The Travel Biz Blog

Dec 21, The Elephant in the Room

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:37:15 GMT

Don't let the 'elephant' squash you or your travel business. Protect yourself with this incredible FREE elephant-squashing GIFT

Dec 21, Site Build it - The Holiday Special

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:17:55 GMT

Got some extra Holiday cash you'd like to spend? Why not give yourself a new life in 2009?

Dec 21, Discover the only tool you'll ever need to create your own online travel empire

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 02:14:36 GMT

What "Site-Build-It" is, how I came accross it, and how it helps travel agents truly benefit from the internet.

Dec 19, What type of 'travel website' should a home-based travel agent have?

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 15:02:17 GMT

There are two types of travel websites: those that work and those that don't. This article explains how to build a travel website that works.

Dec 14, What is a Host Agency?

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 21:15:14 GMT

Find out what a "host agency" is, how joining one could help you launch your travel business, and see a short list of recommended host agencies.

Dec 14, How SBI Helps you choose your "Travel Niche"

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:17:57 GMT

How SBI Helps you choose your travel business 'Niche'

Dec 9, Who should be recognized as a travel agent and who shouldnt

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:37:13 GMT

The leaders of organizations that assign travel agent credentials will explore who should be recognized as a travel agent and who shouldnt, during a Dec. 18 educational session at Travel Weeklys Preview 2009 Virtual Summit. Panelists at the session entitled The Profession for 2009 -- What Proves You Area Travel Pro will be Bob Sharak, chief marketing officer for the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA); Bert Rivero, IATAs regional director for the Americas; Gary Fee, president of the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN); and Scott Koepf, president of the National Association of Career Travel Agents (NACTA). Travel Weekly Editor in Chief Arnie Weissmann will moderate the online session. Jani Miller, vice chair of the Travel Institute board of trustees; Andi McClure-Mysza, president of the Professional Association of Travel Hosts (PATH); Chris Russo, president of ASTA; and Kim Sorenson, CEO of YTB Travel Network will be guest questioners. Listeners also will be invited to ask questions. At Travel Weeklys first Virtual Summit, held in October, a chat about agent credentials was the hottest and best attended of the hosted chats. Even beyond the scheduled time, the chat lounge was filled with talk about how agents could be identified as true professionals.

Dec 9, Outrigger aims to put better fences around individuals who are legitimate sellers of travel

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:31:50 GMT

By Nadine Godwin Outrigger Hotels & Resorts has rolled out a policy that aims to put better fences around individuals who are legitimate sellers of travel, said Lois Shore, Outriggers vice president of distribution. Essentially, she said, a travel agent seeking trade benefits will have to have an IATA or ARC number or become an Outrigger Hospitality Specialist in order to qualify. She said Outrigger would be happy to add CLIA numbers to the list of qualifiers, and would do so when there is an electronic means to verify that the CLIA numbers are valid. CLIA agents are great agents, but we need to automate this, Shore said. The new Outrigger plan works as follows:

Dec 5, Travel Brochures Remain Agency Resource

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:18:43 GMT

When you walked into any travel agency a decade or two ago, you'd find wall racks stuffed with glossy brochures detailing getaways to Las Vegas and Hawaii as well as the latest luxurious sailings to Athens and Southampton. Today, the racks are gone. Though a few of those colorful mementos to wanderlust might be scattered in displays around the office, most are kept in a desk drawer or file cabinet, only to be retrieved if a client sits down with an agent and discusses booking a vacation. Instead, with the dominance and omnipresence of the Web, agents and their clients are more likely to visit a tour operator's or cruise line's website and request a print brochure, download a PDF version, email it to a client or friend or view an interactive e-brochure online. Though suppliers still mail millions of print brochures annually at great expense, the format and content ...

Dec 5, CLIA tightens card rules.

