Business

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16
Jan 10

Work Related Expenses – Travel Expenses

Author: Les Coulcher
Source: ezinearticles.com

Common travel expenses you may be able to claim include air, bus, train & taxi fares. If you use a road vehicle designed to carry a load of one tonne or more, or nine or more passengers, use a motor cycles, incur bridge/road tolls, parking, car hire fees, meal expenses or accommodation expenses whilst away overnight for work then you have incurred travel expenses.

You cannot claim a deduction for costs associated with travel to and from work however if the travel is from one job directly to a second job you can claim a deduction for costs incurred for that leg of the travel. Travel from the second job to home is not deductible.

You can claim a deduction for costs incurred travelling from your usual place of work to another location for the same employer, for example to a clients premises while still on duty then back to your usual work place or directly home. In this case you can claim the cost of travel to another work location and the cost of returning to your usual workplace or the cost of going straight home. Travel to and from locations for the purpose of study is not covered here as these are claimed under ‘Self Education Expenses’.

Generally parking fees and tolls can only be claimed where there is also a deduction available for the travelling expense, there are a few exceptions to this rule and you can view these on the ATO website.

The treatment of overnight travel for work is varied depending on an individual’s circumstances.

For an employee, this is where they undertake the travel for an activity which is directly related to their income earning activities as an employee. For a business person (sole trader etc) the expense must have been necessarily incurred for the purpose of producing assessable income.

For travel within Australia, no written evidence and no travel records are required if the employee receives a travel allowance and claims no more than the amount considered reasonable by the Tax Office.

If the employee is travelling for 6 nights or more a travel diary or similar must be maintained for travel within Australia or overseas

If no travel allowance is received, or the claim is more than the amount considered reasonable by the Tax Office all travel expenses claimed must be supported by written records. It is always advisable to keep a diary if travelling overseas, or if you are away for any period of time. Records, such as the date and time of meetings, business cards of people attending the meetings etc always help to substantiate any travel claim.

Les Coulcher is the principal owner of Coulcher’s Personal Accounting & Taxation Services, the Premier accounting firm in Camden and he believes his staff offer the best personal accounting and taxation services in the region. The business consists of five qualified accountants and support staff.

“We pride ourselves on providing a personal service which includes home visits as necessary and bookkeeping services at the client’s premises. Apart from giving the client the most appropriate advice regarding their taxation affairs we also provide support through the provision of financial planning, bank and business loans and a supportive shoulder to lean on in tough times. We are all good listeners, something that seems to be missing in most professions at the moment.”

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12
Jan 10

The Perfect Solution

Author: Kaitlyn Miller
Source: articlesbase.com

When you need a manual, an event program or a sales booklet, booklet printing is the perfect solution. A very high impact direct mail material, a print booklet is one of the best marketing tools in the global market today as it serves as a promotional text and it represents the company in the outer world. This printed file manipulates the customer’s judgment as he/she determines the worth of its content. As an added feature, booklet printing allows you to include product pictures, charts, diagrams, maps and drawings to drive your point, catch your customers’ attention and keep them interested. A word of caution A small and simple piece of bound book, the print booklet is found everywhere. They can be appliance repair manuals, automotive booklets, banking and services booklets, a credo for trainees, “how to” booklets or instructional materials, educational and travel guide booklets, and, most importantly, of course, a detail of your retail products. However, for the booklet to be effective and carry its message, may this be a word of caution: • Seek professional help. This is the kind of product that acts as your primary representative to potential customers, which is why you need booklet printing professionals, especially those adept in color management and text organization. The design of the materials is crafted with great care and effort because, attracting customers, informing them and persuading them

For more information, you can visit this page on booklet printing

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11
Jan 10

First Luggage proves the ‘case’ for luggage-free travel as USoffice opens

Author: Melody Schubert
Source: articleage.com

You pack your suitcases and then First Luggage comes to your
hotel or home and collects them. Magically, they arrive at your
destination before you do, You don’t have to wait for your
luggage at the airport, which is a complete waste of time. It’s
a brilliant plan for people like me who are always busy” – Joan
Collins

Imagine going on a dream vacation to the Caribbean or going on a
honeymoon traveling through Europe or maybe a business trip to
Hong Kong without the hassle of luggage, golf clubs, ski’s or
bulky items. First Luggage, the innovative service – completely
New to the United States is a totally cool and a great
hassle-free way to travel!

