In this edition of the Affiliate Buzz, host and Instructor of the Affiliate Marketers BootCamp, James Martell, is joined by his wife Arlene Martell. This episode is full of information to help you make the most out of your online marketing with advice on breakations, attending meetups and running your own podcast.

James and Arlene also discuss this week, the newly refreshed format for the Affiliate Buzz and there is even a quick look back at the very first couple of episodes.

Step Away from the Computer

Last week had been a bad week with some issues in the business getting them down. James and Arlene therefore realised it was time to get away from it all and take a breakation. A breakation is time for you to reward yourself for all your hard work and for doing a good job.

Yet in this instance, it helped James and Arlene to unwind from the troubles they had experienced.

During the weekend away they barely looked at their laptops. James admits he may have posted some photos from his phone, but had not looked at any business stuff the whole time they were away.

James and Arlene highly recommend breakations to those who are perhaps spending long hours in front of their computer but not getting a satisfactory amount of work done.

For this breakation the couple went to Hope, BC which is considered the gateway to holiday land. They consider it a beautiful area with homes dotted around the lake. They had been there before, with one of the first times being almost 30 years ago. During this trip they happened to find the original cabin they had stayed at and talked to the owner about some of the changes he has made.

The area has an interesting history, being the location for the movie Rambo, and every year fans flock to the area to see where the film was shot. There is also the Kettle Valley Railway which goes from Hope to the centre of BC. It was built in the 19th century but was closed down because they couldn’t maintain the tracks with all the snow.

After Hope, BC they went to Yale where Arlene’s mother has a trailer. Yale is beside a beautiful river and is a location where individuals can own their own camping spot.

After spending some time in Yale, James and Arlene headed off to the Harrison Hot Springs Resort. They were initially disappointed with the room they had and Arlene was able to get them an upgrade using a tried and tested method.

Arlene’s tip for getting an upgrade is to take a $20 bill and fold it up with a credit card you give to the person behind the counter and then ask if there is a chance for an upgrade. Arlene says this has worked at many hotels including the Paris Hotel in Vegas.

This is a method which James has tried at the Mirage with great success.

Meeting With Fellow Online Marketing Businesses

James and Arlene had to leave their breakation on the Monday in order to go to the Internet Masterminds Meet-up in Vancouver. This is one of the largest in the world with over 36,000 subscribed to the event.

There are meet-ups all over the world and James really recommends that if you have a chance you get yourself to one. Matt Astifan does a meet-up every Monday in Vancouver, except through the summer.

Any meet-up is a great place to learn, find, and drive business. It is also an opportunity for you to get away from your machine and speak to people face to face. Arlene really enjoys the meet-ups as there is such a diverse group of people to talk to.