A few weeks ago Brittany had her annual doctor check-up. During the exam, I was reading an analysis of what to expect from your typical 7 year old. I remember a specific quote in this document that stated that Brittany would show an increased desire for acceptance from both her peers and her parents. The only reason why that stood out for me was because I had already noticed this behavior and felt comforted that this was deemed to be “normal”.

I’ve come to the realization that some people don’t grow out of this need of acceptance or desire to qualify themselves as “normal”. Last Saturday I posted about our Quarterly Report that arrived with a $288K profit, much to the chagrin of our critics.

In that post I commented how the excuses would start to emerge and our critics would look at this Quarterly Report in a much darker light. I’ve spent the last week debating back and forth with a few of the better known critics, and one mystery woman, who desperately needed for me to see things their way.

I’m an optimist, and I typically find ways to look for the positive in anything I look at. I’ll give everyone and everything I come across a chance to show their good side of things. (Even our critics if you recall.) Some are not as not as open minded and frankly unwilling to see other points of view. So yesterday, the head critic decides to Even our critics if you recall.) Some are not as not as open minded and frankly unwilling to see other points of view. So yesterday, the head critic decides to post a blurb about how others outside the industry agree with his position. As if to say, “See, all these experts agree with me.”

I’m not going to belabor the fact that people are certainly entitled to view our financials however they choose. I’ve left it up to individuals to look at our company and collect a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for years. But I do have to wonder why it’s so important for some individuals to proven right all the time like this.

I also have to wonder why this use of headlines from non financial analysts means a bloomin’ thing.

It’s not that some of these articles weren’t written by some very intelligent people, one might have actually been a lawyer. But this supposed lawyer didn’t even know that there needs to be brackets at that bottom of a financial statement to show (losses). No joke, the headline read “Online travel company targeted by AGs posts 3Q loss”.

I also noticed that the first article out in the press provided the following statement:

“The filings said Friday that it plans to raise cash by selling an office building in Edwardsville, Ill., as well as its Learjet aircraft.”

The Q3 didn’t mention the sale of the One Country Club Drive location. To be fair they were possibly referring to the 8-K filed earlier in the week, and the filing did state that a decision was made to sell the LearJet, and that they were “evaluating” the sale of certain non-core assets and raising new capital for future operations. I would assume that everyone knows in this day and age that when an asset is sold, cash in hand is a nice benefit of the transaction. Somehow, the transaction for cash for an asset like a building or jet is determined to be abnormal for the likes of YTB. I found it very odd concerning what the “filing said” being regurgitated word for word in every single news article out there. It leads me to believe that very few authors who posted their findings actually read the financial report, but instead read what others said and assumed what someone else found to be correct. (Another example of that below.)

I realize that critics want to make this out to be a “fire sale” to raise much needed cash. I suspect that our new Independent Directors have suggested that it’s time to tighten belts as other companies have. (Well, responsible companies have anyway.) With YTB moving everyone under one roof at the 1901 Wood River location, a 130,000 sq foot, state of the art, facility that has 59 acres to expand on, why keep the One Country Club location to boot?

Because the commercial market is currently as soft as it is, it was thought that the Edwardsville property would be on the market up to two years. In just a few months a contract had been received on the Edwardsville building One, with a closing set for December. With plans to relocate the staff to Wood River under one roof in January 2009 YTB accepted the offer. I honestly don’t know how anyone would turn down any offer on commercial real estate, especially right now, but apparently along with all the other hats and feathers of expertise, we can now add “Real Estate Agents” to the many, MANY, credentials of our critics who obviously know better than anyone else.

I’m also wondering why some are upset about decision to sell the LearJet? It was an overly flamboyant decision to begin with according to critics, and now that the company is leaning towards fiscal responsibility, a non core asset, the decision is again ridiculed. A couple of possibilities come to mind over just why some critics would be this bent out of shape.

One, this LearJet was Coach, Scott, and Kim’s ticket to paradise when they made off with all the millions they made off RTA’s backs, leaving all of us high and dry. Unfortunately for critics, it now looks like the YTB founders will either be flying commercial for a quick exit, or there is the slight possibly that a choice was made to stick around.

