Smart Destinations Announces Hurricane Katrina Donation Program

Boston, MA (PRWEB) September 21, 2005

Smart Destinations, the premier provider of smart card technology-enabled attraction pass cards in major U.S. travel destinations, today announced the company will be donating one dollar for every Go Card sold on its website (http://www.gocardusa.com) during the month of September to the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief effort. The company will also be providing information on its sites for customers who are interested in donating additional funds directly to the Red Cross relief effort.

Smart Destinations currently offers Go Cards for the Boston, Chicago, Miami, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle markets, as well as a Wine Country Explorer Pass for the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

For more information, visit http://www.gocardusa.com.

About Smart Destinations

Smart Destinations is the premier provider of unlimited admission attraction passes in major U.S. travel destinations. Smart Destinations’ Go Cards offer simplified access to dozens of attractions to individuals, couples and families, for one fixed “per day” price. The Go Guidebook is ready-to-travel and includes fun facts about a destination, access details, and important local numbers. Distributed through major travel services in 25 countries as well as on the Web, Smart Destinations’ Go Cards are the industry’s “trusted companion” for the best a city has to offer at an unbeatable price point. For more information on program participation, the company and its cards, visit http://www.GoCardUSA.com or call 617-671-1001.

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Travel Portal Travel-Travel.US Goes On-line

New York, NY (PRWEB) October 27, 2007

With its launch Travel-Travel.US travel portal aims to bring the best experience for the users seeking travel information on travel destinations in the US. Travel-Travel.US travel portal is dedicated to travel destinations in the US, lists the popular cities, hotels and offers on-line booking of hotels and flights.

With the US on-line travel marketplace of about $ 70 billion, the most users who plan to travel in the upcoming months will use the web to plan their upcoming travel and the internet will be their primary travel resource. Most of the users conduct travel research as well as make on-line travel transactions.

Travel-Travel.US travel portal provides rich content on the popular travel destinations, hotels and tourist entertainments. The in-depth reviews of the top travel destinations allow users to conduct their travel research together with the hotel and flight reservations, allowing better planning of the future trip. Travel-Travel.US travel portal works with partners to provide the best experience for the users.

Travel-Travel.US travel portal was designed with a “user oriented” approach, the web site’s user interface is user friendly, easy to navigate and has an easily recognizable purpose. It seems obvious, but it’s often ignored. A good user interface design can spell the difference between acceptance of a website and its failure in the marketplace. If the end-users find the website to be too cumbersome or difficult to understand, then an otherwise excellent website could be doomed to failure.

Travel-Travel.US travel portal welcomes business partners and advertisers from the travel industry to explore the business and advertising possibilities provided by Travel-Travel.US.

About Travel-Travel.US travel portal:

Travel-Travel.US travel portal is an on-line travel website dedicated to travel in the US. Travel-Travel.US travel portal provides in-depth review of the popular cities, travel destinations, hotels and offers on-line booking of hotels and flights.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

In the Air Waves : Stress Fair Warnings for Summer Travelers

Parkland, FL (PRWEB) June 9, 2004

Travelers who have booked flights might want to heed the latest health warning regarding new millennium air travel stress effects. The airports have forewarned that summer travel is going to be the heaviest it has been since pre-September 11th and that translates to extra long lines at security check points, crowds, and inconveniences.

“This is the way it is and will be and air travelers who are wise will take a serious look at options for ameliorating the effects of air travel stress,” said Ruth Cann, a mental health therapist, air travel stress expert, and the wife of a commercial airline Captain. Cann says there are research supported measures that people need to be aware of and take advantage of for health reasons.

As the creator of E-Z-FLIGHT: Passenger In-flight Relaxation Experience, a take-onboard CD which was introduced on Delta Air Lines, Cann has combined the proven elements for in-flight relaxation as an alternative to self-medicating and alcohol consumption. Therapeutic mental relaxation exercises via guided imagery and strategically selected music, encourage visualization as a catalyst for compounded stress. According to Cann, many frequent flyers are sporting E-Z-FLIGHT and a CD player as their personal in-flight relaxation host of choice.

“My concern is the surge of frustration and anger that travelers experience on some level when dealing with new millennium procedures. This surge raises blood pressure, heart rate, and perspiration all under the heading of air travel stress. Add this on to everything else in a typical day on planet Earth, and it spells, health risk. When you board a plane with all of this excess mental baggage, there has to be some self-help relief provided as a precautionary measure,” stated Cann.

