Did you feel that? It’s the winds of change.

The NEW YTB booking engine came as an early Christmas present and the upgrade is now official in the US. You may or may not have heard about this and I’m only too happy to update you on advancements and upgrades from the folks in Wood River, Illinois, YTB Travel Network.

I’m sorry to inform some that “Being Powered by Travelocity” is no more. Our new platform is being serviced by Convergentware, out of Canada. (Thus why the beta testing was being done there.) While the relationships we had with both Priceline in 2005 and 2006 and World Choice (Travelocity) in 2007 and 2008 were extremely beneficial in helping the growth of our company, it’s clearly time to step up and not only own the client information, but provide better services to these clients via customer profiles.

Travel Agents are typically connected to one or more GDS systems. Today, travel content can be found outside of the GDS’s and directly via supplier websites or via direct links to suppliers’ back-end systems. (Which YTB is currently working on with its growing list of suppliers and vendors as these vendors create their own infrastructure to do so.)

This new product with Convergentware not only represents multiple GDS systems, (Global Distribution Systems) but they also seamlessly combine such GDS content with non-GDS content such as Web fares, Charter fares and Consolidator fares into one interface. There are air, car, hotel, insurance, tour, cruise and net fare modules for both client and business environments.

Convergent CRS Gateway is a back-end Centralized Reservations System (”CRS”) that is capable of searching and integrating data from the following five environments:

1. The Global Distribution Systems (“GDS”) such as Sabre, Galileo and Amadeus;
2. Travel suppliers directly via Application Programmer Interfaces (“API”);
3. Travel supplier Web sites;
4. GDS New Entrants (”GNE’s”) such as ITA Software;
5. Specialized or customized content via Convergent Publisher.

Convergent CRS technology is a global leader in automating these environments for the entire front-office to back-office reservations process which involves searching for relevant travel content, managing and attaching customer profiles to a particular reservation, and then book all the individual components of a travel reservation, including, but not limited to air, car, hotel, cruise, insurance and tour packages, ticketing specific components of a travel reservation that require ticketing in conjunction with reserving space such as air bookings.

Another nice feature I’m thrilled about is creating integrated quotes, itineraries and/or invoices regardless of where the travel content comes from. I can create and send a complete quote to a client and if they like what they see, all the client has to do is log in and pay for the trip I created for them.

How cool is that?! Talk about customer service.

The Convergent CRS Gateway powers all Convergentware front-end products such as Convergent Online and Convergent Professional. Add the power of Convergent Publisher, with its specialized content, contract and inventory management capabilities, and the Convergent CRS Gateway transforms into the leading customizable, centralized reservations system in the world. (Sorry, no more “gleaning” of travel bookings.)

Hang on…it gets even better.

You heard about the Worlds Largest Travel Party last week with the Worlds Most Popular Cruise Line in the World. This format was just a glimpse of things to come with MONTHLY Travel Party’s all across the country featuring suppliers and destinations each and every month that clients can not only book for themselves, with a Best Price Guarantee, but clients can also register themselves for monthly sweepstakes featuring a free vacation to one of these exotic destinations. Sweepstakes will range from 3-5 day weekend getaways, a 7 day all inclusive, or up to 14 days of bliss at an exotic destination that can be won only from the fine folks at YTB each and every month.

If you have not done so yet, I would highly recommend you subscribe to the Weekly Steals & Deals. (Found at the bottom right hand corner of our Booking Engine.) This is your first step in creating a customer profile and getting yourself registered for these sweepstakes. When you hit our web site, simply register with e-mail and password, and the Convergentware system will keep track of frequent flyer numbers, passport information, home/office and billing information, and other traveler information that you’ll only have to input once as the CRS does the rest.

By the way, are you as tired as I am over these “other companies” who send specials from Chicago to San Diego when YOU live in Atlanta? No longer a problem with YTB Travel Network as Convergentware Publisher will only find specials from your specified city in your customer profile. I don’t know about you, but I’m not all that interested in flying up to Chicago or finding that special to San Diego isn’t all that special from Atlanta.

And some have the audacity to claim we’re not serious about selling travel.

Hard to fathom, I know. But this is just the beginning. As other vendors and suppliers create the backbone to connect with this new platform, you’ll see more and more offerings and ways to combine great travel deals with the best prices, from one incredible travel agency.

And the cost to either RTA’s of YTB or customers for this advanced booking system?

Not a penny more. (In fact, it’s on sale right now.)

Congratulations YTB. You’ve proven yourselves to be a true innovator and leader in the Travel Industry once again.

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Whatever happened to personal responsibility? When did we start blaming everything and everyone else but ourselves for problems? I found a gem the other day, and come to find out that it’s not the lack of service, it’s not all the time we spend on the internet posting our opinions, it’s not because we forgot just who our clients are and what our customers actually want. And it certainly can’t be because our clients are capable of doing what we do for a living on their own through the likes of web sites called Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia.

