stephan | Search Results | Travel Research Online

Rochelle Zemke and Stephanie Cavelli are two travel professionals who saw a need common to many, if not all, travel advisors and set out to meet it. The challenges they faced will sound familiar to anyone who has decided to build a web application on their own.

TRO: Rochelle and Stephanie, thanks for the opportunity to speak to you about My Fam Trip. I certainly want to get into the capabilities and functionality of your brainchild, but give me a little bit of background on the two of you. Read the rest of this entry »

 Stephanie Mirando, Collette, Director of Marketing
 
Stephanie is responsible for driving Collette’s strategy pertaining to travel agents. In this role, she delivers tailored marketing campaigns and exceptional service for partners and travel agents to maximize their business. She is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with strategic partners across North America – ensuring a strong marketing message across all platforms for travel agents and their clients. Stephanie joined Collette in 2013. She holds an MBA from Southern Connecticut State University and a Bachelor’s degree in business from Bryant University.

Read the rest of this entry »

At Africa’s Travel Indaba, the trade show held in Durban May 9-11, South African Tourism presented a seminar called USA Market Access Workshop. It was targeted at African tourism businesses looking for insights on how to penetrate the vast North American travel market. But the market intelligence presented could be equally valuable to American travel advisors looking for insights on how to tap into the potential American market for travel to Africa. 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.

Looking for extra income or just something to do while business was slow, travel advisors have expanded beyond their usual routines into new avenues—both inside the business and out.

At My Path Unwinding Travel in Waxhaw, NC, for example, Karen Shelton noticed that 11 of the 12 customers in her Disney Wonder group had booked suites—and decided to promote an all-suite group on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas for the first time, so customers can compare the two.

“I’m super excited about this,” says Shelton, whose specialty has traditionally been Disney concierge-level suites. “I booked the Royal Suite for myself and got the ball rolling.”

The numbers are still coming in, she says Read the rest of this entry »

When I was in India I took an elephant ride. It’s an attraction that is offered tourists in countries such as India, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. The elephants were decoratively adorned with colorful weavings. I sat over the shoulders and rocked with the movement as the elephant walked up a hillside toward a temple. It was a thrill to be on the back of such a big, wonderful animal that was generously allowing me to ride on his back. I felt gratitude and friendship for the gentle giant.

I admit, I didn’t give it a lot of thought. It was just a few moments of one day on a 10-day tour. I took the ride, enjoyed it, and then moved on to the next thing on my itinerary. Then one day I met Stephanie Shaw, the corporate liaison for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and I realized what should have been obvious to me in the first place. Of course. Why did I ever think that an elephant would work a day job carrying humans around on his back constantly of his own free will, hour after hour, day after day?

When I learned the story behind the elephant rides, I felt ashamed of myself for being so insensitive to the animal. I was sorry for having participated in it, for helping to perpetuate the practice of selling elephant rides, which requires a kind of captivity and treatment I can hardly bear to imagine.

I assume others who take the rides are like I was. They saw the elephant ride attraction and went on it, not thinking that much about how it came to be that the world’s largest land animal would be submitting itself to serving as a taxi at a tourist attraction 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 »

“Stop talking at us. Give us two-way workshops and interactive general session conversations.”

These are some of the things travel advisors are asking from conference organizers as we move through this Coronavirus. They want suppliers and destinations to talk less about their features and benefits, and teach more about finding new sales leads.

Advisors want more time for learning from each other, outside of panel discussions, and better trained sales people attending conferences, enabled and empowered to help advisors close more sales by sharing more information about what works.

And when they start traveling distances to attend live events again, travel advisors want organizers and sponsors to make it worth their while – teach them something new. Read the rest of this entry »

Start with travel advisors who are desperate for cash flow. Add suppliers who need a healthy distribution channel to calm wary travelers. Muddy the waters with commission recalls of $50,000 or more. And suddenly, the industry is abuzz with talk about paying travel agencies their commissions earlier in the cycle.

This being 2020, it’s no surprise that just as some applaud the idea, others call it a huge mistake. But in the space between, suppliers and advisors are Zooming about ways to make their payment policies fit the new reality.

“We’ve never had a program that pays advance commissions to travel advisors until now,” says Stephanie Mirando at Collette, which last week guaranteed $100 to $200 in commission on every reservation booked in 2021 for travel starting after May 1. Like a fee for service, advisors can keep it even if the trip is canceled. Read the rest of this entry »

The Danube has become one of the most popular rivers in the world for cruising, and this is for good reason. It is Europe’s second longest river. Its southeastern flow goes through or passes along 10 countries, which is more than any other river in the world. A trade route that once defined the eastern border of the Roman Empire, this 1,770-mile river has more than its fair share of sites and activities along the way through classic Europe. Today’s article is brought to you by Collette.

Read the rest of this entry »

Stephanie Lee

After a 6 year stretch as director of a national host agency, Stephanie Lee started Host Agency Reviews – a resource website with host reviews and articles to help travel agents start and grow their travel agencies. She was awarded the ASTA’s Young Professional of the Year and Travel Agent Magazine’s 30 under 30 award. As time marches on, the dates of the awards have been surreptitiously left out to avoid drawing attention to the fact she’s aging. She’s not.