Two, I find such poetic irony, especially this week, that there was such animosity over the big three Auto Execs beat our Founders to the punch as they flew into town in luxury Jets looking for a multibillion-dollar bailout. Possibly the speculation was that it would have been YTB who would be first to pull a stunt like this, but now that the Auto Execs have taken away their thunder, there is no way to pin this type of blunder for the likes of YTB.

I’m happy for John and the others that they have found these well respected financial analysts that agree with them so they can feel normal. It’s obviously important to them, and their desire to ride with the status quo has been not only noted but accepted by this YTB’er.

Me, I’ll call it what I choose, and that’s financial responsibility to ensure the viability of the company I’ve grown to know and love. No more, no less.

I’d like to close with this comical find. I was back for a short visit yesterday morning to comment on John’s blog. I was reminded when I returned last evening how far the threads there can be derailed and while amused at not only the direction of the comments, I honestly stopped to ask why people actually spend time posting there.

It’s not unusual for threads there to wonder off in totally different directions and tangents. There was yet another “outing” of an RTA to show how stupid YTB’ers are, which escalated to a couple of RTA’s who are planning a group trip to the Inauguration of Barak Obama in Washington, DC on January 20th.

Honestly, travel happens to be this small groups first love and obvious level of expertise. This group of Professionals began to discuss how much better they would have been able to organize and schedule a trip like this.

Both questions and details of the trip were discussed among the group and many pointed to the scheduling, location, and supplier. Obviously finding all sorts of problems with how the group was formed, and the potential pitfalls of a group like this at that time of year. Links of the promotion were provided to both a WHAM forum and from there Regina Osei’s post highlighting the details of the trip they were attempting to discredit and derail.

Not all that odd or uncommon for our Traditionalists to offer their knowledge or expertise on how much better they can plan trips for clients. Just take a closer look and compare the comments with the actual promotion found in Regina Osei’s post. John in his usual excitement over finding a possible trip for his vultures to rip apart he incorrectly told the group that the trip to the Inauguration departed from Frostburg, Maryland.

Typical of the group, and much like authors of all those articles John eluded to earlier, the group blindly followed John’s statement of departure from Frostburg. They spent an exorbitant amount of time discussing this and began pull up MapQuest directions of the 150 mile, 3 hour trip, and also discussed just who the trip was scheduled with. One did in fact ask if American Destinations was involved, but nobody bothered to check, and nary a soul figured out that the trip left from Fredrick, Maryland (not Frostburg) through American Destinations who schedules HUNDREDS of tours throughout the Washington DC area on a yearly basis.

I was laughing so hard, I couldn’t bring myself to ruining their fun. So I just let it be and we’ll just let it be our little secret.

How odd that these are the same people who are telling everyone that WE don’t know a thing about travel and that WE are the embarrassment to the travel industry.

Go figure.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I’ve known this site was being developed for a couple of weeks now, and have been checking its status on a regular basis.

I’m pleased to inform you that YTB has a new site up entitled “The Facts About YTB”. (www.thefactsaboutytb.com)

This site is designed to document and correct many of the slanderous and misleading claims that have been spread all over the internet by our critics and our competitors. I’m pleased to see the many links to third party sources, (much like I do here) to document who YTB is and what YTB does as fact not the fiction you see in various forums and message boards.

YTB is very proud of and stands by its business model. “The Facts About YTB” not only answers the claims, but does raise additional questions aimed directly at some of our competitors and critics that should bring into question their own business structure and tactics.

This site is also designed to be updated on a regular basis to keep current with issues as they arise.

As YTB continues to move forward as it gains larger and larger market share in the Travel Industry, we will continue to have some sort of opposition that may attempt to mislead you. Much the same way it has in the past. Look to this site as the “official word” on where YTB stands, and how YTB responds to the claims lodged against them.

Enjoy!

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Are you as tired as I am over all the trash talk about YTB’s stock? Honestly, I’m sick of it. It’s as if YTBLA.OB is the only stock out there that’s down in the dumps. You’ve got to be hiding out in a cave somewhere not to realize that the markets overall are…well, in the toilet.

