26 Best Trip-Planning Hacks Straight From Travel Agents
If you’ve ever had to plan a vacation, you know the responsibility—and pressure—of the task. There’s browsing endlessly for affordable airfare (that seems to fluctuate every hour), finding a central hotel with all the amenities, and spending hours booking restaurant reservations. Thankfully, travel agents are here to help. Below, we’ve compiled their best trip-planning hacks, so your next getaway will be seamless.
For example, consider examining the hotel’s fine print.
Once you’ve found your dream hotel, be sure to read the fine print. From booking fees to daily hotel resort fees to cancellation fees, there are many hidden costs that can leave you paying more than you bargained for.
“These hidden hotel resort fees are designed to confuse consumers and distort the actual price,” says Erika Richter, spokeswoman for the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). “Sometimes they’re called ‘facility fees;’ make sure you ask before you book.”
To read what Mercedes Zach, a travel expert at ASAP Tickets, advises, click here
Trevolution Group introduces NDC aggregated air travel services
Trevolution Group, global market leader operating Asaptickets Skyluxtravel, Dreamport and other travel brands, has announced implementing New Distribution Capabilities (NDC) in
its airline ticket distribution as of September 2023. By partnering with AirGateway, a world-leading NDC aggregator, by the end of the month, Trevolution Group will offer its customers instant access to customized travel content of over 15 global airlines, including several major carriers such as Lufthansa Group, United Airlines, Emirates, Finnair, Air France-KLM, American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia and others.
As the travel industry continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of customers around the globe, NDC has recently emerged as an ultimate game-changer. It is an improved industry
standard, developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), to facilitate a direct exchange of data between the leading industry players, thus transforming the way air products are retailed to corporations, leisure and business travelers. Meanwhile, NDC aggregator is essentially a third-party technology provider that serves as a centralized platform between
airlines and travel agencies to provide instant connections to multiple airlines’ NDC contents, such as flight inventory, supplementary services, and pricing, including those options that may
not be available through traditional distribution channels.
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Trevolution Group Partners With Airgateway to Introduce NDC
The group that operates Asaptickets, Skyluxtravel and Dreamport, among others, has announced it will implement NDC in its airline ticket distribution this month.
Trevolution Group has partnered with NDC aggregator AirGateway to offer its customers instance access to customised travel content for more than 15 global airlines.
The roll out due to be completed by the end of September will see the inclusion of content from major carriers including Lufthansa Grup, Emirates, Air France-KLM, British Airways and United Airlines.
The move will also see Trevolution Group travel brands now be able leverage the data to better understand traveller preferences and offer tailored travel packages that are unique to each customer based on their travel history, preferences, behaviour, and airline loyalty details for example.
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Skift India Report: Air India-Vistara Merger Is Cleared for Take-Off
Antitrust watchdog Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved Tata group’s plan to merge its full-service carriers Air India and Vistara.
The nod clears the decks for the merger – the combined entity will retain the Air India brand and the Vistara brand will be retired. The fair-trade regulator’s approval is a must for mergers and acquisitions.
Air India is fully owned by Tata Sons, while Vistara is a joint-venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, with an equity split of 51% and 49%, respectively. Singapore Airlines will hold a 25.1% in the merged airline.
In April, Tata Sons, Singapore Airlines, Air India, and Vistara had jointly filed for the regulator’s approval to the proposed merger.
Approval wasn’t automatic: In June, CCI issued a notice to Air India, seeking clarification on why its proposed merger with Vistara should not be investigated over concerns about competition. The two Tata group airlines are understood to have told the CCI that there is strong competition from rivals on most of its routes.
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Find Your Founder Mojo – Exploring the First 100 Days with Leading Entrepreneurs
Foraying into one’s own entrepreneurial ventures can be a daunting task for many of us. More than funds – it’s all about the right attitude and mindset.
This podcast is here to inspire and guide upcoming entrepreneurs. Hosted by Satish Kataria – a serial entrepreneur, VC Investor, author and Founders’ Coach – he shares his experiences and some cool attitudinal hacks to smoothen this journey.
You’ll also hear from successful entrepreneurs sharing their experiences during the first 100 days of their journey, including the lessons they learned and the challenges they faced.
You can discover the podcast itself here
Travel Expert Shares Ultimate Staycation Spot for the End of Summer – It’s ‘One-Of-A-Kind’
The staycation became extremely popular in Covid times when international travel was ground to a halt.