Host Agency Reviews is an independent website connecting home-based travel agents and host agencies. With over 140 host agencies and 2400+ reviews, it’s the largest host agency directory on the web. Founded by Steph Lee, a former host agency director, Host Agency Reviews is a resource for home-based travel agents during and after their host travel agency search. Oh, and we like to have fun. Lots of fun. Read the rest of this entry »

Host Agency Reviews recently surveyed hosted travel agents on their income and demographics for the second year in a row. After compiling the data, they published an article on the findings. We at TRO decided to interview everyone involved in the gathering of info and publication of the article, as we found it to contain previously unexplored insights into the travel agent community. Enjoy.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you are looking to get into the travel industry…or if you are already in the travel industry and woke up with a burning desire to read an outstanding article, this is the one for you! Mary Stein and Stephanie Lee from Host Agency Reviews pulled back the curtain on the cockroach of the travel industry—the MLM or network marketing agency.

With my own personal distaste for the MLM crowd, these two women are my travel heroes for 2017. In a very in-depth article, they peeled back the layers of the onion to really give readers a solid insight into the scam, and actionable tips on how to avoid being scammed. In fact, TRO also has a great resource for you!

Read the rest of this entry »

The debut Family Travel Advisor Forum has officially wrapped, and by all accounts, was a tremendous success. The Forums was produced by Specialty Travel Forums, a division of Travel Show Marketing Group, an independent event organizer. This exclusive event took place at the Royalton Riviera Cancun in Mexico from Tuesday, November 1 through Saturday, November 5, with optional post-event familiarization itineraries.

“The results are in, and clearly, it’s all about family! The first ever Family Travel Advisor Forum has far exceeded our expectations, and based on the very positive feedback we’ve received from suppliers and sellers alike, a success across the board! It is an absolute privilege to produce an event that brings suppliers together with such a passionate and successful audience; really, some of the best in the business, and who contribute to their professional growth and longevity in the marketplace,” said Jennifer Fernandez, Vice President Events & Content, Specialty Travel Forums. Read the rest of this entry »

At first glance, leaders and sales people may seem polar opposites – but think again!  A strong sales person must possess the same qualities that make a strong leader as your success hinges on one critical factor: the trust of your people.  In essence, you’re really saying “Follow Me” to your clients as they entrust their time, money, and travel dreams to you.  Winning long term clients and sustaining happy clients also requires the self-assurance and magnetism of a true leader.  To deliver results in a challenging business, authority, and unflinching confidence are the keys to success. Read the rest of this entry »

When I lived in Ohio I hated the yard work that came with living in a suburban home: every fall the huge maple in our yard would shed its leaves and I would rake bags and bags. Winter brought shoveling snow after snow. Spring and summer saw me mulching, planting, fertilizing, and mowing. Not only was it time consuming, it was exhausting. There was always something needing to be repaired or cleaned—the roof, the gutters, the driveway, the lawn mower. It was never ending! Living in a house with a yard is great; but it’s a lot of work! Read the rest of this entry »

Can we possibly be starting the 8th year of the Travel Agent Diary series?  Wow!  Seven years ago, Richard Earls and I were discussing how beneficial it would be if agents could share some of the small things that really work for them in running their business. We took a chance and wondered if they’d ever share the things that didn’t. And they did! It was a unique proposition and one that probably should have failed; but, back in 2009 we found five brave souls who were willing to take a a risk and lay it all on the line. Apparently the concept worked. Over the years, we have seen online agents, agents who specialize, generalists, home based agents, employees, agents who are very close to being tour operators, host agents, and more. And 2016 might just be your year! Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I went out for cocktails with another agent after an agent networking meeting. As we were sitting at the bar chatting with the bartender, we started talking travel. The bartender said, “Oh, so-and-so down at the end of the bar is a travel agent.” I approached her, introduced myself, and mentioned the group along with an invitation to join. The next words out of her mouth took me aback. Read the rest of this entry »

Wow, time flies. I cannot believe that 2015 is coming to a close. Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday I was writing my very first diary, and now sadly my last.

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing for Travel Research Online this year and would like to thank them for considering, and asking me, to be a part of the 2015 series. I hope you all have enjoyed reading the various posts and gleaned actionable information from them. I know that I have learned a great deal from my fellow writers, which has helped spark new ideas for me going forward. Read the rest of this entry »

Back in 2010 my Mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and we made the decision, as a family, for hospice care. Between surgeries, hospital stays, and her passing, it was a grueling couple of weeks. While all this was going on, I attempted to take care of my current clients. I was in no shape to take on new ones at the time. Read the rest of this entry »

We are all faced with distractions in our everyday lives. Some are good, and some not so good. How do you handle distractions in your work life? At times I find it difficult to stay focused with so much going on and seemingly being pulled in a million different directions. I am sure many of you can relate to this as well. To be honest, since returning from three weeks of traveling in Europe and with so much work to do, I have found it extremely difficult to get into “the zone”. Distractions seem to be everywhere lately, and jetlag and changing time zones didn’t make it any easier to jump back in. With much to catch upon, work and personal, it has almost been overwhelming with the “where do I start?” question coming up daily. Of course the answer is “at the beginning”, but where is the beginning? Where do you start when you have so much to do? Read the rest of this entry »