A common misconception is that travel agencies add to the cost of your trip. In truth, finding and using a good travel agency to plan your trip usually saves you time, money, and frustration. So how do you pick a travel agency?

Ask around!

The best way to find a good travel agency is through word of mouth. Ask your family and friends who theyve used and then ask them about their trip. How did they travel? Where did they stay? Was their trip enjoyable? Getting a few referrals from friends helps you to know in ahead of time what to expect from a particular travel agent and helps you weed out the good from the not-so-good as well.

Are you a member?

Many clubs and organizations offer travel services for their members and many corporations have established relationships with travel agencies that their employees can use. Members only travel plans frequently offer the best values.

Compare

Shop a couple of experienced firms. Travel agencies come and go like any other businesses. The ones that stay in business add experience and know-how to each trip they plan. Make your first inquiry with a travel agency a listening experience; judge how well the agent listens to you and how comfortable they make you feel.

A good travel agent will ask you to outline your trip. Theyll ask where youre going and why, how youd prefer to travel, how long you plan to stay, and what your travel budget is. Be open and honest with your answers. A good agent will readily put together a sample itinerary that describes availabilities in transportation, accommodations, and estimated costs.

If you feel like youre getting the hard sell or the travel agency tells you theres only package available, keep shopping. You can always go back if you find that theyre right!

In addition to finding the best rates in lodgings and transportation, an experienced travel agent can also give you some helpful tips about your destination and heres the bonus generally it costs nothing to use a travel agency! Because they can buy in volume, travel agencies get discounts on prices for both tickets and lodgings!

For travel made easy, use the services of a travel agency to make your outing a time to remember well!

Nathan Lynch is an avid travel writer and the author of South Beach Uncovered. “The Ultimate, Indispensable, Insiders Guide To Saving Money and Having a BLAST in South Beach, Miami”.

http://www.southbeachuncovered.com

In the Philippines, a tourist can find a lot of international golf courses, luxury beach resorts, 5 star hotels, many large and modern shopping malls especially in Manila, Casinos, disco’s and bars with live bands and karaoke.

Filipinos are fun loving people. Fun and laughter come naturally no matter what there station in life. Music and dancing are part of the Filipino culture.

SPECIFIC INFORMATION:

Passport/Visa Information

A visa is required for some nationals except by transit passengers. For stays of less than 21 days, no visas are required, provided travelers have a valid passport, good for at least one year and onward tickets departing the Philippines.

For inquiries, contact the Visa Division, Department of Foreign Affairs (Telephone numbers 834-4854 to 53, 834-4961).

Currency:

Peso (Php); Exchange: Large commercial and central bank dealers in Manila. Always use authorized money changers or banks in Manila Metro area. Credit cards are accepted in larger cities. US dollar checks are the preferred currency at over 800 ATM locations.

Language:

The Philippines is considered the third largest ENGLISH SPEAKING country in the world. Filipino and English are the two official languages. Close to 100 other languages, not just dialects are spoken. Indeed, most of the major languages like Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano, Ilongo, Bicolano and Waray have their own dialects. Still, travelers will not find it difficult as many Filipinos still retain a handy comprehension of English.

Transportation:

Manila is connected to the rest of the country by regular flights of Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines and Asian Spirit and Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR).

Public transportation like buses, taxis, jeepneys and tricycle are available throughout the country. Car rentals are also available and its cheaper to rent it with a driver than without.

Communication:

Mobile phones are widely used throughout the country. Filipinos love text messaging. Pay phones are available especially in the malls and public places. Internet caf can be found throughout the country.

Food and Drinks:

Fast foods are found along most major road intersection.

Weather:

Tropical climate. Jun-Sept is the rainy season, Oct-Feb is the cool dry season. Mar-May is usually hot and dry. Some typhoons between June and Sept.

