We've just returned from a wonderful cruise on Princess Cruise Line....the Love Boat line that has two ships (Island Princess and Coral Princess), specifically built to transverse the Panama Canal. We were on the Island Princess, and this was our third time through; the other two times we were on the Coral Princess.
One of the best travel web sites that all travelers should visit before they travel belongs to all of us. It is a site managed by the U. S. Customs and Border Protection. The site is at this address:
Well, we've recently had the Oscar's, naming he best actors, actresses, and movies, and now we are winding down the collegiate basketball season to find out who is the best men's and women's basketball teams in the land.
The news is out now that the 3 major airlines, American, Delta, and United, are in the airfare race to see how many more customers they can entice over to their airplanes. Of course, they are offering the lesser expensive coach fares to compete with the low ball carriers who have shown some impressive growth, especially in several key markets like Dallas, Denver, and Chicago...enough to get the attention of the majors.
For 11 years we have had the pleasant opportunity to take a great break as fall begins by sailing the Caribbean on beautiful and efficient cruise ships, catering to our every need and want. The first 8 years we were on a Carnival ship, the next four have been on a Royal Caribbean Cruise Line product.
The preacher had a two-fold sermon on Sunday. Sunday morning he talked about being a “forgiving person”. Sunday night he encouraged us to be “patient people”. Outstanding qualities desirable in all of us, but what does that have to do with travel?
Las Vegas is probably our most quoted destination. Seldom do we quote to someone who has never been there. It is also the most popular destination for conventions, workshops, and board meetings. In fact the World Travel Awards recognized Las Vegas as the top destination for meetings and conventions on the planet. . . . for the fourth year in a row!!! In 2015 they hosted almost 22,000 meetings and conventions and trade shows. The Trade Show News Network also recognized Las Vegas as the No. 1 trade-show destination in the U. S. for 22 consecutive years. It's just a fun place, especially for adults, to meet and enjoy the leisure time.
Don't you just hate it!!! The way the airlines are talking, it's obvious they don't really care about the ones paying the fare for service.
United made the recent announcement where they said that customers who bought its cheapest fares would not be assigned seats until the day of departure. Also, those low-fare customers will be limited to one carry-on bag that fits under a seat. In addition, you would not be able to accrue miles toward elite status at this fare level. Now, if you paid a higher fare or wanted a particular aisle or window seat, then the ticket fare would increase, of course.
This question was answered by what most would be considered an expert in this field, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, best known for his landing a USAirways plane on the Hudson River in 2009....has it really been that long ago?!!!
It's getting that time of the year when some folks start thinking about going skiing. For a lot of them, especially if they want to go during the Christmas or New Years holidays or during Spring Break, they should have been thinking about it back in the summer!!!
Often times when folks come into the office looking for a vacation, not really knowing what they want, they just know they want to get out of town for a while and away from “normal”, I will more often than not, suggest that they consider my favorite vacation, a cruise. And, more often than not, they respond with the comment that they thought cruising was only for older people, and that there wouldn't be a lot to do on the ship. WRONG!!!!.....on both counts!!!
Over the years we've said, and it still holds true, that the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season is the most traveled, and generally most expensive, time in the year to travel. One of the reasons it is so expensive to travel by air is the airlines reduce the number of deeply discounted seats available during that time, and so by the time the traveler is ready to begin thinking of making reservations to go see Grandma, those “cheap seats” are already gone.
People say, “oh, you must have the best job in the world”.....and I say, “I do!!” But most folks don't have any idea of the behind-the-scenes activity that a travel agent performs to make someone's bucket list vacation a success. It's a great job because we get to be involved in people's lives with some of the most memorable moments in their lives. . .their vacation time!!
It's this time of the year.....folks are beginning to think about a holiday vacation....and they should have been thinking about it back in May!!!
The weeks of Christmas and New Year are the most traveled, and as a result, generally the most expensive time to travel. From about Dec. 18 this year to January 7, the airlines, tour companies, cruise lines, auto rentals, and hotels all are aware of the increase in business, and they reduce the discounted inventory and increase the prices on all of their inventory
We visited this topic a few months ago, but being a former coach, I've found it's always good to review. The question often comes up, “why in the world should anyone want to use a travel agent?”. One of my comebacks is “why would anyone want to use an insurance agent, or a financial adviser, or for that manner a doctor?” Of course, we in the business consider it to be a profession that requires a certain amount of education, expertise, and experience, just like the insurance agent, financial adviser, or physician.
One of the ways that our clients have discovered our value is in the shopping and pricing out a travel product. When they go to an app or website of a tour operator or on-line agency, they are getting a price quote based on the proper buttons pushed. When a travel consultant offers a price, it is the result of training, skills, and expertise in finding the RIGHT price with the RIGHT supplier, in the RIGHT destination, all carefully chosen to make their clients happy. In other words, the price that the agent quotes are the result of professional research.
