TRO Travelgram: Dec 12

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Destinations

48 Hours In: Tallinn
A winter's break in the Estonian capital reveals snowy scenery, a Christmas market and small craft stores for picking up one-off gifts…The Independent
10 exciting destinations at the edge of the world
Miles away from anything that's even remotely familiar to most travelers, these 10 secret edge-of-the-world vacations are the types of fantastic, faraway places you never thought you'd make it to… USA Today
A Tasty (and Cheap) Escape to Dutchess County, N.Y.
Dumplings and doughnuts were just two of the ingredients that fueled a budget-friendly getaway to this region north of New York City… New York Times

Tours and Activities

Walk of the month: Kingston upon Thames - Red bricks and boxes on the riverbank
The Thames Path combines history with nature as it forges towards the capital from Hampton Court Palace… The Independent
On Christmas shopping in Bruges 
Most Belgians of my acquaintance tend to be rather disparaging about Bruges. It's a theme park, they say, a Flemish Disneyland. Antwerp is livelier, Ghent is more authentic. A lot of its historic buildings are actually clever fakes. All of this is true, but that doesn't stop it being one of Europe's most beautiful cities… The Australian
Cuisine and Crowds Along a Stretch of Singapore
An area on the fringe of Chinatown is making a comeback, drawing people looking for everything from food to fashion… New York Times

Cruise

Thomson Cruises Adds Balconies to Fleet
Thomson Cruises will add 73 balconies to three ships in its fleet: Thomson Celebration, Thomson Spirit and Thomson Majesty…CruiseCritic.com
Dr. Seuss characters coming to Carnival ships
Royal Caribbean has Shrek. Norwegian has SpongeBob. And now Carnival has the Cat in the Hat… USA Today

Transportation

Should FCC or airlines decide policy on in-flight calls?
As the FCC considers a proposal this week to rewrite what it characterizes as its "outdated rules" on in-flight systems that would support voice calls, data and texting from mobile phones, the ironies are many… NBCNews.com
Nation's largest carriers raise fares
Just in time for the peak holiday travel season, Delta Air Lines has increased fares by $4 to $10 roundtrip across most domestic routes…USA Today

Lodging

Inside the 24th ICEHOTEL
Sleeping quarters at the 24th Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, include a frozen Tube carriage… Telegraph (London)
Fogo Island Inn: The hotel at the edge of the earth
According to the Flat Earth Society, ragged, wind-battered Fogo Island, Newfoundland is one of the four corners of the planet. If this isolated offshoot of an already remote destination - an hour's drive from the closest commercial airport in Gander, followed by a 45-minute ferry ride from Farewell into the North Atlantic -isn't the edge of the world, it might as well be… USA Today

Other and Odd

Cafe charges rude customers more
As a cafe in Nice demands customers be polite, Anthony Peregrine asks whether this is acceptable in a country with a reputation for surly service… Telegraph (London)
Survey Says: Travel Makes Us Happier 
Planning travel is fun, but coming home is a downer. See what else researchers charting the travel buzz found… IndependentTraveler.com

365 Guide Tip for the Day

Monitor your language: The language of romance
The language we use sets the context for our conversations. When we speak to our clients focusing on a list of features and line item costs we establish a context of left brain analysis and critical thinking. However, if we first talk about the experience of travel, if we paint a picture for our clients, we activate a more romantic context where the client will more easily intuit the value of the travel you are jointly planning…Travel Research Online

Press Releases of Interest

A New Year's Eve in Times Square "Party Above the Crowds:" NYCVP announces its 2013 exclusive New Year's Eve Party 
It all starts at 11:59pm on December 31st. That’s when the giant ball raised on top of One Times Square starts its world-renowned descent, counting down the final minute of the year and New York City Vacation Packages is sponsoring an exclusive party in the heart of Times Square to celebrate the event… Travel Research Online

Today in History

The First African American Congressman
On December 12, 1870, Joseph Hayne Rainey became the first African American to be elected and serve in the United States House of Representatives… Travel Research Online

TRO Travel Specials

December deal - Double Visa reward points + lower fares…

Barbados Villas – Chef Included…

Celebrate Black History Month…

Fly Air Astana – Central Asias Four Star Airline…

Book Africa flights with SkyLink-More options & better airfares[Back to Press Releases Main]