Agent Tricks of the Travel Trade

I’ll be forthright: I’m not a homemaker. I feel more at ease constantly on the move, city after city, mountaintop to seaside surf, living out of my suitcase and fumbling through a foreign language phrase book, than I feel even comfy and cozy, napping on my couch on a Sunday afternoon. Perhaps I’m a little crazy, but I find it thrilling sprinting to make a connecting flight (even if it’s the red eye); I believe it convenient when the airline informs me my luggage is a flight behind, leaving unencumbered to begin sightseeing immediately; and I think myself resourceful when I arrive at a booked hotel only to realize I forgot to make reservations but still haggle a room. Of course, while I don’t mind any of the perceived headaches of traveling, I do mind the high costs often associated with it. Traveling, for me, is primarily about escaping—whether it be work, commuting, obligations, sometimes even family and friends—but how is it an escape if I’m worried about how much I’m spending the entire trip?

I mention cost as something that would potentially worry me were it not for the fact that, in reality, it doesn’t worry me at all. At least not since I wised up, did the requisite research and taught myself the agent tricks of the travel trade. Travel agents’ tricks that is, because in addition to being a constant traveler and writer, I am also a licensed travel agent.  Not in the sense that I work for others, booking their hotels, finding their flights, or landing them a deal on an Alaskan cruise. Truth is, I only use my license for personal escapes (well, okay, occasionally for family and friends too, but only when their remarks regarding my debonair good lucks are particularly flattering).

If you’ve never heard of this travel industry loophole before, this may sound somewhat (or completely) preposterous. In fact, however, it is quite common among everyday people, both those who travel often or but once a year, both those whose work relates to travel to those whose work relates only to that which remains stationary. What I mean, plain and simple, is anyone—you, me, your second cousin Otto, or my next-door neighbor Irene—can get their travel agent’s license lickety-split, and immediately begin reaping the benefits.

First things first: when making travel arrangements for themselves, every agent knows not to book a single step of their journey through one of their own, i.e. other travel agents. Instead, they use travel consolidators.

Think about the difference those terms: agent and consolidator.

An agent, in any industry where they’re principal players, obviously gets something in return for the services they provide. In sports, agents represent athletes, working off the field to win their clients lucrative contracts and commercial cameos so the athlete can in turn, without financial distractions, concentrate and win on the field. For these services, agents win themselves a percentage of every deal they broker.  The same is true in showbiz, modeling, or corporations where headhunters wheel and deal multi-million dollar salaries and stock incentive plans for their CEO clients. Likewise, then, in the travel industry, agents receive discounts, courtesies and other special benefits, not from the customer for whom they book a hotel or flight, but from the vendor providing that service (i.e. the hotel chain or airline) who profits from the customer. As agents for airlines, etc., they drive customers toward vendors whom offer them the most in return.

A consolidator, on the other hand, does virtually the opposite. Rather than inflate the costs of travel by collecting fees, they combine, for the sake of efficiency, the expensive and unstable parts of travel into a cheaper, more solid whole. They work to maximize vendor’s numbers, ratios and the cost per head. Think about it in terms of magazine publishing: the real cost in printing an issue is not the number of copies made, but merely arranging and setting the plates that will allow the print run in the first place. Once that is set to go, the only added costs are that of extra paper and ink. The travel industry is the same, the more spaces that fill, the cheaper tickets or rooms become per person. As in any industry, consumers (i.e. travelers in this case) benefit from the sheer volume of numbers (i.e. all travelers, yourself included).

You, as a licensed travel agent would obtain special contact with these consolidators and the deals vendors must offer to maximize their costs per person. But while it’s all well and good to make arrangements through a consolidator as opposed to an agent, just because you acquire a license (available online in under an hour) doesn’t mean the consolidator will believe you’re as much a travel professional as they are. To avoid common mistakes that expose amateurs from pros, you must learn the proper lingo and travel codes. For that there are volumes of eBooks (with corresponding printed versions) that provide the requisite knowledge, which you can quickly study before contacting a consolidator and easily flip through if put on the spot. Get these references. Some of them are thick, but in reality you’ll spend less than a hundred dollars on everything you need to in turn potentially save thousands on the first trip you plan with your travel agent’s license in hand.

