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Archive for category TripClips

Some travelers shun hotels for cruises, vacation rentals

May 4

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in TripClips | Comments off

By Christopher Reynolds
Los Angeles Times

The next time you see a hotel manager striding across the lobby with furrowed brow, look again. He may not be worrying about the guy in room 415, the group in the banquet room, or even the recession that has driven room rates to their lowest levels in years.

Instead, he might be thinking about the likes of Carlos A. Hernandez of Los Angeles, who has decided he likes vacation rental houses and condos better than hotels. Or Robert Bell, a retired airline pilot in Long Beach, Calif., who has been won over by cruises.

“I guess I’ve had my fill of hotel rooms,” said Bell, 73, who’s planning another cruise this fall.

Amid all the distress wrought by the recession, this is also a moment of rare opportunity for consumers confident enough to take vacations. They can take advantage of depressed hotel rates, which are still lower than last year even in the midst of the spring vacation season. Or, like Hernandez and Bell, they can look beyond hotels.

And if they do, will they ever look back? Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: apartment rental, condo rental, cruise, cruises, cruising, home rental, hotel alternatives, vacation rental, villa rental

Mexico Safe for Travel –Officially, At Last

Feb 23

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Latin America, North America, TripClips | Comments off

February 23rd, 2010

Overview:

The US Department of State has extended a travel alert to Mexico. The text of the alert has remained virtually unchanged, with a few additional border areas being added to the list of those where extra caution is recommended.

The travel alert expresses no concern whatsoever regarding Mexican beach resorts and key tourist and business destinations. Tourist areas are safe to travel to, which means that the vast majority of U.S. citizens visiting Mexico should not have any hesitation in doing so.

Mexico’s tourist destinations and resort properties remain fun, safe, affordable and popular vacation destinations. Indeed, Mexico remains the number one international destination for U.S. tourists.

A travel alert has been issued for Mexico, not a warning. A travel alert disseminates information about short-term conditions of which U.S. citizens abroad should be aware to maximize their safety. The alert for Mexico does not discourage U.S. citizens from traveling to the country’s tourist destinations.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Mexico, safe, safety, security, Update

The World’s Weirdest Restaurants

Feb 5

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Asia, Eat, Europe, North America, See, TripClips | 4 Comments

Even for those of us who aren’t self-professed gastronomes, many of travel’s most vivid memories are made at mealtime — we remember so well that skin-melting madras curry in Southern India or that al dente spaghetti in squid ink in Venice. So while there’s nothing inherently wrong with grabbing yet another sandwich at an international chain, sometimes solidifying the travel experience means picking the two-pound, 8,000-calorie cheeseburger or spicy silkworm larvae instead.

You can sink your teeth into these tasty dishes and a wealth of other outlandish offerings at the restaurants we’ve selected as the world’s weirdest. “Weird” is, of course, a matter of taste — as one man’s sheep’s penis is another’s Korean hot pot served in a toilet. Regardless, there’s no denying that travelers won’t soon forget eating at a restaurant devoted to a single ingredient (apples) or one that employs tiny monkey waiters. Read on to learn about nine of the world’s most unusual restaurants — happy perusing, and bon appetit!

kayabukiya tavern macaque monkey Kayabukiya Tavern: Utsunomiya, Japan
At first glance, there’s nothing particularly striking about Kayabukiya Tavern, a seemingly run-of-the-jungle Japanese sake house. Food is of the Asian comfort variety — barbecue chicken, fried dumplings and rice dishes, all washed down with a no-frills selection of beer and sake. “What’s so odd about this place?” you wonder — until a tiny, fleet-footed monkey server politely hands you a customary pre-meal hot towel.

