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Here' a summary of an interesting piece in today's New York Times by travel writer, Christopher Elliott. He exposes something that we have known for months. That is, most of the popular Web sites featuring consumer reviews of travel service providers contain biased reviews that are bought and paid for. These sites include TripAdvisor.com, Citysearch.com and IgoUgo.com, where you are lead to believe that you'll find thousands of ratings written by real guests, or so you are lead to believe.

One frequent business traveler became increasingly skeptical of what she saw online. "I read reviews of hotels that I've stayed at," she said. "And they're just wrong. I wonder if they've really stayed at the hotel."

On a recent visit to a spa in New York, she says, her doubts turned to disbelief: the resort was discreetly offering a free reflexology treatment to customers who posted a positive review of the establishment on Citysearch.com. "It was very troubling," she said.

The travel suppliers justify their actions, by claiming that out-of-context complaints by disgruntled guests need to be countered by fabricated positive comments.
So disgruntled guests and defensive travel service providers are exploiting a Web service that lacks the safeguards of the traditional travel guidebooks and a travel professional's first-hand experience.

The following post is excerpted from Joel Abel's editorial which will appear in next Monday's addition of "Travel Trade". Joel is the editor and publisher of "Travel Trade" which has the largest circulation and is the most widely read travel industry trade publication.] Joel writes, "Home based travel agents ask me whether I think the cruise industry is going crazy with its extraordinary new building plans.

On the surface it does make you wonder when you see and hear about all of the 3,000+ passenger ship plans now in the works, and then along comes the 6, 000 passenger Royal Caribbean shipthe biggest colossus of them all. And, I am waiting to hear the latest word from Carnivals chairman & CEO, Micky Arison, after he digests all of the latest news. I'll bet he will have a couple of colossal sized surprises to announce.

One thing you can be sure of is that the cruise industry very definitely hasn't gone berserk. What most people in the industry don't realize is that well over 50 percent of the cruise industry?s entire 2006 total cruise capacity is already sold out and we are only 6 weeks into the new year. You can bet your last bottle cap that cruise space to everywhere will be very hard to obtain this summer and that Europe and Alaska cruises will be sold out the very earliest they have ever been."

Are you considering a cruise this year? If so, we should schedule time to review your desires and match you up with a cruise experience that will provide a life-time of memories at the very best price. It's easy to contact me, just click on the e-mail link to the right and send me a message suggesting a good time to talk. We obviously want to get started while good staterooms are available at the best prices.

When we fail to do something we are expected to do, we almost always have an excuse for it. That's just a bad habit. But we have a choice to change that for good. If we analyze it closely -- an excuse is a self-destructive alibi for having failed to do something, especially when it involves attaining a goal.

Instead of trying to find ways to continue achieving a goal, some of us resort to excuses. But you should not use excuses for not becoming successful! That's self-destructive.

If you are emotionally disturbed with negative thoughts, it is like you are sitting on a chair with wobbling legs. Try sitting on a chair with sturdy legs; meaning, look at the bright, positive side of life. Put aside negativity and start thinking positively. The only one who can stop you is yourself.
If you always have a lot of excuses, you should strive more to overcome them because you'll be able to double the achievement. Where the odds are greater, the prize gets much bigger. After all the efforts you have exerted, the prize of success shall be a well-deserved one. Make sure you have full control of your life. You should have no problem managing the things you can control.

Don’t let 'excuses' control your decisions. Accept things you cannot control the way they are. If you can do without them, leave them and divert your attention to something else that will make your life more meaningful. Never pick on something you cannot control and turn it into 'excuses' that will block your success. So what's your excuse for not being successful? Answer from today onwards: NONE.

Do you have clients that want to do to special events like:
Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Rose Bowl, Super Bowl, Kentucky derby, Daytona 500, US open tennis, Branson, and Nashville.

Would your client like to visit and take a tour or stay over night and go to a play in a special city like:
Boston, San Francisco, NY, New Orleans, San Diego, Williamsburg, Yosemite, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Memphis, Loa Angelis or Dolly Wood.

