May 2018

Woman making list for traveling

Thinking about traveling with a group? Group travel can be one of the most rewarding ways to see the world and visit popular destination sites; not only is the vacation care free, but you can make lifelong friends on the way! If you are planning on experiencing group travel for the first time soon, here are some traveling tips to help you have the best group vacation experience.

Have Group Will Travel

Did you know that many group travel companies love it when you already have an established group to travel with? If your church society, school class, hobby club, social group, or extended family and friends want to take a vacation to an exciting destination together, tour operators are happy to handle all the details so your group can travel simultaneously without the hassle of planning the vacation, gathering payments or handling travel documents. This is one of the best ways to travel with a group since you already know the members of the organization, share a common interest and nobody in the group has to handle the tedious details!

Finding the Best Group Travel Services for You

The best group vacation company is the one that meets your needs and provides you with the vacation experience you were looking for! There are all types of tour operators such as adventure travel services, group travel for singles, and senior group travel companies. First, pick a travel company that is specialized in the type of travel you want (unless you already have a group of people to travel with). Then make sure the tour operator is respected and well established in providing escorted vacations. Just because a company claims they have led groups before does not mean they are an established tour operator! Just think, you are leaving all the details and traveling plans up to someone else; that is a lot of responsibility and your happiness is on the line! Make sure you pick a respected, established travel company that is specialized in the type of travel you are looking for and has built relationships with its travel partners from years of doing business together.

International Traveling Tips

If it is your first time traveling overseas then learning about the country you are going to visit is important even when traveling in a group! Simple things like charging your phone might be challenging if you are traveling overseas. Escorted travel companies will try and alert you about native customs and give you international traveling tips, but you might also want to learn the basic “hello” and “goodbye” greetings as well as how to say “yes,” “no” and “thank you” in the native language of the countries you will visit. Don’t forget to pack your passport and any additional documentation you might need for medical purposes; it is good to bring the phone numbers of your home physician in case your medical history needs to be accessed while on vacation.

Unfortunately, going on vacation is a treat that most people only get to do once a year! Group travel can be very rewarding and allow you the comfort of experiencing a foreign land without the feeling of being alone. Tour operators also make sure you have the best travel experience possible so that your escorted vacation becomes your dream vacation.

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Layaway travel plans hold the answers to making that dream vacation into reality. There are so many ways where you can enjoy the benefits of this payment plan, like spending your honeymoon at a romantic destination or taking your family on a Disneyland trip. And if you plan ahead, the more chances you have to make the most out of layaway travel plans.

You probably know the drill about layaway travel plans by now. It normally involves choosing a vacation package plan that you want, and then pay an initial deposit to start the planning process. The remaining balance would be spread out over a certain period, like a bi-weekly or monthly payment. There are no interest rates or -it simply works at your own pace and convenience.

So, how do you go about to experiencing the greatest vacation of your life? Finding a reputable travel agency is a good place to start. A great travel agency would mean that they’re legit (that will take a diligent background check), their layaway policy works to your advantage, and they carry the best travel consultants and packages. Their consultants should be able to guide you through the whole process and find you the best deals on the vacation you want.

Almost every family dreams of a Disney vacation, which is quite hard to save up for. That’s a fact that most people have probably lamented over and over again. It’s also really hard to find a travel company that offers a layaway for this – well, except for Disney cruises. Fortunately, Disneyworld offers a somewhat layaway payment plan – it is not really officially called like that, but it still works the same way as any travel layaways out there.

This Disneyworld “layaway” payment plan all takes place online. You should buy the packages directly from their official website. After you’ve signed up and created an account, you can go ahead and pay for the $200 or 10% initial deposit (there’s no interest rates or extra charges for signing up) at the time of booking. After that, you have the freedom to pay as much as you want and any time that’s convenient to you. The only thing that you have to keep in mind is that you have to pay for the whole amount 45 days before the trip.

Your Disneyworld account profile will help you know the status of your payment activities. You can also pay for the vacation through this site. If you think about it, this payment plan might not be technically termed as layaway, but you’ll still enjoy the same benefits of not spending for the whole vacation on the spot.

