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Headquartered in Toronto, Ont., TravelBrands, a division of H.I.S.-Red Label Vacations Inc., is one of Canada’s leading travel groups. Its multi-channel distribution network is comprised of multiple brands and subsidiaries.

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TravelBrands’ Annual Agent Appreciation Event makes a triumphant return with two sold-out shows

New advancements for travel agents unveiled in Toronto, Montreal, and nationally via live stream

MISSISSAUGA, ON – TravelBrands’ highly-anticipated annual Agent Appreciation Event returned with two spectacular, sold-out shows held in both Toronto and Montreal, with the Toronto show live streamed for travel agents across Canada. The goal of building travel together was beautifully displayed as the industry came together for the first time since 2019.

Participants delighted in meeting with TravelBrands’ top suppliers and marvelled at the tremendous developments in products, platforms, and packages. Some of the highlights included the revamped Access+ agent platform, a brand-new air booking engine with enormous benefits, and close to 1.8 million hotels to choose from. Additionally, as part of the company’s growing commitment to more sustainable practices, this year’s events were ‘green’ with QR codes used in lieu of brochures.

“All I have to say is wow,” says Frank DeMarinis, CEO, TravelBrands. “With two sold-out shows, we are so thankful to our industry partners and the travel agents across Canada who made our return to an in-person agent appreciation event such a success. Travel is back, and we are here to offer agents the best in technology to help them meet their clients’ needs quickly and efficiently while they earn a living doing what they love. At TravelBrands, we continue to reimagine the future of travel, and we’re thrilled to be able to share our journey with Canada’s amazing travel community.”

TravelBrands is elated to see a healthy recovery for travel and encourages agents to book their clients in advance as space is limited and capacity is reduced. With the industry booming again, the TravelBrands team is committed to helping agents access and use the tools that will help them save time so they can serve all their clients with ease.

Some of the other show highlights include dynamic cruise packages with enhanced booking and management capabilities, an array of rich content and product offered on Exotik Journeys, and new spaceflight experiences with Space Perspective coming very soon.

To learn more, please visit www.travelbrandsaccess.com .

About TravelBrands

TravelBrands is North America’s leading one-stop-shop travel company comprised of wholesale and retail divisions with strong partnerships across the globe. A division of H.I.S.-Red Label Vacations Inc., TravelBrands gives agents and consumers access to the world in a way that drives meaningful industry advancement. By focusing on customer-centric service, innovative technologies, and omnichannel commerce, TravelBrands provides a seamless travel experience that meets the needs of today’s traveller.

Every One of Expedia Group’s 23 Brands, Explained

Sean O'Neill, Skift

July 23rd, 2018 at 2:30 AM EDT

Check out our Skift Takes on Expedia Group's brands for consumers and businesses. Time for some #realtalk.

Showing that names mean something, in March  Expedia Inc. became Expedia Group . The switch came a month after the Priceline Group rebranded to Booking Holdings .

Expedia Group is the number two global online travel player, behind Booking Holdings, and booked $10 billion in revenue in 2017. Below, Skift presents an explainer about Expedia Group’s brand portfolio.

We show how Expedia Group has positioned each of its brands based on edited company statements. Then we share our Skift Take on how these brands truly operate and fit into the online universe.

Most of the brands — which number 23 or so, depending on how you count them — are consumer brands. We include business-to-business brands, too, but leave out joint ventures.

Online Travel Agencies

Expedia.com Expedia Group Take: “Expedia.com is one of the world’s largest full-service travel brands. It aims to provide the widest selection of vacation destinations, affordable airfares, hotel deals, car rentals, cruise deals, and in-destination activities, attractions, and services.”

Skift Take: It has been a while since Expedia ran TV ads with the equally memorable and irritating “dot coooom” jingle. However, its pitch has remained the same, namely, to be a generic full-service travel agency. Expedia.com woos the average consumer who wants to build the blocks of their trip in one place and wants a single company to call if something goes wrong. A caveat, though: While Expedia.com may be available in 33 countries, too much of its revenue and gross bookings continue to be U.S. domestic, as the company would admit.

Hotels.com Expedia Group Take: “With hundreds of thousands of places to stay around the world and 90 local websites in 41 languages, Hotels.com has it all.”

Skift Take: We strongly suspect that Captain Obvious , the star of Hotels.com TV ads, hasn’t effectively made Hotels.com a household name the way the Trivago Guy and associates have helped Trivago. The brand has instead thrived on the word-of-mouth popularity of its rewards program, which has an admirably simple message of “book-10-nights-get-one-free.” As for its mobile app, we’re still waiting for broad availability of promised features, such as keyless entry at many hotel chains.

Vacation Rentals and Hotel Price-Comparison Engines

HomeAway, VRBO, Bedandbreakfast.com , VacationRentals.com , Abritel , and FeWo-direkt Expedia Group Take: “From beach houses, to cabins, to condos, HomeAway is a world-leader in the vacation rental industry, with sites offering more than two million unique places to stay in 190 countries.”

Skift Take: It doesn’t make sense for Expedia Group to maintain separate brands when a competitor like Airbnb throws all its marketing dollars at amplifying just one brand. Despite Expedia Group’s talk to the contrary, we suspect it will unify its rental brands — or at least all of its English-language rental brands — under HomeAway. But first the division must finish  standardizing its fee model , making all of its listings instantly bookable, and closing its geographic gaps by buying regional brands like Turkey’s HemenKiralik and Canada’s CanadaStays .

Trivago Expedia Group Take: “Trivago is a search platform for comparing a deep supply of hotels and alternative accommodations. The Düsseldorf, Germany-based company allows travelers worldwide to make informed decisions by personalizing their lodging search. As of March 31, 2018, Trivago has established 55 localized platforms connected to more than two million hotels and alternative accommodation in more than 190 countries.”