While the market has many running in fear, others are banking on the fact that the market will eventually turn in an upward trend. Most people would think someone would be crazy to actually be buying stock these days. Yet, that’s exactly what many of the super wealthy would have done in order to make their fortune. It’s times like these that would explain why Warren Buffett bought a considerable amount of stock at the end of the third quarter. (And if you’re thinking he sold a bunch, think again.)

The “Average Joe” simply can’t stomach what’s going on right now. That’s why we’re seeing the selling frenzy that we are, and also why critics appear to be focused on YTB’s stock specifically. It helps give the perception that the company is in dire straights and won’t last. Our third quarter numbers did a significant job is dispelling those rumors after their release. While there is a considerable amount of excuses following YTB’s profitable quarter, it did cause some of the most hardened critics to actually state that the numbers actually turned out better than they expected.

I would assume that’s why the focus has been shifted so quickly to the stock. It’s the one thing critics can point to that doesn’t look all that rosy, nor is bouncing back. The picture they’re painting is as if all other sectors are doing just fine, and it’s only YTB that’s having the difficulty holding on to its price. (Even with a profitable quarter.)

This attempt to spin the stock got me thinking how YTB compares to other stocks, more specifically, the travel sector since YTB of course knows nothing about travel. (Even after our 8 year run in this sector and being named in Travel Weekly’s Power List the last two years.)

By no means do I claim to be some type of stock expert. Far from it. But anyone with a pulse should realize that the markets, even after the election, continue to tank.

After pulling up various stocks to compare with YTB’s I started noticing that the broad brushed picture being painted isn’t what our critics claim it to be. (Big surprise, I’m sure.) Nor did any one sector in our industry lead in the categories I checked. About the only sector I was not able to check thoroughly at this time were other Brick and Mortars. (Most according to the Travel Weekly Power List are privately held.) I also tried to pick stocks that most everyone would know, even if you’re not “in” the industry. (Hogg Robinson Group, being probably the one exception.) Since there were so few public Brick and Mortar Agencies, I did use both American Express and Boeing who do own “Agencies” but obviously have diversification which neither look to either help or hinder their performance over the last year.

Here is an overview of the industry representing Airline, Cruise, Brick and Mortar, and On-line Agencies.

YTB (as noted by the blue dot) ends up pretty much “average” compared to the other stocks in the industry. Since there are so many in this sample, I’ve taken each industry and broken it down into segments for ease of reading.

Our first sector is how YTB compares to the Airline Industry. Companies are color coded and YTB will remain blue. Companies sampled with YTB are Continental, Delta, US Airways, and Northwest Airlines.

Next is a one year snap shot of Brick and Mortar Travel Agengies, which include American Express, Boeing, and Hogg Robinson Group.

Would a one year snap shot of on-line agencies look any better? Take a look at how YTB compares with Expedia, Priceline, and Orbitz.

And our last sector is the cruise industry as we take a look at both Carnival and Royal Caribbean.

After looking at this again, maybe Royal Caribbean should be the one in red…

So what gives? Why all the focus and fuss over YTB’s stock when obviously YTB appears to be on par with all the other companies in the market?

Because that’s what critics do. It’s something for them to talk about to give the perception that the Network Marketing business model is flawed or inferior to what they consider a tradition business plan. It’s all about perception to add fear and doubt about your choice in the industry.

They want you to go back to something more “legitimate” or “secure”.

So let me ask you. When it comes to the stock market, which one of these stocks above look to be more secure to you?<-->

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Back in my Home Automation and Theatre days, I played with a very cool voice recognition program called HAL 2000 here at the house. With “Ellie” (My name for the virtual assistant) I could turn on and off lights, control the security system, HVAC and home theatre. Although “Ellie” has been long gone, I still have all the control equipment in place and control the house on a pre-programmed schedule. Even the Christmas lights I’ll be putting out in a few weeks run on a schedule year round. All I have to do is plug them in.

Google is expected to release a free application today for the iPhone that lets you search for information, directions, or virtually anything else by speaking into the handset, eliminating need for the keyboard entirely. This new voice recognition takes your spoken words and passes them over the Internet to one of Google’s servers. They’re then interpreted by artificial intelligence, translated into a traditional data query, and the results are bounced back to your phone in a matter of seconds if you’re on a fast connection.