If you arrange a group to go to any of these events or destinations, the commissions can be huge. Check out www.cityescapes.com

How about clients that want something different, adventurous or unique?
http://www.specialtytravel.com/

Avis car rentals adds new Club Red for travel agents, to enroll go to www.avisagent.com

Hertz car retails set new booking bonus for agents at www.hertzagent.com

Princess Cruise and Conard have New booking engine for home travel agents. It's also the easiest. www.princess.com/onesource or

Disney adds NEW e-Brochures you can send to your clients. You can also personalize with your name and have a call to action. www.disneytravelagents.com

Las Vegas and Golf Vacation packages with over 60 golf courses and five golf schools this combination is winner no matter how you look at it. www.lvcva.com Think big, how about a Golf & Slot Group tournament. Set up teams.

Hi Home Based Travel Agents,

Do you ever feel like you run out of day before you run out of items on your "to do" list? Do you ever wonder how you can find more time?

You may not be lacking time as much as you are lacking focus and direction. "Focus" is your ability to decide what is important and what is not. As travel agents, it is easy to lose focus. We have so many good ideas, we see so many opportunities in each segment and we have so much to do as small business owners. But, we must remember that we cannot possibly be experts at everything, we cannot possibly have the time to do everything. We must prioritize our efforts and choose only the most important things to accomplish.

Once we choose our focus, we must then head in that direction. I see so many agents paralyzed with indecision, fear, or simply overwhelmed with everything. It's hard to decide what to do first. When in doubt, just do something!! Make sure the something is headed towards an area that you decided you want to focus on. As long as you start in that direction, you will begin to achieve your goals.

Next time you are pressed for time, ask yourself "What is most important to me, and how can I begin to do that?" In other words, what do you want to focus your energies on and how can you head in that direction?

Paul Davis
President
www.HomeBased-TravelAgents.com
1800-619-8646

Love To Travel... Want to Cruise for FREE!!! .........Travel around the world for pennies on the dollar. You can Start Earning Commission $$$ Today.

The travel industry is experiencing outstanding growth, including Cruises, All Inclusive Resorts, Honeymoons, Tours and vacation Packages. You can take advantage of this outstanding growth and start earning big commissions and travel benefits by becoming a FT or PT travel agent today.

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Great Travel Deals, Cruise Discount and Vacation Specials As a member of our travel network you will have access to fantastic vacation packages and cruise deals. This allows you to offer vacation packages and cruises for less to your friends, co-workers, and clients, yet still make sizeable commissions for your self.
to become a home based travel agent go to www.homebased-travelagents.com

Home based Travel Agents can earn a $25 Gift Card to www.GiftCertificates.com for every booking you make with Pacific Delight World Tour's packages to China & Yangtze River, The Orient & Southeast Asia from October 10, 2005 to October 11, 2006, for travel from October 10, 2005 to October 11, 2006. Valid on all Pacific Delight World Tours packages to China & Yangtze River, The Orient, & Southeast Asia!

To become a travel agent go to www.homebased-travelagents.com

British Heritage Tours has introduced the "Educational Adventures in Special Interest" (EASI) program as a direct response to the trend towards specialization. It has been designed to help home based travel agents to identify sources of garden, literary, church, arts, women only, family travel tours and customized pre- and post-cruise extensions; match them to U.K. products and services that can be tailored to meet their specific needs; enable them to become better informed about the changing faces of the British product; access ideas for eye-catching low cost sales and marketing plans; give them first-hand experience through a range of special interest product experience programs; convert "theory" into profitable high yield results; establish a two way flow of ideas and information so that we can respond properly to travel agent needs; bring over a team of British suppliers to THETRADESHOW in Orlando in September. For further information, contact Paull Tickner, British Heritage Tours, Richmond Place, 125 Boughton, Chester, CH3 5BH; call 800-964-2819, fax 011-44-1244-320072, email paull@bhtours.co.uk or visit www.bhtours.co.uk.
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The number of professional home based travel agents is expected to grow from an estimated 25,000 in 2006 to 50,000 agents in 2010.

To become a home based travel agent go to www.hombased-travelagents.com