It is predicted that record numbers will take to the skies and experience the Transportation Safety Administration doing its job in airport terminals with a Federal cap on the number of screeners who will assist. “If mother nature decides to join in the festivities with a storm or two, stress factors will compound and most people are not prepared to view it as a new millennium system that will take many years to perfect.” ‘I paid…Get me where I’m going.’ is an attitude that unfortunately prevails in many airport circumstances,” said Cann.

Business travelers will need to adjust to the dramatic increase in expected numbers as schools close and family vacations begin. As seasoned as some might believe they are, the setting is conducive for increased stress according to Cann.

Her advice, “Deep breathe, sigh, and quit wasting energy reserves on things you think you can change. Travel has become a go-with-the-flow, no-exception-to-the-rules operation. People need to accept the scene and expect that things will not go smoothly. If I’m wrong, consider it a win.” With a traveler being one out of 200 million in the predicted summer air travel numbers, the odds of winning appear slim.

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Travel Weekly Power List Places Travel Leaders Group in Top 10

Minneapolis, MN (Vocus) June 25, 2009

In its latest issue, Travel Weekly places Travel Leaders Group in the top 10 of its Power List 2009 of America’s travel sellers. Travel Weekly is billed as ”the national newspaper of the travel industry.” The rankings are based on participating companies’ wholly-owned annual sales volume reported for 2008 and specifically do not include franchised operations. Travel Leaders Group’s wholly-owned operations reported annual sales volume of $ 1.9 billion for 2008; when franchised sales are included, that number increases dramatically to $ 7.1 billion for last year.

In the Travel Weekly Power List “Introduction,” reporter Harvey Chipkin writes, “The number of ‘billionaires’ (companies with $ 1 billion-plus in sales) held steady at 13, but with some shuffling in the ranks. The Travel Leaders Group (formerly Travel Acquisitions Group), which now incorporates two former Power List agencies, Tzell Travel and TraveLeaders, joined that elite group, climbing from the No. 14 to the No. 10 spot in the process.”

On May 5, 2009, Travel Acquisitions Group formally changed its name to Travel Leaders Group.

Tzell Travel Group, which merged with Travel Acquisitions Group in August 2008, ranked No. 15 on last year’s Power List. TraveLeaders, which ranked No. 41 last year, was acquired by Travel Acquisitions Group in March 2008.

“What makes the Travel Leaders Group top ten ranking on the Travel Weekly Power List even more thrilling and tremendously satisfying is that it comes so closely on the heels of the Business Travel News Business Travel Survey rankings that placed us at number one among American travel management companies,” stated Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben. “The hardworking men and women from all five of our Travel Leaders Group divisions helped make this proud distinction possible. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together in forging such a dynamic and respected travel company so soon after our merger and acquisition activities from the past year.”

Travel Leaders is transforming travel with a new name that boldly embodies our commitment to our vacation and business travel clients via a progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. Having already assisted millions of travelers, our strong roots – through our beginnings as Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates (which itself began as Ask Mr. Foster, North America’s first travel agency network established in 1888), TraveLeaders and Tzell Travel Group – have now joined together to form one of the industry’s fastest-growing and robust networks of travel agents.

With Travel Leaders serving as the company’s flagship brand, Travel Leaders Group consists of five divisions:

Travel Leaders Corporate (David Holyoke, President)
Travel Leaders Franchise Group (Roger E. Block, CTC, President), includes Travel Leaders, Results! Travel and Custom Destination Marketing Solutions.
Travel Leaders Leisure Group (Tom Baumann, President), includes All Aboard Travel, CruiseDeals.com, Cruise Holidays, Cruise Specialists, Luxury Travel Network, Partners In Travel, SinglesCruise.com and company-owned leisure locations for Travel Leaders
Connexions (Eric Burdon, President), includes Connexions Loyalty Travel Solutions, Connexions Travel Solutions, Connexions Fulfillment Solutions, Fly4Less.com, Distinctive Departures and Insignia Personalized Products
Tzell Travel Group (Barry Liben, CEO)
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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Find More Travel Press Releases

Top Honeymoon Travel and Destination Wedding Specialists Partner with Major Honeymoon Website

Corona, CA (Vocus) May 1, 2008

Honeymooners Review Guide, which offers couples online access to 350+ planning pages of tips, articles, ideas on romance, destinations, and a 3000+ top resort finder database, has added direct access to a select few honeymoon travel and destination wedding specialists.

