Air travel is generally the biggest money outlay—and therefore the biggest deterrent to going anywhere. Consider some key ways around it. One is the extraordinarily low winter airfare to get to Europe that happens every year, usually between mid-October and March or April. Airlines offer transatlantic roundtrip fares of $400 or even less to London, Paris, Rome, etc.

Why would you want to go abroad in the winter? To see and do the same things as in peak seasons and without the crowds and high costs for museums, concerts, theater, language courses. Hotels and all-inclusive packages are generally cheaper at that time too. Book at least six months in advance and pay early to get low-priced promotional airfare, or, if your time is flexible, see what you can get at the last minute for a low price. Most major airlines have discontinued the senior discount fare, making the off-season rates especially attractive. Once in Europe, you’ll find more new airlines to provide cheap travel from nearly all the major hubs to wherever you want to go (see below).

Rail Passes

Once you’re there, even more opportunities to save are available for the over-60 crowd. Most senior rail passes are for single countries or contiguous countries such as Scandinavia or the Balkans.

Eurailpass, good for unlimited travel in about 17 European countries, offers no senior discounts, making individual country passes a better deal. Here are the best ones:

Eurostar, the Channel Tunnel train, and the Thalys train give seniors 25-30 percent off, but you may have to order them ahead.  In many major cities local transportation—subways, buses, and lake steamers—is grouped together in a one-purchase card.

For discounts in general, other than transportation, different countries offer different deals, and the practice is often unpredictable. Some bargains are available to anyone over 60; others are limited to citizens of the EU nations. In Greece, for instance, a few museums and archeological sites are discounted. In Austria discounts vary from one museum or site to another; there is no general rule. You often have to be a member of an association or hold a British pension book in England to get a discount. And so it goes—no hard and fast specifics. Before you go, see what discount cards are available for free or reduced rates to attractions in the areas you’ll visiting.

The point is that discounts are out there. They’re very often available for movies, theaters, museums, tours, local sightseeing, historic buildings, hotels, restaurants, and car rentals. The main rule to keep in mind is that if you think you may qualify for a discount on anything ask. They’re not apt to volunteer the offer—any more than they do in your home town. In the case of hotels and car rentals, ask when you make the reservation, not when you check out. And ask too for weekend or midweek packages at hotels or, better yet, look for lower-priced B and Bs where you’ll often feel like one of the family.

As for evening meals, which abroad are frequently served when American seniors are ready to turn in, look for early-bird menus, often served before 7 p.m.

Another tip: always keep some form of identification like a passport or a driver’s license with you that show your date of birth. You never know when and where a bargain is waiting for you. Finally, verify all published rates and schedules before you assume they’re valid.

The first thing you may want to consider is making your travel plans as early as possible. If you purchase your airline tickets at least twenty-one days in advance, you’ll have a have a much greater chance of a lower rate. This is because there are great airline travels deals for fliers who purchase their tickets early.

A computer can be a great tool in ensuring good airline travel deals. This saves time and frequently some web sites give some of the best airline travel deals. To find the best websites try asking around. You’d be surprised how many of your friends, relatives and neighbors, have saved money on airline travel deals over the Internet and are happy to pass along helpful information.

Flexibility about travel times brings big savings. If you’re willing to travel on the less popular early morning or late evening flights the price of your ticket will lower in cost.

Traveling off-season will also bring airline travel deals. During the times when fewer people want to travel, airlines are eager to ensure steady profits. Because of this fact airline travel tickets are often cheaper during this time.

If you are going to a popular travel destination, see if you can arrange for your hotel, and travel accommodations to be in a package deal. Often time’s airline travel deals can be found in these package deals. In addition, these packages may supply you with extra privileges such as tickets to a theme park or show as well that you were planning on paying for separately.

The most important thing to remember when trying to ensure airline travel deals is if you don’t ask, you don’t get. It’s not rude or impolite to ask the person you’re booking the flight with if what you’re paying for is the best deal, it’s frugal.

If you want to keep more money in your own pockets following these ideas will certainly help. Remember, if you don’t look for the best airline travel deals, no one else will do it for you.

If you are interested in bus travel, you can find a variety of routes depending on where you are going, and when you want to go. Some routes will have a lot of stops along the way, but they may not offer you a lot of time to explore the area. There are tour groups that use bus travel to host specialty tours. These tours may go through a certain part of the country to view the countryside, or may go to a specific destination like the Grand Canyon, or Niagara Falls.

If you are planning a trip to a large city nearby, and you want to make a family event out of it, you can use bus travel to get everyone there quickly and relatively hassle free. Bus travel for groups can be arranged through almost any bus company, and the price may vary depending on how many people are going, and where you wish to go. Call around for the best deal on bus travel, and save yourself some driving.

Bands, and other entertainment types, also often use bus travel. They find this the cheapest and easiest way to get from city to city. These aren’t your average buses, however, and they offer many of the comforts of home. Many come with complete bathrooms, great sleeping spaces, living areas, and loads of electronic diversions. If you can afford this type of bus travel, know you will be traveling in style.

