Europe Travel Review

The reason to travel to Europe may be different for each traveler, but a few of the common reasons are: Cultural Opportunities: For those interested in museums, arts, history, music or theater Europe travel offers nearly endless opportunity for cultural activity. From London to Paris to Rome to Amsterdam travelers can enjoy some of the most exciting cultural opportunities the world has to offer.
Landmarks:
People like to visit and associate themselves with something (or someone) famous. Europe travel destinations are rich in famous landmarks. Some of the most well known landmarks of the world, from Big Ben, to the Eiffel Tower, to the Coliseum are located in Europe.
Roots:
People like to visit the countries of their ancestors. Ancient European were wanderers who put up stakes in destinations around the world. Their descendants are now traveling to Europe to return to their roots and see the places their forefathers once called home.
Variety:
Where else can you enjoy such a diversity of culture, climate and geography over such a small distance A traveler to the US will notice relatively small changes when traveling from L A to New York City, a flight of approximately six hours. Language is the same, food is similar, and culture is not remarkably different. However, a two hour flight from Zurich, Switzerland to Athens, Greece , will reward the traveler with an enormous difference that is immediately obvious. Everything from language, food to lifestyle is completely and utterly different. Distances in Europe are relatively small and cultural variety is large. This gives the traveler to Europe the opportunity of easily enjoying a diverse range of cultures and lifestyles by making a relatively low investment of time and money.
Transportation:
There is no place more convenient for a traveler, than Europe Transportation is arguably the best in the world. Europe is well known for its remarkable train system and train passes which offer travelers the opportunity for international travel at very affordable rates. With more and more discount airlines available, Europe travel is becoming less and less expensive. Once you arrive in a major city, there is usually a local metro or streetcar system to take you anywhere you want to go. The ease, comfort and economy makes Europe travel very attractive and convenient.
Health:
When traveling in some regions of the world, travelers must consider if there are any local illnesses that they may be exposed to, if vaccines maybe required and if they fall ill, will they receive proper medical treatment. Most European destinations have excellent water supplies, low rates of infectious diseases and some of the best healthcare systems in the world.
Safety:
Travelers are always easy prey for criminals. However in most European countries your hotel room is not only safe from burglary due to security but is also equipped with a safe European police departments are usually efficient and violent crime is generally lower than in many other areas. But one should always remember when exploring new destination never loose sight of your money and documents.
When is the best time to travel Europe:
May, June, September, and October: These are the perfect months to enjoy southern Europe. Greece, Turkey, Spain and Italy are the best destinations in these periods. The climate at this time is usually ideal and the crowds are relatively thin. International flights are usually less expensive than the peak fares of summer. In the peak travel months of July and August, these destinations may be too hot, too crowded and too expensive for many travelers. July, August: This is the best time to visit Northern, Central and Eastern Europe and go to such countries as Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Czech Republic. However, this period offers the best climate conditions and many of the locals will be on holiday in southern Europe during this period November to March: Europe is cold during these months. While you may find travel bargains at this time, you may spend a lot of your travel time indoors. The only exception to this is the Canary Islands. Although part of Spain, the Canary Islands are located off the coast of Africa, and enjoy moderate climate year-round. With all of the attention paid to destinations like London and Paris, few people really put much thought into Eastern Europe travel when they are making their vacation plans.
Besides the well-known sites in the Czech Republic and Greece, Poland and Lithuania also offer exciting possibilities. One of the great thing about Eastern Europe travel is that you don’t have to choose one destination exclusively. In general, the public transportation is good enough and cheap enough in that part of the world that you can get from one country to another with relative ease. Basically, Eastern Europe travel offers you the luxury of exploring a whole region rather than settling on one single country. If, however, you are going on a first Eastern Europe travel trip, you should be prepared for culture shock Customs are still familiar enough to not be totally alienating, however, things are still noticeably different there. The fact that it is so affordable, however, more than makes up for this. If you can find cheap airfare to Eastern Europe, You can take your trip for almost nothing. Travel Is Interesting and Entertaining. It’s not a zoo where you look into the cages. Meld with the European to enjoy your travels.
You don’t have to visit museums if you would rather go on a balloon flight or go to a bull fight or sit at a cafe and meet someone new. As an example, one of the most highly recommended items in all of the popular travel guidebooks, TV travel shows, and guided tours is the Amsterdam Canals Boat Excursion. I took this ride and I have a different opinion. You’re stuffed into this long boat with a curved plexiglass roof, you and 80 other tourists. In four languages, over a miserable speaker system, you listen to a tape recording of stupendous facts and statistics about the places you are floating by. Good luck ever finding these places again as you walk around. I was not the only one bored on board. On top of that, it seemed that the boat was going to be swamped by a huge freighter when it got out in the middle of the harbor. What in Amsterdam name were we doing out in the harbor ? On the other hand, one of the most fascinating exhibits in Europe is usually left out of the popular guidebooks. Sins of omission are far from the major problems with these books. Virtually every one I open has errors so stupid that the only possible explanation is that the author did not go to the place mentioned.

Official Tibet Travel Guide – Must-See for Beginners (Part 1)

Climate of Tibet:
1. How’s the climate in Tibet? Is it hot in summer? Is it very cold in winter?
Tibet is in a high plateau, and it belongs to typical downy special climate. Climates are quite different in different areas of Tibet. The eastern Tibet which is at a lower elevation is warmer than western Tibet. In some mountain areas, there are four seasons at the same time in different altitude. The weather in a day varies greatly, too. The night is cold while the day is warm. It spans 12-15 degrees centigrade in a single day.
Climate in southeastern Tibet including Nyingchi and Chamdo is balmy with an average temperature of eight degrees centigrade; while in western Tibet (Shigatse and Nagqu) is quite cold with an average temperature below zero degree.
However in the central area of Tibet, the climate of Lhasa and Tsedang is more favorable for traveling. Travelers can visit these two areas all year around, not too hot in summer and not too cold in winter.
2. How is the road condition in rainy season in Tibet? Need I take any rainproof with me?
The rainy season in Tibet is mainly from June to August and it does have a very bad impact on the roads. However, there are many track maintenance workers and local army would also give help to restore the roads. Generally speaking, it only takes a few hours to make the roads feasible again. As for the rainproof, you are suggested to take raincoat, rain-proof trousers and shoes if you want to trek, climb the mountain or ride a bike. If you have group tours organized by some travel agencies, usually you don’t need to take rainproof with you, because Tibet often rains at night and the weather is quite good in the daytime. Besides, the tourist bus is always along with you.
3. What is the best time to travel to Tibet?
Generally speaking, early April is the beginning of travel season, which lasts to mid-June when a large number of Chinese travelers rush to Tibet for summer holiday. Late June to the end of National Holiday is the peak travel season when some important festivals held in Tibet, like Shoton Festival, Gyantse Dawa Festival and Nagqu horse riding Festival. After mid October, Tibet turns to winter and as the visitors reduce greatly, more than half of hotels are closed for the poor reservation.
As for the best time to travel, it depends on your travel requirement.
1. If you want an extremely cheap price, go to Tibet in winter, from December to next March. All the things are quite cheap; even the tourist sites offer 30-50% discount on entrance fee. Hotels are cheap, too. You can enjoy 5 star hotels with less than 100USD including breakfast. Compared with traveling in August, the cost of a winter tour is only 50%-60% of a summer tour. Because of the poor amount of visitors, the Potala Palace allows you to spend even a whole day in it. Besides, the monks are not busy and have spare time to chat with you.
2. If you like trekking, do it at May or September when the monsoon will never bother you and the weather is balmy and pleasant.
3. If you love Mt.Everest and want to see the clear face of it, try to avoid the rainfall season and foggy weather.
4. If you love to visit the grass land in north Tibet, do the tour in July when the flowers bloom in vast grassland and groups of yak and sheep, Tibetan nomad tents spread all over the grassland.
5. Those who want to drive to Tibet through Sichuan-Tibet highway should avoid the rainy season. There will be mudslides, cave-ins and mire on certain sections of the road, blocking the passage of vehicles.
About high altitude sickness
1. What is high altitude sickness? What’s the symptom of high altitude sickness?
High altitude sickness may occur at high altitudes (over 2700m) due to the decreasing availability of oxygen. It usually occurs following a rapid ascent and can usually be prevented by ascending slowly. Symptoms often manifest themselves six to ten hours after ascent and generally subside in one to two days, but they occasionally develop into the more serious conditions. Common symptoms of high altitude sickness include shortness of breath, headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness, and sleep disturbance.
2. How to avoid or relieve high altitude sickness?