Traveling luggage free is really great because it takes hours
off of traveling, giving you more time and less stress. First
Luggage allows you to check in at the latest possible time
allowing e-ticket customers to check in 20 minutes before the
flight directly at the departure gate, (other airlines vary on
times at the check in desk: 30 minutes with British Airways and
40 minutes with Easy Jet). You also don’t have the hassle of
carrying large bulky items in a crowded airport or waiting at
the baggage claim carousel only to be the last person to get
your luggage. That can be time consuming and no fun. That is
what makes First Luggage so great because it makes traveling
soooo much easier. Also with having increasing excess baggage
charges and security worries, more people than ever are choosing
to send their luggage ahead.

First Luggage is very unique with their process Their scanning
system and professional dispatch team ensures no luggage is lost
en route. (With more than 20 million bags lost by airlines each
year, travelers can avoid the stress and complications from
having lost luggage by using the service that has not lost a
single bag to date). From my own personal experience, lost
luggage and carrying large bulky items is hard to do and no fun
when your extremely busy and in a hurry.

First Luggage is very cost -effective with gives the traveler
complete confidence worldwide. All First Luggage requires is one
quick phone call or you can use online booking. In the UK:
08452-700-670 or In the United States: 1-800-224-5781. For
Online booking visit: www.firstluggage.com.

Upon receipt of booking and payment details, the dispatch team
will e-mail or post a completed Airway Bill to be affixed to the
luggage. First Luggage will then collect items from your home,
hotel or the office before departure. You will then have an
experienced service Operator at First Luggage maintain peace of
mind by contacting you by phone, SMS message, or an e-mail
confirming both collection and delivery as well as providing you
with a unique tracking number for each piece of luggage. Unlike
airlines, First Luggage tracks your luggage six times during
transit, so for an update, simply click on the ‘Tracking Link’
on the website and enter your number for a “Real-Time” review.
Prices vary according to the country the luggage is being
collected from and delivered to. Prices are per item so there is
no need to weigh or measure your items. If an item is sent, for
example, from Group A to Group E or vice versa, then the higher
price is quoted. Full details of costs in U.S. currency and Euro
are available at: www.firstluggage.com

First Luggage specializes in sending luggage internationally
which is great for Americans who are traveling to international
locations. First Luggage also has some state to state services
depending on the destinations. (Check on State to State
locations by calling: U.S. Toll free 1-800-224-5781 or
www.firstluggage.com).

Explore America’s Backyard, and discover thrilling helicopter
tours in Hawaii, bed and breakfast, spas, antique collectibles,
fishing, hunting, whitewater rafting, roller coasters, concerts,
poker games, national parks, civil war battle reenactments, the
carnivorous Venus fly trap, and many more unique travel
destinations and attractions. Visit USA Travel Magazine online
at http://www.usatravelmagazine.com or by mobile at:

http://www.usatmm.com.

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9
Jan 10

Hiring a Marketing Company? If They Can’t or Won’t Tell You a Measurable Result… RUN!