Google made the decision to launch this new App on the iPhone. They had the choice of launching on the iPhone or their own Android device, yet they decided go with the iPhone and launch in the App Store. Surely pushing out the app for Android would have boosted Android G1 sales, but they opted for what is best for the user, for now.

Google was under the impression that the application would be live on the App Store on Friday (obviously, since they pushed all significant press attention to it). Sometime Friday they found out Apple wouldn’t be pushing it, despite the fact that Google submitted it for review earlier in the week and got a thumbs up for Friday. One source says they’ve had little direct contact with Apple during the review, instead getting their updates via the standard iPhone developer tool, which has said “in review” for the last few days.

So with any luck today, you should be able to download this free App and then simply place the phone to your ear and ask virtually any question, like “Where’s the nearest Starbucks?” or “What were the REAL travel sales for YTB?” The search results will be displayed in just seconds hands free. And because it has GPS the iPhone will at times include local information, taking advantage of iPhone features that let it determine its location.

Could search results for flights, hotel, or a cruise via voice be that far behind?

Hummmm?

Here’s a cool video on the new application, and I’m sure technology geeks like me will be chomping at the bit to get this downloaded and start using it.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I’ve enjoyed the last couple of days watching the critics swarm around the virtual water coolers on the internet just licking their chops for the third quarter numbers to come out. I checked one of my favorite places and laughed at how anxious they were. It reminded me of a bunch of addicts waiting for some dealer to show up so they could get their fix. It’s been more than 19 years since my last drink or drug, but I still remember waiting with anxious anticipation for THAT car being the guy with my next score.

Imagine their surprise when the dealer ends up being an undercover Cop to bust them.

On what charge you say? Being F.O.S. (Think about it.)

The speculation of course was that YTB has been bleeding money, and Management doesn’t know how to manage the money they have. When news broke earlier in the week over the pending sale of the old Home Office building it was because YTB was in a cash crunch. It had nothing to do with the fact we have a gorgeous new 130,000 square-foot complex to move into. No, we needed the money because our critics were absolutely sure that there would be yet another huge loss for YTB.

Why? Because recruiting is down, and the focus of course (actually “phobia” is a much better choice of words) has always been about the recruiting. Their theory is that if you can cut the recruiting off at the knees you cut the life blood of the pariah that consumes and controls your life.

How I would have loved to see the looks on the faces when critics opened the YTB 10-Q and saw a profit for Q3 of $287,999.

Surprise!

So what went wrong? How could the critics have been so far off base? (Again)

Simple. They don’t have the first clue how a Network Marketing business actually operates and stays solvent. (I’ll even go as far as stating ANY business for that matter.) This quarterly provides proof that it’s not about “recruiting” and the Kool-aid they’ve been drinking is spiked with nothing but rumors, lies and myths.

None of these characters have any actually experience in Network Marketing, and the knowledge they acquire to form their beliefs and opinions isn’t even “book learning” for the most part. Many of the beliefs are formed from the very massage boards and blogs they participate in. The blind leading the blind so to speak, so it’s not at all surprising that everyone ended up looking like dolts.

I don’t know, nor do I care if they’ll ever grasp that the money made in selling travel agencies goes directly out to the field. Every penny of the $449.95 from the sale of a travel agency is tied to the representatives who sold it. If you like that idea, you can join the ranks of YourTravelBiz.com for free by the way. And “free” negates the California complaint according to the letter of the law. But that’s yet another surprise we have for our critics.

The number critics were looking for certainly showed up with a mere 114,614 active RTA’s at the end of the quarter, a decrease of 13% from the previous quarter. Sales of travel agencies were cut more than half, down from 38k in Q3 of 2007 to 15k the current quarter.

So how in the world could YTB show anything other than massive bleeding and negative numbers?

Here’s a quick breakdown of the numbers.

• Online travel store sales increased $1,205,560 or 10.8%
• Monthly renewal fees increased $576,579 or 3.3%
• Travel commissions and services increased $2,478,103 or 44.8%
• Training programs and marketing materials revenue decreased ($1,843,333) or 40.8%
• Other income increased in the third quarter by $590,203 or 52.7%

Net revenues totaled $42,876,354 and $39,869,242 in the third quarter of 2008 and 2007, respectively, a slight increase of 7.5%.