In lieu of human servers, who are costly and sometimes prove impossible to train, the owner’s pair of macaque monkeys efficiently work the gig. Dressed in open shirts and short pants, they scamper about, delivering bottles of beer and collecting tips of edamame (steamed soy beans) for their efforts. Animal rights regulations dictate that the simians can only work a total of two hours a day (the monkeys are fighting this rule), so make sure you call ahead to avoid homo sapiens servers. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: bizarre, food, novel, odd, restaurant, restaurants, strange, unique, weird, world, world's

Putting Non-Liquid Toiletries to the Test : Alternatives For Easy Transit Through Airport Security

Jan 27

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | 7 Comments

By Christine Sarkis, Reprinted from SmarterTravel, Jan 27,2009

Looking to travel light without going without? With 3-1-1 liquid restrictions still in place at airports, finding alternatives to liquid toiletries is a key part of packing a carry-on with all the face, hair, and body products you need on vacation.

Our intrepid testers put four alternatives to liquid toiletries to the test to see how easy they are to use and what results these products deliver. From solid shampoo to sheets of soap that dissolve with water, carrying on toiletries that bypass liquid restrictions has never been so easy, or smelled so good.

The Results

Lush

Uses: Shampoo and conditioner

If there was a favorite in the bunch, the Lush Karma Komba solid shampoo was it. Every tester loved the scent. One said, “The smell of the shampoo in particular is truly amazing. Not only did my hair smell and feel exceptionally clean, but I kept imagining that I was in a rainforest.” Other points in its favor were the “excellent foaming and clean rinse” and “not a lot of buildup.” Hair was “soft and shiny even on the second day.” The shampoo worked for a variety of hair types, as well. Testers said, “Left my super-curly hair shiny,” and “I am a black woman with a relaxer, so there are a lot of products that I do not use because of the texture of my hair. But I was impressed with this product because I used it on my hair at a time when I needed a touch-up and it left my hair feeling really clean, and it did not dry my hair out either.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: airport security, friendly, liquid, shampoo, Toiletries, tsa

Beirut is reborn as a glitzy playground for tourists

Jan 22

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Do, Middle East, See, TripClips | Comments off

By Veronica Gould Stoddart, USA TODAY
BEIRUT — On a mild Tuesday evening in downtown Beirut, the city’s young and beautiful are bellying up to the hottest night spot, the bohemian Gemmayzeh neighborhood. Model-chic Beiruti women, sporting skinny pants, stiletto boots and cascading tresses, cluster in groups or with dates inside the hip bars, pubs and restaurants that line this milder Middle East version of Bourbon Street.

Not far away, in the Old World-style Albergo boutique hotel, visiting Michelin-starred chefs from France are dishing out meals for a sold-out crowd that takes Beirut’s sophisticated dining scene for granted.

PHOTO GALLERY: Beirut bounces back

During the summer, the trendy flock to swank rooftop clubs — Noir, Sky Bar or White Bar, where Champagne bottle service can run $10,000 — to dance till dawn.

Call it Sex and the City meets South Beach.

Beirut’s sizzling nightlife, from gritty to glam, helped drive a record tourism year in 2009. Overcoming a reputation as a Middle East trouble spot, Lebanon welcomed nearly 2 million visitors last year, a 39% increase over 2008. It was the No. 1 destination for tourism growth in the world, according to the World Tourism Organization.

‘Joie de vivre’ draws Arabs, Westerners

“Lebanon is back,” Nada Sardouk, Lebanon’s tourism director general, told the Middle East news agency AMEInfo.com in December. “We’ve had 80% to 90% hotel occupancy this year. But it’s more than about just numbers. … It’s about the joie de vivre.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Beirut, Beyruth, Beyruthe, Current, Lebanon, Rebirth, Update

7 trips you should never book online

Jan 17

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | 1 Comment

By Christopher Elliott, Tribune Media Services (syndicated on cnn.com)Travel Suitcase clip art
January 15, 2010 12:03 p.m. ESt

– Carolyn Fletcher’s honeymoon started heading south the moment she and her husband landed in Cancun. No one was there to pick up the newlyweds.It took an hour for her to convince a van service to deliver them to their hotel. But when they checked into their four-star resort in Akumal, they discovered it was “a two-star, at best,” she remembers. “The grounds were unkempt and there was trash everywhere,” she said. “Our room smelled of mildew. I sat down on the bed to cry, only to find the sheets and mattress wet from the moisture and mildew. There was mold growing on the curtains, the walls and the furniture.”

