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You don’t necessarily have to love a niche to build a great business around it, says Corey Hargarther of Dream Vacations. You just need a great group leader and a unique spin that differentiates you from the competition.

That’s been Hargarther’s plan for his board gaming cruise group, and it’s working. Meeples at Sea, which began with 20 inside cabins on a four-night Carnival cruise out of Jacksonville, has grown to 60, mostly in balcony rooms, on Celebrity Apex.

“It’s not as much about finding a niche that appeals to the masses as it is finding some sort of differentiator Read the rest of this entry »

CEO of Elite Travel, business strategist, and Resident Travel Expert for ABC’s featured show Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend are just a few of the titles that Tammy Levent claims. She is an immensely successful entrepreneur, having started her first business as a teenager. Tammy conducts seminars and events to get her message of strategic partnerships to large audiences; she also offers private consulting to help other business owners and entrepreneurs grow. Travel is Tammy’s passion, so in the face of hardship she decided to jump into the industry and make good out of the bad; it was then that she built Elite Travel, a travel management company that has done millions in traveled business. Now over twenty years later, she continues to work hard to educate and teach others the ins and outs of the travel industry. Read the rest of this entry »

The Girl Scouts have been out in force with their cookies this month, and if you haven’t stocked up on Thin-Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs, keep an eye out for them in front of coffee shops and grocery stores. In fact, one Girl Scout is making headlines for thinking outside the cookie box by selling in front of a San Francisco medical marijuana dispensary. According to CBS News, she sold 117 boxes in two hours. I’m not surprised – but I am impressed.

Seeing this kind of up-and-coming opportunity, and being first in line to profit from it, is a gift great entrepreneurs possess. It’s how I’ve made my travel agency succeed despite terrorists, crashing economies and natural disasters. My first insight came at the beginning of the recession when I asked myself this question: “What will people always do, no matter what?” My answers were: Get married and go on honeymoons. Read the rest of this entry »

Almost everyone hates sales calls – right? I don’t. I used to make them myself. Yes, I used to be one of those people selling timeshares to Granny over the phone, and I was so successful at it, the company asked me to help write their sales scripts and train their call staff. That experience not only taught me how to make a sale under the worst possible conditions, but also taught me this very important fact: Telemarketers are people too. And I never throw a person away. Read the rest of this entry »

Tammy’s experience with building businesses began before she could legally vote. At the age of 16, she drove to New York, found a room to rent off of a Laundromat’s wall and worked as a secretary at a wholesale appliance store. After one year of learning the business, she called the owner of the shipping company they used to ship their appliances and laid out reasons for why they should combine their two businesses into one full-service company. That is how, at the age of 17, she became a founding partner of 7 Islands Shipping, the top company in the United States for export shipping to the Mediterranean throughout the 1980’s and ‘90s. It was her first Strategic Partnership and formed her lifelong philosophy of successful entrepreneurship.

After series of unfortunate life events, Tammy returned to her roots and passion for travel, where she has continually succeeded in growing her empire. Tammy’s journey is truly remarkable, read on for more inspiring stories!
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Well, it is that time of year. The geese fly south and the bears go into hibernation. And believe it or not, so does TRO—but just for a little bit. As the year winds down, we ease up on our daily publishing, spend some time with our families, and focus on the loose ends that invariably exist in our own travel businesses.  About a month ago, we all celebrated Thanksgiving. Now we are in the midst of the December Holidays—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and a few others I probably left off; but I want to take this time to offer my personal thanks to some individuals who have made working on TRO a true pleasure. Besides, my thanks can stay up for two weeks! Read the rest of this entry »

Cruising is often billed as one of the most accessible vacation choices for wheelchair-users and slow walkers. In fact, according to a 2002 Harris Interactive poll, 12 percent of disabled adults had taken a cruise in the previous five years, compared to 8 percent of the able-bodied population. So chances are, even if you don’t specialize in accessible cruises, you’re still likely to have at least a few disabled cruise clients.

These days wheelchair-users and slow walkers turn to travel agents for far more than just a cruise reservation; they also look to them for their expertise in handling logistical issues relating to their disability. With that in mind, here are a few nuts-and-bolts tips to share with your disabled cruise clients. Read the rest of this entry »