  1. Keep a good mood, don’t be too excited or be too worried about high altitude sickness. Before visiting Tibet, get as healthy as possible, both physically and psychologically.
  2. Take care of yourself and avoid catching cold before going to Tibet, and not to take shower at the first two days after you are in Lhasa to avoid being cold, or you will easily suffer from altitude sickness under weak physical condition.
  3. Do not drink any alcohol on the first two days when you are in Tibet. Drink plenty of water and eat light, high-carbohydrate meals for more energy.
  4. Do not run, jump or do some taxing jobs at the first two days. Being peaceful and having a good rest are important.
  5. Once you have the symptoms of altitude sickness, take some medicine (it is said that it’s helpful to have some butter tea if you can adapt to the flavor of it) and don’t go higher. Medication and oxygen also help to prevent altitude sickness. Mild altitude sickness symptoms can be treated with proper medication. If medication and oxygen do not relieve the symptoms, go to hospital or evacuate immediately to a safe altitude!
  6. Oxygen can help you relieve the symptoms of altitude sickness, but do not use it too often in Lhasa while your symptoms of altitude sickness are not serious. If you feel chilly or feel very uncomfortable, you should go to the nearest hospital available in the area.
  7. In addition to the normal medications for traveling it is advisable to bring high altitude medication. Seek suggestions from your doctor.
  8. Tell your tour guide quickly if you don’t feel well and follow the guide’s advice.

3. What should I do if I have high altitude sickness after arriving in Tibet?
There are hospitals in many large cities in Tibet. You may adapt to mild high altitude sickness by yourself slowly and you may go to hospital if it is serious. After you have already had high altitude sickness, you should rest well, do not move too much, keep eating, drink some water with black sugar or take some medicine. If the high altitude sickness is pretty severe, you should go to hospital, or descend to some lower places, or leave Lhasa immediately. High altitude sickness shall disappear after you descend to certain altitude and it has no sequel symptoms.
4. Is high altitude sickness more serious if going to Tibet by plane than by train?
Exactly, but both means have their advantages and disadvantages. You are more likely to have high altitude sickness because you don’t have enough time to adapt to the plateau environment gradually if you go by plane. The altitude change is directly from several hundreds meters to more than 3000 meters. While, if you go to Tibet by train, you can adapt your body to the high plateau environment slowly and gradually. Then, you may relieve or avoid high altitude sickness.
5. People with what kind of diseases can not go to Tibet? Do I need physical practice before traveling to Tibet?
People with the following diseases can not travel to Tibet:

  • People with all kinds of organic heart diseases, severe arrhythmia or resting heart rate over 100per minute, high blood pressure II or above, all kinds of blood diseases and cranial vascular diseases.
  • People with chronic respiratory system diseases, medium degree of obstructive pulmonary diseases or above, such as bronchus expansion, emphysema and so on.
  • People with diabetes mellitus which is not controlled properly, hysteria, epilepsia and schizophrenia.
  • People with bad cold, upper respiratory tract infections, and body temperature above 38F or below 38F while the whole body and the respiratory system have obvious symptoms, are not recommended to travel to Tibet until they’re OK.
  • People who were diagnosed to have high altitude pulmonary edema, high altitude cerebral edema, high altitude hypertension with obvious increase of blood pressure, high altitude heart diseases and high altitude polycythemia.
  • High risk pregnant women.