“Honeymoon travel and destination wedding specialists will add additional expertise and resources to Honeymooner’s Review Guide,” according to Michelle McKenzie, Vice-President.

The website, which provides extensive planning tools for honeymoons and destination weddings, is not a travel agency and does not sell travel products. The website has 350 pages of honeymoon planning tips, articles, destinations, romantic ideas, trip reviews, and a data base of over 3,000 select resorts easily assessed through its resort finder by budget, location and amenities.

“Now couples really never need to leave our site to accomplish their entire honeymoon or destination wedding planning until they book their vacation directly with a resort or through one of our travel specialists,” added Ron Haller, President. Haller stated that, “Very careful consideration was given to inviting only those professional travel agencies who specialize in this field and have a proven ability and track record of service excellence and customer satisfaction.”

The travel specialists focus on romantic and adventure travel, and exotic destinations and are listed according to destination location. Most have advanced professional certifications and/or years of experience in their fields.

McKenzie added that, “If a couple wants a truly incredible honeymoon or destination wedding and the peace of mind knowing that a honeymoon disaster is not looming in the future, they would be wise to do their research well, seek out those who have experience, and plan carefully well in advance. That is why Honeymooner’s Review Guide was created, and we are pledged to provide the very best in honeymoon planning and travel. We survey honeymooners and have heard far too many stories of disaster from couples who failed to do so, used a generic mass internet travel company, and may have managed to save $ 50 or $ 100.”

The new honeymoon and destination wedding partners are:

Distinctive Honeymoons
All About Honeymoons
Explorient Travel Services
Pacific For Less
Tahiti Travel
Lost World Adventures
New Horizons Travel

Asked if they ever add new travel partners, Haller responded that they do, but they are very select and limit the number in any one area of specialty. New resorts are added all the time, but they must meet quality standards. If they develop a track record based on returning couples reviews, these are posted. Also, a new Choice Awards designation has been developed for the highest level of excellence based upon reviews and a personal on-site evaluation visit by staff.

Contact info:

Michelle McKenzie

951-277-9853

press @ honeymoonersreviewguide.com

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, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Traveler ID Adds Personal Touch To Travel — New Online Service Simplifies Travel Booking Process, Expands Beta Launch To 25,000 More Travelers

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) August 29, 2006

Interactive Travel Group today announced an expansion of its controlled beta launch of Traveler ID, a new, web-based service that enables travelers to receive personalized service no matter where they book their travel. The company will open up Traveler ID to an additional 25,000 travelers. The service is available at http://www.travelerid.com and has been in private beta since early May.

“We’ve just added some great new features travelers are going to love,” said a company spokesperson. “We’re excited to invite more travelers to use our service and begin simplifying their travel experience.”

Traveler ID’s professional, easy-to-use website (http://www.travelerid.com) allows travelers to create comprehensive travel profiles, including air, hotel, car rental and vacation preferences — in less than three minutes — and provides each user with a unique identification number, a Traveler ID. The users themselves decide how much information they feel comfortable sharing.

Thereafter, whenever a user books travel at a travel website within the Traveler ID network, the user simply provides his or her Traveler ID number and passcode, and the user’s travel profile and preferences are instantly transmitted to the website, speeding up the booking process. The user is in full control over when and with whom the user’s profile is shared.

Traveler ID is completely free for travelers and charges travel websites a nominal fee for access to travelers’ profiles.

“We’re just about ready to open up to the general public,” said a company spokesperson. “We expect to go live for all travelers by the end of the year. Users who don’t make it into the beta program at this time will be invited to create an account before we open to everyone else.”

For more information, or to create a free account, visit http://www.travelerid.com.

Traveler ID

Traveler ID is the only universal access travel profile management solution. Founded in 2006 as part of Interactive Travel Group, Traveler ID was created to enable travelers to receive personalized service from travel providers. Traveler ID is a privately held firm and is headquartered in Oakland, CA. For information visit http://www.travelerid.com.

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Peace of Mind for Under a Hundred Dollars: Get an Air Ambulance Membership Before You Travel

Birmingham, AL (PRWEB) April 20, 2008

As the summer travel season approaches, AirMed International (airmed.com), the leader in the air ambulance industry, provides these top reasons why being prepared with medical evacuation coverage is more important than ever.

