Travel Agents Event Management

Image by Platform London via Flickr

It does not matter the size of the conference or where it is, travel agents can be a major help in their planning. Travel agents can be especially helpful if it is an international conference. Travel agents can have knowledge of the area as well as such things as transportation, accommodations, and hospitality issues. One of the main hassles when planning a conference is taking care of the needs of the people attending.

It doesn't matter if it is a press release, convention, training seminar, or product launch, travel agents can take care of many of the needs of the attendees so that the people attending or the people running the conferences do not have to worry about those details. The larger the conference the more travel agents can be of service.

One of the main ways that travel agents can help with conferences is with transportation and travel needs. Many times if the conference is international the people attending the conference will need a way to get there. Travel agents can help with flight, train or bus information as well as procuring tickets. The larger the group traveling to a conference the more travel agents can be used and many times they can also get better deals. Travel agents are in direct contact with airlines, train lines, and bus services so they can find out if there is space available as well as the best price for the ticket. They can also contact charter services, as it may be cheaper to travel this way for larger groups. Another advantage of using travel agents is that they can be available to coordinate travel times so that it can be easier, once the people arrive, that they do so around the same time making it easier to either get to accommodations or to the conference itself.

Another beneficial aspect when using travel agents when dealing with conferences are accommodation issues. Much like travel issues the travel agent can have direct contact with hotels and inns as they can find accommodations for people that are travelling to the conference. Also much like travel they may be able to find better rates than if the people travelling to the conference booked accommodations themselves. One thing that travel agents have as well are information about package deals, which can save people, or a company, a lot of money as travel, accommodation, and transportation services can all be packaged in one deal.

When people travel out of town to go to a conference they will also have transportation needs so they can get to and from the conference itself. They can also help with such things as arranging for car rentals and taxi services to and from the conference. Travel agents can also find accommodations that are closest to the conference site. If a travel agent is working with one group of people there is also a better chance that they will be staying in one location, or, at least, close to each other. This is a crucial aspect of a conference if many people from one organization or company are in attendance.

While travel agents can be used for many types of conferences one of the most important ways in which they can be used is for companies that need to have many employees in attendance. For example, if the company is having a training seminar for hundreds of employees their main goal is to make sure that the seminar runs smoothly. The company needs to find a conference site and deal with the information that will be presented at a seminar. If the company uses travel agents there is a huge amount of time and resources that can be saved that can be used in areas of more importance. Any time that the company needs to take care of the travel needs of the people in attendance travel agents should be used.

Travel agents can also be of service when dealing with hospitality issues as well. If the conference runs more than one day they can find out information such as where to eat and what there is to do in the area that people are traveling to. If the people that attend the conference do everything for themselves they will not be as informed, as if a travel agents took care of them. Travel agents can find restaurants, make reservations, book lunches, and rent out halls, just to name a few things they can do.

The hassles that can arise when traveling to conventions can be great for the people traveling to them and the people running them. By using travel agents many of those hassles are taken care of. When dealing with conferences, especially international ones and ones where many people will be in attendance, the things that travel agents can take care can be invaluable to both the company and/or the traveler.

Corporate travel for people who book business trips from all continents Tel: 08700 490002 or +44 (0)1780 484824 visit http://www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/ or http://www.jigsawconferences.co.uk/Travel

Related articles

• Travel & leisure marketing: Maybe the role of travel agent does have a future. (5to9branding.com)
• Travel Agents (australiablog.com)
• Travel agent pleads guilty to 61 charges (cbc.ca)
• Italy Travel Agents (italylogue.com)
• Travel Agents (hawaiilogue.com)

Travel Blogs - What Are They Good For?

Image by Else10 via Flickr

Why Travel Blogs

A "Blog" is an abbreviation for web-log. A Travel blog thus is a travel website that has entries pertaining to a particular travel topic/ travel subject or a person, similar to a journal or a diary. The contents of a travel blog are generally displayed in the reverse chronological order in order to display the latest entries made.

Travel Blogs normally deal with a single travel subject and provide latest travel news, commentary or opinions on the travel subject. The subjects could be as diverse as food, politics, Alaskan fishing or Japanese pearls. Contents of travel blog can also be as diverse and normally consist of travel images, text, travel links to other blogs or travel websites and anything related to the topic. Most blogs consist of text; however, many blogs also focus on images (photoblogs), videos (vlogs) and audio content (podcasts).