Author: Alan Boyer
Source: download

Have any of you hired a marketing firm and are still waiting for the results?maybe even months later? You should be seeing results right away or you’ve gone to the wrong place.
Direct marketing produces right away. Branding takes longer…a lot longer. Learn to tell the difference.
One of the things I keep telling my business clients is that you don’t do anything that you can’t measure. So, before we ever decide to do any step, marketing, sales, production, we must have a measurable target. Then when we start seeing results, we measure the results, and compare that to our target. If we are below target we tweak, adjust, optimize to get it up where we thought it should be, and, in most cases, we can get there quickly?probably in a week or two. Over time we are still looking for the opportunities to make that number better. Significant improvements usually come along because we are looking at the numbers.
I heard an interesting statistic the other day. You are 7 times more likely to achieve your goals if you have
A measurable target,
An action plan to get there,
Are monitoring the results, and continually optimizing.
That’s a rather impressive number . . . 7 times more likely if you have a measurable target.
Do you have measurable goals, track your results, and act on what you find?
I’d like to tell you a story about an experience of mine.
Last year I was traveling to the Middle East a lot, the oil companies are some of my clients. Because of the amount of travel, 1-2 weeks a month, I found that I was letting some of my marketing results slip. I was just not around to do it myself any longer. When I’d get back my marketing would be behind, and so were the number of new customers coming through the door. I’d have to work to get the client flow starting again, and suddenly I’d be on my way out of the country with the cycle starting all over again. This resulted in a see-saw of clients and productivity. Something I tell my clients how to avoid, I emphasize that they focus equally on a balance of incoming leads, sales closes, and production completion. But here I was letting things slip myself.
I decided that it was time for me to hire a marketing company to do it for me when I’m gone so I’d come back to a steady flow of new clients. I turned to a local well known marketing company who works with some of the largest companies around. The first thing I asked them was, “What is your average direct mail campaign response rate?”
I don’t do anything without having a target. My own direct mail campaigns typically run in the 5% area. I know that for every 1,000 pieces of direct mail I send out I’ll have around 50-60 calls. So, I wanted to know how well this “expert” company was doing before hiring them. Their answer was, “Oh, every company we work for is different. We can’t measure that kind of thing.”
CAN’T MEASURE! That is what I teach my clients to do, and this expert marketing company doesn’t measure!!!!
At first I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I asked them to let me talk to 5 of their clients.
And I was absolutely amazed. Every last one of their clients had exactly the same answer.
“Gee, I don’t know how many new customers I’ve gotten from their campaigns.”
I wouldn’t take a non-answer for an answer so I asked if they had seen ANY increase in business of any kind. When forced, they answered, “No, I don’t think so. Not yet anyway.” And these companies had used the marketing firm for 6 months to 2 years. That was certainly long enough to see a result, but they hadn’t.
Every last one said: the marketing company is doing a “brand awareness” campaign for them and that it would take about 2 years. They didn’t expect to see any real progress for at least 2 years.
2 YEARS! And at about $15,000 a month. Boy did that marketing company sell them a bill of goods.
That is one of the main differences between direct marketing and brand awareness marketing. Direct marketing is a direct contact with the customer with direct and immediate measurable response. Where branding is sort of like saying here I am and some day you’ll recognize I’m standing over here.
Branding works for companies like McDonald’s, Coke, Nike, etc. When I want a sandwich and see the arches I tool right in there. I know what I’ll get.
However, for most small businesses, you can’t wait 2 years for the results. Branding alone isn’t going to get it.
Direct marketing will produce a measurable result next week. I’ll know that I got 0.5% or 5% out of every 1,000 pieces of direct mail or other direct marketing. If it’s below 5% I’ll tweak it and watch the response go up the next time and the next time. I can continually get better and better.
Branding can still happen as an afterthought of direct marketing. But I intend to see a result on the first mailing, probably next week. And, yes, over time the response rate will get better and better as I build brand awareness. The difference is that direct marketing is driving for a specific measurable result on each campaign. It’s asking for an immediate action?Come to my seminar?Sign up here.
Branding alone is just saying “Hi. Don’t you see me. I’m great.”
I continually measure not only my own results, but those of my suppliers and, as a result, I get better all of the time. If I’m not watching the numbers I can’t get better. I’ll continue to get what I’ve always gotten.
Let me ask you an important question.
Do you think the marketing company I mentioned doesn’t know what its sales figures are? They do. Yet, they don’t know what results they deliver to their customers.
What does that tell you? It tells me they are more interested in tracking their sales figures and improving those than they are in tracking the results they provide to a customer and getting better at that. They are interested in improving their sales but not mine.
So, the next time you place an ad anywhere, or hire a marketing company, ask them what their typical response rates are. If they can’t, or won’t tell you, go somewhere else, you are in the wrong place.
And what I’ve discovered is that most won’t commit to a specific deliverable number. When you find one that will, grab them. They are gold.
Alan Boyer, President/CEO of The Leader’s Perspective, LLC, is considered one of the world’s leading breakthrough specialists. He has worked with some of the worlds largest companies, on projects in the multi-billion dollar area, and with single proprietor companies. He has worked on many hundreds of projects with companies that have resulted in multi-$100 million savings or gains.
With over 35 years of business, quality, and process experience, he has catapulted businesses lightyears ahead in weeks. Some have doubled and some have jumped 10 times. He claims the key to that is:
Helping the business owners/employees develop the business skills
Helping them overcome the limitations and attitudes that they built between their ears (the self imposed limitations, I can’t, this won’t work for me, I’m different)
By helping them find the breakthroughs in their business and thinking
Helping companies worldwide reach further than they EVER thought possible… FASTER!