Why am I telling you about Fletcher’s post-nuptial nightmare? Because she booked it online. Some vacations should never be booked through anyone but a travel agent, and a honeymoon is arguably one of them. But there are others, too, as travelers like Fletcher are discovering.

A recent Forrester Research study suggests there’s something of a backlash when it comes to booking travel online. It concludes 15 percent fewer travelers will use the Web in 2009, compared with two years ago — a finding that comforts many travel agents who previously saw themselves on the endangered list. (People have gotten a little carried away with the Forrester study, though. One headline writer suggested online booking might be the “worst part” of the trip. Right. That would be the flight, actually.)

It’s little consolation to Fletcher and her husband. “While most people will remember their honeymoon with happy memories, ours are filled with disparagement, frustration and regret,” she adds.

In trying to figure out when you shouldn’t book online, I thought I’d ask someone who works for an online travel agency. I put the question to Ginny Mahl, Travelocity’s vice president of sales and customer service. “There is still a place for traditional travel agents, particularly those that have carved out a niche, like adventure travel,” she said. “Depending upon the traveler and their needs, a face-to-face meeting with such a consultant could be wise.” Of course, she adds, “higher fees will apply.” Of course.

So when should you not book on the Internet? Here are seven kinds of trips:

Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: agent, travel, travel agent, why use

19 Tips for Better Travel Photos

Jan 12

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | 2 Comments

–originally published by: The Independent Traveler, Ed Hewitt

taj mahal photo photography camera taking a picture

It wasn’t that long ago that many travel photos were taken, developed and then dumped into boxes, rarely to be seen again — unless a basement flood forced someone to throw them all away. These days, things aren’t so different except that now the photos get dumped onto external hard drives, perhaps to await a hard drive crash instead of the proverbial basement flood.

But in most collections of vacation and travel photos, a precious few of the very best shots are often spared this fate — those photos that are somehow more enduring or more interesting, or (I think most importantly) that best capture the spirit and sensation of the trip. What is it that keeps these photos from the dustbin of our traveling history? Often they are simply better photographs. That is, the “keeper” photo isn’t of a favorite person, place or activity — it is better composed, better lit and thus simply more visually interesting than the run-of-the-mill vacation snapshot.

There are plenty of resources out there for folks with thousands of dollars of photographic equipment, but what about the rest of us — those of us with a point-and-shoot digital camera or even simply a smartphone? What can we do to get better, more lasting images from our travels? Following is a collection of low- and no-tech tips to help you improve your keeper count on your next trip.
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Tags: better, better photos, how to, how to take, how tos, photo, photos, picture, tips

A Culinary Revival in Istanbul — The city’s Ottoman restaurants rediscover a legendary cuisine with cosmopolitan roots

Jan 8

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, Asia, Eat, Europe, Middle East, TripClips | 6 Comments

By J.S. MARCUS – Wall Street Journal

Istanbul

[OTTOMAN1]
Photo: Tugra, in the Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel (Kerem Uzel for The Wall Street Journal)

Elegant restaurants along the Bosphorus prepare fish beautifully and plainly, in a Mediterranean style similar to that of Italy or Greece. In Beyoglu, Istanbul’s nightlife hub, tables are cluttered with tavern food in tapas-like portions. It’s all delicious, of course—and a little familiar.

But when you encounter a delicate rice pilaf flavored with clarified butter, or a perfect slice of baklava, the dozens of pastry layers dissolving one by one on the tongue, it’s a reminder that Istanbul is home to another cuisine, one as complicated and sophisticated as contemporary Turkish food is simple and sustaining.