Popularity of travel Blogs

Of late, travel blogs have become the most sought after by internet marketing professionals to get their wares across or to describe their products in detail. Many global service industries use blogging as a tool to enhance and distribute information of their services by requesting their clients to put up their comments on their services. This helps them to market their services through word-of-mouth publicity at the same time distributing relevant and information from the client's experiences.

Professionals on the move and jet setters who travel the world can find a lot of information built into travel blogs especially relevant information that may not be available in a standard printed travel brochure. First hand information on a location can come in great use to a regular traveler, especially if it concerns local travel, hotel and food information and local weather information. These facts have facilitated the popularity of travel blogs across the world.

Downsides of travel Blogs

However, a downside of blogsploitation has been observed and all facts that are put up on blogs can result in being nearer to fiction. Blosploitation has resulted because of the use of blogs as advertising media. For example, as a writer some travel company has paid me to write blog entries about probably Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and Fiji Islands, I would be able to write them with ease, but as a person that has never been to these places, I might be far removed form facts. These blog entries that I pen will be posted on blogs solely for marketing the travel company and people who read them may be misled into believing everything that is said there.

How to use a travel Blog

It is important to check the credentials of the writer before you draw inferences from the blog entries. One traveler's dream vacation rental may be another's mosquito-infested hut. Search and check the profile pages of the person who made the blog entry for travel experiences and personal traits.

Do not depend on a single travel blog for information. Use the indispensable Google tool, blogsearch.google.com to find alternate blogs for the subject. Many travel blog entries make tall claims but probably they never live up to it.

How to make a travel blog

There are various ways for making your own travel blog. Creation and maintenance of travel blogs is very easy and even free at times. A host of blogging software is available to be installed on your web server and start off. Managing the software is absolutely almost nil, there are a host of dedicated web application achieve this. Many systems are available where one does not even need a web server, and a blog can be created from any nook and corner of the globe. Tools like Elicit, w blogger and Ecto facilitate users to have a web hosted travel blog and even compose and edit posts offline. Many a website is offering blog creation tools and blog hosting facilities like tripod, AOL, Google and Yahoo 3600. Custom blogging tools can be created using server side scripting with password protection and management built in.

Some good travel Blogs:

Vacation RentalsVacation Rentals Blog

Related articles

• 10 Stand Out Travel Bloggers (firstchoice.co.uk)
• Travel Blogging - why not start your own Blog today? (baliblog.com)
• Success in travel writing and blogging (familytravellogue.com)

Travel Insurance - How To Get The Best Value Travel Insurance

Image via Wikipedia

If you are an occasional traveler you'll probably buy your insurance from the travel agent. But if you travel more than twice a year, it is much more cost effective to have one insurance lasting all year round, than buying one every time you travel.

Think ahead, plan ahead. Annual travel insurance easily pays for itself with just a couple of trips. But not all insurances are worth the same and as always cheapest is not necessarily the best. More on this later.

Annual travel insurance is not compulsory but it gives you the peace of mind case of illness and loss or damage to property and many other events. Where is the best place to buy annual travel insurance?

1. Your bank is probably the first place you'll try. Banks have in recent times become highly competitive and in order to retain your business, may offer better rates. For example my bank has upgraded my checking account to a premium account and for that I pay $20 per month.

As a result I get several privileges including free, worldwide, comprehensive travel insurance. But here is the best part ... I get all this free travel insurance not just for myself but also for any member of my family traveling with me including my parents and siblings.

I said free because I am already getting other benefits which are worth a lot more than $20 per month if I were to buy them individually. I also save a lot of time as I never have to look around for insurance. So don't ignore your bank.

2. Credit card companies also offer similar insurances, with some added advantages. In case of theft or loss of your credit card, they will supply you with an emergency one, often within a few hours.

In addition to travel insurance offers, there is another advantage in checking your credit card company's terms. If you book your travel using your credit card, pretty much all card companies give excellent cover against many of the things that can go wrong.

Some credit card companies also have specialist travel departments which not only give you travel discounts but also give you even better protection, i.e. better travel insurance and at a much lower cost. But note that all insurance offers exclude you making a claims, for the same item, to multiple sources even if you do have multiple insurance cover.

For example, let's say you have bought travel insurance separately and you have bought your travel ticket using your credit card. If your luggage is lost, you can almost certainly make a claim to either of the two sources but not to both at the same time.