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:13:40 GMT

CLIA tightens card rules, 2009 applicants must be pursuing or have CLIA Certification status

Dec 4, Books for Travel Agents

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:04:23 GMT

Books for future and existing travel agents

Sep 20, Build YOUR OWN Brand, not your host agency's

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:58:31 GMT

If you're building your OWN business ... shouldn't you be building your OWN brand? This is crucial to your success because ...

Sep 20, Get instant access to FREE Report about building a travel business.

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:49:00 GMT

Dicover the '10 steps' you can follow to plan, start and run a profitable travel business. ( A sneak-peak into our Advanced Travel Consultant Mentoring Program )

Sep 8, Specialization is key

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:47:41 GMT

I have been in the IT field since 1997. In that time I have come to realize the importance of specialization. When I first started out I was

Sep 8, Specialization is an important key to success.

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:37:41 GMT

To succeed as a travel agent you must specialize - Why? Read to find out...

Sep 8, Why specializing makes sense to me.

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:28:17 GMT

I am just starting out as a home based travel consultant and believes that specializing is the best way to go. It allows me to market and sell a

Aug 22, CITC offers free exam strategies workshop

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:12:16 GMT

The Canadian Institute of Travel Counsellors (CITC) has partnered with YourWorkshops.ca to offer a free online coaching workshop on Exam Strategies, to help those required to write the TICO Education Standards Exam(s) prepare for success.

CITC president Steve Gillick notes the program, originally formulated to coach candidates to write the national multiple choice certification exams, has been revised by the original author, Coralie Belman, who is CITC’s national certification manager. “CITC, which is administering the TICO exams on behalf of TICO, recognizes that many travel counsellors have not written an exam, let alone a multiple-choice exam, in many years. It can be intimidating, especially when the successful writing of the exam is tied to your career,” said Gillick.

“Aside from CITC’s TICO Exam Prep courses, conducted by CITC’s team of trainers throughout the province, we wanted to provide as many people as possible -- whether they take one of the optional CITC prep courses -- or they are studying on their own, with some materials to help in their preparation.” Gillick added that “in the energy and enthusiasm of its 40th anniversary, CITC has worked with Your Workshops to ‘give’ something practical and useful to the industry.” And, to contribute to the excitement to the prep workshop, Craig Marsh, president of Your Workshops, has committed 100 Air Miles, to be drawn as a grand prize from those who pass the short test at the end of the workshop. (www.tico.ca, www.citc.ca/ticoexam, www.citc.ca/ticotraining)

Aug 6, The VI Summer Challenge

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:26:57 GMT

How to join VI without paying a cent in start-up fees or initial training.

Aug 5, Site Build It Coaching for Travel Agents

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:07:55 GMT

Site Build It! is the ultimate "Do It Yourself" success platform for your e-business. Sometimes, though, you may need a little help, either coaching (Show Me) or "Do It For Me" ("DIFM").

Jul 29, IATA says it is improving integrity of IATA ID Card Program

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:21:24 GMT

MONTREAL IATA is reducing the validity of its ID Card in Canada to one year and will be conducting random verifications to ensure that holders are travel professionals. IATA is working proactively to increase the integrity and efficiency of the globally accepted card, and to ensure that the industry stops wasting money, time and energy on people claiming illegitimate recognition, said a release. A new Cardholder Agreement, clarifying the conditions of audits/verification, was sent to each 20,593 Canadian IATA/IATAN ID Cardholders. Because of the changing industry, IATA needs to ensure only travel professionals have a card. By conducting random verifications and requesting documents such as T4 forms, pay slips, disbursement records and payroll registers, IATA will obtain the guarantee cardholders are de facto meeting the requirements, said IATA. As well, effective immediately, the two-year option is abandoned, leaving the IATA/IATAN ID Card Program with a validity period of one year only...

Jul 29, How to Get Paid to Travel ..

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:40:42 GMT

Yes, you CAN get paid to travel ..and NOT by becoming a travel agent necessarily.

Jul 29, Become a travel agent, and achieve success fast!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 01:25:27 GMT

Can you QUICKLY tell me what to do in order to succeed financially as a home based travel agent? -> YES, I can: read this article to get the 'secret recipe'.