The cuisine of the Ottomans, whose empire once stretched from Baghdad to Budapest, was perfected in Istanbul in the 15th and 16th centuries in the kitchens of Topkapi Palace, home of the sultans for 400 years. Ottoman control of the spice trade was at its peak, and the cuisine’s hallmark is its deft mixing of sweet and savory flavors. Today, dishes such as delicately stuffed Black Sea mackerel and sea bass flavored with mastic, an aromatic resin usually reserved for desserts, are appearing on menus at some of the best restaurants. A chef in the classical Ottoman period might have devoted his whole working life to one dish; modern-day chefs have special training and often base their interpretations on archival research.

The cuisine’s revival comes as many people in Istanbul are becoming more interested in their Ottoman heritage. The flowering of Ottoman restaurants is among the most visible results. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: cuisine, culinary Istanbul, culinary Turkey, food, good places to eat, great food, Istanbul, ottoman, Turkey

World’s Coolest Pools –Travel+Leisure

Dec 19

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, Asia, Australia & Oceana, Europe, Latin America, North America, Play, See, TripClips | 1 Comment

Get wet at these wild and wonderful swim spots.

From Travel+Leisure Magazine, December 2009 By Jimmy Im

Sally Randall Brunger, creative director of men’s knitwear line The Brungers, traverses the globe for inspiration for her collections—and she knows a cool pool when she sees one. “I can’t imagine anything more fun after a day of meetings than to toss off my heels and dip into a pool where I can swim to the bar and order my favorite cocktail.”

For the notorious “it” girl from the glamorous ’80s club era, the pool at the Grace Hotel in Times Square fits the bill. The midtown hotel has one of the most talked about pools in New York City. With two swim-up bars, live DJs, and a projector screen, it’s at the heart of the action—complete with half-naked guests.

Pools are fast evolving from background scene-setters to the main attraction. The 21st-century pool has blossomed from mere swim spot to an imaginative work of art that flaunts a “wow” factor—be it a pool elevator, a whitewater slide, hidden grotto, or interactive aquarium. With all these bells and whistles, who cares about a diving board?

Of course, a buzz-worthy pool doesn’t just happen overnight. “The interesting aspects of cool pools are in the choice and use of materials,” says Cool Pools and Hot Tubs author Vinny Lee, “and its shape should complement the surroundings and landscape.”

“It’s all too easy to design a pool that looks good, but to make strong and powerful connections to a place, a climate, a landscape, an atmosphere or a feeling—now that’s cool because it’s unrepeatable,” says Marwan Al-Sayed, one of the designers of the pool at the stunning new Amangiri resort in the Utah desert, which is built around a natural stone outcropping.

Other pools are more of a novelty attraction. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: best pool, great pool, largest pool, pool, pools, World's Best Pool

Top Ten HotSpots for High Tea — A Global Tour

Dec 14

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, Africa, Asia, Eat, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, TripClips | Comments off

From :

SINGAPORE – Fancy a cuppa? From highbrow salons to highland plantations, the world’s best places to have tea.

1. London, England

Ladies, don your gowns; gents, start pressing your ties. Afternoon tea at the Ritz is a splendid formal affair: silver pots and fine china chink at 4 p.m. sharp under the vaulted glass and chandeliers of the Palm Court. It’s not cheap, but you’ll be in good company — this venerable hotel has served exotic infusions to everyone from King Edward VII to Charlie Chaplin. If the budget won’t stretch, try alternative institutions: the organization Classic Cafes champions the formica-countered greasy spoons of the 1950s, a dwindling number of which are still serving brews in vintage surrounds. Tie not required.