There’s really no reason why you can’t take that well-deserved vacation today. All you need to do is to look at the right places for the solution – like in places where you can take advantage of great layaway travel plans.

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When it comes to going on a cruise it is important to ensure that you take all your important information with you as well as all of your necessary times otherwise you will be suffering when you are out to sea! So, consider these travel planning tips before you head off on your cruise and you will more than likely have the time of your life!

First of all, you want to make sure you have the best luggage to take with you and that would of course be Samsonite luggage. When you have outstanding luggage you won’t be concerned with the zippers breaking and all your clothes falling out or anything of the sort. That is a relief in itself and you will know that your clothes and personal effects are all packed away in a safe piece of luggage. Some things you might want to pack in your Samsonite spinner include Dramamine in case you get sea sick and many people do on cruises. That is especially so if there is a bad storm. Don’t forget to pack several different levels of sunscreen either. When you are on the boat you will realize that the sun is reflecting off the water and you can get burnt easier. Be sure you pack plenty of swimsuits as well because it will be easier to just put on a new suit than wash the same one out time and time again. Sunglasses and/or a hat are also incredibly important especially if you have sensitive eyes. Don’t forget your passport or birth certificate either or you won’t ever make it on the cruise!

Once you are packed you will be all ready to go. However, you should go over some last minute details to determine if there is anything else you need. Check the forecasted weather for the week in the destinations you will be heading to. This can give you some much needed information regarding what else to pack. Perhaps a rain coat for storms, binoculars for whale watching, or perhaps your snorkel. Knowing the weather will help you decide what kind of activities to plan and pack for.

You may be an excellent trip planner and you may not be. However, the tips offered here are great reminders that will help you plan and pack for your cruise.

Caitlina Fuller is a freelance writer. First of all, you want to make sure you have the best luggage to take with you and that would of course be Samsonite luggage. When you have outstanding luggage you won’t be concerned with the zippers breaking and all your clothes falling out or anything of the sort. That is a relief in itself and you will know that your clothes and personal effects are all packed away in a safe piece of luggage. Some things you might want to pack in your Samsonite spinner include Dramamine in case you get sea sick and many people do on cruises.

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Without doubt, if you are indeed on a fixed budget, booking an all-inclusive holiday package can really save you a lot of money. For the reason that these holiday package companies have very good connections with hotels and trendy tourist spots in any country you can think of and as such, they are able to get you a good rate than you can. As usual, the discounts and savings will be given to you – the all-inclusive holiday tourist, visitors and customers.

Have you ever had all your travel plans put into one tiny budget and on short schedule? If you do, you will find out the true consequence of a stingy and purposeless holiday. Certain people assume that all-inclusive holiday packages gives them little space for fun and therefore offers them no freedom. Indeed, they are totally wrong. You actually can save a lot of money with these holiday packages.

All-inclusive vacations are trouble-free

In fact, planning a holiday can really stress you out. Booking an all-inclusive holiday package provides you the opportunity to benefit from the holiday without having to worry about the tricky aspect. Everything you do need, from accommodation, to food, traveling and entertainment are well taken care of. What you should be concerned with is the amount of fun you, your relatives, wife or children are going to have throughout the holiday.

Several tourists and vacationers love to acquire these holiday deals for the reason that there is no lack of time. Although, certain people have to make do with last-minute plans. Truly these packages can be a true life saver in this occasion. Believe it or not, couples on honeymoon love these travel deals as they do not need to bother about meals, transportation, activities, entertainment or accommodation when they really should be paying attention on each other.

Mealtime is fun with holiday packages

The only trouble for tourists is indeed where to eat. Because they really do no know the country and the booklets they acquire from airports are obviously not detailed. Meal times can very much be worrisome sometimes. When you are on a visit to a different country, you are required to try a new delicacy, something old that do not cost much. Where do you get that sort of information other than an all-inclusive holiday planner? They have all it takes to make your holiday enjoyable.

You can get all the information you may need online or from books on the diverse cultures and religions in the country that you intend visiting and still, when you are on these package, the tourist guide will still inform you about certain things that will startle you. And this is a very valuable advantage as you do not have to step on someone’s toes when you are in another country.