Expenses also increased considerably year over year with the following breakdown.

• Depreciation and amortization increased of 123.0% or $374,274.
• Marketing and selling expenses increased by $825,865 or 152.0%
• General and administrative expenses increased 50.7% or $6,242,058.

So let’s me see if we have this right? We had a decrease in RTA’s, increased expenditures, but increased revenue for a quarterly profit of $288K?

Yep. The numbers don’t lie, that’s exactly what happened and our critics are busy scratching their heads wondering what happened.

What’s so much fun to watch is that after Q2 reports came out, and predictions of up to $6 million in losses bit them in the gluteus maximus, we were told to wait until Q3. Excuses started to emerge just like they are now. The spin and claims now are that none of the additional slander and junk they’ve been spinning has had time to take full effect. The California suit had just been announced, and ambulance chasers decided to get into the action as well to spread fear about the end of YTB mid quarter. Now that those allegations have come up lame these very same people who simply ignored the egg on their face last quarter are looking once again into the unknown. Believe it or not, we’re all supposed to wait until the Annual Report for them to show us they’re right and we’re wrong. How fun it is watching them weasel their way out of yet another speculative blunder.

For the record, I don’t know why they do it. It’s almost as if they like looking like clowns. I think a more accurate description would be that their entire existence revolves around proving their superior knowledge and understanding about any subject of conversation. It could be taxes, travel, ethics, stocks, laws, compliance, you name it. If it’s being discussed around the virtual water coolers on the internet, they always appear to be the guy or gal who’s “in the know”.

And a simple word of caution when it comes to correcting any of them. Don’t. You’ll be called every name in the book, as they attempt to shame you into submission among the other participants. Looking at this intelligently or rationally will have you scorned until you either give up or conform to their way of thinking. My best advice is to just smile and nod in a positive manor and when you turn your back you can then roll your eyes, or smirk and chuckle to yourself how insecure and desperate they are.

So we’ll just have to wait, AGAIN, for the promise of our critics showing us that this model just doesn’t work. It’s flawed because all the money is made recruiting people. When the recruiting dries up like it has, we’re promised that the house of cards we’ve built will come crashing down.

Do you really want to worry about such nonsense and spin? Or would you rather look at the fact that YTB turned a profit under the combined adversity of mud slinging and economic conditions?

The choice is yours.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I’m a big fan of Brian Tracy and I subscribe to his newsletter and have taken several of his courses. To this day, I still pull out CD’s I have and listen to them on occasion. I got this from him the other night and wanted to share it with you today.

I’d like to republish this for you here with his permission.

The Real Secret of Success
By Brian Tracy

More than 5,000 years ago, in the ancient mystery schools of Egypt, the mental and spiritual laws and principles of success were taught to students who dedicated their entire lives to learning in what was called the “Esoteric Arts.”

One of these “secrets” was the Law of Attraction, which said that your mind is a magnet and that you invariably attract into your life people and circumstances in harmony with your dominant thoughts, especially your dominant thoughts emotionalized.

Today we say, “Like attracts like” and “Birds of a feather flock together.” From ancient times, it was known that your mind sends out vibrations, like radio waves, that are picked up by the minds of other people who are tuned into the same rate of vibration.

The force that determines the sending power of your mental vibrations is the amount of emotion, positive or negative, that you put behind a thought. If there is something that you intensely desire, something that excites you and enthuses you, you will send out powerful, high-frequency vibrations that can travel large distances in split seconds and cause your phone to ring from someone you have not heard from for months or even years.

Because your mind is so powerful, especially when backed by emotionalized thoughts, you must handle it carefully, like a child handling a gun. The Law of Attraction is neutral. It works on both positive and negative thoughts. It brings into your life whatever you are thinking about on a regular basis with either fear or desire.

When the book, “The Secret” came out, along with the movie, I was happily surprised to see that the first half of the movie comes from my audio program and seminar, “The Psychology of Achievement” which was produced initially in 1981. We videotaped the live seminar which explains the Law of Attraction along with thirty-one other laws, plus how this law is applied in every area of life, and then distributed the video seminar world wide, including New Zealand, where the Author of The Secret comes from.

