies on use of the telephone.  By hearing the voice, words and inflection we use (or don’t use), clients are able to get an idea of our confidence, what kind of a day we are having, and how we feel about them, our business, and a whole variety of other things.  The power of voice to convey more than just words is extremely powerful and it is important to control that image as much as possible.  Read the rest of this entry »