srini asked:


the travel agency is to be started in tamilnadu, india. and i am planning to work on kailash manasarovar yatra. and this is no fun. pls guide me with genuine replies

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Iprwire Staff Writer asked:


Too many employees in today’s workforce are unhappy with their jobs. Surveys have reported that complaints include low wages, poor working environments, and general dissatisfaction. Simply put, too many people dread the nine to five part of their day. This is a very sad and frightening reality that we face. Life is too short to waste most of it on a hated activity. Worse still, an unhappy workforce spells trouble for our economy in terms of diminished productivity.

Some people in our society are already starting to rethink the way they do business. These people have taken their skills and education outside of the workforce and have gone into business for themselves. Starting a new business can be a frightening venture, especially while interest and rent rates continue to rise.

There are alternatives to traditional business ideas, however, that are more accessible to the average person. These business ideas are Internet centered and one of the most successful of them is the idea to start a home based travel agency.

A personal Internet business provides venture opportunities with little start up requirements and next to no overhead. Yet these independent businesses have access to an international market and are able to compete with the biggest companies in their field.

To start a home based travel agency means that anyone, regardless of age, education, financial status, or experience can begin building their own fortune. There are some amazing success stories out there, and all of them have one thing in common, the business owners did not do it on there own, they knew where to look for help.

Although Internet businesses are easier to set up and run than conventional ones, there is still a fair amount to learn in order to become successful. When considering an Internet business, it is advisable to look into company membership programs. These programs can provide training, setup, and ongoing support to ensure that each of their member’s businesses thrives. There are several companies in existence that try to help people start a home based travel agency, but they are not all created equally.

If the vacation industry has sparked your interest, then begin looking for a membership program that specializes in this industry. In comparing companies it is vital to ensure that the company is reputable, longstanding, and well respected in the field. It is also important to evaluate the level of support that the company provides.

A good company will not only educate you about the vacation industry, they will also teach you how to run a business successfully. In addition, ongoing support is essential. When you start a home based travel agency, the company you work with must be dedicated to your business every step of the way.

A great place to look is http://www.homebased-travelagents.com. This site offers a membership program that has been running for well over a decade and has hundreds of members across the country. They not only educate their members, they also provide the software, technology, websites, and even customer leads. By becoming a member of their program your company will be sure to thrive.



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Terry T asked:


I booked two rooms through an online travel agency and then had to cancel. They told me that after holding back 10$ for cancellation charges they would refund my money. Its been two months and they still have not made the refund. They also refuse to reply to my emails also. How can I get them to refund my money??

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Jeremy Foster asked:


Going on vacation is what many individuals spend their entire year dreaming about. For some a simple vacation means visiting family and friends, but for others a vacation means getting away to a destination that is exotic, fun and exciting. Maybe you desire an extreme adventurous holiday or maybe you in search of peace and serenity, whatever your holiday idea is, travel agencies have the tools and expertise to help you find a perfect destination.

Why Use A Travel Agency?

There are many people who feel that it is not necessary to make use of a travel agency. From flight arrangements to booking accommodations, there are several aspects of planning a vacation that many individuals feel are simple. A common question is: Why spend money having someone plan a vacation for when you can do it yourself? This may be true in some instances; however, there are many benefits to using a travel agency.

Remember, making travel arrangements and vacation plans can be a very stressful experience. Having to phone dozens of places and speaking to many front desk operators can be frustrating. You might think that this does not sound so bad, but setting aside enough time to do the appropriate amount of research can be difficult with a full time job, not to mention a family as well. A scenario such as this can lead to plenty of stress, or worse, a slip up with the vacation plan itself. Hotels, airlines and tourist attractions may be overlooked. The best options are sometimes not advertised. A seasoned travel professional (i.e. a travel agency) most likely will be better suited to provide you will the best options available, whether they are advertised or not. Yes, working with a travel agency costs money, but the service provided can relieve you of many hassles and save you time too.

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The biggest advantage of travel agents is that they work constantly with hotels, resorts and other individuals in the travel industry. This means that you can be sure the arrangements your travel agency chooses fit your budget and your lifestyle. In addition, because travel agencies deal with vacations on a daily basis, they will also be able to inform you about the hottest destinations. You will not only receive the advantage of knowing what places are great to visit, travel agencies might also be able to give you great packages that will save you money.

What Services Do Travel Agencies Offer

When it comes to travel agencies, many people think that they offer a money wasting service. This is false; you get what you pay for and it relieves you of travel anxiety. The rule that everything will and must go wrong is no longer your concern

Travel agents will advise you on the best locations there are and try to arrange a discounted package for you, which, if you were picking your own location, you would not be able to get.