Michael Ray Johnson
http://hastravel.com/

Michael Johnson is a professional consultant and HAS TRAVEL pioneer. He began at MCI Communications, where he worked in the Western Region Control Center as a technical network troubleshooter. When the wireless revolution began, he moved to LA Cellular Telephone (now ATT Wireless), and developed one of the first ever, automated Network Management Systems. Later he accepted consulting positions in both Hong Kong and the Philippines, where he worked for 9 years as Project Consultant, managing the build out of two highly successful, wireless telephone networks. Mikes responsibilities include Service Development, Technical Integration and Project Management. He is a licensed helicopter pilot, who studied Business Management and Information Technology at the University of Phoenix, Arizona and TJ College, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Planning your trip:

Plan your trip well in advance, if possible. This presents you an opportunity to get better air ticket deals. Airfares for international travels are seasonal. There are three main seasons: Low, Shoulder and Peak. Traveling in peak season is always the most expensive. If your trip is not time bound, plan to travel in the low season to get cheapest and low airfares. For travel in peak season, shop for deals well in advance. This assures you good price, your choice of airlines and your choice of dates. If possible, keep the travel dates flexible, as that would help you in getting lower fares. There is a notion that you can get cheap air tickets if you wait till the last minute. This is not necessarily true and during the peak season, you may run the risk of not getting a seat on any airlines at all.

There are many ways on how you can save money. Many airlines have different fares for weekday and weekend travel. If you are planning to break your journey midway, some airlines offer free stopovers while others charge a fee. Sometimes, direct / non-stop flights are expensive than the ones with one or more stops. Less known airlines can offer hard to resist deals. You can either call individual airlines to get their air fares and then compare or search on travel websites, which offer online booking facilities. While calling individual airlines can be a time consuming and tedious process, online booking sites may not be the right option if you have a few twists in your trip. And both these options may not give you access to the promotional and discount fares. The best bet will be to call a travel agent and let them do the job for you.

Travel agents are a good source to get great deals. They can help you in finding deals with more than one airline and can offer tickets for discounted prices. They have access to almost all airlines and have the expertise to search for the cheapest tickets in the market. Travel agents are a great source of information. Do not hesitate to ask them questions. They can provide valuable tips on how you can save money. Travel agents deal with more than one traveler at a time and hence may not be able to give you the details in the first call. Give them your trip details and give them some time and they can come up with really good deals for you. Travel agents are easy to spot as many of them have websites. A travel agency with excellent customer service is an asset. Some travel sites like http://www.TravelWorldServices, http://www.LowfareAlways.com, etc. offer personalized over-the-phone services on travel to various destinations across the world.

There are several travel agencies around the world. However, it is important that you choose the right travel agency, which offers the best customer service at the cost of a few additional dollars. This is better than booking the ticket online or offline through a travel agency who may offer really cheap deal but may end up not delivering you the ticket or not confirming your seats.

So the first step to planning your next international trip is to get yourself a really good travel agent.

Priya K is an independent travel consultant based in US.

Hold on to your hammock: school is out, and Americans will be taking more than 325 million vacations in June, July and August. About 65 million of them were researched or booked on-line.

If that is not enough to suggest on-line opportunity for travel agencies, consider this:

The on-line travel market is estimated at $60 billion and growing fast;
On-line bookings average $750, versus $400 off-line;
In 2006, for the first time, more trips were booked on-line than by any other method;
The next most-common method, phone booking, plunged 16 percent from 2005, and
Travelers who use the Internet to plan and purchase trips almost always visit multiple sites.

Big players are cashing in. On-line travel agents like Orbitz and Expedia continue to thrive, but face competition from two new sources. Travel research sites, or meta sites, like Mobissimo, use customer criteria to search hundreds of sites for the best option. Research-oriented sites include traditional guidebook publishers like Fodors and new on-line-only firms like Realtravel.com.

Is there room for smaller players? Yes. People shop around when planning travel, no matter how big or beautiful a particular Web site may be: if they can find your site, it appears they will come.

Therefore, a crucial step is boosting search-engine visibility. A savvy search-engine-optimization partner enables the travel agencys Web site to attract a share of the enormous traffic by:

Creating and refreshing keyword/key phrase content;
Crafting an effective and ethical linking strategy;
Developing site elements search engines reward;
Cleaning up site elements search engines penalize, and
Discovering further enhancements by analyzing site date.

Of course, once the visitors start coming, the travel agency needs a compelling message to keep them there. Most importantly, its Web site must communicate the companys position in the industry and its unique value, and provide the information its target customers want. The site should be easy to navigate, fast-loading and invite customer communication.