Furthermore, instead of turning to the discount fare finders like Orbitz, Expedia, Travelocity or Priceline that lay-travelers search, as a travel agent, you additionally gain access to the lesser known, but more lucrative sites travel consolidators utilize.

Together, the benefits will materialize almost immediately. Buy plane tickets the day before the flight’s scheduled to depart, but only pay what you would have had you purchased tickets two months in advance. Get a spacious cruise ship cabin beside the captain’s quarters for the price of an ocean-level closet. Find yourself lodging in the seaside, honeymoon suite for the price you might have paid for the basement hide-a-bed beside the ice machine.

Finally, the travel industry is a weird and wonderful creature, in this case, thankfully profit driven as much as other industries we often loathe. To those who present themselves as viable agents, promoting and thus earning money for the industry as a whole, it means endless perks. I get more special offers from airlines, cruise lines, and packaged tour companies than I know what to do with. For me, casinos, theme parks, and luxury resorts are not necessarily what I strive for, but if that is your cup of tea and your hocus pocus agenting appears legitimate, you’ll suddenly find yourself choosing between the best of many worlds: free weekends in the Napa Valley, first class seats to Tokyo, an all expense paid safari, a cruise down the Nile...

So what are you waiting for, get started! Find a comprehensive eBook or alternate guide that takes you through the process of becoming a travel agent, step-by-step. Don’t sit on this opportunity, but rather start traveling cheaply, today…

As for me, I’ve got a flight to catch…

Now, where did I put my passport?

Copyright 2006, Robert K. Blanc. All Rights Reserved. Reprint or reposting of this article permitted only in its entirety with the below resource box included and unchanged.

African Safari Is Affordable For You

An African Safari is the vacation of a lifetime. Make sure you choose your tour company wisely as there is a lot of difference between tour operators. Looking for great value? Ask a travel agent to keep an eye out for African Safari special offers to find exclusive tours at unbeatable prices. Or if you have some extra time, surf the internet for a few weeks before booking so that you get a good idea of the tours being offered. Safaris, aside from the airfare, are not much more expensive than other guided tours unless you take the luxury option, and it's bound to be an unforgettable vacation.

Safaris to the Kruger Park, which is roughly the size of a small country, are always popular. This area of Africa has seen human habitation for roughly 40,000 years. Indigenous populations coexisted in balance with the local game, but after Europeans arrived and began to hunt for trophies, game populations declined drastically due to the uncontrolled slaughter despite hunting laws introduced to South Africa in 1858.

The area first became protected in 1989, just before the Boer War, after a campaign by Paul Kruger to establish the Sabi game reserve between the Sabi and Crocodile rivers. After the Boer War ended in 1902, the James Stevenson-Hamilton was appointed warden of the Sabi Game Reserve, and formal protection and rebuilding of game stocks was instituted. Stevenson-Hamilton became determined to protect the area permanently by making it a national park. After much lobbying, he succeeded. The national parks act was passed in 1926 and the Sabi and Singwitsi reserves (by then the Transvaal Game Reserve) became the Kruger National Park.

It took a few years before visitors discovered the park. In 1927, a total of 3 tourist vehicles ventured into the park, bringing in an income of 3 pounds. By 1930, there were 900 vehicles roaming on the 500 kilometres of new roads in the park, and staying in the huts and tents that could accommodate up to 700 people. Stevenson-Hamilton was an outdoorsman who disapproved of luxurious facilities, and he attempted to maintain a rustic atmosphere. However, when he left, accommodations were upgraded and the park became a reknowned destination for tourists from all around the world.