If you are not sure about your body condition, you may have a physical examination. But you are not supposed to do more exercise before going to Tibet, for exercising will give more burdens to your heart and you’ll need more oxygen, which may easily cause high altitude sickness.
6. Why can not people with cold go to Tibet? What should I do if I catch a cold in Tibet?
Your immune system shall be weak if you catch a cold and you may suffer high altitude sickness easily because of it. Besides, severe cold may easily turn to some more serious high altitude diseases, especially pulmonary edema, which is very dangerous. So you are not supposed to travel to Tibet before you get rid of a cold.
While, if you catch a cold in Tibet, things might not be so serious, because your body has already, to some extent, adapt to the plateau environment and you can go to a doctor and take some medicine
Permits & certificates
1. Are there any limitations or restrictions imposed on foreigners to travel to Tibet? How about overseas Chinese, Taiwan Compatriots and Hong Kong and Macao compatriots? How to handle it and how long does it take?
There are some special requirements for foreign travelers to Tibet. Firstly, foreign tourists to Tibet must be organized by travel agencies, with confirmed routes. Secondly, a Tibet Travel Permit issued by the Tibet Tourism Bureau is indispensable. The Tibet Travel Permit must be obtained before they head to Tibet. What’s more, foreigners are not allowed to travel alone in Tibet by their own, even with the travel permit. They must be accompanied by a licensed tour guide. Tibet travel permit is also required from overseas Chinese and Taiwan Compatriots, while Hong Kong and Macao compatriots can travel to Tibet like other Chinese citizen with valid Home Return Permit. Foreigners, overseas Chinese and Taiwan compatriots can apply for Tibet travel permit from Tibet tourism bureau or certain qualified travel agencies with valid passport (copies), visa (copies) and job certificate. Usually, it can be obtained in one week and 2 to 3 days if you are in urgent need.
2. What is Tibet Entry Permit? How to get a Tibet Entry Permit and what documents are required to get it?
Tibet Entry Permit, also known as Tibet Tourism Bureau (TTB) Permit or Tibet Visa, is the basic document for foreign travelers to enter into Tibet. No foreign visitor can visit Tibet without holding the Tibet Entry Permit in their hands. Foreign tourists are required to show both their Chinese Visa and Tibet Entry Permit when they change for the boarding passes of flying to Tibet or board trains to Tibet.
Tibet Entry Permit is officially issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau, in purpose of restricting the numbers of foreign visitors. With this permit, foreigner tourists can travel in Lhasa region including Lhasa city, Yamdrok Lake, Ganden, Tsurphu, Namtso, Drigung Til and Reting.
Tibet Entry Permit is not available for independent travelers. Foreign travelers have to travel in tour group and ask legitimate travel agency to apply Tibet tour for you.
Documents required:
You can get Tibet entry permit (TTB permit) by sending certain qualified travel agency the first page of your valid passport and a copy of your Chinese visa by fax or by email, and state clearly your occupations (Foreign journalists and diplomats are not allowed to go to Tibet as a tourist). If you are Taiwan Compatriots, send us the copies of your MTP-Mainland Travel Permits or called Taiwan Compatriot Entry Permit/travel document (commonly known as “Tai Bao Zheng”), and tell us your occupations.
If you are the citizens of Hong Kong and Macau SAR, China Re-entry Permit for Hong Kong & Macau Compatriots is enough to travel in Tibet. You are not required to apply for the Tibet Permit.
Pay attention: If you are planning to travel to places officially closed to foreigners in Tibet, an Alien’s Travel Permit is required.
3. What is Alien’s Travel Permit?
Except Tibet Entry Permit, an Alien’s Travel Permit is required if you are planning to travel to places officially closed to foreigners in Tibet, such as Mt. Everest, Rongbuk Monastery, Mt. Kailash and Lake Manasorovar. Alien’s Travel Permit is not needed for places in Lhasa region, towns of Shigatse and Tsetang, or nonstop travel on Friendship Highway.
Alliens’ Travel Permit is required to visit ‘unopened’ areas. Which is issued by the police (Public Security Bureau, “PSB”). Usually you can apply for it once you arrive at Lhasa. For tour groups, our guide will ask you for the passport and TTB permit and submit it to the Foreign Affairs Section of PSB for the Travel Permit. It normally takes several hours and the cost is 50 CNY/person. If you are an individual traveler, you need to join local tours to ‘unopen’ areas, and the local travel agencies will arrange the PSB for you as well. Pay attention, there is no travel agency can provide ‘PSB permit-only’ service.
Notice: If you want to do a Tibet overland tour from Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai or Xinjiang province to Tibet, you must got the PSB permit before your tour starts.
4. Which parts of Tibet are listed as the closed areas?
At present, you have to apply for a Travel Permit if you are planning to visit the following places:Tsedang: Samye Monastery, Tomb of Tibetan King, Trundruk Monastery, YumbulakhangShigatse: Sakya Monastery, Mt. Everest, Rongbuk MonasteryGyangtse: Pelkor Chode Monastery & Kubum StupaNgari Region: Mt. Kailash, Lake Manasarovar, Tsaparang, Years, etc. Nyingchi Region: Basum-tso, Pomi, Rawo-tso, etc.Chamdo Region: Chamdo, Riwoche, Tengchen, etc.
5. Are there any other certificates and permits may be required in Tibet?
Except Tibet Entry Permit, Alien’s Travel Permit, there are Military Permit, Foreign-affairs permit and other permits which may be required when traveling in Tibet.
Sensitive border are as such as Mt Kailash and eastern Tibet also require a military permit and a foreign-affairs permit. For Tholing and Tsaparang in western Tibet you will also need a permit from the local Cultural Antiquities Department. All these will be arranged by our travel agency one month before you enter Tibet. The Military Permit is issued by troop while the Foreign-affair’s permit is issued by Foreign affairs office in Lhasa. It normally takes 10-15 working days to get them all.
6. How to deal with the visa from Tibet to Nepal? Can I apply for Nepal visa in Lhasa? Is it fast? Shall I be denied?
Nepal has two embassies in China: one is in Beijing and the other is in Lhasa. It is easier and more convenient to handle the Nepal visa in Lhasa as long as you conform to the certain procedures. And there are seldom any cases of denial. But the visa officers don’t work at regular time, so you are recommended to stay several more days in Lhasa to apply for Nepal visa and it is more secured if you handle the visa first after you arrive in Lhasa. The general consulate of Nepal is in Lhasa, near the Norbulinka Park. Normally you can get the visa in the afternoon of the next working day if you submit the application and necessary documents in the morning of the first day. The time to submit document is from 10am to 12am, Monday to Friday. So, you need plan a couple of days in Lhasa to wait the visa. The time to get visa is usually at 4pm, once you get the visa, you can fly to Kathmandu or set out to Zhangmu border by cars or by bus.
To apply for Nepal visa in Lhasa, you need prepare the original passport, 2 passport size copies and complete a form. Your passport must be valid at least for the next 6 months. There are three kinds of visas according to period you plan to stay in Neal, the 15 days, 30 days and the 3 months. If you are going to stay more than 15 days in Nepal, it is better to get the visa in Lhasa, as the border office issued 15 days visa only and it is relatively expensive to extend the visa in Kathmandu or Gorkaha.
You can also get Nepal visa at the border. Not far away from the Friendship Bridge, you can get the arrival visa of 15 days stay at the border office with 25 USD. You need prepare a passport size photo and complete a form as well.
What to Pack:
1. What drugs to take when traveling to Tibet?
In the first few days after arrival in Tibet, you may experience some degree of altitude reaction. Colds, insomnia and digestive disorders are common. Take an adequate supply of any prescription medication you use regularly, including medicine for cold, headache, stomachache, and insect bite, diarrhea and so on, like the Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Antibiotics, throat lozenges, nasal decongestant and vitamins etc. Most over-the-counter medicines, such as aspirin and anti-diarrheal pills, are available in Lhasa, but are more difficult to obtain outside of urban areas. It is advisable to take anti-altitude sickness drugs to cope with oxygen deficiency. Bring diamox pills which are believed to be able to prevent the altitude sickness effectively. Please consult your doctor prior to your travel to Tibet.
2. What food to take when traveling to Tibet?You may take some chocolate, dried beef, hot pickled mustard tuber, biscuit and other food and snacks you like. You’d better take food with high calorie. You may also take some gum with you, which may help relieve the symptom of syrigmus and headache. When traveling to remote areas of Tibet it is a good idea to pack some food, snacks, and drinking water. It is not always easy to find food or drinkable water in these areas. Water purification equipment, such as hand pump filters, is not necessary, as bottled mineral water and thermoses of boiled water are available everywhere throughout Tibet. Water purification tablets can be useful during trekking. It is a good idea to take a good quality multivitamin to supplement your diet since a supply of vegetables and fruits may not be readily available.
3. The necessary commodities you should take when traveling to Tibet Necessities: sunglasses, hat, sun cream, skin cream, lipstick, long sleeve clothes, sweaters, Passport, visa, money, credit card, camera, film, batteries, toiletries, cosmetics, knife, watch, day bag-pack, big travel bags (soft luggage), water bottle, journal, reading book, writing materials, binoculars, family pictures and snack foods.
4. What kind of clothes and shoes should be taken when traveling to Tibet?
Clothes
The temperatures change greatly on the altiplano. In the north part of Tibet, people wear thick coats all year round (including July and August which are the hottest months in most of the areas in China). The highest temperature is 4-5 degrees centigrade in northern Tibet. It also snows in July and August.
The temperature difference in a single day is big. In Lhasa, the temperature in July arrives at 30 degrees centigrade at daytime, but falls to 10 degrees centigrade at night. Sometimes it will snow or sleet at night, so you’d better take some down garments (those with hats will better), woolen sweaters, warm gloves, warm and wind-proof shoes and socks. Wearing several layers of clothing that can be easily added or removed is the wise choice since temperatures may vary greatly within a single day.
Most hotels in Tibet have no central heating. The air-conditioners in single rooms do not work well in the cold night. In winter, from November to next March, of course you need bring down jackets, warm sweaters, gloves, warm pants, woolen hats. It is very cold in the morning and evening. In summer, wearing a T-shirt in day time but the Jacket is necessary at hotel in the morning and evening.
During the peak tourism season, April, May, September and October, you need to prepare T-shirts, overcoats and jeans, warm sweaters. Besides, frequent rainfall in this season makes waterproof clothing and raingear absolute necessities.
Even in summer, a down coat is necessary for those who are traveling beyond Lhasa and Shigatse into more remote areas such as the Everest Camp. A windbreaker plus a sweater will work nicely for strolling around Lhasa in summer.
Other essentials to pack include four or five pairs of cotton or woolen underwear, four or five pairs of woolen socks, long sleeve cotton or lightweight wool shirts and T-shirts. Women should avoid skirts or dresses.
Also, whenever you visit Tibet, if your plan includes overnight at Everest Base Camp or Namtso Lake, or a several days outdoor trek in mountain area, to keep warm is very important. The winter clothes are a must. However, you do not need to worry too much about clothing, you can buy any kind of clothes you need in Lhasa and clothes is quite cheap.
Shoes
It is very important to have a strong comfortable pair of boots, especially your travel covers remote area and you have to walk for a long distance. For example, if your travel reaches Everest Base Camp, you need to cover 8 km from Rongpuk Monastery to EBC and back. Lightweight boots are fine, but Tibet can be wet and we will do extensive walking, so make sure your shoes fit well and are suitable for cold and puddles. You should also have a pair of comfortable and tough sandals.
5. What certificates and documents should I take with me when I travel to Tibet?
Of course you should take your passport, China visa and Tibet travel permit with you. Or you won’t be allowed not even to get on the plane or the train.
There are overall four documents required for foreign tourists who want to travel freely in Tibet:
Chinese Visa – you can apply for in Chinese Embassy in your country;
Tibet Entry Permit – It is issued by Tibet Tourism Bureau and is a must for foreigners entering Tibet;
Travel Permit: It is required when you are planning to travel to the closed areas in Tibet, and you can obtain it after you arrive in Tibet
Military Permit – you have to obtain if you are planning to travel to some military sensitive areas.