http://www.leaders-perspective.com

mailto:AlanBoyer@leaders-perspective.com

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8
Jan 10

Can the iPhone Revolutionize Direct Sales & Network Marketing?

Author: Brian & Jeff
Source: articlesbase.com

According to an October 2009 report from JD Power and Associates, consumers ranked the Apple iPhone as number one for use in business. Out of 1000 possible points, Apple received first place with 803 points. Blackberry came in 2nd with 724 points. The study allowed users to rank their devices based on ease of operation, operating system, features, battery life and device design. These statistics should be of notice to those in the Direct Sales, Network Marketing and MLM Software industries because it indicates a change in the way business is conducted.Networking is one of the standard principles in the Direct Sales industry. Developing relationships and sustaining those relationships builds success in an individual’s personal and professional life. Smartphones, and specifically the iPhone, help individuals stay connected to the world around them. Users have the ability to stay in touch with people who are close and far away through social networking sites. A Smartphone can remind an individual to call someone on their birthday through the phone’s calendar feature, or using the internet, customers can read a tweet about the company’s new product line as soon as it is posted.Additionally, Smartphone users can easily and rapidly remind everyone in their downline of an upcoming web conference or a new party package. Smartphones are changing the way Online Business is done, and the revolution is beginning with the iPhone.To fully understand the power of the iPhone, we need to explore the history of “smartphones.”History of SmartphonesThe definition of smartphones has changed with the complexity of the phones. Most people seem to agree that a smartphone can be defined as a phone with a distinct operating system. The first smartphone was designed by IBM. Named Simon, it was shown as a concept product at a computer industry trade show in 1992.It was released to the public in 1993. In addition to being a mobile phone, the Simon contained a software address book, a calendar, calculator, notepad, email, fax and games. It had no physical buttons; instead it had a touch-screen and used an optional stylus. Today, the Simon would seem unexceptional yet at the time it was extremely advanced.In 1996, Nokia released a palmtop computer-style smartphone.This was the first smartphone to have an open operating system. The open operating system permitted software applications that were not developed by Nokia to interface with the phone. Nokia released models during this time that had a color screen, camera phone and Wifi.The Palm OS Treo smartphone by Handspring was released in 2001. It could utilize mobile third party applications. It also contained a small sized full keyboard and included wireless web browsing, email, calendar and a contact organizer.The BlackBerry was released in 2002 by RIM. It was the first smartphone that concentrated on wireless email use and by June 2007, it had achieved a customer base of 8 million users. Three-quarters of those users were located in North America.In 2005, Nokia launched its N-Series of 3G smartphones, which Nokia initially marketed not as mobile phones but as multimedia computers.In June 2007, the iPhone was launched. In July 2007, they published their web development page and by October 2007, the iPhone was named invention of the year by Time Magazine. In July 2008, Apple introduced its App Store for free and fee based applications. Mobile downloads reached 1 billion in April 2009, and 2 billion in September 2009.Noticing the popularity of the App Store, Microsoft, Palm, Blackberry and Nokia have announced their own stores.The iPhone is seeking to overtake the Business World. Initially, it was mainly used for pleasure but as it has become more integrated in individual’s lives, it is being used increasingly for business. This unique mobile smartphone allows inbuilt applications as well as customized applications. For the development of applications, Apple released an SDK (Software Development Kit).Since the release of the SDK, uploads into the Apple store have sky-rocketed. The iPhone website lists a variety of ways that it seeks to increase its share in the business market. One significant piece is the App store. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, said in a statement, “The App Store has reinvented what you can do with a mobile handheld device, and our users are clearly loving it.”How could the iPhone Impact the Direct Sales industry?JD Powers 2009 Wireless Phone Satisfaction study showed that among Business Smartphone owners, more than one-half reported downloading third-party games for entertainment, while 46% reported downloading travel software such as maps and weather applications.This indicates that business users are integrating their devices into their personal lives. In addition, nearly one-half of owners (46%) reported downloading business utility applications to increase productivity.Crowd Science conducted a study published in June 2009. It states that over 70% of owners of smartphones used them for both business and pleasure.One out of every three smartphone users owns an iPhone. The study also conveyed that a whopping 82% of current iPhone users would purchase it again. This information would lead one to believe that if iPhone can keep their satisfaction levels high and maintain their momentum, their likelihood of succeeding into the business realm is very high.Smartphones have been used by many representatives to keep track of contacts and stay in touch with their downline. It is an easy way to make a quick encouraging phone call or to keep up with emails. The iPhone and its easy access to the web has the possibility of revolutionizing the way representatives conduct their business.Many smartphones currently have the ability to access the web but none have the ease of use or the speed of the iPhone. Use of the iPhone can allow a richer visual presentation that is appealing to a younger generation of consumers. The availability of add-on applications at low cost increases the value one may see in the phone and the many ways that it can be used.Independent representatives want to build their businesses with a small investment. Being able to use their smartphone or iPhone (something that they already possess) to build their business is a great asset to both the individual and the direct sales company.According to the DSA’s 2008 National Salesforce Study, 66% of individuals surveyed spent 9 hours or less each week developing their business. If companies are able to increase their visibility in a representative’s life, it is likely the business will grow. This is easily achieved through the use of social media in connection with smartphones or the iPhone.DSA also reports that 64.5% of sales are made by Individual/Person to Person selling. If individuals are able to increase their ability to sell at any location, rather than only in a person’s home, the representative’s sales and ability to grow the business will increase. The iPhone, in connection with a feature-rich application, could make this possible in the near future.This would allow a representative to take advantage of situations as they occur, rather than having to schedule another time to demonstrate their product. This single factor could increase a representative’s ability to “work the business” from their evenings and weekends to anytime, anywhere.Smartphones and mobile applications are here to stay. As Anssi Vanjoki (Nokia VP and GM of Multimedia) said on his company’s plans to release a new phone similar to the iPhone, “If there is something good in the world, then we copy with it with pride.”The iPhone has made a decisive impact on our society and will continue to do so. The direct selling company that is able to best leverage the mobile industry can be assured that their representatives will have the highest potential to be constantly connected and working the business.

