How to be a travel agent

 

There is an idea out “there” that being a travel agent is glamorous and we get to travel all over the world for free.  I am here to tell you, neither is true.  We do get fulfillment when a client comes home and says they had a fabulous trip and thanks us for our help.  I wouldn’t call a job “glamorous ” when you wake up in the middle of the night remembering what you forgot.  As for traveling all over the world – yes, I have done that, but not for free.

Every day I read in my chat rooms about the “newbies” trying to break into the business.  I have owned 5 businesses in the past 30 years and being a travel agent is the hardest mentally of any business or job I have ever had.  So, why do I stay.  Because I am committed to helping people get the best travel value for their money.  Committment means something to my generation. 

When I started in the business you could go into a brick and mortar agency and file brochures, answer phones, listen to the agents and learn the business.  Those agencies are long gone.  Most moved home and many retired.  So who will be the next generation to carry on?  This is a commission job and without a following, how will young people make it?

Here is what my next step is.  Deep inside of me, I am a teacher.  I love learning and teaching my clients.  But I also love teaching “newbies” how to be a professional travel agent.  In a few weeks I will be having webinairs to teach anyone how to be a travel agent.  We will start with Setting Up The Homebased Office through every facet of the business.  It will be about 7 or 8 sessions 1/2 hour long.  There will be visuals of all my tools that have made me very successful over the years.  Some very unique developed by myself and another agent who is my dear friend.

How do you find out when these will be?  Send me a message to let you know and I will reply.  No one else is doing this and I think the time is right.  So, if you are serious, let me hear from you.   This industry is not dead and we will be demand forever.  But we have to make ourselves valuable.

Baby It’s Cold Outside

From the West Coast where do you go to find sun and warm?  Hawaii, of course.  This was my 26th trip to the tropical Paradise.  But it has been 20 years since we went to Kauai.  So, off we go.

The Northern most island of the Hawaiian chain, Kauai is lush and very green.  Knowing where to stay, you need a professional travel agent.  Otherwise, you are under a cloud all day long.  Typical of the islands, there is a dryer side and a wetter side.   But on Kauai, wet is wetter than other islands. 

We stayed in the Lihue area close to the airport.  The Kauai Marriott is a beautiful  resort with everything you could want.  It is very large with a huge swimming pool as the focal point.  The sandy beach borders a bay with great shallow water.  Not many waves for surfers, but some were trying.  The Marriott offers complimentary airport and golf course shuttles.  But we wanted to see the rest of the island, so we rented a car.

Lihue is at the southern tip of the island close to Poipu.  This is ideal for sun and a slight breeze.  Every morning about 11:30 we saw the clouds start to gather over the mountain in the center of the island.  But they never bothered us. 

One day we drove around one side of the island all the way to Hanalei going through Princeville.  There are about 4 five star resorts in this area.  For the life of me I can’t figure out why they built them where you are under clouds all day.  That isn’t why I go to Hawaii.  From Princeville to Hanalei it is a very narrow 2 lane road with about 4 one way bridges.  The distance isn’t very far, but the time is lengthy because of all the stopping. 

The next day we went the other direction to the end of the highway stopping at Poipu Beach Park.  What a lovely quiet area.  I can stay there forever.  Along this road is the turn off into the center of the island into Waimea Canyon.  Absolutely spectacular.  Take a helicopter ride into the canyon.  There are several beautiful waterfalls that can be reached by car and about 14 beaches.      

      

There are all levels of accommodations.  From sinple motels to luxury resorts.  But location is the most important.  Also, having air conditioning is very important.  It was quite warm in the daytime, but cooled off at night.

One very funny feature is all the chickens.  They are everywhere.  We never saw any road kill, so they have learned where to go and not to cross the roads.  The roosters started crowing before sunup and all day long till sundown.  There is no lack of bugs and all are well fed.

Packing tips:  On the Inter Island flights, you are limited to size and weight.  Check your carrier.  Otherwise you have to check your bags and if you have valuables in your carryon, you will still have to check them.  One thing I recommend is to take an empty fold up duffle bag.  You can carry on as many bags as you want as long as each bag is under the limit and the right size to fit in the bag gauge at the counter.  And they do check you.   Also, take mosquito spray for Kauai.  We did get a few bites of some kind. 

Call me to book this beautiful place in paradise.

Looking for The Bargain

Now more than anytime in my travel professional life, people are looking for the “hot” deal. Whether an airline ticket, hotel stay, cruise, resort vacation, or combination of the above.

For many years I have preached about the woes of booking online. But some still want to go that route. So now, I have a vehicle for you to do that and earn a commission for yourself as well as finding that “bargain” you have always wanted.

