Most everyone in the U.S. is familiar with buyer's clubs such as CostCo and Sam's Club. They offer an easy way to get the best pricing by buying in bulk with all your fellow members. Whether or not you decide to learn how to become a travel agent you can learn how to take advantage of volume discounts and get some unbelievable pricing on trips by taking advantage of member pricing.

I'm talking about a club called Dreamtrips. (click here for more info) And like Sam's Club, membership is inexpensive and it's price can be paid by the savings realized from just one trip (except instead of being a trip to the store it's a trip to Italy or Costa Rica!).

Happy Travels!

TravelerKris

I just finished signing up for 2 more travel insider websites designed to give bona fide travel agents more industry discounts. If you have an IATA number, a CST number or a CLIA number you can register for these sites and receive additional discounts at member properties.

VacationRentals4Agents.com is an exclusive resource for premier vacation rental accommodations in the U.S. and beyond for travel agents and MexicoMayanResorts.com is an exclusive resource for premier vacation rental accommodations at Mexico's Mayan Resorts for travel agents.

If you have trouble reaching either of these sites they can be accessed through my travel booking site by clicking on the 'rentals' icon at the top and scolling to the 'travel agents' link at the bottom.

Happy Travels!

TravelerKris

As I was perusing Travel Industry information today, I came upon some interesting facts from Entrepreneur.com:

- "The travel industry is huge. Research by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) indicates that the travel and tourism industry generates $1.3 trillion in economic activity in the U.S. every year. That's equivalent to $3.4 billion a day, $148 million an hour, $2.4 million a minute and $40,000 a second. No wonder the opportunities for aspiring travel services business owners abound."

-According to Plunkett Research, leisure travel makes up 80 percent of total sales in the travel industry.

People want and need to travel. Whether for business, relaxation or a family trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa. I guess that is why the travel industry continues to enjoy robust activity in spite of the economic challenges that are sending other industries into a nosedive.

There are many ways to become a member of the travel industry and so many different opportunities, niches and specialty markets. Your imagination can be your guide to creating the career you want when it comes to becoming a travel agent, travel consultant or travel operator.

Remember, that as in any field, your efforts will direct your level of success. For a straightforward way to begin your own travel business click here and start to enjoy the benefits of industry professionals and the tax benefits of owning your own business where travel can be a write off (disclaimer- consult your tax professional!)

And Enjoy!

Traveler Kris

If you are thinking about how to become a travel agent, it is helpful to ask yourself a variety of important questions. For example:

-Do you want a job in an office or do you want to be your own boss?

-Do you want to plan trips and book trips for your clients or make suggestions that they can follow up on their own?

-Are you willing to market yourself in order to grow your own business? (The great thing about this question in the travel industry is that it is easy...all you have to do is chat with people about travel either while you ARE traveling or at home....you probably do that anyway.)

-Do you want to travel to a variety of destinations to find out what they are like so you can recommend them to others? (In the travel business these are referred to as ‘fam trips' short for familiarization)

If you spend some time thinking about what your goals are in working in the travel industry and it will help you clarify what it is that you are looking for. The industry has changed remarkably over the last 10 years as the internet has become an ever more powerful way for people to book online travel. So ask yourself the question: Do I want to be ‘old school' and be a full-service travel agent? Or do I want to be ‘new school' (is that a proper phrase?) and offer a web-based travel service where people can come to book their own travel?

For a limited time, you can become a WorldVentures Leisure Travel consultant with all the associated benefits for free. If you are interested in finding out more about how to become a travel agent or just getting the travel benefits, please email me at kristravels@gmail.com for more information. Or click on the link in the 'How Large IS the Travel Industry?' capsule at the top of the page.

Happy Travels

TravelerKris

Today's post is in honor of my Dad who is a train fanatic.

Have you ever wished to travel by train? See the countryside as you pass through, see parts of towns not seen from the roadways, relax, chat, have a cocktail?

May 10th is Amtrak's First National Train day. Rail travelers can celebrate by booking travel on Amtrak with a buy one, get one free offer.

Valid for travel on National Train Day only - that's May 10 - Amtrak will offer one free companion ticket with the purchase of one full-fare adult ticket.

National Train Day is being celebrated to raise awareness of the vital role rail plays in our nation's transportation system. Amtrak will hold events at its stations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington and New York on May 10th. Included in the celebrations will be live musical performances, exhibits, trip planning, VIP appearances and trip giveaways.

Families can save even more on May 10 with Amtrak's everyday discount for kids. Up to two children ages 2 to 15 receive half off most rail fares, when accompanied by a full-fare paying adult.

The National Train Day sale is for coach travel and is subject to availability. Reservations must be made on April 4 for travel on May 10 using discount code H768. Passengers must travel together on the same trains and have tickets issued at the same time. The offer may not be combined with any other offer and restrictions may apply.

For more information, go to Amtrak.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL. For more information on National Train Day, log onto NationalTrainDay.com.

See the country while you travel through it by train. It's a fun, easy, stress- free way to travel.

TravelerKris

Whether you are here to learn how to become a travel agent or just here for the tips today. Welcome!

If you are thinking of a summer trip to Orlando to see Mickey and friends or all the other attractions Orlando has to offer, here is a link to the Orlando Convention & Visitors Bureau which has about 40 discounts and specials posted online. Most are for accommodations and attractions for the summer travel season.

Remember that when going to Florida or the Carribbean in the summertime that earlier is better. Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, with the peak of the season from August through October.

Happy travels!

TravelerKris

When you become a travel agent, resort and hotel properties often offer discounts to you as a travel agent in order to show off their properties so you will recommend them to your clients. We all know that personal references are the most powerful sort of advertising there is and let's face it, if we have been somewhere we enjoyed be it a hotel, resort, restaurant or city, we naturally talk about it and tell others about our wonderful experience there and what we liked about it. As a Travel Agent, the best way I have found to get nice discounts at hotel and resort properties is to go to their websites directly and look for a button that indicates they offer discounts to travel agents. This seems to be the most consistent way to find good deals.

The following is a great example that was just announced yesterday:

Temptation Resort & Spa, the chic, new all-inclusive 384-room resort in Cancun, welcomes travel agents to experience the property first hand with the introduction of their new travel agent rate promotion valid through June 30, 2008.

Agents will receive a fruit basket, a bottle of sparkling wine, turndown service and an upgrade to an ocean view room (based upon availability) as a special welcome gift.

Temptation Resort & Spa FAM rates are as follows:

-$39 USD per person, per night for deluxe room accommodations (double or triple occupancy) or $69 USD per person, per night (single occupancy) for a one to three night stay valid for travel from April 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008

-Additional nights will apply with a rate of $70 USD per person, per night for deluxe room accommodations (double or triple occupancy) or $100 USD per person, per night (single occupancy) valid for travel from April 1, 2008 through June 30, 2008.

So become a travel agent and have a little getaway. It's good for you and for your clients.

TravelerKris

A somewhat unknown fact, PayPal has agreements with several major airlines to allow their customers travelers to use their online payment service to purchase airline tickets.

Sorry for the very late heads up on this one, PayPal is currently offering cash rebates for tickets for bookings made by March 27, 2008 on Midwest Airlines ($20 on any fare), Northwest Airlines, and Southwest Airlines ($50 on tickets costing at least $250 on NWA and SWA). Travel can take place between April 1 and June 30 on Midwest, between April 1 and June 14 on Northwest, and any time on Southwest. Bookings must be made on the participating airlines' own websites, using the PayPal payment option.

Enjoy your Spring travels!

TravelerKris