2. Trans-Siberian Railway, Russia/Central Asia
Nonstop, the epic Moscow-Beijing train journey takes over six days. The best way to spend them is befriending your carriage mates — Russian businesspeople, Mongolian traders, Buddhist monks. Each car has a samovar, a hot-water urn where you can top up your mug to ward off the Siberian chill. Samovars are more than kettles: entrenched in Russian society, they’re made for communal drinking. The local saying ‘to have a sit by the samovar’ means to talk leisurely over endless cups of tea. Fill your flask — and those of your new-found friends — and watch Europe roll into Asia.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: afternoon tea, afternoon tea recommendations, best afternoon tea, best high tea, best places for tea, best tea, cream tea, formal tea, High tea, high tea recommendations, tea

Airport napping rooms let you sleep your layover away

Dec 10

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | 1 Comment

By Roger Yu, USA TODAY
Tiny airport sleeping rooms — similar to the cubicles that Asian travelers use to catch a snooze in between flights — have arrived in America.

Atlanta, the world’s largest airport, opened five Minute Suites this month where tired passengers can doze for $30 an hour. The rooms — 7 feet by 8 feet, or about the size of two office cubicles put together — are equipped with a daybed sofa, pillows (with disposable covers), fresh blankets, a small desk, Internet access and a flat-screen 32-inch monitor with DirecTV and flight information. They have systems to mask noise.

San Francisco International plans to follow suit. It’s hired a California company to design 14 rooms of about 90 square feet for its international terminal. The rooms will have similar amenities. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: airport hotel, airport hotels, airport sleep, capsule hotel

Is High-Speed Rail the Future, or a Fantasy?

Dec 8

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips | Comments off

Train in a Paris Station (Photo: iStockphoto/Perry Kroll)

There are plenty of good reasons to expand high-speed rail (HSR) in the U.S. Widespread HSR could alleviate traffic congestion in crowded metropolitan areas, cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, and give the airlines some competition on shorter inter-city routes. All noble causes, to be sure, but last week Department of Transportation (DOT) secretary Ray LaHood offered a potentially more convincing argument: Jobs.

“Our goal is to develop a national high-speed rail network, create good jobs here in America and help reinvigorate our manufacturing base,” LaHood said, following a conference on domestic HSR manufacturing. “We know these are tough economic times for many folks and we believe that U.S. rail manufacturers and suppliers will benefit greatly from this new program. We also look forward to establishing joint ventures with foreign firms who can provide expertise and establish or expand their operations here in the U.S.”

Super-fast train service is one of President Obama’s priorities, and appears to be emerging as a cog in his administration’s jobs-development plans for the coming year. The stimulus bill, passed in March, directed $8 billion toward HSR development. During his days as a senator, Vice President Joe Biden famously rode Amtrak from his home in Delaware to Washington. In short, the administration has HSR on the brain.

But will we ever have it on the ground? Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: high speed rail, high speed train, US train, USA train

Travel’s secret societies

Dec 1

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips | Comments off

–Bert Archer: From Wednesday’s Globe and Mail Published on Tuesday, Dec. 01, 2009

The word “exclusive” is bandied about a lot these days. Most businesses above the level of Wal-Mart use it to make customers feel special – without actually excluding anyone. But a number of travel-related groups, clubs and perks deserve the adjective: They genuinely are invitation-only.

In the airline world, fliers can become members of programs such as Continental’s Chairman’s Circle, United’s Global Services and a nameless group that gets preferential treatment from SAS. Never heard of it? There’s a reason. To paraphrase financier J.P. Morgan, if you have to ask, you’re not member material.

Peter Brown, who used to own an eponymous travel agency in Toronto, has been chasing exclusive memberships and perks since he retired 20 years ago. One of his favourites is Lufthansa’s first-class terminal at Frankfurt, with its 15 kinds of champagne and 20 Scotches, a still-operational smoking lounge and, best of all, drivers to get you across the tarmac directly to your gate. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: frequent flyer, frequent traveler, lavish, opulent, swag, travel, travel benefit, VIP

How to get a duplicate US passport -Anderson Cooper AC360

Nov 11

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

Chris Guillebeau
AC360° Contributor

This post is relevant for readers with U.S. passports who travel frequently. If you don’t fit in that group, feel free to skip this one — or just read it for the entertainment value.