No, it’s none of that. What it all boils down to is none other than Travel Weekly. Who knew?

Interesting that after a years worth of hammering suppliers to choke out the pariah of untrained and uneducated Yahoo’s to little or no avail, (Royal Caribbean, Perilo, and Celtic Tours were the only three that headed the pleas.) we now move to the media outlets and industry publications to what looks like a new desperate attempt, begging if you will, to stop promoting these blasted MLM’ers who are ruining their business.

It’s not the first time suppliers have turned their back on the traditional travel agents, suppliers need the business, especially in this economy. Speculation that it was the suppliers fault stemmed from the ASTA who took a stand against MLM back in 2005 going all the way to the FTC. The blame fell squarely on the backs of suppliers after their attempt fell flat. Today, the largest cruise line in the world has teamed up with the largest Travel MLM in the world to promote gift certificates to increase sales for both the cruise line and the agency in the 4th Quarter.

A battle that I can only guess critics have resigned themselves to finally let go of.

Now that some have moved past the fact that suppliers just aren’t going to listen, the focus now turns to trade publications as they blast away at one of the most prominent and respected industry publications in the industry, Travel Weekly.

What was thought to be a fluke back in 2007 when YTB suddenly appeared on the pages of Travel Weekly’s Power List at #35 was dismissed as being nothing more than recruiting fees by those who needed to forgive Travel Weekly for their grave error. When news broke later in the year concerning Royal Caribbean’s termination of YTB, the company and its founders were suddenly catapulted to the front pages of just about every travel publication on the market. Most by the way praised the RCL move, as it was believed that this would be the first step in the avalanched of suppliers who would now agree that Travel and MLM’s are in fact a bad mix.

Instead of an avalanche of suppliers, what was found was more media coverage for Kim Sorensen who was named one of the 33 most influential in the travel industry and when you compare that to just 3 suppliers who sided with PATH, most everyone can see how lopsided that slap in the face was.

To add insult to injury the media coverage by Travel Weekly didn’t stop in 2007. While many critics speculated that Travel Weekly had “seen the light” and the nightmare of all this free publicity was now over, not only did Travel Weekly yet again document sales of $414.5 million in travel sales for YTB, but informed the masses that this speculation of “fees” were unfounded. No, the editors took the time to inform and educate critics when they stated that they check “numerous times” and $414.5 million are in fact “travel sales” not the “fees” that were being pitched.

Dag gummit!

I guess the final straw for these agents was Kim Sorensen being named to Travel Weekly’s Virtual Leisure Summit this fall. I could also speculate that this one name brought in a good number of participants who would have never given this new virtual summit a second thought if it weren’t for a name like Kim Sorensen being attached to it. Now I don’t know this for a fact, but I have to wonder just how big the smile were on editors faces over the frenzy this one name created all over the internet. If you know anything about marketing and media, they LOVE people and circumstances that go against the norm. That’s what makes it newsworthy. (I just listened to an audio from Joe Vitale, AKA: “Mr. Fire” yesterday that eluded to this very subject.)

If you find something that works, you keep doing it. A big reason why Kim will be participating in the upcoming “Preview 2009” December 18th and 19th. It’s got people talking all over the internet once again, as the article above pitches the show, and the buzz has also prompted Mark Murphy, President and CEO of Performance Media Group a competing publication to mention both YTB and Travel Weekly in its own publication.

What’s unfortunate is that Mark, like most who’ve never been involved in Network Marketing simply perpetuates more myths about the industry. He’s obviously unaware that A.L. Williams is no longer A.L. Williams, but now Primerica. Nor did he realize that this form of sitting across the kitchen table helped A.L. Williams gain the number one spot in Whole Life Insurance for 7 straight years.

Even sadder, and I see this all the time from ignorant (not stupid) people who don’t know any better. This use of the 2007 Income Disclosure Statement is almost always documented to show that all YTB does is recruit people into the business. I’ve yet to see any outsider realize that this document actually contradicts the very myth their trying to promote. Those I speak with who’ve heard this myth suddenly realize that this fear about everyone recruiting is inevitably washed away when they see that only 20% of the company actually recruits a single soul.

I don’t know if the ASTA was actually informed by the FTC about these recruiting fees back in 2005, based on how their pitch fell flat. I suspect the facts will come to light for everyone once again via California that it doesn’t cost anyone a dime to recruit new members into YTB. Some of our critics already know this as they may be counted in the 2008 Income Disclosure Statement as making squat. But that’s yet another story for another post for 2009.

In the meantime, well enjoy the press and the talk about YTB as it continues to make headlines and front page news for going against the norm and creating its own entity in the travel industry.