The reason is that the insurance companies have suffered massive fraud in recent years. Allowing multiple claims simply encourages fraudsters to have multiple insurances and make multiple false claims.

For example, they can take an already damaged suitcase on a long journey knowing that it will fall apart. They can then claim damage and loss of property from multiple insurers.

3. Insurance companies are a popular and obvious source for annual travel insurance. If you drive a car or have home insurance get a quote from your insurance company. Remember, because you are already a customer, your car insurance often entitles you to a very good discount.

Here's a tip: if they don't give you a competitive insurance, tell them that you will be looking else where for a good package. Let them know you will be looking for a package that includes great home insurance, excellent travel insurance and also good car insurance.

Listen, fear of loss WILL make them bend over backwards for you and if they don't? Here's another tip: When you talk to any other source to get your competitive travel insurance, make sure you mention your other assets that you could be insuring with them, such as your car, home, home contents, etc.

This won't work with travel companies but works absolutely beautifully with most insurance companies. I have done it many times and saved myself thousands of dollars, yes thousands, over the last few years.

The insurance industry is massively competitive. For once, this works in favor of the "little guy" (you and me), so let's use it.

4. Certain types of home insurance may also give annual travel cover. Do look into pretty much any insurance cover you have. Some home insurance policies include some forms of travel cover including loss or damage to your property while away from home.

Tip: even if you live with your parents, ask them to check their policy for you. You will be amazed to see that even "your" property is covered while away from home.

Just one word of caution: do not assume what is covered or the level cover. If you are not sure just ask the insurer. If the cover they describe seems even better than what you expected based on the policy document, then do ask them to put their clarification in writing.

Why? When any major loss occurs, the insurer will send a local expert to assess the damage. These guys are called loss adjustors. Their job is to save money for the insurance company. And I tell you from bitter personal experience, they take no prisoners.

They will screw you down to the ground, if you don't get things in clear black and white writing. Just do it. It takes minutes to request clarification in writing but can save you thousands of dollars when you have one of these mean loss adjustors arguing with you over the policy.

5. You can also buy last minute travel insurance from travel agents and airlines at the airport. Expect to be taken advantage of, heavily! Needless to say, this is one of your most expensive options. Just avoid ending up with this option, see to your insurance long before you need to travel.

Now here's the thing. Travel insurance policies are not all identical. As well as considering price, you absolutely must read the terms and conditions carefully. For example, the upper age limit of some insurance companies may vary.

Some companies may limit the number of annual trips, whilst others may have no limit at all. Look, most travel insurance policies cover a range of events and claims. But as they say, the devil is in the detail.

The problem you will definitely face with some really cheap policies from unknown and possibly disreputable companies is what they put in the fine print. You know what I'm talking about? ... all those tiny little statements they put on the back of the form? Or if you are buying insurance online (and you should), notice all those pages of really small text they ask you to agree to?

Well, that's where they bury lots of little conditions and limitations. Most people don't read all the terms. Do yourself a huge favor and on this occasion, do read it all. If the insurance policy terms are full of "weasel words" or complex language, just move on and do not buy.

All insurance companies are quick to point out how many millions you can claim in "total", in case of a serious accident. But they all limit the amount per item within your claim. So claims for loss of cash will be capped and so will claims for electronic devices, clothes, etc.

This means that with the cheaper policies you will have a really low limit. For example, if you claim for a mobile phone and an MP3 player, you may find that the limit on personal electronics is not enough to even pay for "one" of those devices, let alone both. Don't wait for an unfortunate event to show you the flaws in a dirt cheap policy. That is the worst time to find out and it is a time when you need the most help.

What must all policies cover?

1. Loss or damage to property and cash

2. Flight delays or cancellation

3. Accidents

4. Sickness

5. Your expenses when an event ocurs

6. Your potential liability to other people

7. Legal services

In comparison to your total costs, annual travel insurance is only a very small item. If you are covered for any eventuality, you'll have less to worry about, which will translate to more relaxation and enjoyment.

How do you get top deals, the best value and most fun from your travels? Answers here: Secret Vacation Travel Tips at http://www.Travel-Hotel-Beach-Vacations.com

Sami T Fab operates a dedicated travel and vacation information website packed full of free travel tips and informative content.

Related articles

• Travel insurance is popular, coverage not so much (gadling.com)
• More holidaymakers taking up travel insurance (australiablog.com)