Skift Take: You have seen the TV ads with the creepy Trivago Guy — or else other Trivago characters . In the past year, you have also seen the company’s share price dive from a peak of $23 to about $4.50 at publication time due to missteps . Expedia Group may want to take advantage of the discounted share price and nab the remaining 40 percent of the company. It could retool the brand to fight hotel search company HotelsCombined , which earlier this month was acquired by rival Booking Holdings  — possibly to build a “Trivago killer” company.

Smaller Online Travel Brands

Travelocity Expedia Group Take: “Travelocity focuses on exceptional service, expert advice, and guaranteed value for every trip. It encourages travelers to ‘Wander Wisely’ and is dedicated to being the champion of the customer.”

Skift Take: Expedia Group has what is internally called a “comet” team, which aims to retain the distinctiveness of six brands — Travelocity, Orbitz, CheapTickets, Ebookers, Wotif, and Lastminute.au — while synching up and coordinating their marketing and technology practices. To the credit of General Manager Krista McDougal and her predecessor Brad Wilson, Travelocity is the most-differentiated brand of the bunch. Travelocity has memorable roaming gnome TV ads and a stand-out promise of round-the-clock customer support that fit together to appeal to a particular customer segment.

Orbitz Expedia Group Take: “Orbitz is a leading travel website. Its loyalty program is the only one where customers can earn rewards immediately on flights, hotels, and packages, and redeem instantly on tens of thousands of hotels worldwide.”

Skift Take: Officially, everything’s fine. However, we suspect Expedia Group is reducing marketing oxygen to Orbitz. It spent nothing on TV ads for Orbitz in 2018 so far, according to estimates by analytics firm iSpot.tv . That figure contrasts with $15 million spent on TV ads for comparably sized Travelocity so far this year. The mothership seems to be spending relatively little on Orbitz in Google ad auctions this year, too. When we asked, Expedia Group said these worries are silly and that different brands call for different marketing schedules and mediums. For example, Orbitz released a new marketing campaign just a few months ago: “ Orbitz – Rewarding Travel Just Like That .” We hope a campaign like this will hit the airwaves before too much time passes.

Hotwire Expedia Group Take: “By simply hiding the brand name, Hotwire can offer customers deep savings on hotel rooms, rental cars, flights and vacation packages.”

Skift Take: Unofficially, Hotwire is supposed to be a brand that’s like the risk-free bond in an investment portfolio otherwise filled with risky stocks. Hotwire only tends to only be wildly profitable during recessions — when airlines, hotels, and car-rental companies use it to sell travel at deep discounts while slightly disguising the offers through semi-opaque and members-only deals to avoid broader price transparency. Surprisingly, despite this economic boom, Expedia Group has invested in marketing for Hotwire, giving its site and TV ads a fresher look. Maybe the brand consistently pulls in a set of deal-seeking customers who came of age in the era of deal brands like Groupon and Secret Escapes and who otherwise wouldn’t be wooed by other Expedia Group brands.

Wotif Expedia Group Take: “Wotif is a leading online travel site dedicated to Australian and New Zealand travelers. Since it launched in 2000, one in two Aussies and one in four Kiwis have traveled with Wotif. This year the company will have marketing campaigns celebrating distinctively Australian initiatives and hold the inaugural Australia Day Wotif Town Of The Year Awards as part of the brand’s focus on local community engagement.”

Skift Take: Pronounced “What if”, Wotif was a homegrown Australian travel brand that Expedia acquired in 2014 and moved onto its technology platform. Along the way, Wotif appears not to have gained share against its larger homegrown rival Webjet and foreign players like Agoda . Wotif’s only plan seems to be to add more local marketing efforts. Sometimes Australians must think about the acquisition and how it might have gone differently and ask themselves, “What if?”

Lastminute.com.au Expedia Group Take: “Lastminute.com.au is an Australian’s ultimate travel companion when it comes to booking last minute accommodation, flights, packages, car hire, and experiences.”

Skift Take: Lastminute.com.au is a white-label shell for Expedia content, though it has cheeky touches aimed at Australians. For example, there is a button one can push to disguise the travel search screen and instead display what looks like a work-related project when the boss passes by. That said, most last-minute planning takes place on mobile devices these days, according to data from marketing firm Sojern . Lastminute’s mobile-first presence and branding may not be as effective as last-minute rivals’ like Hopper , HotelTonight , HolidayPirates , and Secret Escapes . If nothing else, it could do more on Instagram. It has only 2,800 followers , compared to private membership club Soho House, which has more than 360,000 followers .

Ebookers Expedia Group Take: “Ebookers believes travel is personal. No two travelers are the same, so no two trips should be either. With online travel agencies in seven European countries, ebookers gives travelers flexibility.”

Skift Take: Ebookers is just reselling Exepdia.com inventory on an Expedia.com technology platform. It may disappear like Venere — a brand the conglomerate bought in 2008 and killed in late 2016 — unless it innovates more than merely adding sophisticated packaging tools. Ebookers is being blown out of the water on the innovation and revenue growth front by European online travel agencies MisterFly,  which offers an innovative price-comparison search results, and lets consumers pay for their trips in quarterly installments, and Kiwi.com , which cleverly lets shoppers mix-and-match flights from non-partner airlines into single itineraries.

CheapTickets Expedia Group Take: “In addition to cheap flights, CheapTickets’ discounted travel products include cheap hotels, cheap cruises, cheap rental cars, cheap vacation packages, vacation rentals, last-minute trips, and event tickets.”

Skift Take: The branding opportunity for a name like CheapTickets is to offer uniquely discounted plane tickets from, say, wholesalers or ethnic travel agencies and make them available, either through a members-only site or a similar model. Instead, this is just the same old Expedia.com inventory. Expedia Group ought to buy expertise at deeply discounted tickets, like either Mondee , OnVoya , Vayama , Getaroom , or even Fareportal given its CheapOair brand, and reconfigure CheapTickets. But expect Expedia Group to cheap out and do little except maybe tinker some more with the brand’s loyalty program.