Jul 25, Tele-seminars: Become a travel agent

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:46:08 GMT

Check out our free (pre-recorded) tele-seminars and podcasts, where industry experts discuss travel business ideas, marketing strategies, technology and much more.

Jul 25, About us | Vacations Internationale | Become-a-Travel-Agent.net

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:58:15 GMT

Founded in 1992, Vacations Internationale is an accredited travel agency and leading host agency based in Ontario, Canada.

Jul 12, Site Build It | Real-life examples of successful web sites built using SBI

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:52:40 GMT

Real-life examples of successful TRAVEL web sites built using SBI

Jul 12, At last, the truth about "consumer travel web sites"

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:32:20 GMT

Why 99 of the websites given to agents by Host Agencies don't (and will NEVER) work, and what to do about it.

May 14, Build your own Travel Business Mentoring Program.

Wed, 14 May 2008 19:42:12 GMT

With our "a la carte services", you can create your own custom Mentoring Program simply by purchasing as many (or as few) individual "coaching packages" as you need ...

May 6, TravelTalk : Specialize for Success

Tue, 06 May 2008 19:38:57 GMT

THE NUMBER ONE REASON why the majority of travel agents don't make more than 25, 30 or 40 thousand/year is:

They do NOT specialize.

But ..... what exactly do we mean by "specializing"?

Why is it crucial for success? How many "specialties" should you have?

To get the answers to those important questions, just listen to the podcast (19 minutes):

Apr 25, Blogging is a waste of time

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:54:49 GMT

Can you believe your eyes?

Here I am....on my BLOG.... telling you that "Blogging is WASTE of time".

Click on the link to find out why .... and learn how you can avoid the "blogging trap".

Apr 16, Group Travel: The Travel Agent's Secret Weapon

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:37:45 GMT

Group Travel - everyone knows - is where the money is. Group travel = leverage.

Mar 26, Start your own Cruise Travel Business

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:01:13 GMT

How to start your own Cruise travel business... with The Cruise Brothers.

Mar 12, Home-Based Travel Agent vs. Store Front Agency

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:20:48 GMT

If someone said 'Why should I use you working out of your house, when I can go to a more established traditional business that may seem more professional?' .. What would I say to them?

Mar 12, Contact Information

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:39:51 GMT

Access our various "contact us" pages: Contact us for "general inquiries", apply to our Mentoring Program, or "Ask Eddie" and get a personalized response to your "travel agency business" question.

Feb 27, Site Build It - SBI for Travel

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 00:15:04 GMT

Information on how to start a travel website with Site Build It

Feb 24, Marketing is EVERYTHING

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 07:00:38 GMT

You're not in the "travel consulting business", vacation business, cruise business, or destination wedding business as much as you're in the business of MARKETING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES!

Feb 24, Start an online travel business

Sun, 24 Feb 2008 05:01:22 GMT

Start a "travel-related online business" WITHOUT having to become a travel agent.

Feb 10, Funny - but quite true - travel agent training video.

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 05:31:02 GMT

Here's a hilarious - but quite true - travel agent training video. Do you have any idea of the type of clients you'd have to deal with...

Feb 6, Inmates give back to society ... in the travel industry.

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 15:25:33 GMT

This brief video can be found on YouTube. ( According to the person who posted it on YouTube, the video is a "segment from Michael Moore's TV Nation (1994) which investigates the use of prison labor in the travel industry".

Once you get past the irony [ and the cruelty of jokes that might cross your mind such as ... the realization that your home-office is not that bad after all ] ..... you will - hopefully - reflect on the fact that our industry - the Tourism/Travel industry - has a tremendous role and impact on the world we live in, and I also invite you to ask yourself these questions: Am I contributing enough? Am I delivering true value to my clients?

Feb 6, Home-based travel agency - You can benefit by starting your own!

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:27:23 GMT

Home-based travel agency - You can benefit by starting your own!