By 1955, visitors flocked to the park in numbers exceeded 10,000 a year, prompting extensive development of roads and tourist services along with the fencing of the park boundaries. During peak holiday season, such as Christmas, Easter and July, the park can be quite crowded. There is now a daily limit to number of visitors, so if you must travel in peak season, reserve well ahead of time.

Adjacent to the Kruger on its Western Boundary are a number of private game reserves, including the Sabi Sand, Timbavati and Manyeleti. Kruger Park Safaris offer a huge variety and density of wildlife, as well as a wide range of safari experiences. You'll never be able to see the whole park in just one tour. Safaris include everything from tented walking safaris and self-driving safaris to ultra-luxurious fly-in safaris. Kruger Park holds hundreds of lodges for different tastes and budgets.

The Kruger Park is a year-round destination, but there is a seasonal difference in climate. The dry season (winter) is usually between May and August, although rainfall starts declining in April and is still fairly low in September and October. This is the best season to see game, as permanent waterholes attract animals, the vegetation becomes thinned out, and trees have fewer leaves to obstruct the view. Winter has warm days and chilly nights. The average maximum temperatures is around 24 degrees in winter, and the average minimum is about 8 or 9 degrees, although it can drop as far as 5 degrees. It is important to bring along a warm jacket for early morning and evening game tours.

The wet season (summer), is from November to March. This is when the Kruger Park receives most of its rainfall, usually in dramatic afternoon thundershowers. The weather is hot and balmy, with Average maximum temperatures of about 30 degrees Celcius, with an average minimum of 20 degrees. The summer grass and foliage becomes lush and green, and while this makes for beautiful scenery, it can also make game viewing difficult. Also, animals no longer concentrate around waterholes because there are now widespread sources of water.

However, for birdwatchers, the wet season is the ideal time to visit the Kruger Park, as this is when the migrating birds arrive, and when all the local birds are at their most active. The Makuleke region of the park is renowned for its many species of birds, and visitors may see exotic specimens such as Scarlet Chested Sunbirds, Broadbilled Rollers, Redheaded Weavers, Wattle-eyed Flycatchers and owls, such as the Pels Fishing Owl, the Scops, Whitefaced, Pearl-Spotted and Giant Eagle Owls.

The wet season is also the best time to see baby animals, as most animals calve at the beginning of the rainy season to take advantage of the lush grazing grounds.

Luxury resorts in and around the Kruger Park are not cheap, but offer services such as massages, reflexology and room service for guests who like to remain within the bounds of civilization while still having an opportunity to take day tours and see game.

Overland Safaris in a tour group are the most economical way to see Kruger Park. These group tours are a great way to meet like-minded eco-tourists and enjoy a genuine outdoor experience. Both camping and hotel options are available.

The bush of the Kruger Park can also be experienced on hiking tours. These walks are conducted in parts of the region not accessible to vehicles, including the spectacular Lanner Gorge.

Affects of the Tsunami on tourism

It was December 26,2004 a beautiful sunny day. There were vacationers all over the gorgeous Asian beaches not a worry in the world. Certainly no one was expecting the devastation that was about to unfold. A tsunami struck out of nowhere going down in history as the most devastating earthquake killing over two hundred thousand people. The coasts of South East Asia had been building popularity with Europeans when this occurred, understandably so tourism dwindled down after this, but not for long.
Some of the more popular vacation spots that were affected the most were Sri Lanka, South India, Thailand, and Indonesia. After the tsunami struck most locations started planning ideas or events to bring tourism back. They knew the travel industry would be affected and wanted to make sure it did not last long.

Sri Lanka one of the hardest hit places came up with an idea they called “Io Vado A Sri Lanka”. What they did was get a group together of more than two hundred and seventy people consisting of the Italian media, tour operators and retailers and they toured the island. They visited all their interesting sites on the island.

The idea was that the Italian media would share their experience on the island and would be encouraging people to come visit at the same time. When the tsunami struck South East Asia the tourism industry lost billions of dollars. Immediately after the tsunami the government was encouraging vacationers to stay away from the areas affected.