There seems to be little or no slowdown in leisure travel, despite an up-and-down economy and high fuel prices; one can only imagine the growth when conditions improve. But opportunity does not guarantee success in a changing market. The travel industry is quickly reaching the point where the Internet will dominate to the near exclusion of all other selling channels. Companies can take advantage by becoming Web-marketing stars or retire to the hammock.

Aaron Wittersheim is president of Whoast Inc., a suburban Chicago search marketing firm. For more information, visit http://www.whoast.com

From museums and opera houses to tranquil beach resorts, travellers in Mexico will definitely not ask for anything more. Over 500 festivals and holidays are celebrated annually throughout Mexico City and nearby towns showcasing deep historical ancestry.

Mexico is one of the most admired tourist spots. The first name that comes in mind is Riviera Maya, Mexico. Due to its lush jungle, landscape, shoreline and history, Riviera Maya has a variety of attractions to entice travellers. Playa del Carmen, a major town in the region and runs along the beach offering tourists prominent hotels, it also provides the shoppers an array of colourful local handicrafts to meet the latest trends in European fashions. Next comes the Yucatn Peninsula, an archeological goldmine, situated on the Gulf of Mexico’s southern shore. It was the center of Mayan civilization throughout their rule.

The beach resorts outside the capital city is one of the places that people who travel to Mexico will surely enjoy. The beach destination is also regarded as the most accepted option for a romantic honeymoon getaway. Acapulco is one of the popular tourist spots where you can enjoy fishing as well as water sports. Acapulco is also noted for its hotels, casinos and beach resorts. Mazatlan is also an admired tourist destination, a place where pre-Lenten carnivals and fishing tournaments take place. One can also find in Mazatlan an observatory and one of the tallest lighthouses in the world. Other beaches that travellers in Mexico should not miss are the Cancun Island, the Puerto Vallarta and the Los Cabos. Mexico is one of the most important museum destinations in the world.

Museums that travellers in Mexico should visit are the National Museum of Anthropology, Museum of National History, Snail Museum, Technology Museum and the Museum of Modern Art. Children will also enjoy the Mexico City Zoo and the Papalote, a children’s interactive museum. Travelling to Mexico will not be complete without visiting the Basilica de Guadalupe, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Chapultepec Castle. The monuments abound in the Paseo de la Reforma are Angel of the Independence (the symbol of the country’s national identity), Cuauhtemoc Memorial and the Diana Cazadora (the statue of Diana the Huntress). The Zona Rosa or the Pink Zone is an ideal shopping paradise covering boutique squares, shops and hotels. The Alameda Park is also a shopping district, which borders the Palace of Fine Arts. Travellers can find the Pyramid of the Sun and Moon in Teotihuacan that face each other, providing a great view of the surrounding regions from the top.

Mexico is one of the most popular vacation destinations of North America. Winter is the best time for a tour to Mexico, as majority of Mexico is positioned in the tropics, making weather somewhat reliable and the months of July and August inevitably avoidable, when temperatures may not drop below 90F at night. Great waves, sea caves and the closeness of many interesting locales strengthens the lure of this western peninsula.

Maria Thomas is a owner of the Holidays with best bargain from Online travel agency Bargain Holidays with World Wise Travel, Online travel Agency an independent, online travel agency. We deal with all the major ABTA and ATOL bonded tour operators and all the major airlines

The ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) is the organization that provides training and continuing education for agents from any traveling agency that displays their logo. This logo can also be displayed by any traveling agency online or any individual travel agent that has gone through the certification and training. Why is all of this information important? It is important because you have a greater assurance of quality service and product delivery from this type of traveling agency. The agents who work in such an agency often have specialized training in business travel, cruises, Caribbean vacations, ski trips, or some other area of travel expertise.

Have you ever received a letter or a phone call from a traveling agency telling you that you have won a trip to some exotic location in a fabulous resort and all you have to do is to give them your credit card number for a small processing fee? You may have recognized this as a travel scam. But not all scams are this obvious. Sometimes the agency or agent will promise you a beautiful travel package and you will not find out until you get there that your luxury hotel is a better home to roaches than people. You can check out these agents and agencies through the BBB or BBB Online and also through the ASTA. Just exercise extra caution when it sounds like a deal that is too good to be true.

Dont be surprised when you are charged a small fee by your travel agency. This is a necessary adaptation in the industry to make up for the loss of airline commission and other expenses. But the convenience and expertise may just be worth the added cost.