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

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

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’ve heard from critics out there that they can always get a better price somewhere else when it comes to travel. I’ve seen some really obscure examples over the years and while I’ve never claimed that I would have the absolute “best price” every single time…

I will be competitive.

Knowing our booking engine the way I do, I can find a number of “bargains” out there that give me an edge over anyone else.

Two examples I can think of off the top of my head would be booking the hotel, air, and ground transportation together. I had a client book with us because I consolidated her trip to New York over Christmas this way. I combined air, hotel and transfers for about $300 dollars less than she could find anywhere else, and upgraded her to the Millennium UN Plaza to boot, which based on her own research, was completely out of reach according to her budget.

Another great resource I have are group cruise bookings. Any time a client simply gives me a date range, I’ll scroll through our Group Bookings page to see if there might be something there that might fit. Take the first cruise on this long list of groups for example. Based on the pricing found on this site compared to what you find direct with Carnival, you’ll save over $250 per person on a category 8A by booking on the group’s page rather than going direct with Carnival or another Agent for the same cruise.

And if you run into a critic who tells you otherwise, like I’ve seen in the past, tell them to go book it. Then wait for a call back when they find out that the price they were quoted did not include port charges and taxes the way we do on the group’s page.

Works every time.          

Looks like someone else has taken notice of the special deals YTB has to offer. Sue Goldstein, known as the Underground Shopper, was recently interviewed on CNN about some of the deals she’s found.

Here’s an excerpt from here site.

Sue, who has made bargain-hunting her life for almost 35 years, is the Underground Shopper^® founder and hands-on guiding light. Let her lead the way through the trenches of “needless markups” and show you how to get around paying wretched retail. You don’t need a brother-in-law in the business to get it for you wholesale. You’ve got Sue Goldstein as your new best friend.

During the interview Sue gave her recommendation for finding the “best travel deals” on the internet. If you take a look at the site CNN pulled up, although it’s under a different domain name, it looks just like the one I have.

What’s up with that?

I don’t know about Sue being my new best friend, but with a last name like Goldstein, would you expect anything other than frugal?

Thanks for the plug Sue, and thanks for setting everyone straight on just who has the best travel deals out there. Critics should have a field day with this one, and honestly, I’d love to see them match witts with a woman like this. Looks to me like she has no problem calling a spade a spade. They are more than welcome to open up that can of worms by contacting Sue directly.(LOL!)

On another note, I’m going to leave you with this question:

What do the following companies have in common?

• Carlson Wagonlit Travel
• Choice Hotels
• CruiseOne, Inc.
• Discovery Map International
• Hotel Indigo
• Microtel Inn
• Passport Health Communications
• Thetravelacademy
• Uniglobe Travel International
• Your Travel Biz

I’ll have the answer for you here tomorrow for the inquiring minds that want to know.

By the way…I claim no responsibility concerning last night’s Steeler victory over Washington on Monday Night Football and any connection to today’s Presidential Election. I realize how superstitious some people are, but suggest you get out and and place your own vote anyway.

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

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Would it surprise you that the most viewed news article last week in Travel Weekly was YTB’s new franchise model? (As well as the most e-mailed story of the week.) What seemed to be flying under the radar last week due to all the YTB news was the second most viewed story of the week concerning Royal Caribbean budget cuts.

According to sources mentioned in Travel Weekly, RCCL was looking to cut payroll by 10% and asking staff to reduce expenses. A Credit Suisse Bank analyst confirmed that Royal Caribbean would also implement “broad based, shore side expense reductions of up to 25%”. If you’re thinking “layoffs” you’re right on the mark as a Miami News Station made the “Royal Proclamation” late last night that the Miami based company handed out some 300 Royal Letters in pink Monday afternoon with 100 positions already vacant totaling 400 job cuts.

Not surprising since after yesterday’s closing bell, Royal Caribbean released numbers showing a 34% decline over 2007 second quarter numbers and more information on its cost savings measures. Seems investors have seen this coming for some time as RCL stock has plummeted from $43 per share to a 5 year low of $19.16 per share just last week.

The company announced a significant cost savings initiative that is expected to reduce spending by approximately $125 million annually.

“Too much of our profitability is being eroded by the increase in fuel prices. This is unacceptable and we are evaluating everything we do to find ways to do it more efficiently and effectively,” said Richard D. Fain, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “While our brands continue to attract premium prices even in this difficult environment, it is imperative that we find ways to reduce our costs.”

Hey! Here’s a novel idea you’re more than welcome to steal from the current #1 Cruise Line in the World! Looks like Royal Caribbean is in need of even MORE Travel Agent Support to offset these Royal Pink Slips.