Feb 4, The Affiliate Masters Course

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:53:05 GMT

Downloadable e-book explains the simple steps you can follow to succeed as an affiliate. - "Affiliate Marketing" is undoubtedly one of the best money-making opportunities on the internet

Feb 1, Selling Travel Means Selling

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 23:07:06 GMT

Kelly Monaghan, author of the Home-Based Travel Agent home study course explains that: "Selling Travel Means Selling"

Nov 30, Get Google Ads Free! .... to promote your travel business

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:41:46 GMT

If you've read my FREE REPORT with the 10-steps for Starting and Running a Profitable Home-Based Travel Agency Business, then you know that I'm a big fan of using "pay-per-click advertising", such as Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing to attract PRE-qualified visitors to YOUR travel website.

Now, one of the main reasons why many small business owners don't use Google Adwords (or other pay-per-click programs) it's because they are afraid of spending the money.

If investing money on pay-per-click .....if investing money of attracting PRE-QUALIFIED visitors to your business is a concern for you, then you have to check this out:

Here's How to Get All Your Google AdWords Pay-Per-Clicks FREE!

Nov 30, Original Home Based Agent Show moving to San Diego in April

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:44:40 GMT

Nov. 30 , 2007: The industry's most comprehensive training and educational conference will spotlight Tours & Cruises, Family & Group Travel, Honeymoons & Romantic Getaways, Golf & Spa and the pioneering Technology Forum.

Nov 29, Free Service Sellers Masters Course

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:51:05 GMT

The Service Sellers Masters Course: the complete resource for building a client base for your travel-consulting business whether your clients are around the world... or around the block.

Apr 26, Down time equals opportunity

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 13:46:59 GMT

By Guest Author: Bob Abrames
http://www.abrames.com

Its that time of year folks. Many of us are between seasons and businesses are a tad slower. Nothing wrong with that; in fact its a good thing. It means we have some time to do some marketing and customer service. They are one and the same thing if you do it right.

ACTION item for this week: Get on the telephone! Its cheap. Its effective, and its appreciated! Get that Rolodex out. Get last years files out. Call people.

Dont try and sell them anything. Reaffirm to them that you appreciate their business. Tell them you are there if ever they need you. You may want to call them on the pretence of updating your database, anything. Dont put them on the spot but leave them impressed enough that when they do want to book you are their agent. Owners and managers can do this, and so can the front line. And forget this idea of being shy. Shy and unemployed is a real bad combination.

Mar 31, Become a travel agent, and learn how to avoid these income-reducing problems.

Sat, 31 Mar 2007 14:55:28 GMT

Most travel agents settle for a mere fraction of the profits they SHOULD be making. Become a travel agent, and learn how to avoid these income-reducing problems asap.

Mar 25, How to become a high-earning affiliate

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 18:38:29 GMT

Free downloadable book provides step-by-step instructions for becoming a high-earning affiliate

Mar 21, TIME IS MONEY!

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:26:33 GMT

By Guest Author: Bob Abrames
http://www.abrames.com

One of the two great equalizers in selling is time. Great sellers and poor sellers all deal with the same clock. No one has more or less time. They just do different things with their time! The more time you have for selling the more youll sell, and the more money youll make. Here are a few tips to help you manage your time better.

Adopt a worst-first policy. Do the things you dislike most first, just to get rid of them. Tackle these issues early in the day so your mind can focus on the other events that are bound to happen. This even applies to those issues that may not be your highest priority. The idea is to feel good by getting rid of the make you feel bad issues. This will energize you so you can handle other tasks. Youll find yourself much more positive to handle those callers and customers by not having those problems floating around the back of your mind.

Mar 6, Marketing Tips for Travel Agents - by marketing expert Dr. Carl Bennink

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 13:32:48 GMT

FREE marketing tips and ideas to help you improve your travel business

Jan 29, Home-Based Travel Agent - mini-course covering 'the basics'

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 17:13:00 GMT

If you've just begun to look for information about this topic, this mini-course will provide answers to your 'basic' questions.