I’ve mentioned a few times that I have two U.S. passports, and each time at least one person asks me how that works. Well, I’ll tell you exactly how I got the second passport, and what you need to do if this would help you too.

First, the need for a second passport. Why bother?

U.S. passports are good for a number of reasons: notably, they are valid for 10 years, and when you fill up the pages with lots of stamps and visas, the State Department in Washington, D.C. or any embassy abroad will issue more pages at no charge. I’ve had three passport page extensions so far, and without that option I would have needed at least four passports by this point. No other major country of which I am aware offers a passport that includes both of these important features. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: duplicate, get, how to, passport, US passport

Americans Show Increased Interest in “Voluntourism”

Sep 23

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Do, TripClips | 1 Comment

(NewsUSA) – When Rose Blondin, 19, chose her vacation destination last year, she opted for hiking boots and T-shirts rather than bikinis and shades.
Blondin, a sophomore at Boston’s Emmanuel College, decided to spend her time working on a trail project with American Hiking Society (AHS) in the Smokey Mountains. “I learned so much about the environment when I went on hikes with the park ranger,” said Blondin. “The trip was a lot of hard work, but if you have a good attitude, you can really have an awesome experience.”

Blondin is not alone in pursuing non-leisure activities during vacation. The Travel Industry Association of America first noted that “voluntourism” was becoming more popular in 2005. Today, the practice has become more mainstream. Travelocity.com, a travel-booking Web site, surveyed over 1,000 travelers, and 38 percent expressed an interest in voluntourism. Some travelers make voluntourism a way of life. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: eco, ecological, tourism, volunteer, voluntourism

5 Ways To Stop Working On Your Vacation

Aug 30

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

Vacation is the oasis in the midst of your occupational desert, if you will. It’s the respite from the daily grind that we look forward to all year, whether it comes during the summer or the winter holidays or a random long weekend. After all, even if you like your job, doesn’t everybody deserve a few days to themselves?

Apparently not.

Twenty-five percent of workers said they planned to stay in contact with work during their vacations, CareerBuilder.com’s annual survey found. Nine percent said their bosses expect them to work or check their voicemail and e-mail when vacationing.

Fifty percent of sales workers planned to check in with work on vacation, while IT workers and financial services workers followed behind with 37 percent of each doing the same. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: work vacation, workaholic, workation, working on vacation, working vacation

New airline passenger rules to start Saturday

Aug 13

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

By Mike M. Ahlers
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Beginning Saturday, many air travelers will be asked their birth dates and genders when making airline reservations. It’s the latest “publicly visible” expansion of Secure Flight, a program that transfers responsibility for checking air passengers’ identities from the airlines to the federal government, the Transportation Security Administration said. The change keeps the agency on track to assume responsibility for ID checks on all domestic flights by early next year, according to the TSA.

Currently, the airlines check passenger identifications against lists of suspected terrorists. But the 9/11 Commission said the job was better suited for the federal government, which compiles the “terror watch lists.” Government control increases security, according to the TSA, while reducing the number of instances in which innocent people are mistakenly confused with possible terrorists having similar or identical names. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: air rules, airline, airline rules, faa, flight, flight rules, fly, flying, flying requirements, flying rules, homeland security, tsa

The Top Reasons Why YOU Should Use A Travel Agent

Aug 10

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

With all the recent research and dialogue about travelers returning to using travel agents more and more, we thought to remind ourselves… Why use a travel agent?