CarRentals.com and Cardelmar Expedia Group Take: “Part of the Hotwire Group, CarRentals.com is the premier car rental booking brand online. It offers advanced, easy-to-use technologies to consumers and select vendor partners alike via localized sites in four countries.”

Skift Take: While rival Booking Holdings has been pouring money into its consumer-facing Rentalcars brand, its related Rentalcars Connect business-to-business unit, and its affiliate or reseller business, Expedia has been letting CarRentals.com drive on autopilot, comparatively speaking, by relying on the popularity of its German and Dutch sister brand Cardelmar .

AirAsiaGo Expedia Group Take: “AirAsiaGo is one of the fastest-growing online travel portals in Asia, offering travelers an extensive selection of hotels, activities, and travel services. The AirAsiaGo brand is managed by AirAsiaExpedia, a joint venture company that Expedia Group owns 75 percent of.”

Skift Take: Think of this as Expedia white-labeled for the airline AirAsia. You would think Expedia Group would want to tout a collaboration like this with a supplier. Doesn’t it want to encourage more airlines and hotel chains to outsource their technology needs to it?

Agent-Heavy Businesses

Egencia Expedia Group Take: “Relying on timely, data-driven insights from travel management company Egencia, businesses stay one step ahead by making business travel choices that align with traveler preference and corporate policy. Egencias consultants are ready to assist with every step small, mid-cap and multi-national companies in more than 65 countries.”

Skift Take: An under-appreciated star brand in the Expedia Group constellation is its business travel division, Egencia. The unit became the world’s fourth-largest travel management company by being more sophisticated than legacy players at wringing inefficiencies out of processes. But Egencia’s brand suffers, in the eyes of some corporate travel managers, for not being seen as sufficiently high-touch. Adding money and sophistication to its niche business-to-business marketing effort could yield outsized returns in helping Egencia to secure more global corporate accounts. Expect acquisitions, too .

Expedia CruiseShipCenters Expedia Group Take: “Founded in 1987, Expedia CruiseShipCenters is North America’s leading cruise specialist, providing a full range of travel products through its network of 250 independently owned, retail travel franchises and 5,000 vacation consultants. The brand has been recognized as a top seller in North America with every major cruise line.”

Skift Take: We’re not all that impressed with the Expedia CruiseShipCenters website. There’s no mobile app. Consumers don’t book instantly but they request a quote instead. That may be fairly typical for cruise bookings online but is hardly in keeping with the larger Expedia brand and is hardly competitive with smaller players Dreamlines  and CruiseCompete . The name recognition helps, but overall it feels a little uninspiring.

Expedia Local Expert Expedia Group Take: “A leading provider of activities and destination experiences, Expedia Local Expert offers expertise and assistance in booking events, activities, tours, attractions, ground transportation, and other services.”

Skift Take: If you visit many popular vacation destinations, such as Hawaii’s main cities, it’s hard to miss the kiosks and concierge stands where Expedia Local Expert staff sell tours and activities in more than 100 hotels and other retail locations — plus online bookings in more than 1,000 locales worldwide. Yet startups like Klook and GetYourGuide and competitors like TripAdvisor and Booking Holdings are investing heavily in online bookings. Expedia Group is overdue to buy a company with content or operator connections to help speed things up.

Classic Vacations Expedia Group Take: “A premier provider of vacations for discerning travelers, Classic Vacations offers a full line of luxury accommodations, ground transportation, car rentals, unique tours and excursions, and all classes of air service to top destinations and experiences. Classic Vacations is the number-one-rated luxury vacation company by travel advisors.”

Skift Take: Classic Vacations, a tour operator, sells travel in partnership with agencies. There may be no sector that is as much of a relationship business as the one Classic Vacations plays in, but its long-standing leaders may need to consider a refresh for the 40-year-old brand.

Industry Services

Expedia Group Media Solutions Expedia Group Take: “Expedia Group Media Solutions the advertising arm of Expedia Group, offers industry expertise and digital marketing solutions that allow brands to reach, engage and influence its qualified audience of travelers around the world. The unit provides data-driven insights about traveler behaviors, along with dynamic advertising solutions, to deliver strategic campaigns and measurable results.”

Skift Take: An often-overlooked gem is Expedia’s compact but zippily growing ad agency arm. We estimate the unit generated more than $300 million in revenue for the company in 2017, though the division doesn’t break out its numbers. Expedia Group Media Solutions has the ingredients that could turn it into a superstar brand. It leads the market by a wide margin in being a travel-focused ad agency that can help clients — such as hotels, tourism boards, and credit card issuers — create and test ad campaigns by analyzing volume changes at Expedia-owned brands.

Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) Expedia Group Take: “Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN) powers the hotel business of hundreds of leading airlines, travel agencies, loyalty, and corporate travel companies plus several top consumer brands.”

Skift Take: Of the handful of travel affiliate , or commission-based reseller programs out there, the Expedia Affiliate Network is the most pervasive brand. We suspect it’s the among the world’s fastest-growing private label travel affiliate networks. Props to its marketers, who are successfully signing up airlines, travel agencies, and other companies. The company has cleverly led with content marketing that tries to educate resellers on how to build their brands rather than only talk up its technological investment , breadth of inventory, and customer-focused flexibility in commercial arrangements — which are also impressive.

Traveldoo Expedia Group Take: “Traveldoo solutions simplify travel booking and expense reporting, help optimize travel spend and expense management processes, and improve risk and crisis management for more than 4,500 customers worldwide in 65 countries.”

Skift Take:  At careers portal LifeAtExpedia.com , Traveldoo is one of five brands that were shortlisted on the main page at publication time, when the brand had a half-dozen positions open. Expect to see more growth here.