7 Steps to Landing Great Travel Nursing Jobs

Travel nursing jobs. The title alone can spur excitement for many working in the nursing profession. But how does one start a travel nursing career? Whether you’re a registered nurse or just someone who is starting nursing school, the path to landing a thrilling travel nurse job can be confusing. This guide will help describe the steps necessary to starting a great career filled with wonderful nursing jobs and experiences.
Step 1: Choose a Staffing Company that Offers Travel Nursing Jobs
Choosing a medical staffing firm is the first step to starting your career with travel nursing. There are a lot of medical staffing agencies in the United States that a budding travel nurse can choose from, and it’s important that anyone who is looking forward to great travel nursing jobs do the appropriate research. Ideally, you want to partner with a medical staffing agency that best suits your needs. Here are some things to keep in mind when researching travel nursing companies.
o Find medical staffing firms with a track record. Established firms will often have the best connections to great travel job opportunities. Those that have been in business for a number of years will often have the largest selection of travel nursing jobs.
o Partner with staffing firms who listen to you. That means they’ll be on hand to listen to you when you tell them what you want. If you want the best travel nursing job, then you’ll want to connect with recruiters who will be receptive to your personal needs and professional ambitions. Be wary of medical staffing recruiters who try to pressure you into taking travel jobs in locations where you are not interested.
o Search for staffing companies who are interested in helping your career thrive. These companies will help you line up the travel nursing jobs that will let you advance your career quickly. Some medical staffing agencies will also be able to connect you to continuing education resources and other programs that will let you develop your professional skills.
o Talk to others who are travel nurses. You can find travel nurses in online forums or in person. Ask them what medical staffing companies they would recommend.
Step 2: Apply for Travel Jobs
Many medical staffing recruiters make it easy to apply online. Keep in mind that simply completing an application for a travel RN job doesn’t require you to work with that agency. The experienced and recommended staffing agencies make their applications available for free.
Step 3: Talk to a Medical Staffing Recruiter
When your application for travel nurse job is accepted, you’ll be assigned to a single member on the staffing recruiter’s team. This is the person you’ll be working with to find the right travel jobs for you. A good nursing staffing agency will partner you with a recruiter that’s interested in matching you with the jobs that will help you advance your career.
Step 4: Select your Travel Nursing Job Assignments
Think about where you want to go for your travel assignments. Also consider the type of facility where you want to work. Would you prefer to take a travel job in a large hospital or a in a smaller, private practice? You will discuss the advantages of each assignment with your travel recruiter, and you’ll talk about the requirements of each travel nursing job position.
Step 5: Conduct a Telephone Interview with Your Preferred Facility
After you narrow down your travel nurse job opportunities, you’ll need to conduct a phone interview with someone at the facility. The person who conducts the interviews for travel nursing jobs will usually be the nursing manager. Your recruiter should give you a few interview tips to help you land the travel job you want.
Step 6: Accept Your Assignment
After a successful travel job interviews, you’ll likely to be offered an assignment. If there are any credentialing or licensing requirements for the travel nursing job offered, your medical staffing recruiter should help you iron out all the details. You should also expect to be contacted by housing managers who will be able to arrange a living space.
Step 7: Start Your Adventure with Travel Nursing Jobs
Prepare your luggage. Make a list of what you need to take; go shopping for clothes and any other items you may need. Then it’s time to leave. But don’t worry if you run into any problems you may encounter at your travel nurse job. Your recruiter should be keeping in touch and will be able to help you with anything you may need.

Will One Be Successful With a Travel MLM Opportunity in This Economy?

