What’s the difference between a tour operator and a destination management company (DMC)? How can advisors find DMCs to work with, and what are the top do’s and don’ts of working with them? What if a contact at a DMC ghosts a travel advisor? Hear the answers to these questions and more in this week’s episode of Trade Secrets, where co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada chat about all things DMCs with Andrea Grisdale, CEO and founder of I.C. Bellagio in Italy.

This episode is sponsored by AmaWaterways.

Further resources

IC Bellagio on the web

Andrea Grisdale’s email

Mentioned in this episode:

• Death of a Travel Advisor by Dori Saltzman -

• From TravelAge West: The ultimate travel advisor guide to destination management companies

• Conde Nast’s travel specialists

• Travel + Leisure’s A List

• Wendy Perrin’s WOW List

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Trade Secrets takes on the world. Jennifer Doncsecz of VIP Vacations returns to the podcast to discuss her specialty: destination weddings and honeymoons. She talks about everything from getting started selling destination weddings and honeymoons, to turning those travelers into clients for life. Then, she answers a number of listener questions about destinations, ranging from the benefits of visiting a spot before selling it, qualifying for fam trips and where to send clients headed to Europe for the first time.

This episode is sponsored by AmaWaterways.

Further resources

VIP Vacations on Facebook

Jennifer Doncsecz’s email

Jennifer’s previous Trade Secrets episodes:

• All things branding

• Destination weddings and honeymoons

Mentioned in this episode:

• Death of a Travel Advisor by Dori Saltzman - 

• The Travel Institute’s course on destination weddings and honeymoons

• From Travel Weekly, Getting into groups

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, the final in a three-part series of Trade Secrets recorded on the road at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Azamara CEO Dondra Ritzenthaler. She discusses leaving her retirement to helm the small-ship luxury cruise line, the importance of suppliers listening to trade partners, luxury travel sales techniques and what sets luxury cruise lines like Azamara apart.

This episode is sponsored by AmaWaterways. 

Further resources

Dondra Ritzenthaler’s email

Mentioned in this episode: 

• Azamara World Academy
• From Travel Weekly, Azamara introduces advisor training with incentives
• From TravelAge West: Azamara launches travel advisor celebration with enhanced incentives
• Dondra Ritzenthaler on Humans of Travel

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on the road again, this time at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In the second episode of a three-part series recorded on-site in Las Vegas, Megan Vatnsdal, owner of Onyx & Evergreen Travel and affiliate of Four Hundred, talks about how she’s spent the past few years building her luxury-focused agency. She and co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada cover everything from building a book of business, to getting in front of luxury clients, to using events to network.

This episode is sponsored by AmaWaterways.

Further resources

Megan Vatnsdal on Instagram, Facebook and the web

Mentioned in this episode:

• Four Hundred
• BNI (Business Network International)
• From Travel Weekly, evidence of normalization in travel this year
• Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, part 1

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on the road again, this time at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In the first episode of a three-part series recorded on site, Virtuoso executive vice president David Kolner shares updates on Virtuoso’s annual event, how advisors are selling so much right now, the different habits of each generation and what the term “luxury” means to him. Kolner also talks about Maui recovery and what travel advisors can do to help the island.

This episode is sponsored by Allianz Partners. 

Further resources

Virtuoso’s website

David Kolner on LinkedIn and Instagram

UBS’s Global Wealth Report 2024

From TravelAge West:

• Five things we learned at Virtuoso Travel Week 2024

From Travel Weekly:

• Travel is flourishing, and Virtuoso says it’s at the top of the heap
• High prices are giving luxury travelers pause, but they’re paying
• Going back to Maui

Need advice?

 

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Chad Burt of Outside Agents joins Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann of Trade Secrets for our annual “mailbag” episode, featuring travel advisor listener questions on a variety of topics. During the episode, we’ll dig into advanced use cases of generative AI, airline loyalty, host agency affiliations, picking a travel advisor specialty and more. 

This episode is sponsored by Allianz Partners USA. 

Further resources and related readings

Outside Agents on the web 

Outside Agents’ blog

More about Outside Agents’ MAGgie technology

Outside Agents’ Power Prompts

Chad’s book of prompts - password: oastrong

Mentioned in this episode and related reading:

• Canva 
• Trade Secrets episode on generative AI 
• Some recent Travel Weekly coverage on consolidators
• Trade Secrets episode on switching host agencies 

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New travel advisors, look no further than this episode of Trade Secrets for advice on everything from setting up your business, to finding clients, to prioritizing fam trip destinations. Co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada are joined by KHM Travel Group’s Bill Coyle, vice president of agent engagement, to tackle listener questions on that and more.

This episode is sponsored by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts. 

Further resources

Connect with KHM Travel Group online, on Facebook, on Instagram, on YouTube and on LinkedIn

Encompass the World Travel, Bill Coyle’s family agency

Mentioned in this episode and related reading:

• From Travel Weekly, stories on card mills and the history of host agencies
• Travel Weekly’s Legal Briefs column by industry attorney Mark Pestronk (many articles talk about terms and conditions)
• From TravelAge West, an article on terms and conditions by industry attorney Jeffrey Ment
• The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) and its educational offerings
• The Travel Institute 
• The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and its educational offerings
• Trade Secrets episode on fam trips

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel advisors, how do you handle it when a client has unrealistic expectations? What if they ask to stay at a property you wouldn’t recommend (especially if they serve truly lackluster midnight hotdogs)? What do you do when their budget is unrealistic for the trip they want? Or, what if they have a really bad experience while they’re in-destination? Get advice on all that and more in this week’s episode of Trade Secrets, where co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada are joined by Abbey Meyer, CEO of Sky High Travel in St. Louis, Missouri.

This episode is sponsored by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts.

Further resources

Sky High Travel on the web, Facebook and Instagram

Resources mentioned in this episode and related reading:

• Trade Secrets episode with Tique’s Jennifer Jacob, who talks about the “bless and release” method of breaking up with clients
• Abbey Meyer on Humans in the Hot Seat

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on the road for a special, three-episode series recorded on the ground at the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference in Dallas. In this episode, the final in the series, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Eric Dresin, the secretary general of the European Travel Agents’ and Tour Operators’ Associations (ECTAA), onto the show. They chat about the travel agency landscape in Europe, the phenomenon of Europe’s travel “planners” (who don’t actually book travel) and more. Then, hear from Thekla Kammenou of the Greece-based tour operator Four Ways Travel, about the tourism scene in Greece and some of her favorite spots.

This episode is sponsored by Iberostar Hotels & Resorts. 

Further resources

• Eric Dresin on LinkedIn
• The ECTAA
• Four Ways Travel online and on Facebook
• Thekla Kammenou on LinkedIn, Facebook and email

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on the road for a special, three-episode series recorded on the ground at the ASTA Travel Advisor Conference in Dallas. In this episode, part two in the series, travel advisors can learn all about how to get on TV, and why it’s the best marketing tactic a small business can employ. Vacation Planners International’s Jenn Lee, Gifted Travel Network’s Vanessa McGovern and ASTA’s Erika Richter — all experts in media relations — offer tips, advice and beyond.

This episode is sponsored by the Globus family of brands. 

Further resources

• Email Jenn Lee and ask for her step-by-step process for pitching the media
• Connect with Vanessa McGovern on LinkedIn
• Email Erika Richter, join the ASTA Member Lounge on Facebook and find ASTA’s educational opportunities online

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: [email protected]

 

Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.