They also take care of all flight and traveling arrangements. They will book your flights both locally and internationally and confirm it just before you leave for vacation. For instance, if you need a car rental service, your travel agency will make all of the necessary arrangements.

They will also finalize all accommodations at the hotel or resort of your choice and arrange for any special requirements you or your family has. Travel agencies will also create an itinerary for you. They will give you a list of places to visit and go sightseeing, and can make the all of the reservations as well.

Travel agencies also offer great customer care and will check with you to see everything is going as planned. They want to ensure that your vacation goes smoothly and that you do not run into any complications. If you do find that you are having trouble on your holiday, the need to sort the problem out yourself is not necessary. Simply call your travel agent to deal with any hassles such as problems with your room, amenities, etc and they will correspond with the resort staff to ensure your stay is pleasant.

An Added Advantage of Travel Agencies

Besides the fact that travel agencies know where all the hotspots are, they sometimes have the advantage of knowing about a certain place or resort before anyone else does. Usually travel agencies will be notified first about new places opening, which is an advantage to you. Because they are notified first about these destinations, you get a chance to visit a location that no one has been to before.

Another advantage is that sometimes these new resorts require reviews and will allow travel agencies to refer customers to them in order to try the place. This is usually offered at a lower rate and so you save money for an equally fantastic vacation.



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Aug
16
Filed Under (Business) by admin
Dexter Stoakley asked:


Your vacation is a precious commodity. You work all year in order to be able to afford that two or three week time when you can go off to a destination of your choice and shake off the hassles of the year in as relaxing a manner as is possible. If you are planning on taking a vacation that requires any sort of extensive planning, such as out of the country or even to a popular destination in a different state, it is probably going to be necessary for you to enlist the services of a travel agency.

There are several advantages when it comes to using a travel agency over planning your entire vacation yourself. As businesses, travel agencies have many contacts in various areas of travel, whether the vacation you are planning is a cruise, a resort destination, or even a school travel group. In any case, a travel agency should have the contacts to be able to get you the best prices on quality vacation items such as airfare, hotel rooms, or the best possible cruise.

The first step in choosing your travel agency is to choose the vacation that is right for you. Travel agencies will often advertise bargain vacations to certain destinations, and if you re the type who likes to fly by the seat of your pants then this kind of spur of the moment planning may be perfect for you. For many others, however, the key to the perfect vacation will be in shopping around and deciding on where you would like to go before you go out looking for an agency.

Once you have decided on your dream vacation, it is time to find a travel agency. Remember, travel agencies are not all regulated, so you will want to find an agency that has a good reputation and a great track record. Word of mouth is a great tool when it comes to any kind of service, and choosing a travel agency is no exception. Talk to friends and family members who have taken similar vacations to the one that you are planning and find out how they felt about the agency that assisted them.

Try to find out which travel agency group the agency you are considering is associated with. Agencies with more extensive (think global) affiliations are more likely to be able to get you lower prices and added favors for your vacation. Keep in mind, however, that just because they are affiliated with a large group does not mean that the agency itself has to be large. Common knowledge would suggest that the bigger the agency, the easier it is to negotiate smaller prices. This is not always the case, however, so don’t make your decision on the number of employees in the store.

Finally, ask for references from the agency of both clients and suppliers. Clients, of course, are people like yourself who have used the agency’s services to go on vacations before. Suppliers are the people with whom the agency deals in order to purchase items such as hotel rooms and airline tickets, and will often have a clearer view of how the agency operates and whether or not they can do all that they claim as far as cost cutting and favors.



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SlothMachine asked:


I posed a similar question about going to Spain and surrounding countries. Has anyone used a travel agency and hopscotched around Europe? How long were you there for, and how much did you spend in total?

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tourist asked:


Am always afraid of being turned down.i therefore find it hard to get get in to an office and ask for a vacancy in a travel agency which i most prefer working in.
I do ask the few people i know to find me a job but this style is not working.Am loosing hope but i need courage and words to use to approach a prospective employer.
Am trained in Air ticketing Tours and Travel operation. Please help.

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Crista V. asked:


we applied US tourist visa last july with my two sons, but was denied, (the consular officer did not even bother to see our requirements, it was very unfair) i applied thru the internet, somebody told me we should have got a better chance if we consulted a travel agency. is that true?i am planning to re-apply, please help, give advice.thank you.

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Jeremy Foster asked:


When you are looking to book your next vacation or your next business trip, you may be considering using an online travel agency. Before you decide to do so, however, you should be aware of what to expect from an online travel agency so you can determine how best to match that to your own unique needs. There are several different levels of service in which to classify online travel agencies, the level you need depends on your trip requirements as well as your personal travel and leisure preferences or desires.