No matter why you choose bus travel, when you do, you are choosing a classic American form of group travel. Bus and train travel used to be the main ways Americans moved across the country. Due to major events like the terrorist attacks in New York City, many people are choosing bus travel over air travel for their vacations. Many college students are learning that this is also the cheapest and easiest way to get home when they want to see their families.

So book that fantastic bus trip today!

The Key to Understanding the Tourism Industry

Tourism is now one of the largest industries. The tourism industry has a larger output than:

• Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing;
• Mining, Communication Service; and
• Electricity, Gas & Water Supply.

Tourism is everyone’s business
Everyone gains from properly managed tourism. These benefits can be especially significant in regional areas by diversifying the area’s economic base and expanding the employment market.

In its broadest sense, the tourism industry is the total of all businesses that directly provide goods or services to facilitate business, pleasure and leisure activities away from the home environment.

The consumer
In the tourism system the consumer is the most important element as the consumer is the reason tourism products and services exist. Everyone working in tourism must ensure that the consumer is fundamental to all business and planning decisions.

Consumers have many choices about how to spend their money and leisure time. If they choose to spend their money on a holiday, they will then determine their budget, decide how much time they have available and what types of activities they would like to do while away. Then they will begin to select a destination, decide how they will travel there and make reservations accordingly through a travel agent, wholesaler, over the Internet or directly from the tourism operator.

The travel experience
The travel experience relates to how the consumer travels to the destination and the experience they have along the way. The choices can include air, car, boat, coach, train, motorbike, hiking or a combination of the above. The mode of travel affects the type of experience, for example flying to a destination is a very different experience to driving.

A destination can suffer if transport options, links and support services are limited or below standard. Issues such as the variety of attractions, facilities and accommodation available en route, the road quality, signage and frequency of transport services, can all affect the quality of the travel experience.

The holiday experience
When consumers decide to take a particular type of holiday they have expectations of the experience they will have. This could relate to the quality of accommodation, service and food, the range and cost of activities available, the length of time they have, the weather, etc. Their satisfaction will be based on how well the holiday met their initial expectations or exceeded them.

Marketing your business
Marketing refers to a multi-faceted, on-going process that any successful business is continually working through. It includes activities such as: researching the market, your consumers and products; evaluating research data; developing your business and products; developing your own skills; and promoting, advertising or working with the media to raise awareness of your product and generate sales.

Marketing is often described as ‘the four Ps’: product, place, price and promotion. The product includes the physical attributes of the product, branding and packaging. Place is about distribution: the agencies, channels and institutions used to give consumers easy access to purchasing your product. Price must meet both the consumer’s and your needs. Promotion is explaining destinations, products and services to consumers to help them choose their holiday.

Promotion can use a range of media such as print (magazines, newspapers, brochures, posters displayed on billboards, bus stops, the sides of buses, trains etc), television, radio, direct mail, Internet, etc. Providing a holiday package as a prize for a competition or even staying in touch with customers provides promotion of your product. You can learn more about marketing business with Mike Azcue where he is the man who successfully led the marketing world’s 200 countries

Customer knowledge management in the travel industry
Despite the increasing importance of customer knowledge management, the concept appears to be ill-defined by companies across the travel industry. The aims of this research were twofold: first, to determine how some leading companies within the travel industry were managing their customer relationships and second, to ascertain how they intended to proceed in a changing market environment. Using a qualitative research approach, semi structured interviews was held with a convenience sample of ten respondent companies. Several major issues were identified, including strategic vision, customer knowledge/needs, and the role of technology. While most respondents acknowledged the strategic importance of customer relationship management, they were found to be struggling, to varying degrees, with its integration into service delivery. For customers that want to join in customer knowledge management, you will get a guide to success in the field of product marketing Mike Azcue. His career in leading the marketing world to get a good positive impact from its customers, all the attention Mike Azcue has given to the World-ventures company as Internet-based, specializes in vacation.

Consumer Decision-making
Understanding the process consumers work through in deciding about taking a holiday. It is important to understand this process because it influences all stages of the previously discussed model, especially the marketing/promotion element.

Needs – Going on a holiday allows people to take a break from their normal life, whether it’s restful idleness in scenic spots or extreme sports in challenging terrain, on their own, with a partner or friends, or in a large group.

Awareness – Consumers may have a recognized or unrecognized need for a holiday. Promoting a holiday destination, product or service can help consumers recognize they need a holiday, and then raise their awareness of the choices available.

Motivation – If the consumer is positively aware of a destination, product or service they are more likely to be motivated to visit.

Planning/Decision – Promotional information helps the consumer decide how to get there, and what they want to do.

Satisfaction – If a product delivers what has been promoted, the consumer is likely to be satisfied and have a quality holiday experience, and vice versa.

Word of Mouth – Consumers share their holiday experiences with friends, family and colleagues. Their word of mouth raises awareness of the destination, product(s) and service(s) with potential future consumers.

