T & D TRAVEL PARTNERS
  • Home
  • About
  • CRUISES
    • GOOD TO KNOW
    • OCEAN CRUISES
    • RIVER CRUISES
    • SPECIALTY CRUISES
  • FAITH BASED TRAVEL
  • Travel Services
    • ALL INCLUSIVE RESORTS
    • RAILS
    • GROUP TRAVEL
    • PROFESSIONAL FEES
  • RESOURCES
    • DESTINATION GUIDE
    • PUBLICATIONS >
      • HELLO WORLD BLOG
      • NEWSLETTER
  • CONTACT US

Traveling Terie

Life is short!  Live it like you mean it!

The Quest: Not Getting Sick While Traveling!

2/17/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
It must be said:  getting sick before, during, or immediately after traveling is on everyone’s mind right now.  Even before the recent outbreak of the coronavirus, we all worried about contacting some weird, exotic, unknown (and possibly incurable?!?!) disease the minute we left the safety of our homes!  Okay, we know not to drink the water … but should we use that strange stuff coming out of the faucet to brush our teeth?  Wash our face? Shower in (don’t open your mouth!).  Perhaps we should pack a gallon of hand sanitizer?  It’s easy to begin to look, sound and act like Adrian Monk – and that can really put a damper on enjoying your next vacation.

So, let’s break it down and look at what you should (and should not) do while traveling – as well as a few preventative tips to take before you leave home!
Picture

Read More
0 Comments

Do Travel Advisors Travel for Free? (And other Myths!)

2/5/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
This might be the most popular question I get asked.  I guess people assume that the reason I decided to start a travel business is so I could travel for free.  The answer in a nutshell is:  No!
​
There are a lot of perks in this business; free travel doesn’t happen to be one of them.  We do get offers for FAM trips and cruises (FAM = familiarization); but we still pay a reduced fare for those trips and cruises, plus taxes and fees and transportation to and from the departure/arrival point.  We may “earn” a cruise with some of our cruise lines, by completing hours/weeks/months of training online – but again, we have to pay taxes and port fees, as well as transportation to and from the ship and all excursions, etc., while onboard.  So, no, we don’t get to travel FREE (i.e., nothing out-of-pocket).
​We do, however, get some pretty cool perks:  we’re invited to ship visits where we can tour the ship and enjoy a nice lunch in the Main Dining Room with others in our industry, while we learn what’s new with that cruise line or ship.  We’re invited to Trade Industry luncheons, seminars, and Trade Shows where we learn more about our travel suppliers.  We get invitations to fun receptions and parties sponsored by various travel partners.  These “perks” are great fun, help us build and foster relationships with our suppliers and others in our field, and are informational.  They are definitely one of the parts of my business that I enjoy.
But, no:  we don’t get to travel for free.  
Picture
​Actually, the only times we use the word “FREE” is when we refer to the number of unpaid hours we spend studying and taking exams to be certified as a professional travel advisor, learning about all of the suppliers, their promotions and how to book with them, how to operate and market our business, and basically, how to be a small business owner (some of that training is free, but anything beyond the basics has an expense).   Or the number of unpaid hours we spend researching, quoting, refining and booking travel for our clients.  Our suppliers only pay us for booking travel – if the client doesn’t book, all those hours are unpaid.  Or the “free” gifts we leave for our clients in their cabin or hotel rooms. Or the months we go “salary free” because we don’t get paid until our clients travel.  That means, if you book for 2021, we do the work now but don’t see a commission until you’ve completed your travel.

Picture
​When I re-read this, I think “WOW!  Why would anyone want to go into the travel business?”  But the truth is, most of the professional Travel Advisors I know start their business because of their passion for travel; they want to share the adventures, the experiences, the memories with everyone.  There’s so much to see and experience in this great big world!  “It’s a big world out there.  Go explore!”

Picture
Do you book your own travel -- or do you use a Travel Professional?  If you don't use a professional, why not?  Let us know in the comments section below!
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
0 Comments

    Terie & Dan

    From the desk of your dedicated Vacation Designers!

    Archives

    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019

    Categories

    All
    Couples
    River Cruise
    Romance
    Travel America

    RSS Feed

    Sign up today to join our VIP Travel Group Page on Facebook

T & D Travel Partners, LLC

Vacation Designers

We are a Veteran Owned company!

tdtravelpartners@gmail.com
727-235-3224
Picture

HOME        ABOUT         CRUISES        FAITH-BASED TRAVEL         TRAVEL SERVICES         RESOURCES         CONTACT
Site created by
​Voyager Websites
Seller of Travel: 
​FL: #ST36257   CA: #2073234  WA:  #602864166  IA: #924
Photos used under Creative Commons from RuggyBearLA, VisitLakeland
  • Home
  • About
  • CRUISES
    • GOOD TO KNOW
    • OCEAN CRUISES
    • RIVER CRUISES
    • SPECIALTY CRUISES
  • FAITH BASED TRAVEL
  • Travel Services
    • ALL INCLUSIVE RESORTS
    • RAILS
    • GROUP TRAVEL
    • PROFESSIONAL FEES
  • RESOURCES
    • DESTINATION GUIDE
    • PUBLICATIONS >
      • HELLO WORLD BLOG
      • NEWSLETTER
  • CONTACT US