Let Brian Garvin and Jeff West teach you more about Direct Sales and Network Marketing on our website today.

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8
Jan 10

Direct Mailing Boosts Bed and Breakfast Sales

Author: Kristine Sanchez
Source: ezinearticles.com

Bed and Breakfast means comfort, luxury, and convenience on your visit. Situated along the outskirts, house guests, and profit usually come from referrals, websites, and mini marketing campaigns. While vacations, honeymoons, or conventions are not frequent activities, directly reaching out to target clients through regular postcard-sending is a sure way to boost your sales.

An online printing company can be most convenient for any marketer coming from a Bed and Breakfast area; with fast delivery and direct mailing services offered, convenient promotions can be very well headed to success.

1. Holiday promotions: Postcards are meant for greeting, and sending these prints out during the Holidays is the perfect opportunity to bring into your targets’ minds that your Bed and Breakfast area still exists. With a homey and cozy facade, a catchy photograph can simply be the main attraction of your postcard.

2. Travel Promotions: Promoting travel by highlighting the hot spots of your Bed and Breakfast’s vicinity is a good approach for your postcard campaign. Vacation goers are usually on the lookout for new places to go, and selling out fun activities to do on a new area can make your targets consider your area on their next travel.

3. Outdoor Activity Promotions/Sporting Events: When travelers come to visit places, special featured activities such as Ibiza, Le Tour de France, or the Mardi Gras are events worth going to. Including in your postcards sporting activities and events that are happening in your area will be a good point for your postcard promotions.