Gas prices may alter the distance people choose to travel, but the bottom line is people love to travel and most are willing to pay the price. AAA (American Automobile Association) states that 75% of Americans will travel by car, truck or RV, while only 22% will travel by plane and 2% by bus or other form of transportation. While retirees have the option of traveling during non-peak seasons, they too like to travel during the summer, as that is the best weather for vacations. No matter where or when you travel, there are some safety preparations that can ensure your trip will be safe and enjoyable.

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Plan your Route
carefully planning your itinerary will avoid back tracking or driving out of your way to find accommodation. Your trip will be more memorable, and less expensive.

Gasoline Saving Tips
Routes that allow you to maintain a constant speed, and especially routes that bypass congested areas where stop-and-go traffic can drastically increase your fuel consumption, offer the biggest single gas saving opportunity. If you will be going through an area of heavy traffic congestion, plan to start early enough to be ahead of the rush and plan meal times to coincide with the worst congestion. It also reduces your stress if you are able to sit out the rush-hour in the comfort of a restaurant instead of in an idling car caught in traffic.

Avoid two-lane roads and plans with frequent stops. Every time you accelerate to pass a slower vehicle, your gas consumption spikes. Similarly if you stop frequently at every turn-out to snap a photo and have to re-enter the highway and get up to speed, your gas consumption increases.

Be Prepared
Emergency kits for your car should include both mechanical and medical safety items. For your car, carry jumper cables, basic hand tools, flares or reflective warning triangles. For you and your passengers, carry a first aid kit. Various first aid kits in different price ranges are available. Do not scrimp. If one kit is $29.00 and another that contains many more items is $49.00, is that $20.00 savings going to seem like much if anything goes wrong? Base the value on an assessment of the kit from the crisis point-of-view, not a this will do – we’ll never need it point-of-view. Ensure that you have a flash light with new batteries or better yet, a hand cranked flashlight. Always carry a charged cell phone and an adapter to recharge it.

Loading your Vehicle Do not overload your vehicle with luggage and equipment. Determine your car’s carrying capacity by checking either your owner’s manual or by checking the sticker attached to the side of the driver’s door. Do not block mirrors or windows with luggage. Avoid placing luggage on top of the vehicle. Luggage placed on the roof creates wind resistance which reduces gas mileage and also alters the centre of gravity of the vehicle, while cornering at high speed—increasing risk factors.

Vehicle Maintenance
Have your car inspected and maintained before hitting the road. Check fluid levels, coolant, and windshield washer fluid. Tire pressure should be checked before you leave and repeatedly on your trip. Have a technician check brakes, suspension, mechanical aspects of the car and the undercarriage. A well tuned car uses less gas.

A couple should expect to budget on average approximately $160 to $200 per day for food and lodging. Average lodging prices run at approximately $100 to $150 per night depending on the area where you are traveling in the US and Canada. Modest meal costs average $70 to $100 (for two adults) per day. Meal costs can escalate quickly if alcoholic beverages are added or if any upscale restaurants are included. Gasoline costs range from $1.36 to $1.85 per US gallon in the US and from $1.06 to $1.31 per liter in Canada. Of course these prices are fluctuating rapidly so by the time you read this these prices could be quite inaccurate. Realistically a cross section of vehicle consumption for cars shows approximately 24 miles per gallon to be average when city and highway driving are averaged into the stats. Add to that your entertainment budget, the cost of souvenirs and unexpected expenses. Some of the expenses you have at home for day-to-day living will also be incurred; however these are not really expenses attributed to the trip. The reality of paying utilities, rent, mortgages or strata fees during your absence from home has to be considered in your budget – especially for longer trips.

Caution: Avoid Road Kill
There is a risk that you may hit an animal if you are not vigilant, and the danger of hitting a dead animal on the road that has been killed by passing motorists is a double hazard.. Hitting a large animal is not unlike hitting another vehicle or an abutment. Passengers and/or drivers every year die as a result of accidents involving large animals. Many collisions with large animals result in significant damage to the vehicle and cost insurance companies millions. A mature moose weighs approximately 1500 pounds, not much less than a small car.

In certain provinces and states, where wildlife such as deer, moose, elk and antelope abound, December and January are the peak months for wildlife collisions. Animals are attracted to salt on the road left by road maintenance and sanding trucks. Deer are most often hit in October and November which is their mating season and they are on the move for winter migration. Moose are usually hit during June, July and August. The time of day to be most vigilant is dusk to dawn. Although animals are not necessarily more active at this time of day, the visibility and opportunity to spot them sooner is reduced and head lights can disorient the animal and cause it to spook – running right into your path. Moose are especially difficult to see in the dark because of their dark brown coats and their eyes do not reflect light like the eyes of a deer.

Animals such as moose, elk, deer and other animals that stand high on their legs, are the most dangerous to car occupants. These animals often roll onto the hood and smash through the windshield or crush the roof resulting in serious or fatal injury.

Speed is a factor. The faster you are traveling, the less time you have between the moment you see the animal and the point of impact—or time to avoid impact. Not only is it a risk factor for humans, nobody wants to injure, seriously maim or kill a wild animal. Be vigilant and use high beams whenever possible (as long as you are not meeting oncoming traffic). Ask passengers to help you scan the sides of the road for animals.