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December 2005
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9.
Business Travelers just can’t get enough of low cost
airlines like Jet Blue and
Ryanair.
The
Travel Industry Association of
America says the new kids on the block received higher overall scores
than the big boys. Seat comfort, in-flight entertainment and value top
the list of exactly what road warriors love about the low cost carriers.
Industry leader Jet Blue, for
example, offers seat back entertainment with 36 TV channels, a handful
of pay per view movies and 100 channels of free
XM Satellite Radio.
And feisty
Alaska Airlines
beat out top runner
Continental to cop top honors for Cabin
Service and Frequent Flyer Privileges
Major airlines are cutting back
flights. And while this may ease air congestion and delays, it’s an open
invitation to the low cost airlines to increase market share big time.
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8.
Give a guy a choice:
Would he prefer a major sporting event like the Super Bowl, front-row
seats at a major musical event like a U2 concert in London …or spending
a week in Hawaii or Paris?
Assuming money and time were no
problem, the majority of guys chose Notre Dame, the football team…not
the cathedral in Paris.
And it’s clearly a guy thing: 22
percent of men chose the sports happening, as opposed to just 6 percent
of women.
It may smack of elitism, but
researchers tell us that the more education you have…the more likely
you’ll prefer Paris.
Those in the Northeast are more
likely to want to rub shoulders with the rich and famous at a
blockbuster entertainment event.
And Midwesterners win hands down,
when it comes to preferring sports events.
But…Hawaii still remains everyone’s
favorite hot spot.
What are your travel preferences?
Tell us!
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7.
A woman we heard about had to cancel
her hotel reservation because she found out she was pregnant…and had
pneumonia?
When she tried to cancel, she was
told she missed the penalty free cancellation date, which was a
stringent sixteen days prior to arrival! Some are actually longer. When confronted, the hotel didn’t
budge, saying guests are advised of specific cancellation policies when
they make their reservations…or in follow up letters of confirmation. Our traveler never received the
cancellation information, but was still out very big bucks.
The moral of the story?
Be certain to get the hotels’
cancellation policy… in writing. And remember, Internet reservations
may have a different cancellation policy than those made by phone.
In the wacky world of travel, the
best policy is always Buyer Beware!
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6.
This is KS with your XM Audio
Postcard
To visit Scotland’s Isle of Skye
by sound, please listen to the
Audio Postcard!
It’s a hauntingly beautiful island,
the Isle of Skye, in Scotland’s heather covered Highlands
This is the place poet
Robbie Burns
wrote about, yearning for the restless sea and mist covered hills and
mountains.
The Isle of Skye is one of those
places that lingers in the mind long after the trip is done.
The sheep dotted hillsides, the
clusters of fishing villages snuggled against the cliffs, and the vast,
unspoiled land and rushing streams have an almost spiritual feel to
them.
In spring and summer, it’s a haven
for kayakers and back packers. And the salmon swollen streams are a
fisherman’s delight.
The signs are in Gaelic and English and point to small B and B’s and
cozy inns with dramatic views of the sea and the flowered covered moors.
The Isle of Skye is a special
destination where nature is untamed and the culture still authentic.
For
Information and Help:
www.visitscotland.com is the
helpful web site for all aspects of travel in Scotland, and detailed
information specific to the Isle of Skye is at
www.skye.co.uk/
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audio
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5.
 Most of us look at tourism and
wonder how terrorism affects it.
But the International Institute for
Peace Through Tourism looks at tourism…and wonders how it can
affect terrorism.
Organization president Louis D’Amore
sees tourism as a major instrument for word peace because, he says,
Travel and Tourism help people get to know each other around the world.
Please listen to the
audio of Lou D’Amore’s thoughts on how tourism can make the world more peaceful.
D’Amore belives ignorance of other
people and their cultures produces fear and mistrust …and that
leads to terrorism.
Maybe it’s time for a Travel equals
World Peace bumper sticker!
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4.
After 9/11, family travel jumped a
whopping 37%.
But one groups was left out: the
single parent.
One mom told us after her divorce
her circle of friends changed and when she went on vacation with her kids
it was a lonely experience.
Her kids had a great time, but most
of the guests were couples or had no kids and didn’t want the company of
a single mom.
Things have changed.
Companies like
Quality Time Travel
in New York and major resorts like
Beaches and
Sandals now
offer vacations tailored specifically toward the single parent family
In addition to price breaks, these
vacations design activities for single parents that bring them together
with other single moms or dads while offering separate but quality
activities for the kids.
Cruises are popular for single
parents because there’s so much for the kids to do day and
night…and single parents get their chance to meet and mingle with other
single parents.
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Check out:
http://www.singleparenttravel.net/ |
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3.
The travel industry loves
the holidays. Gives them the chance to roll out their specials ranging
from the creative to the well, over the top
The North Pole offers a
North Pole City candle lighting experience followed by a Christmas Tree
lighting ceremony, followed we hope by some strong, warm drink.
Nashville’s
Opryland
takes two million pounds of ice and had carves the stuff into
larger-than-life, three-dimensional holiday scenes
And Egypt offers a
luxurious night time cruises along the Nile Valley under the stars.
In
Vancouver, Canada, a
fleet of 80 holiday ships with 150,000 twinkling lights floats through
the picturesque harbor.
New Mexico’s
Acoma Pueblo nine miles of roads are
covered with 5,000 votive candles
And of course in
Hawaii’s Outrigger Hotels, Santa
arrives by… canoe
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2.
This is Kaleel Sakakeeny with your XM Audio Postcardä
To visit Lisbon by sound, please listen to the
Audio Postcard!
The mournful lyrics
of
Fado music with their emotional tales of lost love and unrealized
dreams are the soul of
Lisbon,
the mysterious, authentic capital of Portugal.
But Lisbon is also
classy museums and contemporary buildings side by side with Baroque
cathedrals and boutique specialty shops.
The
Alfama district is the heart of Lisbon.
Once a Moorish
stronghold, small tavernas and neighborhood cafes spring to life from
hidden doorways and narrow alleyways.
The streets twist and
turn around old churches, crumbling castles…and passionate lovers in
archways.
The river banks are
lined with specialty bakeries and restaurants featuring the best sea
food and good, inexpensive wines.
Portugal offers a terrific dollar value, and a
real cultural
experience, all but missing in the rest of homogenized Europe
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1.
Turns out we’re less sophisticated than we think.
We use the latest, technology to chose a vacation, pick a
restaurant or buy a cruise, but the truth is, most of us buy travel
based on word of mouth. A major marketing
firm says that 30 billion dollars worth of travel are spent based on
opinions and recommendations of friends and relatives. But how
reliable are word of mouth recommendations…and why do we listen?
Judy Melanson is a travel and hospitality executive at
Chadwick
Martin Bailey in Boston
(Please listen to the
audio
for Ms. Melanson’s comments)
Sure, those marketing dollars aren’t wasted, but it’s
nice to know Uncle Joe is in the know too.
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When Kaleel
filed stories for