But I regress. Instead they are spending Lord knows how much on more Direct Response TV ads “Starring You”!

Unfortunately, Agent support may not be so easy since it was also reported here that Royal Caribbean gave their existing Travel Agent base the Royal Shaft back at the beginning of June by increasing commission thresholds. While I was “told” by the knowledgeable Travel Agent community I’ve come to know and love, that this was no big deal, I found story after story of Agencies feeling truly shafted. Jim Mazza, COO of Oyster Bay, NY-based TRAVELSAVERS urged them to reconsider. He continued to say “we don’t feel that it was in the best interests of the travel agent community.” Mazza was also quoted in another Trade Publication “Given the implications of the current economy, isn’t this the perfect time for cruise suppliers to strengthen, not diminish, their relationships with travel agents?”

Vacation.com’s Steve Tracas, president and CEO expressed disappointment with Royal Caribbean’s move and reaffirmed the value of travel agents to Royal Caribbean and the industry. CEO Tracas also was quoted “This is certainly a conflicting message compared to some of their more recent communications to the agency community.”

One agent, who asked for anonymity, told Travel Trade, “This change is especially punitive to smaller agencies that will be hurt the most. Large producers don’t care about a $1.5 or even a $3 million threshold because they are above that anyway. Many of the literally thousands of agencies that barely make 11% now are dropping to 10% and, no, a few hundred dollars doesn’t seem like much but the psychological size of the cut is huge.”

“The bitterness goes very deep and several producers in the $1 million range that will be affected are already moving share to Princess,” according to this agent.

What ever happened to that promise back in October when Royal Caribbean said they were done with Travel MLM’s and only going to kiss and hug REAL Travel Agents? What happened to the standing ovations all over this country from the Travel Agent community who were behind Royal Caribbean 100% and promised they were going to take this industry back?

Now that Royal Caribbean has been out at sea all by itself the last 9 months they’ve sprung a leak and cries of “Man Overboard!” are being heard down in Miami and the Wichita, Kansas call center.

To be fair, fuel costs ARE a big reason for these cuts, but you’ve just GOT to wonder what a company like YTB, who booked some $414.5 Million in travel in 2007 could have done to help save at least some of these jobs. Remember, our suppliers don’t pay a dime to YTB unless YTB produces a sale. There are no marketing expenses; there’s no Co-op Advertising, there’s just more than 100,000 web sites out there that could be pointing friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to their ships, which quite honestly are very nice.<
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With a capacity of some 5400 passengers on the new Genesis Class ships being built and on order, maybe bigger at this point isn’t better. Like it or not kids…YTB is the PERFECT model right now to fill up all those new ships they have coming out. You take a look at Carnivals earnings, and now Royal Caribbean’s and despite both having to struggle through the same fuel costs and economic troubles, one has YTB and one doesn’t.

It’s just one of those things that make you go Hmmmmmm.

Royal Caribbean has scheduled a conference call at 10 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday, July 22, to discuss its earnings. This call can be heard, either live or on a delayed basis, on the company’s investor relations web site at http://www.rclinvestor.com/.

PS - If you’d like to keep up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB feel free to sign up for my FREE Newsletter. Just like here, it’s loaded with food, water and sunshine to grow your YTB business.

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

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RTA #24635

It was mentioned on Coach’s Saturday Morning call that this “consideration” of Franchising was meant to be a “Soft Rollout”. However due to all the focus and obsession right now squarely on the company everyone is talking about, there was nothing “soft” about it. When Coach said “soft rollout” I honestly laughed out loud, and I immediately thought about what I learned in school many, MANY years ago when I did a report on Teddy Roosevelt, and remembered the phrase “Walk softly, but carry a big stick”.

With all the attention, talk, and accusations concerning a proposal that hasn’t even been officially released, let alone outlined, manuals produced, training implemented, pricing arranged, and compensation laid out, it makes me wonder what all this fuss is about.

At one exact moment last week, 10:21AM on Tuesday, July 15th, an 8-K Regulation FD Disclosure was filed with the SEC. A Directors call followed with Scott Tomer informing our Directors of this filing, and a Press Release was issued Tuesday afternoon with our “consideration” of franchising.

I feel it’s important to updated and inform you about this proposal from the PROPER sources. Scott has agreed to share a Directors Letter in the Biz Report and I want to make sure you have this communication directly from Scott.

Now just why would Scott have to do something like this? Amusingly enough, and Scott addresses this specifically in his communication, about our competitors and skeptics who make inaccurate, deceitful, slanderous and outright fraudulent statements about YTB. This obsession with YTB is so consuming, that by 10:27AM a post was up on a blog stating that YTB has turned its back on RTA’s. (Note: only 6 minutes after the SEC filing!) Likewise, as soon as the Press Release was issued it was commented on a financial forum that