The weakness in The Secret is that it is “necessary but not sufficient.” Of course, it is important that you think positive thoughts and that, by so doing, you will attract positive people and circumstances into your life. But it is not enough.

In response to The Secret, I decided to write a book which is called “Flight Plan—The Real Secret of Success.” In this book, I explain that life is very much like a long distance flight. When the plane takes off, it will be off course 99% of the time. But nonetheless, the plane will eventually arrive at its destination, even thought it was off course most of the time.

In my experience, the real secret of success consists of three major factors: First, you must be absolutely clear about your destination. By this I mean that must have clear, written, specific, measurable goals, committed to paper and organized into specific, step-by-step plans of action.

Before you can set your goals, you must know exactly who you are and what you want. You must do a thorough analysis of yourself, your life, your hopes, your dreams, your ambitions, and where you want to be sometime in the future. Then, you create a “Flight Plan” to get you from wherever you are today to wherever you want to be in the months and years ahead.

The second part of Flight Plan is that you must “take off!” You must have the courage to step out in faith with no guarantee of success. You must be prepared to launch in the face of your fears, doubts and natural reluctance to break out of your comfort zone. “To achieve something that you have never achieved before, you must be prepared to do something that you have never done before.” (Les Brown).

Once you have launched toward your goal, like an airplane, you will meet with unexpected turbulence, headwinds, updrafts and downdrafts, lightning, storms and every sort of mechanical problem. You must be prepared to make continual “course corrections” as you move toward your goal.

Perhaps the most important quality for success is, and always has been, the quality of persistence. You must resolve in advance to persist in the face of any difficulty or problem that you experience. You must resolve in advance that you will never give up. You must resolve in advance that you will view every temporary setback or difficulty as merely a signal that you need to make a “course correction” as you move inevitably toward your goal.

This is a great time to be alive. The very best days of your life lie ahead of you. The highest income of your life is still to come. The greatest experiences of your life are still to be experienced.

There is very little that you can not accomplish if you will file your flight plan. Determine exactly what it is that you want to achieve, take off toward your goal with no guarantees of success, and then make continual course corrections until you finally succeed. If you resolve to do these things, nothing can stop you from creating an extraordinary life.

The Real Secret of Success. Make more money now, Work smarter not harder, Spend time with your family. Learn the secrets today.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I hate this kind of news, I really do. Yet another Travel Retailer has bitten the dust. What’s even worse is how this all came down. I’m applaud at how cold and callus this was handled and honestly, this story sounds like something Anti-MLM critics would come up with to attack an MLM as just another example makeing a HUGE fuss about how shabby, crooked, and flawed the MLM model is all over the Internet.

But alas, since this is a “traditional business model” and not an MLM, mums the word and nobody seems to be all that concerned. Even if it was brought up, the bad economy would certainly be a leading excuse to defend such deplorable behavior in the traditional business world.

Cruise Value Center, a cruise seller in East Brunswick, N.J., suddenly closed its doors on Monday after 14 years in business. Employees were sent an email on Sunday night, informing them that they don’t have a place to come to work Monday morning.

An agent, who spoke with Travel Weekly on the condition of anonymity, said it wasn’t clear whether they would be paid commissions on sales they had already closed, or if the cruise lines were going to be paid for cruises clients had booked.

“They left us all hanging,” the anonymous agent said.

Yep, sounds like something straight out of the pages of “MLM Myths and Legends”.

Too bad it’s not an MLM company huh?

Jeff Kavit handed over the reigns to a company called Travel Holding Entity out of Michigan last year, and of course couldn’t be reached. While the Cruise Value Center web site is still up, the 800 number no longer works. What’s surprising to me at least is that Cruise Value Center did an annual sales volume of $70 million and combined with Cruises of Distinction, also owned by Travel Holding Entity, was expected to produce $100 million in sales.

Ross Spalding, general manager of Cruise Value Center also resigned from his position (although it’s not specified when) “due to the unfortunate situation at Cruise Value Center.”

Back in June we were informed that Magic Johnson Travel folded abruptly, although not like this. Late last week, Liberty Travel consolidates and lays off a segment of its offices. Now with Cruise Value Center, I’d say the traditional travel industry is a real mess.

Too bad they don’t have the Government to bail them out like American Express does.