The online site is called Blastoff. This is a giant online shopping mall with over 400 stores and services. The Travel section of the Mall has every online booking company you can imagine. As well as car rentals, luggage, hotels, etc. Here is the address to access this site:
ppl.blastoffnetwork.com/sharoncemerson53

Put that into your browser, watch the videos explaining the site and sign up for FREE!!

When you get your login that will be similar to mine except with your name after the /, send emails to everyone to you know and have them sign up on your site. Now you are making money from your purchases and their purchases, as well.

Why waste your gas, your time, and get all frustrated when you can shop in your PJ’s? So grab that cup of coffee and go shopping – online!!!

But never forget, sometimes you may need a Certified Travel Agent for guidance, and you can call me.
866-367-7657

Happy Shopping and Traveling.

Belize for Nature Lovers

Belize is mostly known as a diver’s paradise with the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world.  Ambergris Caye off the North Coast is the best area for diving. The highlight is the famed Blue Hole as wells as 3 coral atolls.  Even snorkelers have a awesome experience swimming amont the rays and nurse sharks. Manatees and tarpons are also seen.   But there is more to Belize than diving.

Any nature lovers who are interested in the unspoiled will enjoy hiking, quiet solitude, history lovers and adventure seekers.  Sport fishing for tarpon and bonefish are always a draw.  There are some partially excavated Maya sites throughout the country. 

San Pedro is the main town with sand streets, art galleries and a few beach bars.  The Western boarder has a tropical rainforest teeming with birds, wildlife, exotic plants, jaguars roaming the night forest. 

Flying into Belize City is convenient from Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark and Charlotte.  There are some extra taxes and service fees and you should check the websites to make sure how much those are.  The temperature is from 70 to 95 degrees during the year.  Rainy season is July to August.  Accommodation are few but cover the gamet from basic diving properties to a few resorts.  For an unspoiled vacation, try Belize.

I Can Do It Myself!!! Thanks, anyway.

No matter what I say, some people just want to “do it themselves”. I think that is where the lumber yards and hardware store came up with the “Do it yourself” slogan. It is almost like a 2 year old wanting to dress themselves!! Just in our nature to be independent.
If that is you and you like to book your own travel, well go right ahead. But know this, if you are on your own, it can can expensive and uncomfortable.

Here is a new site to book on. Go to ppl.blastoffnetwork.com/sharoncemerson53.
Sign up, it is FREE, really FREE. Book your travel there and get a commission as well as deeper discounts than you get on the 1,000# Gorillas. Check it out. Then give your login in, which is like mine except for your name and number, to everyone you know and have them do the same. The more people you sign up, the more commissions you make, the more you can travel!!!
A win win for everyone.

Check it out.

AN UNPLANNED TRIP

In the fall of 1940, Morrison-Knudsen Company, out of Boise, Idaho, began hiring men to go to Wake Island to build an airstrip for Pan American Airlines. The first crew went over in Jan, 1941.   This was to be a 9 month job and they were to make $2000, a huge sum for a short time.  men were hired from California, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.   My father was in his early 30’s and signed up to go leaving me at 2 1/2 years and my pregnant Mom.  There were a total of 1498 men working on Wake.

Then Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed and the war was on.  For    weeks the civilians held off the Japanese army on Wake.  There was no one to rescue them.  An amazing story of bravery and fighting on a forsaken island.  A couple of books are The Story of Wake Island by Frank (Curly) Mace and Traveling Life’s Twisting Trails by John Burton.

Finally, the Wake Islanders could not hold them off any longer and the Japanese army came ashore.  After staying on the Island for  several   weeks, 800 were taken off on Jan 12, 1942 and sent to China.  My father was in an group of 250 who went directly to Japan in Sept, 1942.   The 98 that were left on the island were shot in 1943.

Here is the time line as given to me by Gary Rogde.

• January 11, 1942  350 men picked to stay on Wake
• Jan 12 Nita Maru sailed with to Shanghai
• Feb. 24  US. ships shelled the island.  Drew Foss’s Dad (Henry) was skipper on one of the cruisers.  (From the Foss Tug family)
• Feb 25  Two aviators floated ashore on a raft from where they had drifted 50 miles out – Foreman & Winchester
• March 4  The aviators left by boat for Yokahoma
• March 10  Scotty Kay & Fred Stevens came in from hiding in the bush for 77 days
• May 11  Babe Hofmeister beheaded as 22 men were made to watch
• May 22  Elmer Makie & Donald Sullivan left in a boat, were caught and executed
• June 4  Japanese Navy went by headed for Midway
• July 15  William (Bill) Miles – Carpenter died of heart trouble
• Sept 30  Packed to leave Wake – 265 men in a coal burning tanker Tachibana Maru.  We left 98 men on the island who were executed Oct 7, 1943
• Oct 9  Arrived Ita Ewa Yokahoma By then by train to Kyushu – Sasebo Camp and to the cement sheds where we built a dam.  This was slave labor by United States civilian Prisoners of War.