Question: What would you do if you had more time and money?
Chances are, travel is one of those things you would love to do.
Given the current economy, people want to make money and to save money. Some will cut back on their most pressing needs, and others will go totally frugal.
We cannot argue, travel is something we would all love to do.
Given the size of the industry, people will no doubt still travel.
However, your choice of travel MLM business opportunity, as well as your own individual traits and characteristics will decide whether you find success or not.
Given the various travel MLM organizations around, such as Global Resorts Network, Coastal Vacations, Your Travel Biz, and so many others, you have so much choice in what company you choose to join.
The price point of whatever travel product or service you choose to advertise will however influence how well you may eventually do.
People will definitely be hunting for a bargain as they look to save on vacations and taxes for themselves and their loved ones.
So the low-end travel products and services will bring in the masses. These have universal appeal, and of course have to be better priced MLM travel products and services than what consumers are already buying, without sacrificing quality.
The mid-point and high-end opportunities and products may be viable, though perhaps a little more difficult.
For business builders, given the large size of the industry, there are definitely many opportunities that can be exploited, again with price being a major determinant.
World over, the baby-boom age band is nearing retirement. It’s been proven that for the most part, people in their later years spend more money in certain industries, particularly, healthcare and leisure travel.
A travel home business opportunity, if well positioned, can be a perfect offering for this generation. Not to say this is the only target market of course, as you also have budget travelers, adventure travelers, people seeking timeshare alternatives, corporate travelers, and many others.
Travel is something everybody does. They either book with you or Expedia, Travelocity, of one of the other travel providers.
In some cases, a travel business opportunity can provide more competitive fares than traditional travel companies and search engines, because of their bulk-buying concept.
A travel business opportunity will offer you multiple ways to earn money upfront, while you build a residual income. You can market cruises, vacations, holidays to dream destinations at dream prices, as well as conventional travel.
Some of these opportunities offer an option to become a travel agent or consultant, and market leisure travel at very competitive rates for the most part.
Success with travel will depend on your offering something that offers the customers usefulness, or helps them create or save money without too much hassle or difficulty.
Travel is a broad and very competitive industry, but targeting a small niche within this industry, gives you focus and can lead to greater success that trying to take the whole market.
Travel network marketing companies carve out niches within the broader travel industry. In marketing travel, it may well be wise to choose a company that works within a niche that best suits you, and that shows signs of growth in the years ahead.
Travel is not a difficult concept to explain. Compare this to other industries, where you have to explain technicalities and complexities involved with the products (science and formulas behind them).
The easier the product is to talk about, the easier it is to duplicate.
While there will undoubtedly be so many ways to market your travel MLM business opportunity, it will all depend on the effort you put in, as well as what the best market for you is.

Champions Online Travel Power Guide

Champions Online does not include mounts like many other MMOs, it does however include a large variety of travel powers, allowing you to get around in a way fitting to your hero. Nearly any concept can have an appropriate travel power, and Cryptic has been adding new skins for travel powers every once in a while, enabling for more specific concepts to have a better matching way to get around.
This article will only be discussing the travel powers themselves and not the Advantages that can be accessed for some of them by spending Advantage Points.
At level 5 you can choose your first travel power, with a second being available at level 35. When it comes to getting around the various zones in CO, having a way to travel through the air is much more convenient than being stuck on the ground. Since you can get 2 travel powers I would recommend at least one that lets you travel through the air, even if it doesn’t fit your character’s concept. It’s not necessary to do so, but it’ll make it easier to travel through certain areas, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the various zones.
With the exception of Teleportation and Tunneling, all travel powers have multiple stages resulting in various speeds. In combat or without charging is the slowest and gradually building up to the 3rd and fastest stage, which can be accessed by fully charging the travel power. Jet Boots are the exception to this as it uses 3 stages but can not be charged.
All travel powers that have a graphical effect to them can be colored to some extent by gold members. Silver members are stuck with the default look.
Flight/Fire Flight/Rainbow Flight – Probably the most iconic super hero way to travel as many classic comic characters can fly and is an easy way of seeing someone who has super human abilities. in CO flight offers great maneuverability and moderate speed. Flight has no real noticeable graphic, but many types of wings will flap or glide while flying.
Fire Flight is the exact same as flight, except your character is on fire.
Rainbow Flight is an exact copy of flight, except your character leaves a rainbow trail while flying and has a multi-color glow at their feet.
Super-speed/Light Speed – Super-speed is the fastest base travel power. It mainly enhances run speed, but provides a bit of extra jump height and makes it harder for enemies to notice you, which is handy as you’ll likely be passing by enemies fairly regularly as you travel. While you have to go around buildings and other obstacles, the speed of it generally makes up for it if you know your way around.
Light Speed is an exact copy of super-speed, except your character leaves a Tron-like light trail behind them.
Teleportation – Teleportation is one of the more unique travel powers and also one of the most active ones. Unlike the other travel powers, teleportation can’t remain active, but rather by activating it you get a short period of time where you get a very maneuverable flight as well as gaining stealth. After teleportation ends you remain stealth a few seconds and slowly fall towards the ground and can choose to reactivate teleportation right away if desired. Traveling long distances requires hitting teleportation each time it fades, so is more involved than other travel powers for traveling. If you enter combat shortly after using teleportation, you get a 10 second cool down before being able to teleport again.
Teleportation is currently bugged and will not always grant slow fall when you exit a teleport. This can cause you to take fall damage if your character hits the ground before teleporting again.
Super-jump/Rocket Jump – Super-jump gives your character the ability to jump really high and fast. Super-jump offers a good in between for characters who don’t want fly but don’t want to be stuck on the ground either. Generally it’s fairly safe as even if you land near a ground of enemies, they’ll rarely get a chance to react before you’re out of distance, but it does occasionally happen that one or more enemies will hit you. You have to hit your jump key in between each jump, so it’s a bit more involved than most other travel powers. It’s also a bit more difficult to use indoors as there isn’t much room to jump in some places and there may be objects such as pipes that you can run into, slowing you down.
Rocket Jump is exactly the same as super-jump, except your character is propelled by rockets on their feet.
Acrobatics – Acrobatics is a run and jump increasing travel power, where both fall in between super-speed and super-jump. At rank 1 it’s probably the most difficult to travel with power as it’s not too fast and you can’t jump high enough to get over medium size obstacles. It also doesn’t grant any stealth like super-speed does, so you’re more likely to take damage while traveling. At higher ranks it works a lot better for traveling, but still remains kind of weak compared to other alternatives. It is one of the best to use in combat for increased maneuverability.
Tunneling – Tunneling causes your character to go underground and move at an increased speed. It can allow you to pass by enemies without them noticing you, but you will continue to take damage from DoTs or attacks that were incoming even after you’re underground. Tunneling can not travel pass obstacles in the ground, no matter how small. This makes it fairly difficult to use and really only worth taking if it fits your character. Despite your character being underground you still have to maneuver around all obstacles, even small ones that can normally be run past or require a tiny hop to get over. It’s not very fast either and takes a few seconds when activating or deactivating the power.
Swinging – Swinging is another fairly active travel power. Once activated, your first jump will send you high into the air and pressing and holding jump after that will cause your character to grapple into the air and swing forward. If held your character will continue to swing back and forth and if jump is released your character will release their grapple and go in whichever direction they were swinging at the time. This allows you to adjust your height and speed depending on when you release. If going for speed it is fairly fast, but does requiring timing your jumps properly. It does not require anything to grapple onto, you automatically grapple even the air and can essentially fly with it. It’s very limited use indoors as you don’t have much room for swinging and can easily run into objects.
Hover Disk/Earth Flight/Rainbow Flight: Cloud – These powers give you a less maneuverable version of flight, but give your character an object to stand on. The object is just for show and serves no special person beyond it’s look.
Hover Disk gives you a sci-fi/tech style disk to stand on. It also has the benefit of being slightly faster than flight and the other two powers, although I believe it is slightly less maneuverable.
Earth Flight gives you a piece of earth to stand on, which varies in appearance some depending on where you use it. If you’re in the air when earth flight activates you get a cloud instead.
Rainbow Flight: Cloud gives you a cloud fairly similar to using Earth Flight in the air, except it’ll always give the cloud and the cloud has a rainbow trail similar to rainbow flight.
Ice Slide – Ice Slide is probably the most advanced travel power to get good use out of. When using it your character stands on a piece of ice and leaves an ice/water type trail behind them. It’s base speed is similar to hover disk, however, it is capable of being the fastest travel power if used properly. Also, unlike other flight powers, ice slide will slowly fall to the ground if you’re not moving up. Traveling up slows your speed a bit, but traveling down increases your speed. With the proper technique you can get great speeds with it.
Jet Boots – Jet Boots are very similar to flight, except instead of being able to charge them to full speed, they always start at their slowest speed. In exchange for that penalty though, jet boots are a decent amount faster than flight. They also offer pretty good maneuverability as well. When using this travel power, your character has a colored flame beneath both feet. This is my favorite travel power overall as it offers good speed and maneuverability and not being able to charge it is a very minor penalty.