Fortunately the travel industry was not going to stand for this. They have been working hard since the Tsunami to regain their visitors. Shortly after the Tsunami the Association of Southeast Asian Nations intensified their marketing to gain tourists again. They began to encourage the government to help them assure travelers that this tsunami was an isolated event, something that just does not happen. There was one good thing that came out of this tragedy. With all the media coverage on the tsunami more people became aware of these ideal vacation destinations.

One other thing the travel industry has been doing and will continue doing is giving advisory updates. They are informing the necessary sources of the conditions and improvements of these destinations and encouraging people to visit. By giving updates this will help get tourism back to 100% on the beautiful coasts of South East Asia.

Fortunately for everyone tourists have begun to realize that a tsunami of this magnitude is rare, something that happens once maybe every hundred years and they are not letting it scare them away from enjoying a piece of paradise.

Adventure Travel On Horseback

When you think of “adventure travel,” what crosses your mind?

• Hiking?
• White water rafting?
• Scuba diving?
• Something as sedentary as a cruise ship or land rover safari?

Those ideas lose their “adventure” status when you compare them to galloping on a horse in Africa with a zebra and wildebeest racing along side you, or quietly observing the elephant and giraffe.

How can a traveler visit the remote parts of the world’s most beautiful and interesting places while...

• Practicing a fascinating sport
• Avoiding polluting
• Keeping in harmony with history and nature
• Being free to explore exotic locations
• Making friends in remote places, and
• Sharing the experience with a willing animal?

Have you ever considered the tremendous advantages of adventure travel on horseback? A horse can take you to beautiful and remote places which are difficult to reach in any other way. At the same time, you can practice a challenging sport which has been a favorite of mankind for millennia.

Destinations like Africa, Asia, Europe and South America offer a wonderful variety of adventure tours on horseback. Though comparatively little known to Americans, the British and particularly the French have highly developed the riding tour concept in many parts of the world. In many locations in the United States rights-of-way for horses have been lost, but many still exist in other countries.

Horses and horseback riding are deeply woven into the culture and history of most cultures from Argentina to Ireland. This is how our ancestors traveled and for those with a sense of history there is no more appropriate way to go. If you arrive in a foreign place on horseback, you will most likely be enthusiastically greeted by locals with waves and smiles which greatly facilitate meaningful contacts. Those who arrive by bus, on foot or on a bicycle are usually ignored. Horses are a great introduction and ice breaker almost anywhere.

If you seek a wilderness adventure, then horses are the way to go unless you want to walk and carry your equipment. Riding tours can take you from inn to inn, castle to castle, palace to palace or from one comfortable camp to another. Costs are very reasonably compared to biking or bus trips.

Horseback riding adventures vary widely in the skill and experience required to handle them safely. Most of these tours move out at all paces and include some good gallops so that one can cover 15 to 35 miles in a day. Beginners need several days of instruction before attempting even an easy trip, but those who are reasonably fit, not too overweight and have open minds can catch on very quickly. A week of intensive riding with good instruction can easily prepare most people for the less demanding adventures.

One of the enormous advantages of travel on horseback is that you are sharing the adventure with a willing animal who is also interested in the sights and sounds and who loves a brisk gallop on a beach or open plain as much as you do. A day in the saddle is also great exercise and riding is an excellent way to keep fit while having fun. It is far more interesting and satisfying than sitting confined in a bus or land rover all day which really isn’t adventure travel at all. Another dividend is the keen appetite you develop after a day in the saddle for the delicious food you will be served.

On an African ride, a good horse can outdistance an irate Cape buffalo or elephant and keep you safe. Comfortable camps are set up for you each night, the food is excellent and the service superb. Or try a horseback tour visiting the castles of the Loire Valley and ride into the courtyards on your horse like a knight of old. You can gallop along forest tracks where the French aristocracy once chased the wild stag. There is a broad spectrum of possibilities available for horseback riding vacations.