Camp 18 in Japan was the worst prison camp of the war.  My father for 4 1/2 years of slave labor building a dam by hand carrying buckets of rocks.  The starvation was worse than the severe beatings.  Add to this the fleas, lice, worms, dysentary and other sickness and diseases.  This camp had the most deaths of any camp – 70.   My father was an ordained minister, so it became his duty to do the burying of each man.  For every man in the camp, there is a different story. 

 I was 7 when my father came home and didn’t pay any attention to what he was saying.  Now I want to know.  There are 2 men still living who were with my father through the whole experience.  After talking to Gary Rogde, my father’s friend, we decided to go to the annual convention of the Workers of Wake.  Both Gary and LeRoy Myers were there and I got to tape interviews.  Now I have had my questions answered.

Brown Bag Trip #3 2009

The miles are adding up on the Brown Bag.  This last trip was the longest of all.   Especially the jaunt from the parking garage to the room.  “Someone” stated that a suitcase with wheels would have been a better choice!!  I suppose so.  And maybe next time

Our destination this trip was to beautiful Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  Leaving Seattle and crossing the Cascade Mountains, we take I90 a straight shot East.  Takes about 4 1/2 hours plus a stop or two.   You can fly into Spokane, WA and drive about 40 minutes.  Crossing the flat farm lands of Eastern Washington we notice the local farmers were kind enough to put signs on the fences telling what the crop is.  Traveling with an “old farm boy” , this information gives him lots to talk about.  

Leaving Spokane we begin to climb and see evergreens along the way.  Then into Coeur d”Alene with the beautiful lake and rolling green hills that come down to the water.  The city has about 35,000 population and a small town feel. 

We are staying at The Coeur d’Alene golf resort and spa.  Right on the water with many water activities such as wind surfing, water skiing, jet skiing, etc.  They have boats for dinner cruises and shuttle boats to the golf course.  This course has a tee in the lake.  Fishing in the lake lands some Kokanee, land-locked salmon, that are wonderful smoked.

The hotel is very upscale and beautifully furnished.  The bath is large with open shower and tub.  Two vanities with 2 sinks make for a quick morning.  The bed faces the spacious windows with a view to the mountains and water.  No need to get up to open and close the drapes.  An electronic gadget at the bedside takes care of that.  The sunken living area has a lounge sofa, fire place and flat screen TV.  A small balcony gives fresh air and warm breezes.  Our room looked over the marina, the lake and mountains.  

A drive outside of town takes you into some lovely small towns and communities.  There are several other lakes in the area.  It is lovely in the summer, but the winter has lots of activities as well.  Skiing is close by and the ice sculpturing is famous.

This is a romatic destination.  There were several weddings and receptions going on while we were there.  It is also “family friendly”.  Even though it was summer vacation, the rooms were totally quiet.  The front desk staff were amazing.  Our reservation has been done wrong and quickly it was corrected without any fuss at all.

Call me to get you a great room in a beautiful resort.

BRITISH DEFINED BARBADOS

This island has the advantage of the West Coast on the Atlantic Ocean with the rough water and prime surfing.  On the East Coast are the calm waters of the Caribbean Sea.  Located in the most eastern line of the Lesser Antilles, it has some beautiful sandy beaches. 

With the 3 1/2 centuries of British rule, you can still experience some of the plantation life that was the island.  Many grand houses with collections of antiques, carriages and farm implements are worth a stop.    There are 3 golf courses including one designed my Robert Tent Jones. 

Bridgetown is the capital city and cruise ship port.  Many large department stores offering great discounts.  The Caribbean influence is found in many fairs and celebrations with music and food. 

Accommodation are abundant.  From apartments for those wanting to stay a while, to brand named hotels and many resorts are scattered around the island.   Many outstanding restaurants serving international and local specialties.  Many require a jacket in the evening, so go prepared.    Don’t forget the Sunday buffet at the Atlantis Hotel, an island institution. 

Rental cars are available and driving is on eht left side of the road.  The climate year round is 75-85 degrees and constant trade winds keep the island a paradise. 

Barbados is not for the frugal with a 15 mile Millionaires’ Playground known as Platinum Coast.  Even if you stay in a more reasonably priced part of Barbados, take a drive to see the elaborate gardens.

BROWN BAG TRIP #2 Summer 2009

As you can see, our brown bag is getting some use.  It has seen many miles in the last few weeks.  It would have stories to tell, could it talk.  So, where did it go this past week?