4. Wedding promotions: Honeymooners are also another target for marketing your establishment. Building a wedding-themed postcard for your newlywed guests will be good for these areas are usually fitting for honeymoons.

Giving your target market reasons to come and visit your Bed and Breakfast establishment will be helpful for promotions.

With the right printing company to support your marketing campaign, direct mailing of postcards turns out to be a sure fit to a Bed and Breakfast business.

More topics on Printing Company can be found at Online Printing Company.

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8
Jan 10

GovTrav Discount Travel Agency

Author: Anonymous
Source: free-articles

January 3 2004–GovTrav Travel Agency is privately-owned and operated by a former UNITED STATES MARINE, and not only are they the Premier Choice for most U.S. Military Bases; but, all of the Travel Agents have a minimum of ten (10) years experience.

The Vice-President/Co-Owner is a lady who has well over 25+ years experience as a Travel Agent, and she is currently managing all Military Travel Operations for one of the largest U.S. Air Force Bases in the United States.

This ELITE group of Travel Agent Specialists are also required to possess a Top-Secret Security Clearance, and be able to pass a closely scrutinized background check, as they are involved in completing travel arrangements for all levels of Federal Government employees and their families, on a daily basis.

The “INTERNET-BASED” company has now opened their doors to the general public, and they offer substantial discounts on hotels, cruises, rental cars, and vacation packages to reduced rates on attraction admissions and free, space-available upgrades.

GovTrav Travel Agency offers you; your family; and your employees the potential to save up to 70% off ALL Travel Reservations all year long thru their exclusive online Travel Agency. They operate as a financially strong, debt-free company, and pass these tremendous savings directly to the traveling public.

Their organization is an elite partner with many of the world’s top travel suppliers. These alliances enable the company’s network to offer exciting, luxurious vacations to major destinations, for example — aboard luxury cruise lines for as little as $30/day. Their Year 2003 honors included:

?? Major Air Carriers, top 3 agencies, USA

?? Travel Impressions Best of the Best, top 5 agencies, USA

?? Norwegian Cruise Line Presidents Club for more than $10 million in annual sales

?? Carnival Cruise Line Winner’s Circle, top 8 agencies, USA

?? Windstar Star Account, top 6 agencies, USA

?? Princess I Excel Gold, top 10 performing agencies, USA

?? Sandals STAR Award, top 8 agencies, North America

?? Holland America Centurion Member, top 5 agencies, North America

?? Funjet 500 Agency, top 5 agencies, USA; top 5, Southeast Region

?? Superclubs Diamond Agent, top 8 agencies

?? Cunard Inner Circle Silver, top 5 agencies, USA

?? Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Royal Celebrities, top 5 agencies, USA

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6
Jan 10

A Travel Writer Can Get Paid to Review Cafes Around the World

Author: Rebecca Ann
Source: ezinearticles.com

Being a travel writer means you can write on just about anything. You could write the typical destination blog or article or you can stretch your writing. You could become a food critic and focus on cafes. After all, cafes serve more than just coffee. They offer desserts, sandwiches and other tasty treats.

If you’re a coffee lover and a travel writer, why not marry your two loves together? You do not have to be a “typical” travel writer. When you travel, you can stop at cafes and review them. This is a great niche market.

To begin your career as a cafe reviewer, start in your own backyard. You could review Starbucks and compare the chain to independent cafes. Another angle could be writing about cafes that offer live music.

Do you have a need for coffee?

People love their coffee. Wouldn’t it be great if you could provide them with great information about cafes around the world? The one thing that is the same about cafes is the product which is coffee. However, each cafe is unique. Be a travel writer who describes the ambiance of a cafe. Is there music? Is it live music? Do they have poetry night? What is the decor like? Take the reader inside a cafe and make her feel as if she is seeing what you’re seeing.

As a travel writer you could compile your articles into a book and become a published writer. You could title your book “Wake Up, Smell the Coffee – cafes Around the World!” Did you ever see the Seinfeld episode with Kramer and his coffee table book? This could be you, except less Kramer like!