Travel: The Perfect Industry for Career Options During Challenging Times

if has a simple rule of finding what your true passion is and once in place success will soon follow. Travel is my #1 passion in life and that passion is fast becoming a viable career option for myself and many fellow entrepreneurs.
I have a business background in Graphic and Web Designs and my Plan B revolves around my true passion in life. I love traveling to exotic locations and did my homework for side career options and very lucky to have aligned myself with a business partner out of Plano, Texas that has a three level membership package with a four income stream compensation model that includes the opportunity for high producing associates to have their monthly car and house payment covered. In simple terms: get a piece of the largest industry in the world and create financial security for your family.
The membership packages includes a High Level Travel package that features getaway packages at world class locations tied into bonuses that includes medical evacuation insurance. All three have unique benefits with members able to access unforgettable travel programs at pricing that previously had only been in play for the elite members of society. It offers to members dozens of pre-planned vacation package packages at wholesale pricing via a proprietary search technology that combines high-tech and high-touch to take members to the next step in travel… great pricing and less stress is the combination that is causing travelers world wide to bookmark my travel website.
The back end of the package is the ability for entrepreneurs to become part of the annual $8 trillion travel industry marketing a very easy to duplicate business model backed by some of the finest direct sales and personal development training in the world today. We have the training and marketing materials to allow anyone that is coachable and driven for success to create a lucrative income marketing world wide from the comfort of their very own home based offices.
The travel industry is on an estimated growth pattern estimated to double its current pace in the next 4-6 years. CNN Money stated that travel accounts for 43% of all online spending. $8 trillion dollars of annual revenue is what makes the travel industry such an attractive option. I know the travel industry in detail and once people understand the magnitude of this industry and how just grabbing a small piece of that pie can turn their lives around financially the interest level rises dramatically.
The business model that has taken worldwide offers three levels of membership packages featuring great vacation packages with the best in pricing options and implementation of the best in technology to create a stress free environment. “From a scenic tour of ancient Castles in Scotland to a romantic getaway in the Caribbean I can offer a complete A-Z menu for travelers that includes bonuses such as the best in Concierge Services….. Truly THE BEST option in play today for travelers big and small who want the finest in pricing, services and bonus features.”
Imagine being part of this exciting industry and one of the reasons that interest level is so high with so many great individuals from previous careers as direct sales reps to CEOs of national companies. The training is hosted by some of the best Direct Sales trainers in the world and includes award winning three and five day workshops that were created to help all associates not only become the best in sales functions but also to help them create an overall balance in their lives to allow them to create the desired harmony in their lives that sadly is missing for so many right during these very challenging times.
Individuals in a serious search for a new career option will find being in the travel industry is fast becoming THE STANDARD with serious minded entrepreneurs.

The Truth About Government Travel Advisories, Warnings and Alerts

If you’re like most people and you believe that government travel advisories, warning and alerts represent the most accurate advice for business travelers then you are terribly mistaken.
Here are the key elements that all business travelers and travel managers need to know regarding the validity and application of government travel alerts and travel related advice. Knowing and understanding these few simple issues will save your company unnecessary travel delays and disruptions under almost any circumstance. The main points to always consider in the wake of a renewed or updated advisory, warning or alert is the target audience, specific government resources, commercial relevance and the avoidance of evacuation scenarios.
The primary demographic for government advisories are first time travelers, backpackers, families and anyone else with little to no prior traveling experience and preparation or the lowest possible denominator. It is this group that governments aim their advice and analysis towards with the belief that if this group is adequately informed, then all remaining demographics will be covered. Unfortunately this results in an artificially low benchmark for all travelers not within this group.These other groups depend upon travel for business productivity, management and administration and the more likely to have their travel plans altered unnecessarily due to many government alerts. This is in part due to corporate risk avoidance (in the belief the government travel advisories are adequate) and insurance companies bench-marking many of their travel policy exclusions on that of government travel advice (again, in the belief the government are catering to their needs too). Unless you are a first time traveler, significantly inexperienced or lack appropriate business support while traveling, then the majority of government travel advice does not apply to you.
Detailed examination of dedicated resources aimed at travel related advice and content typically reveals little more than a handful of “specific” resources. That is, someone or department dedicated solely to the collection, analysis and dissemination of commercially relevant travel advice. Most government resources are “shared” services when it comes to travel intelligence and advice with general non-government travel a very small increment of their overall mandate. Smaller countries have no dedicated resources and simply “share” the advice from coalition partners or more populace countries, further diluting the relevance to their citizens. Most continuous travel advisory services, provided by a government, are little more than a chronology of publicly available media updates. While resources are limited in the first instance, it is the lack of commercial experience that constitutes the greatest flaw to government travel advisories.
What little resources there are that are aimed at travel intelligence typically lack any direct commercial experience. Therefore, all their apparent advice is predicated more on the interests of the government (resulting in censorship, omissions and politically correct publications) than that of any business sector or commercial demographic. When you have soldiers, government agents and police officers commenting on matters relating to commerce and business travel, you get little actionable advice due to their inability to put into commercial context the impact events may have from a purely commercial perspective rather than a transnational or political viewpoint.
Behind closed doors, most governments admit they do not maintain nor posses the resources (assumed by most of their citizens) for large scale evacuations from any corner of the globe. Regrettably many travelers have grown to assume that complete failure to take responsibility for their own safety and security while traveling will always be compensated by the government’s ability to swoop in and save then if they should so choose. This is wrong and very dangerous for those with such a belief. For those governments that would even consider an evacuation of their nationals (not very many) they will often go to great lengths to advise their citizens to leave or make personal arrangements long before any government is forced into acting. Landing troops or foreign government elements in someone else country is always the choice of last resort and highly prone to complications, even if it were possible.
Anything published by a government will always have the country’s national interests such as economy, trade and diplomatic relationships carefully considered before release. Anything that may threaten such strategic goals is likely to be withheld, including government travel advisories, warnings and alerts. Now that you understand the importance of being self sufficient and discerning when it comes to government travel advice you will waste less time placing priority on such updates and focus on more commercially relevant inputs. As a result, your company travel risk management process will be far more resilient and less impacted by the stop/start affect created by government updates, warnings and alerts. You may also now identify gaps that need to be filled by insufficient commercial content from government sources.
Government travel advisories, warnings and alerts focus on the wrong target demographic, lack the appropriate resources, have little commercial relevance and seek to avoid last minute acts such as evacuations. Now that you too are aware of these limitations you should be better positioned to make business decisions in the wake of crisis, emergency and dynamic events that affect a location and your business travelers. Business travel risk management is a commercial process and can only be achieved with appropriate commercial products and services.