But as usual, the focus isn’t on any of this, it’s on little ol’ YTB and our critics seem to be in a tizzy about selling off an old office building for $1.5 million that we no longer need due to a 430,000 square-foot home office. (For the record, and to clarify the St. Louis Business Journal report, the Home Office is 130,000 square-feet on a 59 acre spread to expand even more.)

But hey, what do I know about what’s really important or relevant and what isn’t right?

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Last Friday I highlighted how the travel industry is still in rapid change, with Host Agencies gobbling up one another, along with Brick and Mortar Agencies vying for market share as they restructure their offices. As I’ve been studying the new reports I now have with WordPress I’ve noticed how both of these issues have a number of people researching both topics on the internet.

I’ve always been a firm believer of knowing as much as you can about the industry your in. This blog has been a real blessing, because the research I’ve done while posting has provided both insight and knowledge that I don’t think I would have otherwise. It’s kept me up to date with who the players are and how they operate. I’ve learned a lot over the years and have taken a number of ideas and applications that I like and now use in my own business, and the rest…I just leave it where it is.

While it’s speculated that nobody in YTB cares one iota about this industry, good friend Charlie Howe sent me an interesting .JPG image yesterday along with a question.

Why all the fuss was over Network Marketing when franchises like this (and many others) operate in much the same way?

Based on the diagram found on the Uniglobe web site, it sure looks like a pyramid type structure. I won’t get into all the differences, but the two most critical, in my view anyway, are:

• A franchise model is not limited to their startup fees being less than $500 as Network Marketing is.
• A franchise does limit the number of franchisees in each territory.

While I realize that limiting each territory is important to some due to the myth of “oversaturation”, not one person has been able to come up with one Network Marketing company that’s run out of people to prospect or sell. With companies like Avon, Mary Kay, Amway, NuSkin, HerbaLife, and PrePaid Legal still recruiting and selling product each and every day, you would think proponents of this myth would begin to question the validity of what they’re attempting to pitch.

Charlie and I (among other colleagues) tend to laugh at these critics who get all worked up over “all the people at the top making all the money”. They never seem to realize that this structure is inherent of ALL business models, with one major difference in Network Marketing. It’s entirely possible, and I can sight several instances in YTB specifically, where someone makes more than the person or persons above them. (Sometimes, several levels.)

To speculate that anyone under Bill Gates makes more than him wouldn’t compute. Likewise, if you dare make more than Donald Trump, “You’re fired”.

According the 2007 Income Disclosure Statement, YTB has several people who made more than the Top Executives at the home office. What do we hear from the critics time and time again? We’re paying Coach all these millions while he leaves us scraps. If you want a scrap, that’s entirely up to you, but by no means does it mean that you’re doomed to scraps when you have examples like those found on this Disclosure Statement.

This myth is nothing more than pure ignorance. Not because critics are stupid, but because they won’t admit the facts. How people ignore this type of structure is mute at this point, and I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to enlighten the most adamant of the Anti-MLM crowd. (It’s my personal belief that they do in fact understand, but admitting so runs contrary to the larger belief that they are right, and you are wrong.)

I also found this thread in one of the forums concerning one of the individuals who got caught up in the Liberty Travel layoffs last week. What I find so sad is that neither J.D. nor his friends even entertained the idea of going out on his own. Not that I would expect a bunch of baseball fanatics to know anything about “host agencies” or “independent agents”, but not even a sniff at going out on his own. No, this circle of friends teaches each other that you need to work for someone else.

By the way, while YTB is certainly a viable option for J.D., it’s not the only one available to him. Uniglobe has a “home based option” as well and I did send him an e-mail with the hope he wouldn’t just give up his love of this industry.

Oddly enough however, even after the company structure J.D and his friends appear to be so dependent on just laid someone off, they still believe that going back to work for another someone else equals “security”.

It reminds me of a story Tim Sales told in his Brilliant Compensation CD that explains why Network Marketing is the best most viable compensation structure available to date.

During the CD, and I’m paraphrasing here, one of Tim’s friends had been laid off and looking for employment for 6 months. While unemployment benefits were about to run out, the man was wrought with worry because he was unable to find anyone who would hire him.