Make sure you take many photographs of the cafes you visit. In fact, you could probably publish a photographic book of the different cafes you visited. You may find yourself in another career, photographer extraordinaire!

Get out of your rut

Wouldn’t it be fun to be a travel writer who pushes beyond the ordinary scope of a travel writer? The truth is you do not write the same old, same old destination travel articles. Writing about cafes is step in the right direction. How many travel writers cover this niche? The answer is probably not many. Will you take advantage of this opportunity?

Inspiration

Sitting in a brilliant cafe can give you inspiration. Here’s a tip: The Elephant House in Edinburgh, Scotland is fabulous. I visited The Elephant House in August 2007 and it was packed – great coffee and scones. By the way, J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter in this cafe. She may not be a travel writer, but she’s doing just fine!

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You’ll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you’re about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you’ll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

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6
Jan 10

Advantages Of Buying Travel Products Online

Author: Serge Levi
Source: articleage.com

Internet has transformed out world into an even better place to live in. It has changed the way in which we used to do a lot of things and shopping is one of the biggest changes that have been brought about by the internet. Today, online shopping has become a very popular option among the masses and buying travel products online is not an exception.
There are several advantages associated with buying travel products online. Let’s take a quick look at some of these:
1. Adherence To Regulations: One of the biggest advantages of buying travel products online is that the products will adhere to rules, regulations and restrictions that are associated with travel products. For example, the size restrictions for your travel bags can be easily taken care of if you buy the travel bags and attach?s online. You can specify your requirements and accordingly get the luggage pieces that would be best suited and within the restrictions. Most websites that sell travel bags would never have travel bags that exceed the specified size (sum of all dimensions) limit for individual bags. So, you can concentrate on looking at other features of your luggage pieces without worrying about the size.
2. Convenience: Ordering travel products online is really easy and very convenient. You can easily do it from the comfort of your home. Most travel product websites have pictures of the travel products too. So, you can have a look around and choose the shape, size and color that best suits you. There are several websites that sell travel products. If you don’t like what you see at one website, you can move on to check the others. It is as good as shopping for the travel products in your local mall, except for the added convenience. Also, you don’t need to carry the products with you to your house; with online shopping they are automatically delivered to your house in a safe and secure manner (unless you have ordered on a really dodgy website). Moreover, since the websites are 24 hour online shops, you can order your travel products anytime you like. So, if you want you can shop online at midnight.
3. Time Savings: Besides the convenience, you also save a lot of time when you buy your travel products online. This is the time that would have otherwise been spent in traveling to the mall/shops and looking for the travel products that suit you. With pictures (of travel products) available at the websites, there is really no difference in online and offline shopping, except for the time savings associated with buying travel products online.
4. Variety/Choice: Since there are a number of websites that sell travel products, you have a greater variety to choose from. It’s easier to check various options and compare them against each other, before actually ordering your travel products online.
5. Cost: Generally, the travel products at online shopping avenues will be cheaper than at their offline counterparts. This is true for most goods (not just travel products) that are sold online. This is possible because the sales and marketing expenses are minimal for the companies that sell goods on the internet. A number of such companies operate directly from their warehouses, thus further reducing their costs. These companies pass some of these cost savings to their customers who order online. Most of the times these cost savings are significant to cover the shipping expenses too (and still give a better deal than what is available in the offline markets).
With so many advantages, buying the travel products online is surely a good proposition for all.
Please visit http://www.farenavigator.com – new kind of website, a travel search engine site.

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18
Dec 09

Online Distributors Speak: Exclusive Interview With Venere.coms Seo Manager, Susan Geraeds

Author: Annalisa Ballaira, CEO At Relactions.combr
Source: isnare.combr
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Today we are interviewing Susan Geraeds about Venere.com, one of the most successful player in the online hotel reservations industry.

Susan will talk about her company, what SEOs strategy and operations theyve implemented so far and are looking to develop in the future Travel 2.0 scenario.

Venere is quite an exception in the European online scenario: an Italian company, and not a mega-OTA coming from the States, neither an online extension for exisiting travel operators. Can you tell us something about the uniqueness of Veneres story and were you stand today as a company?
Venere.com was founded in 1995 by 4 friends with their first beta booking engine for hotels in Rome and Florence. Now, 12 years later, Venere.com is one of the leading worldwide players in the online hotel reservations industry with 9,000,000 unique vistors per month and 16,500 contracted hotels in over 4,500 international destinations.