Post-pandemic, some Britons are still keen on spending their summers in the UK to keep things easy, accessible and relatively inexpensive.
Mercedes Zach, travel expert at Asaptickets, part of Trevolution Group, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk about why a staycation is perfect for the summer holidays, plus the best place to head this year.
She told Express.co.uk: “Summer season might be coming to an end, but there’s still plenty of time to go on that well-deserved vacation, even if it’s just for a couple of days.
“Traveling abroad and discovering new lands is always a good idea, however, there are many picture-perfect and budget-friendly staycation spots worth visiting in the UK as well.
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Report Reveals Workers Most ‘Exposed’ to AI
AI will disrupt jobs. The question is, how and to what extent?
A new report by the Pew Research Center titled “Which U.S. Workers Are More Exposed to AI on Their Jobs?” shows the connection between worker exposure to artificial intelligence and various workplace-related measures such as demographics, wages, industry, job, skills, sentiment and product development.
The 49-page report released in July is based on data from several sources: work requirements and job skills data from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Information Network; occupation, employment and wage data from the “Current Population Survey” by the U.S. Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics; and a Pew survey of over 11,000 U.S. adults in December 2022.
Discover what Pavel Bahu, global HR head at the travel company Trevolution Group, said here
6 Places You Should Never Keep Your Money When You Travel, According to Travel Agents
In a recent survey, GOBankingRates asked 1,141 people how they keep their money safe while traveling. While some people said they don’t carry cash at all, others have their go-to methods of storing their money.
Nearly 22% of respondents said they leave their cash and other valuables in a hotel room safe while they’re out and about. Just over 17% of respondents indicated that they either wear a money belt or carry an anti-theft bag or dummy wallet in case of pickpocketing. And finally, around 30% of those surveyed said they only carry small bills — no higher than $10 — if they carry cash at all.
Whether you’re a frequent or casual traveler, it’s important to know where to keep your money so that it doesn’t get lost or stolen while you’re on your trip. GOBankingRates asked several travel agents and experts about the top places where they would never keep their cash while traveling.
Discover what Maya Kapoor-Miller, an independent travel manager at Dreamport, and Mercedes Zach, a travel agent at ASAP Tickets, said here
Trevolution Group’s Airfare Sales Cross $623 Million Milestone
Trevolution Group, the global market leader operating Asaptickets, Skyluxtravel, Dreamport and other travel products has announced commercial results for the first half of 2023 showing record performance in airfare sales. During the past six months, the Group’s total gross bookings reached 623.57 million USD exceeding the same period last year by 43% and resulting in over 435,210 sold tickets across its travel brands. This indicates almost 92% growth in number of tickets sold compared to the pre-pandemic period for Trevolution Group, which continues its market expansion and now also offers direct ticketing to customers across the Philippines and the UK since the beginning of this year.
Trevolution Group has been a global expert market leader for almost two decades and has developed extensive expertise in the Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR) segment. The VFR form of travel is also strongly indicated by its most popular travel destinations, with the Philippines, India, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States being the top five most visited countries so far in 2023. Compared to the previous year, ticket sales to Italy have grown by over 40% and to the United Kingdom by 36%, while India has shown a 39% growth and the Philippines – a close to 13% increase. Thailand and Indonesia have surfaced as emerging travel destinations, leading to a significant increase in the count of Trevolution Group customers traveling to these sought-after vacation destinations, more than doubling the previous figures.
Uncover the details here
Trevolution Group: Travelers Embrace Premium Economy Class, One-Way Tickets Gain Popularity
Trevolution Group, the prominent global leader in the travel industry operating such brands as Asaptickets, Skyluxtravel, Dreamport, and others, has released its commercial performance report for the first half of 2023. The results reveal an exceptional achievement in airfare sales, with the Group’s total gross bookings hitting an impressive $623.57 million over the past six months.
This figure represents a remarkable 43% increase compared to the same period last year and has resulted in the sale of more than 435,210 tickets across its portfolio of travel brands.
Based on the most recent sales data, it’s evident that the average lead time for purchasing airline tickets remains shorter than it was before the pandemic, indicating that people are making more last-minute travel plans. In the first half of 2023, 19% of airline passengers booked their flights within a 10-day window, with 11% opting for a booking window of 11 to 20 days in advance, and 9% securing their airfare tickets up to a month before their travel date.
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