“A pre-paid air ambulance membership card is the most important item to take with you on your trip,” says AirMed CEO Jeff Tolbert. “We’ve seen it happen countless times– travelers get ill or injured while away from home and end up paying tens of thousands of dollars for a medical flight home. If you are an AirMed member, the cost is zero. So, whether you have an AirMed Traveler card in your wallet or another service, we urge you to be prepared this summer.”

Top Reasons to Purchase an Air Ambulance Membership:

1. You are traveling. If you think an accident won’t happen to you while you’re on vacation, think again. Last year AirMed transported over 2,000 travelers with an average age of 44 years old. Do not chance the financial strain that will follow if you are hospitalized away from home.

2. Guess Who Isn’t Covered? You. Your regular health insurance almost certainly doesn’t have air medical benefits. Most trip insurance will only get you to the nearest facility, not home where you want to be.

3. No pre-existing condition clauses. No co-pays. No deductibles. As long as you’re 150 miles or more from home, an AirMed membership has you covered.

4. Details, Details, Details. AirMed will take care of all details for you–bedside to bedside and on a 24/7 basis. Could you or your travel companion do that in a country where you don’t speak the language?

5. It’s very affordable. AirMed memberships start at just $ 95 for a two-week trip. Compare that with a medical transport flight that can cost in excess of $ 100,000. AirMed offers student memberships, short-term memberships, and the most popular of all–the annual membership.

About the Air Ambulance Company: AirMed International

AirMed International is the country’s leading air ambulance service, offering unparalleled medical care and bedside-to-bedside transportation on a worldwide basis. With state-of-the-art medical jets, AirMed is equipped to pick you up from any hospital around the globe and transport you to the hospital of your choice. Along the way, the most experienced and respected medical team in the air will treat you. AirMed is also on call for you, 24/7, with answers to even the simplest medical questions. And an AirMed membership doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. In fact, it could save you one. AirMed Traveler memberships start for as little as $ 95 and could very well be the ‘best kept secret’ in the travel industry. Spread the word. For more information about AirMed’s air ambulance services, contact Sarah Hanley at 205-443-4840 or visit airmed.com.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

CT Group Travel Commissions Search Marketing Agency

Market Harborough, Leicestershire (Vocus/PRWEB) March 16, 2011

CT Group Travel, specialists in group travel and event management has started working with search marketing agency Absolute Internet Marketing. CT Group Travel based in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, has been trading for over 21 years and is a leading UK travel management specialist, arranging and booking a range of different types of trips for groups, large and small travelling overseas from the UK.

Being successful group travel organisers is not the only feather in its hat, as CT Group Travel also specialise in conference and event management, such as organising corporate team building events.

Being part of CTT Group, a multi-million pound leisure and business travel company provides CT Group Travel with considerable leverage. CTT Group is a fully licensed and bonded member of ABTA, ATOL and IATA. In addition the business is also a member of UNIGLOBE Travel, one of the world’s largest independent travel management companies, which gives CT Group Travel access to the best airfares, hotel and car hire rates worldwide, therefore placing the company in a unique and enviable position.

A key element to CT Group Travel’s operation is its website, as this plays an integral part of the business allowing CT Group travel to market the products and services it provides to businesses and consumers throughout the UK.

To help develop their web marketing strategy further, CT Group Travel have opted to use the specialist services of Absolute Internet Marketing, an online marketing agency specialising in search engine optimisation. It is Absolute’s job to get CT Group Travel’s website more visible in the search engines when users are searching for the types of products and services CT Group Travel provide.

Simon Colley, Managing Director of Absolute commented, “Whilst the area CT Group Travel operates in is niche, like the travel industry sector generally, there’s plenty of competition. However, CT Group Travel has a strong offering with impressive USPs. Couple this with our effective and ethical search engine optimisation techniques and we can help CT Group Travel achieve the objectives it has set. I am excited to be working with them”.

Absolute is a small and friendly internet marketing agency, centrally located (Leicestershire), it works locally and nationally with a wide range of clients providing fully managed services for search engine optimisation and pay per click marketing.

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Smart Destinations Smart Card Technology Draws Senior Tour and Travel Industry Veterans to Destination Management Team

(PRWEB) August 9, 2005

Smart Destinations, the premier provider of technology-based destination travel products, today announced the addition of three senior travel industry veterans to its management team. Joining Smart Destinations are Bill Todd, Vice President, Sales; Kevin Brett as Vice President, International Sales; and Theresa McLarney in the role of Director, National Accounts. The three hires deepen Smart Destinations’ executive tourism travel product team and continue to position the company as one of the most experienced and visionary in the travel industry.