Here’s the “short list”:

  • Convenient One-Stop Shopping: Travel agents can handle every aspect of your trip from airline tickets to lodging, ground transportation, activities, tours and more.
  • Consumer Advocate: If you should have a problem during your trip, travel agents can act on your behalf to see that proper restitution is made.
  • Expert Guidance: Travel agents are experts in helping travelers get where they need to go and in helping to create possibilities most people never would have dreamed were possible.
  • Save Time: Avoid the headaches and let the travel agents call around and do all the time consuming work of planning a complex itinerary.
  • Choice: Travel agents offer you an array of options and price quotes from a variety of travel suppliers, giving you the upper hand when making your final travel decisions.
  • Less Stress: Planning a trip can be stressful. There are so many options and details to worry about. Travel agents do the work, resulting in less stress for you.
  • Updated Information: Travel agents are constantly communicating with the travel community, thus giving you the most up to date info on airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel visas, and other travel services to consider as you plan your trip.
  • Customer Service: Travel agents offer that “personal touch” to your travel planning experience- Offering help and advice that a website cannot provide.
  • Travel Documentation: Travel agents can help you to prepare and organize any necessary documents that you may need in order to travel outside of the country. They can direct you to your local passport office, and they know where you need a visa, as well as any other documentation that you might need along the way.
  • Travel Expertise: Many travel agents are considered experts in the area you are traveling to and have probably already been to your chosen destination.
  • Best Value for Your Money Spent: Travel agents can help you to make your dollars go farther while you are away. They have access to finding all sorts of deals, some that can only be booked by and through a travel agent! Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: reason, reasons to use, top, travel agency, travel agent, use, why

Just Released Forrester Research Finds Frustration With Online Travel Websites

Aug 5

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

Forrester Research issued a new study, “Using Digital Channels to Calm the Angry Traveler,” by Henry Harteveldt, that reports there are 15 percent fewer travelers who enjoy using the web in 2009 than there were in 2007.

Just one in three online travelers in the U.S. feels that travel websites do a good job presenting travel choices, down from 39 percent in 2008. A greater percentage of travelers who are fed up with travel websites may be returning to use traditional travel agents.

According to Harteveldt, travelers feel that they, and their business, are taken for granted by travel websites. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: internet travel, online travel, research, study, travel, travel agency, web

Worst Part of a Trip May Be Booking It on the Web

Aug 3

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

By SUSAN STELLIN
Copyright, NEW YORK TIMES
Published: August 3, 2009

If you dreaded sitting down at your computer the last time you made travel arrangements or felt frustrated by all the time and effort it took to sort through pages of results for flights and hotels, join the crowd.

A new report, to be released Tuesday by Forrester Research, found that far from embracing the do-it-yourself era, many consumers were fed up with the complicated process of planning and booking travel.

“What we’ve seen is growing frustration,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester travel analyst. “Consumers see other Web sites becoming easier to use — retail Web sites, banking Web sites, media Web sites. But travel is treading water as a category. There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process.”

Instead, customers are forced to figure out extra fees, wade through fine print and understand industry terms like the difference between a deluxe and a standard room, in addition to educating themselves about destinations, flights and hotels, Mr. Harteveldt said. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: internet travel, online travel, research, study, travel, travel agency, web

Mexico shuts Cancun beach, alleges sand was stolen

Jul 31

Posted by Nathan, Owner/Manager & COO in North America, TripClips | Comments off

From Associated press, Friday July 31st 2009

MEXICO CITY – Surprised tourists found their little piece of Cancun beach paradise ringed by crime-scene tape and gun-toting sailors on Thursday.

Environmental enforcement officers backed by Mexican navy personnel closed off hundreds of feet (dozens of meters) of powder-white coastline in front of a hotel accused of illegally accumulating sand on its beach. Mexico spent $19 million to replace Cancun beaches washed away by Hurricane Wilma in 2005. But much of the sand pumped from the sea floor has since washed away, leading some property owners to build breakwaters in a bid to retain sand. The practice often merely shifts sand loss to beaches below the breakwaters.