Moreover, they informs you of the diverse cultural gap between races and religions. As a matter of fact, with the all-inclusive holiday packages, you honestly do not have to bother about where to catch your fun simply because they have everything planned out for your trip. These cheap holiday packages are unquestionably what you need.

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There’s no getting around it…for most of us in sales, times are tough. Sales managers everywhere are faced with shrinking travel budgets and getting pressure to reduce their cost of sales. One way to go is simply to stop traveling. This cuts costs, but is death to new business, and ultimately leads to a failed sales plan…and a failed business. In tough times, you need your sales force on the streets more than ever, knocking on doors and bringing in the new business that is still out there. Yet companies have significantly curtailed business travel.

A new survey by the Association of Corporate Travel Executives found that 71 percent of travel managers foresee spending less money on corporate travel and events in 2009. “Business travel is down in the range of 20 to 25 percent on a global basis,” according to, Sam Gilliland, Sabre Holdings chairman and CEO, speaking at a recent business travel News symposium. “Even with large corporations, and in particular financial services, you see travel down in the 30 percent range” according to Gilliland.

So as corporate belts get tightened we continue to cut travel budgets, and end up seeing fewer prospects in the bargain. Seeing fewer prospects results in less sales, leading to tighter travel budgets…and a downward spiral that’s tough to pull out of.

You don’t want to stop traveling, but you still need to cut costs. Here’s how you can reduce your travel costs, while at the same time, increasing your sales. The solution is to help your sales force plan smarter sales travel – maximizing the amount of sales calls they make, while expending the least amount of travel effort and dollars.

As the old saying goes, ‘prior planning prevents poor performance’. So drill it into your sales reps that when planning sales travel, they need to think ahead. Make sure that whenever possible, they schedule sales calls with companies that are geographically close together. Ensure they create an efficient route that moves logically from account to account, taking the quickest routes that cover the least miles. When looking for hotels, restaurants and other business services required on the road, make sure your team makes every effort to choose locations that are on their route of travel so that they save time and fuel.

So how do you help your sales force work their territory more effectively, intelligently planning out a sales strategy that maximizes time in front of prospects while minimizing travel expenses? First, make sure they have the right tools. Tell them to purchase a laptop travel planning software. There are several products to choose from, including Microsoft Streets and Trips, MapPoint, Garmin Mobile PC, Delorme StreetAtlas, ESRI Business map and more. Most laptop software packages are in the $30 to $50 range, and most offer a bundled GPS receiver, with several of the combined packages running under $80.

With a laptop mapping solution, your team can import their prospect lists into the map, so that they see each account plotted right down to their street address. They’ll assign unique identity pushpins to groups of prospects and customers to instantly identify the type of accounts in an area. Seeing the ‘big picture’ will help your sales people to spot opportunities they might have missed.

Laptop mapping programs incorporate planning tools that help sales people easily plan the most efficient and practical way to get in front of the account with the least amount of effort and expense. They are much more powerful than a Personal Navigation Device (PND) because they allow reps to find prospects and generate ‘what if’ routing scenarios based on their calls. PND’s are great for helping you get to where you already know you want to go – but for sales people, it’s more important to decide where you need to go to in the first place.

Choosing a combination package with a GPS Receiver helps your sales force travel more confidently, receiving turn by turn directions right to the prospect’s door. Since they need to carry a laptop anyway, using a GPS receiver with planning software will save you a couple hundred dollars per rep as compared to buying them a Personal Navigation Device . And, it’s more convenient for them, since all of their accounts are right there on the map, ready for them to route to.

You may be asking yourself – why should I have my team purchase software to run on their laptop when there are free online mapping services…I’m trying to cut costs – right? The answer is – when it comes to comparing online mapping versus laptop mapping solutions, it’s best to remember – you get what you pay for.

The features and functionally of the laptop packages far outweigh their online cousins. Laptop trip planning software allows you to load thousands of prospect and customer locations into your map quickly and easily. Your reps can have the map with them at all times, without being dependent on an internet connection.