If it appeals to you to travel in harmony with nature without using polluting, noisy machines or an unresponsive bicycle, then you should look into horseback riding tours.

Copyright 2005 Bayard Fox and Equitours, Ltd.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 License. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.5/

Adventure Travel - Close And Cheap

Adventure travel is becoming more popular all the time. It can be very expensive, though, and even a bit too dangerous for some of us. It doesn't have to either, though. Here are a few ideas for small adventures you can afford. They are followed by a definition of adventure that will help you add your own to the list.

Try treasure hunting. Rent or buy a metal detector and spend a relaxing but interesting weekend finding coins, jewelry and who-knows-what in the sand at the beach. No beach nearby? Look up the historical records for your town, to see where old picnic grounds were. Treasure hunters regularly find old coins at places like these.

Take climbing lessons. Whether this is on Mount Ranier in Washington, or Mount Washington in New Hampshire, it's sure to be an adventure. At least it will be more exciting than my trip up a local sledding hill with my ice-axe and crampons.

Travel form monastery to monastery. Make it a spiritual adventure or just relax. Most monasteries take in visitors, and usually have reasonably priced accommodations. The Buddhist ones in particular are most often in beautiful places.

Do a hot springs tour. This is for those who live in the west. Get a guide to hot springs or copy directions off the internet. Bring swimming suits (optional at some, for the more adventurous), towels and a cooler full of refreshments. Want more adventure? Seek out the ones that you have to hike into the wilderness to find.

<b>The Cheapest Adventure Travel</b>

Find and summit the highest peak in your state. This might be less-than-adventurous in some states, but it will at least be an excuse to get outside and get some good exercise. Be sure to bring your camera for the summit shot. You might try the highest point in the next state over for your next adventure trip.

Investigate and find the nearest hidden swimming holes. The best ones are ones that require a hike to get to. Watch for people heading down a trail with swimsuits and a cooler. Nobody hikes in swimsuit and drags a cooler into the woods, unless there is water involved.

Play Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. Locate the nearest river that is large enough and has some public forest. Then build a raft from dead trees and float downstream for a day. We usually started by hiking upstream for an hour or more, so we could float back to the car.

A vagabond trip. Pack enough clothing and snacks for several days and just start driving, with no destination in mind. Who knows where you'll end up, and what you'll discover. Pack a tent or camp in your car to keep it really affordable.

That last one is a classic adventure trip in my book. Adventure is any activity you engage in that is new to you and doesn't have a predictable outcome. It doesn't need to be dangerous to be interesting and fun, and could even include a trip to the nearest large city for a weekend tour of the nightclubs. Of course, depending on the places you choose, this could be fairly dangerous adventure travel.

Adventure Travel : The Most Exhilarating "Must Do" Trips

Ever since the man could walk, he traveled. At first, we traveled to escape harsh climate and find food, but as we evolved, we started traveling for fun. Thus appeared travel destinations and travel guides. As time passed, more and more people started traveling to various locations, for the landscape, traditions and thrills.

Here are a few travel locations that are sure to give you your thrills and kicks, somewhat like a top five, I guess, but don’t trust me - go check them out yourself out!

1. Himalaya

By far the greatest mountain range in the world, the Himalaya have captured the imagination of philosophers, mystics, mountaineers and empire builders from the earliest ancestors of contemporary Hindus and Buddhists to the present day. Mount Kailash, home of the greatest of the gods, and Meru, centre of the Hindu and Buddhist universe, rise from their surrounding ridges of the central Himalaya. From the high slopes to the foothills, people have carved out an often-meager existence in the harshest of environments with determination, subtlety and imagination enriched by powerful cultural identities. Tribal peoples living often at high altitudes have made their living from their tough environment through trade over the highest passes in the world, while farmers have developed agriculture on the man-made terraces of the warmer, lower-lying valleys and hills of the southern ranges. Although the mountain environment gives a common character to the whole region, each hamlet has its own identity. The villages of the arid high-altitude plateau of Ladakh could scarcely be more different from the homesteads of the monsoon forests of Arunachal Pradesh.

