|  | | Thailand
| | Thailand has a tropical climate with three distinct seasons. If you're looking for maximum time on the beach, plan your visit from March to the end of April, when it's hot and dry with average temperatures of 82 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. May to October is a mix of rain and sun, with average daily temperatures of 80 to 86 degrees, while it's a comparatively cool 75 to 80 degrees from November to February. | |  |
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| Self-Starter Finds Success
| | Home-Based Travel Agent | | One of the consistent things we hear from home-based agents is how travel was always in their blood and has always been their career choice. Not so with Kimberly Kane, president of Greenville, IN-based Personal Travel Inc. (www.personaltravelonline.com). "I had worked in real estate and retail," she says, "when one day, I passed an agency with a 'Help Wanted' sign in the window. So I went in, had an interview and got the job." Within two years, she was the office manager, and responsible for training new agents. Perhaps it was in her blood after all. |
| | Lights, Camera, Action!
| | Home-Based Travel Agent | | You've probably seen other agents on television being interviewed during a busy travel period, such as Christmas or Mother's Day. How were they chosen? Chances are, it wasn't by accident. |
| | Identifying Agents
| | Home-Based Travel Agent | | The Travel Agency industry must grasp control of its own destiny and determine its own future—including how professional travel agents are defined and identified, says Bruce Bishins, president of the Travel Retailer Identification Program (TRIP). |
| | Creating the Perfect Pitch
| | Home-Based Travel Agent | | Sales pitches surround us all day, every day, in one form or another. Product branding is trumpeted at us from the time we pour our breakfast cereal in the morning to the time we go to bed, watching the television commercials and infomercials dance on our television screens as we nod off to sleep. All throughout the day, we encounter billboards, newspapers, mail and e-mail, phone calls and fliers... the list is endless and all are intended to sell us something. How can you separate your sales pitch from the clamor of all the others? |
| | Jennifer Byrne
| | Home-Based Travel Agent | | When agents tell their stories of how they got in the business, a burgeoning love of travel at a young age usually tops the list. However, few agents can say that initial love of travel extended so far as to rating the digs of competing suppliers. "As a kid, when I would go on a family vacation I always wanted to see all of the other hotels in the area," says Jennifer Byrne of The Tropical Travelers in Malvern, PA. |
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| | |  | | Tech Brief
Vacation.com member agencies will receive a $1,000 first-year booking incentive when they sign on for EZguider, a new and fully integrated, leisure-focused selling system and booking platform. Steve Tracas, president and CEO, announced the news to 1,400 attendees at last month's opening session of Vacation.com's 10th Annual Conference at Caesars Palace. | | Italy Every Which Way
Here is a sampling of escorted tour packages to Italy in various niches. Other operators have programs in the same markets, and all operators mentioned here run trips to Italy besides these. Prices quoted are per person, double, and do not include transatlantic airfare. | | | Sell the Cell
Let's face it: You're measured by your clients' entire overseas travel experience, and that covers everything from the plane trip to the hotel bedding. But it also includes their ability to stay in touch with home and the office—and that means a cell phone. Cell phone rentals can bring you not only repeat customers, but possible commissions. | | Beyond Bangkok
Getting There: All leading international airlines have direct flights to Bangkok. Most visitors will arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport, also known as the new Bangkok International Airport. Thailand's four other international Airports are in Chiang Mai, Hat Yai, Phuket and Chiang Rai. | | What We've Learned
In this issue of Home-Based Travel Agent, we look at two very different destinations: Dubai and Italy. Dubai, it can be said, is one of the newest destination spots to arise over the past few years, thanks to the number of dramatically opulent hotels and tall buildings that have been consistently appearing on its skyline month after month. The truth is, however, it's new to the U.S. market; the Brits have been going there for years and, in fact, Dubai is an ancient trading post that has always drawn international traffic. | |
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| | | |  | | The Yucatan and Its Capital City of Mérida
The Yucatan in Mexico is one of those perfect destinations in the world that has the amenities to keep just about every type of traveler—from children to adults, couples to singles—satisfied. | | Italy
For years, the typical tourist route in Italy was Rome-Florence-Venice. But now, with the growth in repeat tourism, the traveling public's yen for off-the-beaten-path experiences and the proliferation of media that spread the word about less-familiar destinations, tourists are venturing to all parts of the country. | | Thailand
Thailand has a tropical climate with three distinct seasons. If you're looking for maximum time on the beach, plan your visit from March to the end of April, when it's hot and dry with average temperatures of 82 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. May to October is a mix of rain and sun, with average daily temperatures of 80 to 86 degrees, while it's a comparatively cool 75 to 80 degrees from November to February. | | Chartering Small Ships
Imagine an entire ship at your disposal. "Captain, set a course for Seychelles. Chef, for dinner I'll have the steamed lobster tail with a side of warm drawn butter." Except for millionaires, this is probably a pipe dream. However, if you are part of a group charter on a cruise ship, get the bib ready. | | Touchdown Dubai
Shuffling through Dubai International Airport with a head full of unfounded apprehension, my nervousness quickly evaporated, quite literally, when I stepped outside. It was May in Dubai, early morning, and I was boiling in 105 degrees of desert heat. | |
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