Another thought here is that the average traveler who takes one, maybe two trips a year generally has no idea how a travel agent does their work. They are not aware of the time, energy and effort, resources used, or vendor relationships built up over the years to give them the best quote available based on the clients interest and needs.
If you've been noticing lately, The Travel Factory Gang has a Hawaii trip coming up next month on Norwegian Cruise Line's Pride of America!! I wish you were going along!!! There might still be some space but the air might be a little pricey, although I did find some air with connections for around $800 yesterday. So, for a trip to the 50th state that will introduce you to most of the islands and give you time to enjoy all of them, give us a call today and we'll do our best to get you on. You'll not regret that experience!! In my opinion, it's the best way to see a lot of Hawaii in 7 days.
Speaking of Hawaii, they had their best visitor count in July...ever. They had over 835,000 visitors and total visitor spending that month totaled more than $1.4 billion. Interestingly the visitor count from Japan, their largest international market dipped a little in July, and the Canadian visitor count was also down, so it was greater input from the mainland that generated the volume.
Year to date through July, Hawaii has welcomed a total of 5.2 million visitors, an increase of 2.5% year over year, and those visitors have spent $9.1 billion across the Aloha State.
One Hawaii specialist remarked that he thought the perception of Hawaii being a safer vacation destination than Europe has given Hawaii a competitive edge for the tourist dollar in 2016. Also the zika threat has deterred folks from the Caribbean and South America, plus there is not a history of terrorism there, so Hawaii is looking pretty good to the traveler right now.
Folks are always asking me if we are still selling airline tickets, and yes, we are. For sure, it is not a money-making proposition for our agency, but we certainly provide a service for those who do not have a computer or the inclination to spend time trying to find the best connections and the best fares. Several companies here in the Big Country still use our services because they do not see any merit in designating an employee to take their time to search out schedules and prices, so we provide them an excellent safety net for their travel needs.
Some people are curious about when is the best time to shop and buy airline tickets. That question was addressed in an article in the Dallas Morning News that referenced an individual named Rick Seaney who is the founder of an airline ticket comparison site, farecompare.com. He had several suggestions we knew about, but will pass on.
Your least expensive travel days in the United States is flying on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday. Traveling internationally, airfare generally is less expensive on Monday through Thursday.
The Good
The TSA lines and waiting lines have gotten shorter. TSA re-deployed manpower and figured out how to more intelligently match staffing to actual airline schedules and got a little help from the airlines with basic tasks like moving carry-on bins and directing passengers. They also hired new contract workers to help as well, and the real good news is that they plan to keep those workers on the job through the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The Bad
Because of security concerns, most of the cruise lines have made the decision to eliminate the ports in Turkey for the rest of '16 and possibly '17. Two of my most favorite ports are Istanbul and Ephesus.....so just hate that. The CEO of NCL Holdings, which includes Norwegian Cruise Lines, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas had to cancel these ports off of 61 itineraries and he called it “one of the toughest decisions he had ever made”. Both the U. S. State Department and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have issued travel alert warnings of increased threats from terrorist groups throughout Turkey. So sad for not only the tourist, but also for the citizens of that country who depend heavily on the tourist dollar for their livelihood.
A couple of months ago Viking Cruises put on a promotion that absolutely seemed too good to be true. The “hook” was that airfare from DFW to Amsterdam and from Basel or Zurich back to DFW was only $100 for coach class. What a deal!!! The rest of the story was that full payment for the cruise and air had to be paid by the end of that month. Oh, did I say that the cruise was not taking place until November 25, 2017?!!......20 months before sailing.!!! I sold it as a “travel investment”......you really couldn't make that much money with a CD investment during that time, and look what you had...an exciting cruise down the Rhine with Christmas Markets at every port!!
That far in advance, the question always came up whether they should take insurance on that “investment”. That's a question we get every day when selling a vacation. Every personal and family situation is different but it really boils down to the current and history of health of your family and the amount of money you would lose if you have to cancel.
There are so many uncertainties in life and even though someone is in excellent health today, in 3 months, they could be in a life-threatening situation health wise. We have had several situations just like that in the past few years, and I was so grateful that in those dire situations, those clients had taken insurance that enabled them to get their money back after canceling.
Last month I reported on an amazing travel vacation investment with Viking River Cruise, cruising down the Rhine River in November 2017. It was a smart decision to plan for a vacation in '17.
Today, let me give you a tip on a more recent travel vacation that will really get you excited. It is especially good for couples who are celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, or any other special celebration. The cost is very inexpensive when compared with a week's vacation on land, or even one of those all-inclusive vacations to Mexico or Jamaica.
I'm referring to the Rudy Cruise on September 11-18, 2016. Rudy Fernandez has planned a cruise for his friends and listeners to KEAN and other TownSquare Media stations for the past 10 years on a Caribbean cruise out of Galveston. This year we will be on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas, a new ship in that market. They spent several million dollars in February while the ship was in dry dock, refurbishing her and putting many other enhancements for the enjoyment of their guests.