About Bill Todd

Todd’s travel industry experience features particular emphasis on leveraging the Internet to further an organization’s business and marketing strategy. Most recently, Todd served as vice president of sales, marketing, advertising and e-commerce for Marriott International’s Corporate Lodging Division. Todd has played an active leadership role in a variety of travel industry associations, including The Travel Industry Association of America, the American Society of Travel Agents, The National Tour Association, Hospitality Sales and Marketing International and the National Business Travelers Association. Todd was named “Lodging Person of the Year” by Travel Agent Magazine in 2000.

About Kevin Brett

Brett brings more than 20 years of sales and commercial experience in the international travel arena to Smart Destinations. He previously served in a number of senior roles at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts & Best Western Hotels, and most recently as managing director for HAT Marketing in the UK, which delivers outsourced sales and marketing solutions in Europe to overseas travel companies and destinations worldwide. Brett’s other travel industry experience includes positions with British Airways Holidays and Sol Holidays.

About Theresa McLarney

McLarney is an accomplished sales and marketing professional with a consistent record of exceeding company goals. She joins Smart Destinations and their technology travel products from Cendant Travel Distribution Services, where she served as a regional director within their online travel division. Her previous travel industry experience includes senior management positions at World Choice Travel, a division of Travelocity.com, Cruise.com, and Certified Vacations, where she managed the AAA and American Express Vacation brands among other various start-up brands for the company.

Distributed through major travel and tour industry services in 25 countries as well as on the Web, Smart Destinations’ Go Cards are the industry’s “trusted companion” for the best a city has to offer at an unbeatable price point. For more information on Smart Destinations or their smart card technology Go Card products, visit http://www.GoCardUSA.com or call 617-671-1001.

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Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.

Toptravelsites.com Revamps its Website to Benefit Both Travelers and Travel Businesses

(PRWEB) January 10, 2006

Toptravelsites.com announces its revamped website offering travelers the opportunity to find specialist travel agents for either a destination or travel activity and the opportunity to go directly to travel operators around the world with direct links to their travel websites.

“Toptravelsites.com has now become a global player since the revamping of the website in 2005,” says owner Bruce Swain. Originally started in 1995 as a South Pacific travel site and since expanded to offer last minute travel offers and an online travel news service, it is now committed to becoming a marketing program for the travel industry. “It will always be affordable and effective for the smallest of travel businesses anywhere in the world by offering recognition, branding and promotion as a top-travel-site.”

The site does not have any advertising to distract the visitor from the objectives of the service. The design of the site is clean and simple without any unnecessary clutter, enabling easy links to destinations around the world. An online travel news service is available with access to past issues, highlighting travel agent specialists and tour operators around the world, as well as the odd funny story.

By offering both specialist agents and operator-direct services to the traveler, the site enables even the smallest travel businesses the opportunity to expand their reach and have their websites found, as well as giving travelers an array of travel choices that would not normally be readily available to them.

No bookings or reservations can be made at toptravelsites.com, as it is a travel directory. The traveler is now able to choose a specialist travel agent or is invited to go directly to the hotel, b&b, tour operator or travel service.

The operators intend to keep the site free of advertising and clutter in order to support both the travel clients who have listed links and the traveler who wants to find relevant travel products rather than go through the searching processes of the internet.

The site charges a fee for travel listings but now even the smallest business may be found, for a price, as a ‘toptravelsite.’

Swain says, “There are many travel directories on the internet but Toptravelsites.com has better clarity and ease of use compared to many of the other web sources for travel.”

The goals of the website aim high: to be every traveler’s bookmark or favorite. And, with over half a million page visits in 2005, it’s already appealing to the many thousands of small travel business operators who wish to market and sell their services to travelers seeking greater choices and travel expertise.

Although only developed in 2005, the site operators are pleased to have achieved over half a million page visits and between 200 to 300 travel clients representing a few thousand different travel choices. They anticipate steady growth of the site by both travel visitors and travel operators in 2006 and beyond.    Find out more at http://www.toptravelsites.com.

Contact:

Bruce Swain

604-572-7280

http://www.toptravelsites.com

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©Copyright 1997-

, Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.
Vocus, PRWeb, and Publicity Wire are trademarks or registered trademarks of Vocus, Inc. or Vocus PRW Holdings, LLC.