Tim offered up the Network Marketing program he was involved in and his friend responded by saying, “No, I need something that’s guaranteed.”

And if you don’t get the irony that the only thing that Tim’s friend was guaranteed of was his unemployment going “buh-bye” you are in dire need of some brain washing. Meaning of course, cleansing all the limiting beliefs that you have taught your entire life. (A great place to start by the way would be here.)

Part of the reason this country is in the sad economic shape it’s in is because so many are waiting just like J.D., and Tim’s friend for the silver bullet or company that will solve their problems. If you choose to wait, that’s entirely up to you. I and others I know of on the other hand, like to create our own opportunities and economic stability.

It’s your choice.

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

I wanted to do something special this year for Veterans Day. While listening to some of my favorite talk radio shows last week due to the Election, one of my favorite talk radio hosts, Neal Boortz mentioned a link on his web site that he is doing Merry Christmas Marines again this year.

In the last two years Neal and his listeners have sent over 20 Tons of stockings and Christmas goodies to marines serving on the front lines in Iraq and they want to send more this year. They have teamed up and are working with the Marine Corp League and Patty Lewis at Mom4rMarines, to fill over a thousand stockings to be delivered to Marines in Afghanistan this Christmas.

The Marines celebrate their 233^rd birthday this year, yesterday as a matter of fact, and their sacrifices have protected the freedoms we enjoy to this day. It’s important to not only honor them, but thank them for their service to our country.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Carnival Cruise Lines is introducing a promotion throughout November that allows active and retired military personnel to book up to three “Fun Ship” staterooms at discounted rates for themselves and their friends and family members.

Reservations must be made between Nov. 1-30, 2008, to qualify for this special offer, which is available in conjunction with a wide range of three- to 12-day “Fun Ship” departures through Dec. 31, 2009, including voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska and Hawaii.

Rates start at $159 per person for three-day cruises from Miami and Port Canaveral, Fla., and five-day cruises from New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla.; from $189 for four-day cruises from Mobile, Ala., and Jacksonville; from $309 per person for seven-day cruises from Miami, Galveston, Texas, and Port Canaveral; and from $359 per person for six-day voyages from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The promotion is valid for individual bookings only, availability is capacity controlled and this promotion cannot be combined with any other discount offer. Fare code CPM1 must be requested during the reservations process and military personnel must provide proof of service. Certain other restrictions apply.

If you require assistance for this, please feel free to contact us either via e-mail or the phone number below. We would be honored to service and help any Veteran at any time of the year.

Thank you to all our Veterans!

Doug & Ronda Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
Travel Agent / Networker
Phone: 678.458.5812

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

So you know what a technology geek I am. I was surfing yesterday and this story made me stop and think “I’ve got to get me one of these”.

Can you imagine? Your phone as your new travel guide?!

If you think this is one of those futuristic type phones that you’d only see on in some Si-Fi television show, or movie, think again because the T-Mobile G1 is available and makes the iPhone look outdated. This new phone will not only tell you that your looking at the Roman Coliseum, but when you turn around 180 degrees and point the phone in the other direction, it will tell you that your now looking at Columna Trajano. (Trojan’s Colum) No joke, the G1 not only knows where you are, but which way you’re facing.

Here’s the really cool part. Not only did the phone guide you through Roman Coliseum, but if you wanted to learn more about this new Colum you’re looking at, it will give you a rundown of what it’s all about via Wikipedia.

Wikitude is the culmination of five years’ work for its Austrian designer, Philipp Breuss, who calls the system “augmented reality”. It’s built to run on Google’s new Android operating system for mobiles - and the first phone to have that is the just-released T-Mobile G1, which uses GPS and triangulation to know exactly where it is and which way it’s facing.

Oh, and ladies, there’s a very cool “ShopSavvy” feature on this phone as well to ensure you get the absolute best price on the next pair of shoes you buy. And guys, don’t think you’re out of the loop on this either, you can use this site to find the absolute best price on the G1. (I found everything, including accessories on Amazon)

While I would agree that not everyone would want to be this independent when traveling, this technology is certainly just the ticket for an early adopter like myself. Like the days of vinyl records, I can see maps, tour guides, and yes travel agents being a thing of the past when it comes to traveling in the future. Many of the