Jetstar does it again…

Jetstar, the budget offshoot of Qantas is planning on flying to Asia which means super cheap fares for Australians!

Jetstar Australia has hooked up with Singapore Jetstar Asia to provide flights to Bali, Osaka, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuket and Bangkok but they are already offering introduction fares as low as $169 o/w to Bali, $249 o/w to Osaka, $398 to Vietnam return - these fares are all including taxes!

The flights will begin in November this year but being a budget airline, there are a few little added extras you may want to pay for such as $25 for two meals, $10 for an in-flight entertainment kit and $7 for a comfort pack with a pillow and blanket.

Don’t forget these prices are in Australian Dollars - so super cheap!

Advertised airfares including taxes???

Well I never though that this would happen, but the European Commission recently proposed a new legislation that would make airlines advertise their fares including ALL taxes, charges and fees…and no this is no joke.

Could you imagine looking at an airfare online or in a magazine / retail agency and seeing a price that was truely ALL INCLUSIVE?

Fingers crossed that this legislation is approved!

Thinking of starting a retail travel agency?

Recently I have received a couple of emails from people that are interested in starting up their own retail travel agency and they have asked me ‘where do I start?”

This may sound like a relatively easy question to answer, but as with any other business nothing is ever as simple as it sounds.

My suggestion would be to do a course in retail travel and a small business course. You might like to get experience in the industry and also read some books like :

• Start Your Own Travel Agency by Adam Starchild
• Manual of Travel Agency Practice by Gwenda Syratt

Don’t forget to research everything, from the products you think you might sell, to how you are going to sell them, what licences will you need etc.

From there, decide whether this is something that you think you could do for the rest of your life. Would you be happy or would it be too stressful?

These are just my suggestions and as I have never started my own travel industry business I find it hard to give advice…maybe there are people out there that have started their own travel business that want to leave some comments?

Top 10 Neighbourhoods of Vancouver, British Columbia - Canada

Whenever I travel somewhere, I always try & get out of the city to see the neighbourhoods and see how people actually live.

Here is a quick run-down of the top ten neighbourhoods in Vancouver:

1. Granville Island - once home to factories and sawmills, it is now home to a great public market, art studios and funky shops. It is within walking distance of downtown or you can catch a ferry.
2. Kerrisdale - known as the ‘village’ it is about 10 minutes from downtown and has lots of shops and tree-lined streets. There are some nice houses here too.
3. Yaletown - I used to live here and I loved it. Short walk from downtown, it is home to some super funky shops that used to be old warehouses and make sure you go for a walk along the seawall.
4. West End -Another former living place of mine,right next to Stanley Park, the West End is home to English Bay and Denman Street. This area is mostly residential with lots of apartment buildings but go for a walk towards the city centre and you will find some great houses.
5. South Granville - Lots of shops, theatres, cafes, antique stores and interior design shops.
6. Gastown - the historic part of the city with cobblestone streets and Victorian buildings. It is nice, but super touristy! Lots of souvenir shops.
7. Chinatown - what city doesn’t have a Chinatown! But this one is the 2nd largest in North America (after San Francisco), so it is definitely worth a look.
8. Commerial Drive - also known as ‘the drive’ it is the place to go for the young & hip. There are lots of students, artists, designers etc and lots of places to eat!
9. Graville Street - the place to party if you are in downtown Vancouver. There are tons of restaurants, bars and shops.
10. Kitsilano - once Vancouver’s trendy hippy hangout, it is now home to young professionals and the beach. There are lots of book stores, restaurants and cafes.

Anyone else got any suggestions?

What services does your airport offer?

In the last couple of years, I have really noticed more and more airports offering different services while you wait, or while you are on holidays…

Some of the services I have seen or heard of are:

• Dry Cleaning
• Medical / Doctors
• Spa / Massage
• Car detailing / cleaning
• Hair dressers
• DVD rental

What services does your airport offer?

Can’t compete on price? How about customer experience?

So if travel agents can’t compete with the prices on the internet, maybe they should be thinking about other ways that they can win people over.

Maybe they should think about the customer service they offer, are people rushed in & out of the agency or are they allowed to sit and chat with a consultant, while going through books and having a coffee?

Does your agency have an edge? What makes you different from the internet? You both offer products and services but why should people walk into the agency instead of booking online?

Could you imagine an agency, where you are invited to come in, see how things operate (like an open day), have someone sit with you or simply go through books and point places out, no rush, no obligation…wouldn’t that be something that the internet doesn’t offer?

Do you need someone to travel with?

TripMates.com is an interactive social network for travellers and it allows you to hook up with other travellers so you don’t have to travel alone…The site also allows you to create a trip blog and albums, add reviews and ask for tips before hitting the road.

The site was created by Sam Rogoway (based in LA, California) and it being called ‘The Interactive Travel Community’.

The only thing that I have noticed with this site is that you actually have to register before you can do anything which for some people is a bit of a turn off.

The site is stil in BETA but there is definitely a trend for these type of sites and I’ll feature another one next week.

Are walk-in’s a travel agents best friend or enemy?

Sure people that walk in off the street may not be willing to book right then and there but they walked into the agency for a reason…they wanted to find more out about a destination and more importantly, whether they could afford it or not. It is these walk-ins that have the potential to bring in a lot of money as you can really help them from start to finish if you build a great rapport and gain their trust.

But be aware of the client that walks in off the street with a simple itinerary already sorted out but they want your advice on what hotels to stay at or what airline is the cheapest or what sightseeing is available or how to get from ‘a’ to ‘b’. It is these potential clients that may take your advice, your time, your work and walk out the door never to be seen again. Why? The simple answer is that you have done the hard work for them and they in turn have gone home, got onto the internet and booked directly with the hotels, airline and sightseeing companies. You did all the hard work and they bypassed you, meaning you lost out on the commission you deserve…

Unfortunately there isn’t much travel agents can do to avoid this, except to maybe be careful and cautious.

Maybe it is up to the customer to think about what they are really going in to a travel agency for…are you really needing someones help or are you just wasting their time?

Ahhh…life

Everything has been pretty busy lately and I just wanted to let you all know that I will be making more posts more frequently from now on as things get back on track!

p.s Happy belated Canada Day & 4th of July for those Canadian and US readers!

Calgary Stampede!!

It is that time of year when the Calgary Stampede is on…starting officially today with the parade it continues on for another 10 days with competitions, food and fun.

The Stampede is definitely a huge draw for tourists with many of them coming from around the globe to experience being a ‘cowboy’.