SilverRail Technologies Expedia Group Take: “SilverRail Technology is built for rail, uniting the ecosystem of rail carriers and travel distributors around the world’s most comprehensive search and booking platform for rail content. It helps with journey planning, inventory management, scheduling, pricing, booking, payment, ticketing, reporting, and administration.”

Skift Take: Looking for help with their sales and distribution services, European rail companies have turned to outside vendors , such as Amadeus, IBM, Siemens, HaCon, Accesrail, Sqills, and Expedia Group’s SilverRail. While the sector’s sales cycle is an extended one, SilverRail has an opportunity to build a high-margin business and become one of the world’s most-used global sales and distribution systems for rail. A big marketing challenge has been for SilverRail to make itself an appealing place for star technical talent to work. It appears to gone some way toward doing this , having recently been ranked by employee review site GlassDoor as a best place to work.

Alice Expedia Group Take: “Alice is a hotel operations platform that improves staff communication, task management, and guest satisfaction.”

Skift Take: Two years ago, this 110-employee services company settled on a marketing message that has since clicked with brands like Viceroy and Nordic Choice Hotels. Rather than being a grab bag of software to replace old-school tools like walkie-talkies and pagers, it now presents itself as a suite of tools that promise to play nicely with a hotel’s other software and processes and that can be purchased a la carte or as a bundle. Smartly done, and its business-to-business marketing skill should be a lesson to other Expedia Group units.

Expedia Group Lodging Partner Services Expedia Group Take: “Expedia Group Lodging Partner Services helps drive incremental demand and direct bookings to lodging suppliers by providing the opportunity to reach a highly valuable audience of travel consumers.”

Skift Take: They should just rename this Expedia for Properties.

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Tags: brands explained , egencia , expedia , homeaway , hotels.com , hotwire

Photo credit: We show how Expedia Group has positioned each of its brands based on edited company statements. Then we share our Skift Take on how these brands truly operate and fit into the online universe. Expedia Group

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TravelBrands celebrates successful 2024 Agent Appreciation events

Post date: Apr 11 2024

Date: Apr 11 2024

By: Travelweek

TORONTO — TravelBrands is thanking its team, partners and travel agents following the wrap-up of the company’s Agent Appreciation Events in Toronto and Montreal.

Their contributions and participation “were instrumental in making these events an extraordinary success,” says TravelBrands.

Elvi Cal, Sam Youssef, Tony Sanders, Diane Lattavo, Mike Miljak, Nathalie Tanious and Hideo Hatano

The Toronto and Montreal gatherings drew more than 1,000 travel agents, who took advantage of networking opportunities with industry leaders, and discovered new products and services at 91 supplier booths.

Travel advisors also heard about TravelBrands’ latest technological and service advancements, showcasing GiGi with an entire room dedicated to the all-new air reservations system, the Air/Sea Protection Program, We’ve Got Your Back 24/7 service, and more new offerings, including an enhanced lineup of electric vehicles and vacation rentals.

As reported yesterday , TravelBrands also took the opportunity at the events to announce the launch of its newest incentive, The Amazing Agent Race, offering the #1 top-selling agent during the month of April the opportunity to win the grand prize of 1 million Loyalty Rewards points.

The second-place winner in The Amazing Agent Race contest will win roundtrip airfare with Air Canada, while the third-place winner will receive a $500 future travel voucher.

Tags: Lead Story, TravelBrands

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Should I Use a Travel Agent? Our Travel Expert Says It Makes All the Difference.

The new age of travel agents know how to find deals, book off-the-beaten path adventures, and get you out of any jam. Especially if you know who to use.

Heading out the door? Read this article on the Outside app available now on iOS devices for members! >","name":"in-content-cta","type":"link"}}'>Download the app .

I’ve always thought that planning my own trips was the most cost-effective way, but I’ve been hearing more about travel agents making a comeback and saving their clients a lot of money. What kinds of outdoor trips should I turn to a travel agent for, and are there any who specialize in working with adventurers like me?

Technically, I’m a professional traveler. As a journalist, it’s my job to research and connect with locals to get beneath the surface of a destination. So I have never really used travel agents. What could they plan better than I could?

A lot, it turns out. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know many travel specialists, and I consider them magicians. My big aha moment happened two winters ago on a trip to Iceland . A massive storm shut down internal flights for a day, causing me to miss my return flight to the U.S. Normally, I would have spent frustrating hours on hold with the airline. But because I’d paid $65 to have Ana Gloria Garcia, an air-support specialist at the travel agency EmbarkBeyond, find and book the most affordable and convenient flight option for me, she handled the rebookings while I soaked in the Blue Lagoon.

During the pandemic, agents became advocates helping travelers get refunds on canceled flights and trips. As travel has come roaring back, an agent’s superpower is now their access to the best hotel rooms, most in-the-know guides, free amenities, and more, says Cory Hagopian, senior vice president of sales and partnerships for Virtuoso , a global network of travel agencies.

And they’re attracting a young clientele. According to a recent industry survey , 38 percent of millennials and Gen Zers are opting to use travel agents as opposed to booking on their own trips. That number is far greater than Gen Xers and baby boomers, of whom only 12 and 2 percent respectively use agents.

What Do I Gain from Using a Travel Agent?

I recently had a friend tell me she spent close to 40 hours researching a family trip online. She probably could have gleaned the same intel from an hourlong conversation with a travel adviser. Knowledge is priceless, and advisers act as your insiders. They know what you don’t and fill in the blanks for things you might not have considered, says Erika Richter, a spokesperson for the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). Their firsthand knowledge, vast network, and on-the-ground connections all combine to provide a unique perspective for crafting the perfect itinerary for you.

Most travel advisers specialize in certain regions and countries and travel to them frequently, so they have up-to-date intel on not only the best safari camps but the perfect tent to book for the most incredible views and the best local restaurants you won’t find on Tripadvisor. They want their client’s trips to go well to keep them coming back, so it’s in their interest to have sussed out hotels and itineraries before they send you out into the world.