Eriani Doyel writes articles about Leisure and Travel. For more information about a traveling agency visit ubetraveling.com.

Early in the morning Ballestas Islands tour, These spectacular islands, eroded into many caves and arches, provide shelter for thousands of seabirds and hundreds of sea-lions. Although the islands fall just outside the Paracas National Reserve they are protected by separate legislation. The islands are home to over 150 species of marine bird including the Humboldt penguin, cormorants, boobies and pelicans. Even condors have been known to visit. On the shores can be seen large numbers of sea-lions and in the sea it is possible to encounter dolphins and even whales. After the boat tour, you will back to the mainland for an excursion to the Paracas National Reserve. Here you will visit several museums showing the natural history of Paracas and also the ancient Paracas culture in addition to the beautiful “cathedral”, a natural rock formation. In the afternoon to the bus terminal for the Royal Class Bus to Nazca (about 3 hours) Arrival and transfer to Nazca Lines hotel

Nazca: Flight tour over the enigmatic Nazca Lines; The Nazca lines are geoglyphs and geometric line clearings in the Peruvian desert. They were made by the Nazca people, who flourished between 200 BCE and 600 CE along rivers and streams that flow from the Andes. The desert itself runs for over 1,400 miles along the Pacific Ocean. The area of the Nazca art is called the Pampa Colorada (Red Plain). It is 15 miles wide and runs some 37 miles parallel to the Andes and the sea. Dark red surface stones and soil have been cleared away, exposing the lighter-colored subsoil, creating the “lines”. There is no sand in this desert. From the air, the “lines” include not only lines and geometric shapes, but also depictions of animals and plants in stylized forms. Some of the forms, including images of humans, grace the steep hillsides at the edge of the desert. Royal Class Bus to Arequipa. Arrival late night and to the Posada Monasterio hotel

Arequipa: Free morning. Afternoon city tour visiting the Chilina valley and the old San Lazaro district. General view of the city from the Yanahuara Belvedere, the Plaza de Armas and its Cathedral, the cloisters of La Compania Church, the Church and Square of San Francisco and the extraordinary Santa Catalina convent which is built from volcanic lava and dates from the 16th century.

Colca Canyon: Departure from Arequipa, passing near the thermal baths of Yura and climbing up towards the National Reserve of Pampa de Canahuas which is situated at 3,800m. The colors and scenery are spectacular as we pass endangered grazing Vicunas and ponds with Andean Geese. We can see many snow peaks and volcanoes from here. Winding down into the Colca, stay at the comfortable Colca Lodge. (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

Arequipa: After breakfast, early departure to reach the Cruz Del Condor viewpoint, a few kilometers before Cabanaconde, where the Colca Canyon starts. Here Andean Condors and other Birds of Prey, roost on inaccessible ledges and once hot air thermals have developed, produced by the burning Andean Sun, they circle out gaining height and provide stunning photographic opportunities. The Condors are big and one cannot help but be amazed by these creatures. Here you will see a fine view of the flight of the condors as well as of the depth of the mighty canyon. In the afternoon, return to Arequipa and hotel.

Puno: After breakfast, Royal Class Bus to Puno. Hotel on the shores of Lake Titicaca.

Lake Titicaca: After breakfast, a tour by boat to the islands of Uros and Taquile on Lake Titicaca. first stop are the floating reed islands of the Uros indigenous group who maintain houses and evens schools on these floating reed islands continuing to Taquile, where members of this self-supporting island will welcome you and offer a glimpse into their ancient traditions and customs. Lunch on the island and an opportunity for some spectacular views over the haunting beauty of Lake Titicaca. Night at one of the Amantani Islander’s homes

Lake Titicaca: Early wake up to enjoy a spectacular sunrise over Lake Titicaca before heading back to Puno by boat. In the afternoon excursion to the Silluastani towers. These ancient funereal towers dating back to pre-inca times are examples of the most ancient cultures found on the altiplano. Accommodation at the hotel

Cusco: Early breakfast and tourist Bus to Cusco (Luxury Orient Express Train available), a long the way you will have stops and guided tours to the Incas sites of Andahuaylillas, Raqchi, and Pikillaqta. lunch at the restaurant in Sicuani. After arrival to Cusco hotel.