Elements of a Strong Corporate Travel Program

In order to make the most of your corporate travel budget, it is critical to plan for leveraging your program for all it is worth. Telling travelers to select the lowest logical airfare is just not enough. Here are the elements that should be considered when planning or evaluating your travel program.
1. Travel policy
A well written and disseminated travel policy is the foundation of any good travel program, and I am consistently amazed that so many corporations have such an outdated and poorly conceived travel policy, if they have one at all. It is not difficult to find a well written policy. One can be found online quite easily. All that remains is that it is edited to reflect corporate culture, and disseminated within the company so that everyone understands and agrees to follow it. For this reason, it is a good idea to have everyone sign a copy of the travel policy to ensure that it is read, understood and owned by all company staff. I suggest that everyone in the company signs a copy of the travel policy, whether they travel or not. They may change positions in the company later and be required to travel. A travel policy need not be long or complex. Some of the best travel policies I have ever seen were only a few pages long.
2. Centralized travel internally and externally
Many companies do not centralize their travel program, and they pay a price in terms of a loss of expense reduction opportunities and internal efficiencies. Many companies that do not centralize travel have a fear of requiring travelers to do something they may not want to do, along with the idea that centralizing travel will require hiring a Travel Manager. Both of these may be legitimate concerns but they do not have to be in most cases. By requiring travelers to book centrally, you are not necessarily causing them to lose flexibility. You can centralize travel while still allowing travelers to book on their own, either with a travel agency of your choice, or online through a provider that you have partnered with and have confidence in. By assigning someone with the responsibility of overseeing travel, you are getting a single point of contact both internally and externally for travel issues. If your company spends less than $1 million in air travel, you probably do not need a full time travel manager. In these cases, travel oversight can be given to the finance department, human resources, or even an executive level assistant. Here is a look at the advantages to be gained by centralizing travel.
When you centralize travel with a single agency, you gain in a number of important ways. You will have a single point of contact for problems while travelers are on the road, and you will have one entity to go to for all your travel needs. This eliminates the problem of consolidating a travel report from among several sources. By bringing travel together, you will gain significantly from economies of scale. If you can measure total travel among various divisions or locations, you can get more for your money from travel suppliers. This will allow you to gain more from airline soft dollar programs, which means more free tickets and upgrades, get a higher percentage discount from our preferred airline, and get better negotiated rates from your hotel and car contracts. Your fulfillment costs will decrease as well, as your travel agency will often discount their fees for a higher overall volume of travel.
3. Mix of online booking and personal service
This is an addendum to the previous element, which calls for centralizing travel with one travel agency. This is important, but in doing so, you need not require travelers to use an online booking system, and you need not require travelers to call the agency directly. By offering travelers the option of doing either, you are accomplishing several goals. You will reduce your fulfillment costs, as online booking is cheaper in terms of a service fee. By giving travelers the option, you are giving them a sense of control, thereby increasing morale and standing a better chance of a high adoption rate. Thirdly, you leave open a best practice of using your online booking engine for less complex itineraries, and allowing senior executives, frequent travelers, and complex itineraries to be booked directly with a travel agent that can offer a higher level of service and a better overall travel experience where it is most warranted.
4. Look under every stone
While the bulk of most travel programs revolve around the air budget, there are several other areas one can investigate to find savings opportunities. There are a couple of more obvious areas to look, such as negotiated hotel rates at your favorite hotels, or car rental discounts with a favored supplier. Often your travel agency will already have discounted rates through consortia affiliations and agency car contracts. There are also some less common areas that should be investigated. For example, if ground transportation is a concern, most suppliers will offer discounted rates and a direct billing option. Direct billing arrangements with hotels and car rental agencies are also a great way to increase efficiencies and make the job of the accounting department easier.
5. Leverage hard dollar and soft dollar contracts
Most major airlines today offer hard dollar discounts as well as soft dollar incentives in exchange for company loyalty to their product. If your travel program is over $1 million in air spend, you can secure a discount off of the lowest fares of your carrier of choice in return for a market share commitment. For your secondary carriers, or if your volume is less than the minimum required by the airline, you can enter in to soft dollar programs for free tickets and free upgrades, as well as traveler status enhancements or airport club passes. These programs require little in the way of volume, but they are not well publicized so you may need to hunt for them or ask Baker Travel or your current agency to point you in the right direction.
6. Do not neglect hotel volume
Hotel volume is sometimes overlooked but it should not be. Negotiated rates can be had through your travel agency or directly with the hotel properties of your choice. Individual hotels near corporate locations will negotiate discounted rates for you in exchange for a minimum room/night commitment. By utilizing a travel agency, you are likely to receive discounts of 5% to 50% on thousands of hotels worldwide.
7. Have at least one car rental contract
Rental car contracts are easy to enter into and require little in the way of commitment from the corporation. Choose a partner that has airport locations and a reputation for excellent customer service. You can save 5-10% very easily and can also negotiate frequent renter membership for all your employees. This will make them more efficient and enhance morale. You can also enter in to direct billing agreements at the same time that can make the jobs of your travelers and accounting staff much less stressful.
8. Understand group and meeting contracts
Airlines and hotels will discount your fares and rates when you have groups traveling together or meeting at a single destination from multiple points of origin. These meeting contracts can bring you airfare discounts of 2-10%, and if you have enough travelers on a single airline, you may be able to negotiate for free tickets to be awarded at contract completion. The minimum requirement is usually 10 travelers going to the same place at the same time. Some airlines have higher minimums so be sure to ask before a contract is generated. Hotels will discount their rates in a similar way with a minimum of 10 room nights. These discounts can range from 10% to a much higher discount depending upon occupancy rate and seasonal variances.
9. Use reporting to consistently improve metrics
Well managed travel programs require constant monitoring and financial controls to be properly leveraged. Insist on timely and customized reports that can be designed to bring you the information you need most. By receiving regular reporting on traveler behavior and provider contract performance, you will be in a better position to fulfill contract obligations, achieve cost reduction objectives and see where opportunities for future savings may lie.
10. Use all avenues to enhance traveler comfort and efficiency
Lastly, any well managed travel program will take in to account the comfort and productivity of their travelers. When travelers are comfortable, they can focus on their main priorities that help propel your business forward. If travelers are happy, they perform at a higher level. Ask if your travel agency can upgrade traveler status on a preferred airline. Look in to purchasing blocks of airport club passes so they can be used strategically during long and complex itineraries. There are many ways to reward travelers for the difficult and often grueling chore of travel. These kinds of rewards generate feelings of loyalty and increased productivity and efficiency.
If you would like to learn more about how your company can better leverage their travel program to benefit your bottom line and the satisfaction of your executive level, feel free to contact me. I am delighted to point you in the right direction.

Why Not Outlet Pricing for Travelers?