Nicole Forster, 29, considers herself a savvy traveler. She’s been to 20-plus countries and enjoys destination research. But when it came to planning her honeymoon in Africa, she felt overwhelmed, so she reached out to Danielle Meyer at Coastline Travel Advisors , which specializes in bespoke itineraries. “Originally, I wanted to go to South Africa, Victoria Falls, and Madagascar,” Forster recalls. “Danielle convinced me that if we wanted to relax, we should stay in South Africa and save the other countries for separate trips.”

Over five phone conversations and multiple emails, they crafted a 15-night itinerary that included Cape Town, the winelands, the Cape Peninsula, and a safari at the Thornybush Game Reserve. Forster established her budget early in the process, and Meyer sent her a variety of lodge options to choose from.

“I initially wanted to start with the safari, but she pointed out that we’d be jet-lagged and would need to wake at sunrise for game drives,” says Forster. “The safari was our highlight, so it was a perfect way to end the trip.”

Not only did Meyer book all of the flights, hotels, and transfers, but she created a detailed, day-by-day trip app for the couple that included useful information like check-in times at hotels and how much to tip guides .

Agents also act as advocates. If something goes wrong during your travels, they’re on call 24/7 to handle it. When Forster left the battery and charger for her camera at a hotel, Meyer arranged for an on-the-ground contact to go to a camera store and buy new ones that would be delivered to her hotel the next day.

The cost for the honeymoon planning: $150 per person. “I wouldn’t use a planner for a trip to Hawaii ,” Forster says, “but if I ever took a big trip like this again, I’d 100 percent work with an expert.”  

When to Consider Using a Travel Agent

For savvy trip planners, the best time to use a travel agent is for complicated international travel. It can save you hours of planning and peace of mind that if anything goes wrong in your chosen far-flung destination, there’s someone a What’sApp message away to handle it.

Domestically, I’d consider using a travel agent when planning a multi-week national park trip or multi-island trip in Hawaii. They will save you time, guarantee you get the best guides, and help you land reservations at always-booked lodges and hotels.

Dream Trips Delivered

Jessica Cook and her husband both work in the travel industry. Decision fatigued, they handed their honeymoon logistics over to the team at Askari Travel , an agency that specializes in South Africa. Their original plan was also an African safari, but just as they were about to put a deposit down, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus made headlines. Worried about getting stuck abroad, they reached out to Askari’s founder, Muriel Truter, who is from Zimbabwe, and upon her advice, changed their focus to South America.

Knowledge is priceless, and advisers act as your insiders. They know what you don’t and fill in the blanks of things you might not even have considered.

Truter suggested they stick to Colombia rather than country-hop. Cook supplied a budget and a wish list: 12 days, no more than three destinations, a barefoot-luxe feel, and adventures like horseback riding and mountain biking. The rest was a surprise that Askari pretty much nailed, with the exception of one hotel.

“Everything felt so authentic, but this one hotel on Barú island felt really fabricated and was full of American tourists,” recalls Cook. She immediately messaged the Askari team, saying, “Hey, this place really isn’t our vibe,” and within an hour they were on a water taxi headed to Blue Apple, a B Corp hotel—and an Outside pick for tropical adventures —on Tierra Bomba island. “It was honestly the best trip we’ve ever taken,” she says.

Are Travel Agents Expensive?

It depends. Cost varies. Some travel agencies won’t charge any fee, as they receive a commission from the bookings, while some high-end agencies will charge pricey annual membership fees for their services. Still others charge nominal “professional” fees starting at $150. Fees often fluctuate based on the length and intricacy of a trip and how far out you do the planning (6 to 12 months is recommended). You may occasionally come across agents who charge a percentage of the total trip price or hourly rates.

Basic travel enquiries are generally free. In 2016, Leah Smith, founder of Tafari Travel , opened an old-school brick-and-mortar location in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood so her services would feel less intimidating to first-time users. “With our retail-office location, we’ve become part of the community, and both clients and non-clients are welcome to pop in and ask whatever questions they may have, no charge,” she says.

Matt Lindsay, founder of the surf-guiding and travel company LuxSurf Travel , builds relationships with resorts and property owners to get discounted rates that he can then pass on to guests.

Dominic Allan, the founder of Real Latin America , specializes in travel to Belize and Nicaragua and caters to independent travelers who are happy to book their own flights and hotels but are seeking his local intel. Allan’s three-tier pricing structure starts at $300 for up to three hours of phone calls, during which he might weigh in on where to eat (or not to), the best room to request in a certain lodge, or whether you really need a guide to hike.

Value Versus Savings

If you’re just looking for deals and steals, you might not be ready to work with a travel adviser, says Richter of the ASTA. “Anything you invest in with a travel adviser comes back to you in the form of amenities, customer service, peace of mind, better access to unique experiences, and handcrafted itineraries,” she says. “You could save money by cutting your own hair, too, but most people go to someone who knows what they’re doing.”

Agents work with preferred partners who can guarantee perks for clients, such as free upgrades, early check-in or late check-out, and resort credits. Those add-ons often translate into savings, says Justin Huxter, cofounder of the UK-based Cartology Travel . “We had a client go to Maui for a week, and because of our partnership with the resort, breakfast was included,” he says. When breakfast costs $120 for two, that’s a savings of $840.”

Some of the Best Travel Agents in the Adventure World

Some of my go-to resources for finding a person to work with include travel expert Wendy Perrin’s annual Wow List of tried and trusted agents, the Adventure Travel Trade Association’s adviser network , and the ASTA’s advisor directory .