Cusco: Morning free. In the afternoon City tour of Cusco, and include: The Cathedral, Qoricancha (Temple of the Sun, the most important of Inca ceremonial sites). Later you will continue to the most important site of Sacsayhuaman, Tambomachay, Qenqo and Puca Pucara.

Sacred Valley: Leaving Cusco in the rear view mirror, travel by bus over a low pass then down into the famous Sacred Valley of the Incas. The scenery is unsurpassable, close and distant snow peaks glistening in the Sun. Visit the Ancient Pisaq market, where many of the local Indians sell their hand made textiles. Lunch at the local hacienda restaurant and continue to Ollantaytambo the major Inca temple / fortress. Probably built by the great Inca ruler, Pachacuti in the 1460s, it was the site of Hernando Pizzaros defeat by Manco Inca in 1536. Return to the hotel

Machu Picchu: Tourist class train to Machu Pichu. The 3 hour train journey passes through picturesque Andean scenery, passing traditional villages, Inca ruins and rushing rivers. descending 1300 meters through the Sacred Valley of the Incas and follow the Urubamba river until the final stop at Aguas Calientes. Afterward 20 minute bus ride up to Machu Picchu. Machu PICCHU! The famous lost city of the Inca is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Stand 2,430m above sea-level in the middle of a tropical mountain forest. In an extraordinarily beautiful setting, it was probably most amazing urban creation of the Inca Empire at its height, its giant walls, terraces and ramps seen as, if they have been cut naturally in the continuous rock escarpments. The natural setting on the eastern slopes of the Andes, encompasses the upper Amazon basin with its rich diversity of flora and fauna, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced by the powerful equatorial Sun. Afterwards take the bus for your return to the Aguas Calientes for lunch. train back to Cusco.

Cusco: Leisurely day with plenty of opportunity for shopping.

Lima: flight to Lima and for your international flight.

The average American spends $2,800 each year on vacations. Tourism accounts for 10.9% of all consumer spending worldwide. Travel spending alone averages $1.4 billion per day, thats $59 million per hour.

What your local travel agent doesn’t want you to know is that now you can turn this powerful industry into your own home-based travel agency. On top of it all everyone loves to travel, and everyone loves to travel at wholesale prices.

Statistics say that 74% of all individuals who have acquired huge wealth, have done it by being self-employed business owners. When surveyed, 96% of people between the ages of 25 and 44 said they wanted to have their own business, but they just didnt know how to get started.

Small and home-based businesses are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy. Online travel is the fastest growing segment of the travel agency community.

With the large and mid-sized companies laying off people and cutting back, corporate America is no longer a stable place to be. Everyone is looking for a home-based business that can be the high performance vehicle that takes them into the future along with big time savings in tax advantages.

The Internet is the fastest growth technology in the history of the world. Every three seconds a new person goes online. Consumers spent over $37 BILLION on travel web sites in 2003, up from $30.8 billion in 2002.

Booking travel online is perhaps the most successful niche of all the worlds e-commerce efforts. Consumers use the Internet to become better informed, save time, and save money. Experts predict online travel has only scratched the surface of what will become a transformed marketplace in the next few years.

Did you know that travel professionals can earn deep discounts when they travel? See, when a travel professional stays at a expensive resort, one of the biggest secrets is that the vendor often extends deep disounts to that professional. In my experience, I’ve seen $25/day cruises and resorts with up to 87% off their rack rates. Its not uncommon to even stay complimentary. What’s better than FREE?

YTB International, a leader in the travel industry, now offers you the ultimate leverage to start your own home based business by combining the powerful information handling capability of the Internet with the worlds most dynamic product and the personal touch of independent, home based business people. You’ll earn residual and passive income and even qualify as a travel professional and enjoying all the wholesale travel perks extended to your peers in the industry.

Finally, our company has joined these three trends together in a complete flawless combination. By utilizing our simple strategies and proven techniques we can show you how to leverage your time to generate a residual income 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Mark Archer is a successful online marketer and owner of several online businesses. He has assisted families all over the country take back control of their finances by starting up their own online business. For a free copy of Mark’s report, “Travel Tips and Tricks and How to travel at Wholesale Prices.” visit him at: http://www.travelrichesonline.com