Venere.com is proud to be one of the few Italian companies with an international success story in e-business. Our main focus is on the European and North American markets. In December 2006, Advent International Global Private Equity acquired a majority stake in Venere.com in partnership with Veneres founders who are still members of the Board. Venere employs 160 members of staff.

What are the advantages for hoteliers to be on Venere?
There are plenty of advantages to be enjoyed by hotels publishing their property on Venere.com. There are no rate restrictions and no minimum allotments. This means that hoteliers have complete freedom over their room inventory: they can allocate as many or few rooms they wish and at the price they decide. Moreover, hotels do not pay commission on no-show bookings.

How do you differenciate yourself from the other OTAs in terms of customer experience? Is there any specific functionality/content that is particularly appreciated by your customers?
Venere.com adopts a significantly different business model than most competitors. On competitor web sites that use a merchant model, users must pay for their full stay at the moment of booking. On Venere.com users pay directly at the hotel. They dont pay in advance, they pay when they stay at the hotel. There are no taxes, no booking fees and, very important, there are no cancellation fees.

Moreover, on Venere.com users have the help of over 350,000 hotel reviews, written by other travelers that booked on Venere.com and have already stayed at the hotel in question.

How has the introduction of customersreviews helped or changed your business? How do you monitor or guarantee the quality of such user-generated-content?
Venere.com was the first online travel agent to include user hotel reviews on its web site. This has significantly improved the overall user experience and credibility. User hotel reviews are not censored, but they are moderated by our customer service team to remove any abusive or obscene language. Reviews by users that booked but then cancelled and didnt stay at the hotel are also removed.

Let me play the devils advocate for a second… We strongly encourage hoteliers to invest in direct marketing via their own websites as the most efficient way to distribute their inventory. In fact, I think that many hoteliers need to re-balance their distribution costs and to shift some money from paying an intermediary to market their own online presence, and to regain control of their rates and visibility. What is your defence against this argument?
I dont think we really need a defense because one does not exclude the other. The hotel can invest in its own web site and still receive bookings from online travel agencies. The problem for small or mid-sized hotels is that they have a relatively small budget to invest in marketing.

Being featured on a hotel booking site with high traffic is an excellent approach in addition to the hotels own web site. From my own experience in the hotel industry, it is difficult to sell all available rooms with the hotel web site alone, and online travel agencies are a great and cost effective way for hotels to rent out unsold room inventory.

You have chosen not to add any complementary service (flights, car-rental etc) to the pure hotel booking. Why this, and are you going to keep it that way?
Veneres mission and vision is to be a specialized service for hotel bookings, without other distractions for the users.

How important are search engines for your business?
Search engine traffic is important for Venere.com like it is for every e-business. Venere.com has very diversified sources of traffic, among which an affiliate program with 3000 partners, an offline travel agent program with more than 1000 travel agents selling Venere hotel room inventory, online marketing campaigns and organic search optimization.

As a SEO manager you face a hard challenge: how do you keep pace with the fierce (and growing) competition on the search engines?
Being on top of things is necessary to stay up to date on the latest developments in the search engine industry. Fortunately, I can also count on my long experience as a search engine marketeer. Prior to joining Venere.com in March 2006, I have worked as a search engine optimizer in the hotel industry since 1998 so that gives me a bit of a head start.

At Venere.com we have a young and enthusiastic team full of ideas and creativity. Regular brainstorming sessions help us to continuously improve accessibility, on page content, web site architecture and the overall user experience.

What is travel 2.0 for you? And how do you see search engine marketing evolving in the next future?
Travel 2.0 for Venere.com means interactivity. We were the first online travel agent to include interactivity on our web site by publishing user feedback on our hotels. Since a few months we also publish photos of the hotels made by guests that booked through a Venere.com booking. The next step in user generated content on the Venere.com site will be video feedback.

P.S. You can visit Susans personal blog at blog.superzu.combr
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