In addition to the agents mentioned throughout this story, others I highly recommend for adventurous travelers include:

• Dan Achber of Trufflepig , for Africa and the Middle East
• Miguel Cunant of Sri Lanka in Style
• Javier Echecopar of Journey Costa Rica
• Daniel Fraser of Smiling Albino , for Southeast Asia
• Elizabeth Gordon of Extraordinary Journeys , for Africa
• Kleon Howe of the Art of Travel , for French Polynesia
• Jay Johnson of Coastline Travel , for Hawaii and California
• Antonello Losito of Southern Visions Travel , for Puglia, Italy
• Rabia Malik of Fora Travel , for general worldwide travel
• Robyn Mark of Mayamaya Travel , for Africa, the Alps, Patagonia, and Japan
• Marisol Mosquera of Aracari , for Peru and Bolivia
• Zach Rabinor of Journey Mexico
• Raluca Spiac of Beyond Dracula , for Romania

Travel-advice columnist Jen Murphy is now a believer in using a travel agent. Thanks to their expertise and connections, she’s avoided dozens of trip catastrophes. 

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Is a Travel Agent Worth It? The Pros and Cons

N eed to pivot your trip plans but don't want to deal with the extra time, money and hassle of rebooking flights and accommodations on your own? That's just one area where a knowledgeable travel agent (also commonly known as a travel advisor) can help. Read on to discover the other benefits – as well as the downsides – of using a travel agent, so you can confidently decide whether or not a travel agent is worth it for your next trip.

The Pros of Using a Travel Agent

Travel agents can save you money – and get you other perks.

"In some cases, you'll actually get a better  deal by working with a travel agent," says Jackie Steele, travel expert at MagicGuides . "This could be in the form of a cruise onboard credit (free spending money to use on the ship), access to special agency/group rates, or even just learning about a discount you qualify for but weren't aware of." The best agents will even keep an eye on new discounts as they're announced and apply them to your trip even after you've booked, he notes.

Travel agents handle all the details

Hotel room? Booked. Dinner reservations? Made. Tour tickets? Ready to go. A travel agent handles every detail of your vacation itinerary. "The traveler still gets to be involved in the fun part of dreaming up ideas and providing their travel wishes, while we take and perfect them," says Jessica Parker, founder of Trip Whisperer .

Molly McShea, owner and travel advisor at McShea Travel , points out that travel agents can also help with timing logistics. "Travel agents know how many days should be spent in each destination, which tours go together, and how many things you should do in a day," she says, adding that crafting an itinerary can be challenging if it's not something you regularly do. Additionally, travel agents can help you choose the best time to visit your preferred destination(s) based on seasonality and your budget, and sift through travel insurance policies to find the best option for your needs.

Travel agents can provide local expertise

"A travel advisor's industry connections and relationships provide added value to their clients," says Valerie Edman, a luxury travel advisor and agency owner at Cultured Travel LLC. She says when working with a travel agent, travelers gain access to a global network of connections including:

• In-destination specialists who work exclusively with travel advisors and can connect travelers with unique, off-the-beaten-path experiences they wouldn't otherwise know about
• Exclusive experiences not available to the general public

You'll avoid surprise fees

When deciding if a travel agent is worth it for you, remember this: A reputable agent can guarantee you won't encounter any surprise fees on accommodations and activities once your trip is booked.

You'll have someone to troubleshoot unexpected travel issues

A travel advisor is essentially your personal vacation concierge. "Because they've been around for so long, agents really know what to look for," says Christopher Elliott , a consumer advocate and journalist. "Travel agents are among the first to know about flight cancellations and delays , making it easy for them to rebook itineraries right away." 

The Cons of Using a Travel Agent

It might not be your cheapest option.

There are some instances when it makes more sense to plan your own trip. "If you're planning a quick flight from New York City to Los Angeles, it's easy enough to book it yourself online directly or through a third-party booking site," says Elliott. "If you're planning a once-in-a-lifetime trip or bucket list honeymoon , that's when you call the experts."

You'll have less flexibility in your itinerary

The upside of working with a travel agent is having someone plan an epic vacation for you based on industry knowledge and local expertise. But this can also be a downside in the event you discover an activity you'd like to do or a restaurant you'd like to try that isn't on your pre-planned itinerary. If you alter your plans, you risk losing money; plus, the time it takes for you and your travel agent to coordinate your change of plans may not be worth the hassle.

You still have to do some research

It's important to find an agent you can trust, which means you still have to do some of the vacation planning. For this part, Parker recommends picking up the phone. "Lots of people avoid or don't pick up the phone as much anymore," she says. "That's where you get the high-touch service, tone of voice, excitement or concerns to manage." She advises to look for the following red flags:

• No fees: " Travel advisors are charging planning fees more now or increasing them, so the client knows more confidently than ever, we work for them, not the suppliers with the best commissions," Parker explains. "There are a lot of things that are non-commissionable and the advisor's time and expertise shouldn't be given away for free, either. That's the best way to show an advisor takes their business seriously."
• Limited options: If you work with someone who is inexperienced or has an incentive to book you with a certain supplier, they may not be prioritizing your best interests. "It's important to check if they are with a larger consortia, accreditations and network, typically listed on their website and signatures," says Parker. "That level of mindshare doesn't come with a lone advisor unless they have many, many years of experience."
• Slow response times: If communication is delayed, that's a sign they may be too busy to plan your trip – but again, this is something you can avoid by having the right conversations early on.

Edman suggestes starting your search with the American Society of Travel Advisors . "ASTA-verified travel advisors are committed to the highest industry standards and have verifiable industry knowledge so consumers can feel confident in working with them," she says.

You might also be interested in:

• Is Travel Insurance Worth It?
• First-Time Cruise Tips
• Carry-on Luggage Sizes by Airline
• What to Pack in Your Carry-on Bag
• The Best Luggage Brands

Copyright 2024 U.S. News & World Report

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Travel agent arrested for duping family of ₹ 20 lakh

Owner of purva holidays arrested in mumbai for cheating a family of ₹20 lakh by promising a trip to south africa, remanded in judicial custody..