2. Kilimanjaro Climb

Just three degrees south of the Equator is the 5,895m (19,340ft) high, permanently snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain. It offers one of the best opportunities in the world to climb a peak at high altitude without needing technical climbing ability. Any normally fit, healthy person prepared for some physical exertion and exercise should be able to complete the ascent to Uhuru Peak, which involves approximately 70 kilometers of walking in total, and no technical climbing.

3. Torres Del Paine in Patagonia, Chile

Near the fjord area of Tierra Del Fuego and the Beagle Channel one may visit the famous Torres Del Paine National Park on the southern edge of the Patagonia Ice Cap. The area is easy to get to from Punta Arenas with transportation of buses, taxis and minibuses. It is possibly the most famous national park in South America with 60,000 visitors last season. It is some 100 km north of Puerto Natales. A 2422 sq. km park was given the World Heritage status in 1978 by UNESCO.

It gets it's name from three wonderful and very prominent polished columns of pink granite, the Towers of Paine (Torres Del Paine).

Here you may go backpacking and trekking, or you can join programs to do the mountain climbing as well. Nandu and Guanaco (Ostrich and Alpaca like animals) are frequently seen in the park refuge. There is a broad diversity of fauna y flora. Backpackers should have experience with overnight trips in rough country; those who desire to make ascents should have mountaineering ice and snow climbing experience.

4. Amboseli Safari

Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s most popular parks because of the stunning view it displays of nearby Mount Kilimanjaro, the world’s tallest freestanding mountain. When you go on your Amboseli Safari, be sure to get the famous photograph of elephants with the unforgettable views of Kilimanjaro in the background!

Streams from Kilimanjaro surface in the centre of Amboseli, creating swamps that attract and support a rich diversity of wild animals and birdlife.

As Amboseli is easily accessible, it forms a popular part of many of our safari itineraries.

Amboseli is one of the smaller game parks in Kenya and the vegetation ensures that the animals are easy to spot. Lions can easily be found and can occasionally be watched stalking their prey.
Buffalo, zebra, giraffe, gazelle and other plains game are plentiful in the park and hippos live in the open waters and swamp channels. The elephants found here are surprisingly relaxed around safari vehicles; they were largely unaffected by ivory poaching and have some of the largest tusks.

Nothing beats the experience of adventure travel, so pack up your rucksack and give it a go!

Adventure Snowboarding

Adventure Snowboarding
Ok, you have snowboard and will travel. Are you looking for an adventure destination that not everyone is flocking to? Do you want to be able to talk not just about the great runs but also the travel adventure you had in getting to slopes? Here are three adventure destinations for snowboarding.
Timberline Resort on Mt. Hood in Oregon is just one of them. It is one of the highest ski areas in the US and thanks to the altitude, you can snowboard on it year round. The upper reaches stay snowcapped year round and give year round <a href="http://www.chalet1802.co.uk">skiing</a> and snowboarding enjoyment. The runs are some of the best out there and it's no wonder that Timberline is a snowboarding adventure.
Tierra del Fuego is the ultimate adventure snowboarding destination. In the southern most inhabited area of the world, winters are cold and snowfall is heavy. The result is snowcapped mountains that reach all the way to sea. What better place to enjoy snowboarding. With several excellent ski areas, you're never far from the slopes. When you look south while snowboarding, you are looking unobstructed all the way to Antarctica. It really is the ultimate snowboard adventure destination.
Another adventure snowboarding destination is in South Africa. The only ski resort south of the Sahara desert is the Tiffendell Resort. With a 2000 foot run and snow for 3 months every year, it's the best place in Africa for snowboarding. Africa conjures up images of desert, jungles, and savannas. Imagine the stories you'll have from your adventure heading down the slopes in Africa.
I'm sure you can start thinking of other interesting adventure snowboarding destinations. Pack your backpack and your snowboard and start hitting the slopes in adventure destinations.