“Today we made the decision to close this stretch of ill-gotten, illegally accumulated sand,” said Patricio Patron, Mexico’s attorney general for environmental protection. “This hotel was telling its tourists: ‘Come here, I have sand … the other hotels don’t, because I stole it.’” Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Beach, Cancun, Mexico, Sand, Steal Sand, Stolen, Stolen Sand

Time for Vacation? Send Allergy, Asthma Symptoms Packing

Jul 29

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | 1 Comment

We continue our Healthy Travel motif this month with an excerpted article on Allergies…

Whether your summer vacation plans include the beach, a road trip or camping, one thing’s for sure — suffering from allergy and asthma symptoms can quickly interrupt a good time. If you’re among the millions of people with allergies or asthma, a little preparation will help make sure that sneezing and wheezing don’t derail your vacation fun. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: allergy, asthma, health, hypoallergenic, travel, travel agency, Travel Health

Bed Bugs: Avoiding Unwanted Vacation Souvenirs

Jul 22

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

[Marc] To be taken with a grain of salt, as it is written on behalf of pest experts that tend to overstate the occurrence of such.

As the season turns and vacation travel picks up, vacationers should take care not to bring home unwanted souvenirs, like bed bugs.

Most of us know the phrase “Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” but doing so is more easily said than done. “Bed bugs are elusive, nocturnal pests that thrive on blood,” says Greg Baumann, senior scientist for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). “Vigilance is critical, especially as we know that a five-star resort can be as susceptible to bed bugs as a hostel.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: bed bug, bug, health, hotel, pest, safety, travel

Rooting up ancient Rome Dig almost anywhere, and you’re likely to find remnants of the city’s glorious past.

Jul 17

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in Europe, TripClips | Comments off

It is often said that you can’t repair a water main, break ground for a parking garage or dig up a potato in Rome without finding a treasure.

The roots of the Eternal City, which just celebrated its 2,762nd birthday, go deep and are still being unearthed. When first plumbed in the 16th century, the layer cake underneath the city yielded classical artifacts that helped inform the Renaissance. Almost as inevitably as yellow mimosas bloom in the spring, archaeologists keep coming here, wrangling excavation permits and opening trenches. Passersby see red-and-white-striped plastic tape and piles of dirt, but rarely learn what is being sought in the rubble, because when a dig yields an important find, it takes years of negotiation, fundraising, preservation, public-access construction and scholarly interpretation to open a site to visitors.

As a resident, I often pass excavation sites and wonder what is going on. I got a chance to find out last fall when I visited a dig in Aqueduct Park, on the southeastern side of the city, where an ancient water conduit makes a broad bend on its way into the capital. Since 2006, when the American Institute for Roman Culture began an archaeological dig, the park has yielded treasures: intricately worked mosaics, the head of a god thought to be Zeus and structural evidence of a 1st or 2nd century bathing complex larger and more sophisticated than any yet found in the area immediately surrounding Rome.

Records identify it as the site of the Villa delle Vignacce, owned during Imperial Roman times by brick manufacturer Quintus Servilius Pudens. It is unclear whether the multistory bathhouse, with its intact Roman saunas, was part of a private villa or a public complex. In either case, the site calls into question long-held concepts about the configuration of Imperial Rome. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: Antiquities, Archeology, dig, excavate, Quintus Servilius Pudens, Roman Archeology, Rome, Rome Italy, treasure, Villa delle Vignacce

Guard Against Blood Clots While Traveling

Jul 15

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

Air travel these days can be a challenge, with long security lines and flight delays. But many people may not know that traveling by plane can also increase your risk of developing a dangerous blood clot. The longer the trip, the more at risk you are for developing a clot.

What is a blood clot? When a blood vessel is injured, platelets and proteins in the blood stick together to form a plug (clot) over the site of the wound to prevent excessive bleeding. When blood flow is restricted, clots can sometimes form within the blood vessels, even if no injury exists. Prolonged immobility during long trips can lead to the formation of unnecessary blood clots in a major vein (commonly in the leg). This condition is called “deep-vein thrombosis” (DVT). Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: air travel, airplane, blood clot, flight, health, safety, travel