MUMBAI: An owner of a tours and travel company was arrested on May 5 for cheating a family of ₹ 20 lakh by promising to book them a trip to South Africa. The accused, Tejas Shah, owner of Purva Holidays, has been remanded in judicial custody till Sunday.

The complainant, Jaisal Devendra Shah, 46, had approached Purva Holidays after seeing an advertisement for them in a newspaper in December 2023. The family had decided to go on a trip to South Africa for 12 days and wanted a travel agency which could understand their requirement for Jain food, said Shah, who works as a general manager of a private firm.

On 12 December 2023, they paid ₹ 20 lakh to the travel agency for booking the package for the family and friends, he said.

In March 2024, when Shah asked Tejas about their tickets and further procedures, Tejas began avoiding his calls. In April, when Shah approached Tejas personally and confronted him about the trip, Tejas assured him that he would pay the entire amount back as there were issues in getting the trip booked.

Shah, in his statement to the police, said that Tejas did not organise the trip and did not repay the money. “We have arrested Tejas after registering an FIR against him under section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code and are conducting an investigation,” said a police officer from Kandivali police station.

• ₹ 20 lakh','cta_text':'Mumbai','article_id':'101715368213185','article_category':'cities','publish-date':'May 11, 2024 06:50 AM IST','logged_in_status':(getCookie('ht_token') ? 'logged_in':'non_logged_in'),'user_ID':(getCookie('ht_token') ? getCookie('_ht_clientid'):'NA')});" > Mumbai
• ₹ 20 lakh','cta_text':'Cheating','article_id':'101715368213185','article_category':'cities','publish-date':'May 11, 2024 06:50 AM IST','logged_in_status':(getCookie('ht_token') ? 'logged_in':'non_logged_in'),'user_ID':(getCookie('ht_token') ? getCookie('_ht_clientid'):'NA')});" > Cheating
• ₹ 20 lakh','cta_text':'South Africa','article_id':'101715368213185','article_category':'cities','publish-date':'May 11, 2024 06:50 AM IST','logged_in_status':(getCookie('ht_token') ? 'logged_in':'non_logged_in'),'user_ID':(getCookie('ht_token') ? getCookie('_ht_clientid'):'NA')});" > South Africa

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Money latest: Chocolate is a superfood - if you buy these bars

Read all today's personal finance and consumer news below - and leave a comment on any of the stories we're covering.

Friday 10 May 2024 22:26, UK

• UK exits recession, official figures show
• Ed Conway:  Three reasons to be gleeful about the ONS figures
• Interest rate held at 5.25% | Bank of England: June rate cut 'not ruled out but not fait accompli'

Essential reads

• Chocolate is a superfood - if you buy these bars
• How to avoid a holiday data roaming charge (while still using the internet)
• Mortgage rates up again this week - here are the best deals on the market
• PG Tips enlists stars in big-budget ad after falling behind competitors - but poll shows Britons prefer rival
• My daughter discovered undeclared £600 management fee after buying her flat - can we complain?
• Best of the Money blog - an archive

Ask a question or make a comment

If you've missed any of the features we've been running in Money this year, or want to check back on something you've previously seen in the blog, this archive of our most popular articles may help...

Loaves of bread have been recalled from shelves in Japan after they were found to contain the remains of a rat.

Production of the bread in Tokyo has been halted after parts of a "small animal" were found by at least two people.

Pasco Shikishima Corp, which produces the bread, said 104,000 packages have been recalled as it apologised and promised compensation.

A company representative told Sky News's US partner network, NBC News, that a "small black rat" was found in the bread. No customers were reported to have fallen ill as a result of ingesting the contaminated bread.

"We deeply apologise for the serious inconvenience and trouble this has caused to our customers, suppliers, and other concerned parties," the spokesman said.

Pasco added in a separate statement that "we will do our utmost to strengthen our quality controls so that this will never happen again. We ask for your understanding and your co-operation."

Japanese media reports said at least two people who bought the bread in the Gunma prefecture, north-west of Tokyo, complained to the company about finding a rodent in the bread.

Record levels of shoplifting appear to be declining as fewer shopkeepers reported thefts last year, new figures show. 

A survey by the Office for National Statistics shows 26% of retailers experienced customer theft in 2023, down from a record high of 28% in 2022.

This comes despite a number of reports suggesting shoplifting is becoming more frequent. 

A  separate ONS finding , which used police crime data, showed reports of shoplifting were at their highest level in 20 years in 2023, with law enforcements logging 430,000 instances of the crime.

Let's get you up to speed on the biggest business news of the past 24 hours. 

A privately owned used-car platform is circling Cazoo Group, its stricken US-listed rival, which is on the brink of administration.

Sky News has learnt that Motors.co.uk is a leading contender to acquire Cazoo's marketplace operation, which would include its brand and intellectual property assets.

The process to auction the used-car platform's constituent parts comes after it spent tens of millions of pounds on sponsorship deals in football, snooker and darts in a rapid attempt to gain market share.

The owner of British Airways has reported a sharp rise in profits amid soaring demand for trips and a fall in the cost of fuel.

International Airlines Group said its operating profit for the first three months of the year was €68m (£58.5m) - above expectations and up from €9m (£7.7m) during the same period in 2023.

The company, which also owns Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling, said earnings had soared thanks to strong demand, particularly over the Easter holidays.

The prospect of a strike across Tata Steel's UK operations has gained further traction after a key union secured support for industrial action.

Community, which has more than 3,000 members, said 85% voted in favour of fighting the India-owned company's plans for up to 2,800 job losses, the majority of them at the country's biggest steelworks in Port Talbot, South Wales.

Tata confirmed last month it was to press ahead with the closure of the blast furnaces at the plant, replacing them with electric arc furnaces to reduce emissions and costs.

In doing so, the company rejected an alternative plan put forward by the Community, GMB and Unite unions that, they said, would raise productivity and protect jobs across the supply chain.

Rishi Sunak has told Sky News that the UK exiting recession shows the economy has "turned a corner". 