Quite simply, you should be able to find an online travel agency that can fulfill any expectation you may have. Whether you prefer self-service travel plans where you do all of your own searching and booking, or a full-service online agency that handles every detail on your behalf, there are many options available. Depending on the type of travel you will be undertaking, there are also various options that you can consider among online travel agencies. Some specialize only in travel packages, while others offer a la carte menus of travel services for you to pick and choose.

There are several expectations, however, that are universal to all online travel agencies. These have to do with the minimum level of service provided and the quality and competitiveness of the types of travel being sold. It is best to qualify the online travel agency on all of these expectations before you choose to enter into partnership with them for the travel you are seeking to plan.

The first universal expectation that you should have for your online travel agency is having a variety of destinations and packages available to choose from. It does not matter what specialty the agency might have, from full-service travel to niche travel such as cruises or unusual destinations. No matter what is being sold, you always want to partner with an agency that provides options. While the first option you see may very well end up being the best choice or the best value, you will have no means of determining that unless other options are available for comparison. Good self-service travel sites will readily offer you comparison information. Full-service online travel agencies should compile that same information and present it to you when you are in the process of making a decision.

The second universal expectation you should have when using an online travel agency is that they offer the same basic types of vacations from more than one carrier or provider. For example, you can choose between two major airlines for the same New York-to-Miami flight leg of your trip. If an online travel agency represents only one brand, they are not truly a travel agency; instead, they are a representative of that brand. If only one brand were offered, customers would have no means of evaluating whether the services and products offered were of value or were worthless. Having a number of providers to choose from when selecting hotel or airfare or cruise line shows that the travel agency is actively updating its site with the best prices and options currently available.

The third universal expectation that you should have for your online travel agency is price competitiveness. Although travel agencies sometimes charge fees to travelers in order to off-set their cost of doing business, those fees must be fair. The charges for the actual travel services you see published through online travel agencies should be no more than what you would pay if you went directly through the provider, and, in fact, less if bundled with other services.

The final universal expectation that you should have for your online travel agency is a service-level guarantee that ensures you get what you pay for and are treated in a courteous and appropriate manner. Online travel agencies should also offer some form of a guarantee for your purchases that no foreseeable action on their part or the part of the service provider will interrupt your travel. They cannot warrant against freak or random occurrences, but they can ensure that their own offerings are solid before offered.

Perhaps the best thing about using an online agency is the availability of customer reviews and feedback you can read before making a final purchase. Another nice convenience, for repeat customers, is the ability to create your own customer profile that allows you to save certain options in your preferences that will streamline future vacation planning. You can save time and hassle by storing any corporate or membership discount numbers, frequent flyer numbers and other pertinent information on your customer profile.

The expectations you hold for the online travel agency you select as a partner may be varied. If they can uphold these four basic standards of quality, you can be assured that you are getting sound representation and the best deals available.



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Ian Koch asked:


Estimates made recently are showing that the travel agent business will increase heavily in the near future. If you combine this knowledge with the some elementary knowledge about how the internet functions, it will not take long before you can see how you as an ordinary can take advantage of this development, by starting your own profitable travel agency business from the comfort of your own home. It is with this business as any other kind of business; the clue is to be among the first. The demand for online travel service will increase but so will also the supply. If you go into this market before it is too competitive and even saturated will give you great benefits compared to those who come in later.

It is found that travel is the number one business that gives you exciting work with your clients. Running a travel agency business requires you to have good interpersonal skills so that you can contact your customers or clients efficiently. Working on a schedule is the other part of the business. It is not easy to satisfy your customer if you don’t know the in and outs of the travel business. You can have your own travel agency at some location in the heart of the city or at home or in the cyber space. Options are open to you and you can work in any way you want. Having your business in cyber space is the least expensive in terms of money but you have to spend a lot of time in building your business and contacts.

If you have that dynamic personality then you would the person who is enjoying your work more. Your job could be more exciting. In a travel agency business you will be arranging vacations and flight tickets for you clients and in due course you might be getting very good contacts that may further develop your business. Moreover you might be required to travel a lot across the world many times. The number of places that you visit and the experience that you get in these destinations are wide and varied. Apart from these you should know that you are earning your money while traveling and enjoying your time in different destinations.

You also get some agent only deals which you can utilize to familiarize with some of the exotic destinations of the world. You can earn a lot through discounts and promotions that are offered by many airlines most of the time. Apart from this you get your commission for booking flight tickets to your customers. The benefits are wide if you run your own travel agency. So why not try this line of business if you are planning to have your own business.



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