Our 19 year old granddaughter, Katie, came to visit and her favorite place is the ocean.  So, we packed our bag and her back pack, with Grandpa’s wallet and off we went to the coast of Washington State to a seaside town of Ocean Shores. 

Many long years ago this was a forsaken stretch of sand dunes owned by a corporation that Pat Boone was involved in.  But it never took off and soon that corporation was gone.  Now it is a serious town of about 5000 residents (some are only parttime) with many wonderful mid size hotels and condos for rent.  New houses are popping up all over.   Katie would like to live here, but we have to be ON the beach.  The main part of OS has public beach access and a beautiful sandy beach.  Many of the properties have dunes between them and the water/beach.  These are not S. California beaches.  Some people were in the water, but it is COLD!!!

The activities are many – kite flying is king, mopeds on the beach, horseback riding on the beach, go carting, miniture golfing as well as a nice golf course.  There are a number of good places to eat and a small strip mall with a store that Katie loved.    A new Ice Creamery that makes it’s own ice cream with all kinds of additions caught Grandpa and Katie’s eyes.  So a couple of stops there.  Grandpa says the coffee ice cream is the best of anywhere.

We stayed at the Shilo Inn right next to the road to the sandy beach.  You can walk the long block to the water.  Also, walkable to the shopping strip.  There is one casino just before the main town, but none of the rest of the town has casinos.  A very family friendly place.

Much to our surprise, it was Sun and Surf weekend with over 2000 bikers in town.  So the town was bursting with activites.  The whole main part was roped off for bike parking.  What an awesome collection of beautiful bikes.  I am sure all put together we could pay off the national debt. 

Summer is a good time to visit any Washington State beaches.  But our favorite time is Novermber.  Then we get some fierce storms.  Park yourself in front of a fire place, have some good music and a book and watch the waves crash.  We have been there with snow coming sideways from the water.  It is spectacular.

Brown Bag Travels

Two years ago my husband, Ken, and I decided to take some weekends and travel around the Pacific Northwest. We live in a beautiful area of water, mountains and long flat farmland. It was so much fun poking into small towns, off the beaten path adventures.
This summer and fall, we are off again to go places we have never gone before.

How to pack for this adventure? First of all you need a grocery bag or garbage bag or whatever kind of bag is handy. No need to buy a special bag. Into this bag goes binoculars, camera, change of clothes (some can hang in the back right out of the closet), toiletries and water. Then a map and some soothing music and you are off.

Ken is the driver, I am the guide/napper. I think my parents must have taken me for rides to put me to sleep as an infant. The wheels turn and my head drops!!!

This trip we knew our destination, but the routing had a couple of options. We were headed for Long Beach, Washington. Yep, we have one, too.
The day is absolutely beautiful. Heading down Interstate 5 South, Mount Rainier is in her glory. We also can see the Cascade Mountain range with snow on the top. We pass the state capital at Olympia. Traffic is easy. Lots of small town along the way and tempting turnoffs – another time. At Chehalis we turn West toward the Pacific Ocean. A beautiful winding road with everygreens on both sides. I think I am missing things as I doze. But Ken is watching for animals (our favorite thing besides looking for Indian Paint Brush). We go through Wilapa, world famous for oysters. This is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and we follow the coast to Ilwaco, the south tip of the Long Beach peninsula.

Ilwaco is famous for it’s commercial and recreational fishing fleet. It is too early for salmon, but we see that tuna fishing is good right now. My husband feels that tug on his line, but we don’t have time on this trip.

It is getting into the afternoon and we need to find a place for the night. As we poke along, so soon find out this area is not like the other Washington coastal town that have many places to stay on the water. After checking one and finding no vacancy, we went on north to the Breakers. It is not ON the water as there are grass-covered dunes that go out a long way. But we take what is available and are comfortable for the night.

Long Beach is a typical seaside town with little eateries, touristy stores, kite shops, etc. Always ice cream and elephant ears!!! The Washington coast is always windy so kite flying is big. There are many places to drive out onto the packed sand, but watch the signs and watch how soft the sand is. We park and just watch the water and nap. It is so restful.

Since this was my birthday weekend, we were told Jamilla’s was the best restaurant around. They were right. Small place, but everything was local and made from scratch. A very lovely dinner without dressing up. Come as you are.

The next day we drove north on the rest of the peninsula and realized oysters are king. The drive is heavy foliage on both sides so you can’t see the water on either side. But there are many public turnoffs to drive to the beach.

We head home a different way, again with a gentle windy road along the Columbia River. We hit Kelso on I5 and head north. We won’t talk about the horrors of driving the Interstate on Sunday evening. But the 2 days were lovely.