He told our economics editor Ed Conway : "I am pleased that while there's more work to do, today's figures show that the economy now has real momentum, and I'm confident that with time, people will start to feel the benefits of that.

"We've had multiple months now where wages are rising, energy bills have fallen, mortgage rates are down and taxes are being cut... I'm pleased with the progress that we're making."

Mr Sunak added: "I am confident the economy is getting healthier every week."

Lidl will increase staff wages for the third time in 12 months, the supermarket has announced. 

Shop workers in London will get £13.65, up from £13.55, while staff elsewhere will get a rise from a minimum £12 to £12.40 - at a cost of £2.5m to Lidl.

The supermarket invested £37m in pay increases in March, on top of £8m in September - a total of more than £50m in the past 12 months. 

The increase comes into effect from 1 June. 

Lidl GB chief executive Ryan McDonnell said: "As we continue to expand, we are welcoming more customers and attracting more colleagues into the business every day.

"It's absolutely right, therefore, that we continue to offer industry-leading pay."

Tech giant Apple has apologised after an advert for its new iPad model prompted outrage.  

The ad promoting the thinnest-ever iPad shows creative tools including cameras, books, paint cans and musical instruments being crushed in an industrial press.

But many, including celebrities like Hugh Grant, decried the crushing of artistic objects.

In a statement released to Ad Age, Tor Myhren, Apple's vice president of marketing communications, said: "Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it's incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world.

"Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we're sorry."

By Daniel Binns, business reporter

The FTSE 100 has been propelled to another record high this morning after official figures showed that the UK is now out of recession.

The index, of the London Stock Exchange's 100 most valuable companies, is up more than 0.5% and hit an intraday (during the day) high of 8,433 points earlier.

The score is based on a calculation of the total value of the shares on the index.

It comes after officials revealed that gross domestic product (GDP) in the UK grew by a better-than-expected 0.6% during the first three months of the year. 

However, commentators said investors had been buoyed more by the rising cost of metals, along with suggestions from the Bank of England yesterday that interest rates could be cut soon . 

Russ Mould, from investment platform AJ Bell, said: "Given its international horizons, this has little to do with the UK's better-than-expected GDP growth and is largely being driven by strength in the resources space where higher metals prices and the promise of M&A [mergers and acquisitions] are helping to stoke share prices.

"The next key test of the index's new-found vim and vigour will likely come next week in the form of US inflation figures. Investors have broadly accepted rate cuts won't be as deep or come as soon as would have been anticipated at the start of the year. However, any signs inflation is proving much more stubborn than predicted would still represent a shock to the system for financial markets."

Among the movers on Friday is UK-based mining firm Anglo American. 

Its shares are up almost 2% after reports that industry giant Rio Tinto has been considering a multibillion-pound takeover of the firm. It comes after Anglo American rejected a bid from rival BHP.  

Meanwhile, shares in Vodafone are up more than 2% after the government conditionally approved its plans to merge with fellow mobile operator Three. However, an investigation into the deal by the UK's competition watchdog is still ongoing, meaning it’s not a done deal yet. 

On the flip side, property listings website Rightmove is down nearly 6% this morning. It comes after the company cut its advertising revenue growth estimates in a trading update.

Rightmove said higher mortgage rates and lengthier completion times for sales were likely to weigh on buyer sentiment in the coming months, but it also forecast a better year for the UK residential market as a whole.

On the currency markets, £1 buys $1.25 US or €1.16.

Sainsbury's is running a scheme that allows some shoppers to earn easy Nectar card points. 

To earn extra points, shoppers just need to spend £1 across multiple transactions at Sainsbury's this month. 

The supermarket says the scheme is available to "millions" of customers, though all it would say about the eligibility criteria is that it's "based on a range of factors".

Check if you're eligible

Log into your nectar card app and check to see if you have this message...   

Make sure you opt in once you see the message. 

From there, you simply need to spend £1 or more five times - earning extra points each time. 

The number of bonus points on offer varies for each customer.

The offer runs until 4 June. 

Britain is not just out of recession. 

It is out of recession with a bang.

The economic growth reported this morning by the Office for National Statistics is not just faster than most economists expected, it's also the fastest growth we've seen since the tailend of the pandemic, when the UK was bouncing back from lockdown.

But, more than that, there are three other facts that the prime minister and chancellor will be gleeful about (and you can expect them to be talking about this number for a long time).

First, it's not just that the economy is now growing again after two quarters of contraction - that was the recession. 

An economic growth rate of 0.6% is near enough to what economists used to call "trend growth", back before the crisis - in other words, it's the kind of number that signifies the economy growing at more or less "normal" rates. 

And normality is precisely the thing the government wants us to believe we've returned to.

Second, that 0.6% means the UK is, alongside Canada, the fastest-growing economy in the G7 (we've yet to hear from Japan, but economists expect its economy to contract in the first quarter).

Third, it's not just gross domestic product that's up. So too is gross domestic product per head - the number you get when you divide our national income by every person in the country. After seven years without any growth, GDP per head rose by 0.4% in the first quarter. 

And since GDP per head is a better yardstick for the "feelgood factor", perhaps this means people will finally start to feel better off.

But this is where the problems come in. 

Because while this latest set of GDP figures is undoubtedly positive, the numbers that came before are undoubtedly grim.

GDP per head is still considerably lower, in real terms, than it was in 2022, before Liz Truss's disastrous mini-budget, or for that matter lower than in early 2019.

Raising another question: when people think about the state of the economy ahead of the election (and obviously these new figures are likely to increase the speculation about the date of the election), do they put more weight on the years of economic disappointment or the bounce back after them?

Do they focus on the fact that we're now growing at decent whack or on the fact that their income per head is, in real terms, no higher today than it was five years ago?

These are the questions we will all be mulling in the coming months - as the next election approaches. One thing is for sure: this won't be the last time you hear about these GDP numbers.

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