The proliferation of ‘factory outlets’ or ‘manufacturer-direct’ prices has become common place, but are we getting true ‘outlet or direct’ prices?
The middleman, agent or even retailer is suffering in our modern internet-based environment and big-box stores which appear to offer rock-bottom prices but still make enormous profits are commonplace.
The world of agents from insurance to travel to financial are feeling the crunch as they are rapidly being considered as expensive cost overheads by the producer, provider or manufacturer.
The airlines started the demise of the travel agency system when they started eliminating agent commissions and over-rides and turned to online booking systems aimed directly at the consumer, forcing some retail agencies to charge additional booking fees. Now you can find airline reservation sites charging fees for online seat selection plus anything else that they can get away with. Are the savings they are making being passed on to the consumer?
Insurance companies began advertising for direct dealings as did banks with their development of in-house financial planners (not at all independent, but merely another name for a bank products salesperson). Are they keeping the old commission for themselves or do they pass on the savings to the consumer?
Let’s focus on one of the consumers’ largest expenditures over a lifetime – recreational travel, business travel, vacations and trips and the Retail Travel Agent or Agency:
1.These were really needed before the consumer could access websites from B&B’s to Hotels,
Luxury Lodges and Tour Operators or if you wanted to pick up an expensive glossy brochure.
2.These were really needed before travel providers and tour operators enabled the consumer to
book directly with them on the internet with reservation systems and booking requirements that required little training or expertise.
3.These were really needed before airlines promoted their own booking services and became more greedy for any extra percentage or fee and wanted to be rid of travel agents as expensive and redundant overheads.
Now, these agents are only really needed if travelers want knowledge, experience and expertise of specific destinations, activities or tour companies, or of course, those travelers still not using the web.
Let’s not feel too sorry for retail agents as top-notch travel consultants are essential to travelers who have complex itineraries or who are venturing to the lesser know areas of the world. All is not dark for travel agents with knowledge, experience and expertise as consumers who need these professionals now have access to them with the web wherever they may be located and no longer need to use local agents unless they have the requisite skills. But, they still have to be found as they may not be in your local area or even in your own country.
There are various forms and levels of travel middlemen – Inbound Tour Operators, Wholesalers, Retail Agencies, all of which earn a percentage from the original travel provider for their advertising, promotion and sales efforts, these percentages can be anywhere from 10% to 25% or even more! When you see a travel advertisement offering $200 off per person and you book through a retail agent, you are still paying the commission, so by booking directly with the operator you should get the special offer and also save the commission.
Some travel operators already offer their products directly to the consumer but at the same prices as the consumer would get from a retail agent. Fair enough if these providers do not use middlemen but if they also sell through retailers their prices should be ‘net of commissions’ for direct bookers and ‘retail’ for agency sales.
When the consumer goes directly to the travel provider these middlemen percentages should not apply but the provider is sometimes in a predicament. To show a net price and retail price on their website could deter the middlemen from handling their products. Until now.
Travel providers are now able to offer net prices directly to consumers by using the TopTravelVoucher services. This website is in effect operating as a travel agent who does not sell travel on behalf of travel operators, but generates travelers who go directly to the providers for information and bookings. As the website does not need bricks and mortar offices, expensive glossy brochures, familiarization trips and computer reservation systems plus all the other paraphernalia of operating a travel agency, it is able to rebate sales commissions to travelers as a reward for handling their own arrangements directly with the travel operators.
This innovative consumer travel service offers travel discounts in over 70 countries to travelers who purchase their deeply discounted TopTravelVouchers. They offer their services to the global travel trade community and to the global traveler. They do not charge the travel trade for any promotion services and allow multiple listings for any kind of travel product as long as the consumer gets net pricing.
The consumer does not have to buy before seeing the travel offer and can also buy the vouchers to be used as gift certificates. All vouchers come with a 100% money back guarantee and even if the traveler is unhappy after completion of travel the monies for the vouchers are still 100% refundable.
At present you can get TopTravelVouchers for Escorted Tours, Eco Tours, Adventure Tours, Small Boat Cruises, Lodges, Resorts, Hotels, B&B’s and new products are arriving on a daily basis.
Some tours offer a flat percentage off of the retail price while other vouchers have a fixed value. One voucher for a Greek Cruise has a value of 1,500euros and can be purchased for only $100usd and there are many escorted tours around the world offering a 10% discount on the tour price, which can be significant depending on length of tour and number of travelers. If you have a family or group of travelers you can often buy a voucher for each person (there is a particular 7 day Thai River Rovers cruise that appeals to me if I can find a few friends to join the charter).
So now, no matter where you live or where you want to go, you can book discounted travel from your home, cyber-cafe or laptop anywhere in the world. You could be in the offices of a tour operator and go online and get a voucher and then hand it over to get instant savings. Not bad eh?
This website and concept is a first for the internet and with the support of the global travel trade from the smallest of travel operators to the giants, it can only grow larger with expanded product selections and savings as this aspect of internet travel is on a seemingly endless growth path.
Travelers who go directly to travel websites must do their own due diligence, talk free with skype, 800 number, or email with the operators, read testimonials, check the latest pricing and last minute deals, make a booking and check for deeply discounted TopTravelVouchers in order to get fairer fare prices. If your tour operator does not offer a ‘net of commissions’ tour price when you do your own bookings, ask for it or suggest they start to offer these vouchers and you will start saving on your travel.
Although this service is not yet a household word for travelers the TopTravelVoucher service is on the way to making a difference in that we can now find true outlet prices for a lot of travel choices directly from tour operators, wholesalers and even retail travel agents who often operate their own in-house tour programs. All want to expand their reach to the ever expanding international client base of travelers comfortable with handling their own travel arrangements and who all want fairer fare prices.

Best Traveling Experience at Affordable Cost

We like to freshen after long days of work, sometimes we fed up with our daily life. Busy and hectic life is not always good, our mind and soul needs some refreshments. Sometime, we need to break free and go for some refreshing travel.
Traveling to the new places and within different people and culture gets your body and mind re-energized. There are several time for travel You can go for weekend travel, a week travel or a months long travel. Some might like adventure travel and some like to explore new culture, food and traditions. One can choose nature of their travel according to time frame and interest.
For instance, we can categorize travel into two different segments, one is inbound traveling and other is outbound traveling. In bound travel refers to traveling inside one’s country, where outbound travel is traveling to another country. People do not only travel for fun, they travel sometime for business purpose too. For instance, meeting new corporate parties or to explore new business ventures, for this one needs everything that business class service has to offer. You are recommended to choose a dependable travel company or travel tour operators, who have a long experience of organizing, otherwise your time and money can go waste. You can also get advice from family members or friends who already have an experience of traveling that place in which you are going to.
Before deciding, you need to keep in mind many things such as booking a flight, train ticket to go to another country or city, booking a hotel or suite where you are It is a wise decision to book all these from a certified travel company or tour operators, they will manage all your traveling needs according to your requirements including hotel booking, flight, train ticket reservation, excursion or tour packages. You have to plan or book your travel in advance otherwise it can be problematic to get tickets and everything gets high-priced in the last minutes, as you know.
Before going for a vacation to another country there are few things you must ensure to check first-hand, about passport and visas, travel insurance, custom rules and regulations of visiting country and also the weather conditions. You must bring appropriate clothes according to the weather condition of the new place, if you gather information about customs, religions and society of visiting new place or country it will be very easy to travel as you are well aware of the situations.
Choosing a responsible and experienced travel company which provides the lowest ticket pricing and lowest travel package cost makes your travel pleasant and memorable.