Travel Calendar

LONDON, January 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
A concierge service offering ordinary holidaymakers perks more often enjoyed by celebrities has been launched by Direct Travel Insurance.

It’s easy to envy the rich and famous for their carefree holidays with staff on hand to fix them up with tickets to must-see events, recommend a fashionable spa or point them in the direction of the latest martini bar.

Now there’s no need for envy because Direct Travel Insurance makes it possible for ordinary travellers to enjoy such celeb-style personal attention, with its concierge service for UK residents travelling to the United States.

Insider knowledge and local information make a holiday special. It might be getting tickets for the legendary Kentucky Derby horse race or a hot NBA fixture; it could be seats for a movie premiere or Broadway show; or perhaps travellers are looking for a child-friendly museum or science centre that will suit all the family.

The concierge service from Direct Travel Insurance can tell holidaymakers and business travellers where to find the cheapest local fuel or what time trains to New York go. Its advisers can check availability of a seafront villa, locate a salsa-dancing club, find out an FA Cup score or cricket result, and much more besides.

Whether UK residents are heading for a Florida beach holiday, California road trip or city break to Washington DC, the concierge service is just a phone call or email away. It is available to Premier and Premier Plus travel insurance policy holders, and also as part of Direct Travel Insurance’s Backpacker insurance policy.

Customers can call 44(0)-1273-747-613 or email uk.assistance@travelguard.com, giving their valid holiday insurance policy schedule number and saying they are insured with Direct Travel Insurance. The concierge service can carry out pre-trip research or provide help during a holiday or business travel.

Need the address of a local jeweller, want golf tee times or a road traffic report? How about a pizza delivery menu, weather forecast, information about road tolls or personal chef and housekeeper services? The concierge service from Direct Travel Insurance has it covered.

A taste of the celebrity lifestyle with a Direct Travel Insurance Premier, Premier Plus or Backpacker travel insurance policy – it’s much more than holiday insurance.

For terms and exclusions see policy wording. Please note that all event tickets and shows are subject to availability and therefore cannot be guaranteed.

Notes for Editors

Established in late 1992 and trading since 1993, Direct Travel Insurance specialises in travel insurance for individual travellers, couples and families up to the age of 75. Direct Travel Insurance offers a range of cover options and added benefits including cover for over 100 sports and activities enabling customers to tailor their policies for single trip, annual multi trip, backpacking and winter sports.

All travel insurance policies are underwritten by Chartis Europe Limited. Direct Travel Insurance is a trading name of UNAT Direct Insurance Management Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA Number 312350). Chartis Europe Limited is also authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA Number 202628).

Contact:

Katie Elfer
Email: Katie.elfer@chartisinsurance.com
Phone number: +44(0)20-8774-5644

Address: Chartis Direct
96 George Street
Croydon
Surrey
CR9 1BU

SOURCE Direct Travel Insurance

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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“Frequent flier miles, hotels, fun places to go — Jeanelle has led us through these questions for the past several years,” Davis said, referring to Jeanelle Harrison, leisure travel manager for Geraci.

Frustration with online travel planning is common, even among the computer-savvy, said Jeanne Bigos, sales and marketing director for the Outrigger Beach Resort, Fort Myers Beach. “You see people fumbling with multiple online sites, just to save $5 on a room,” Bigos said.

Bigos noted that in 2011, her resort saw business from travel agent bookings jump 50 percent, year-over-year. It was the first such increase in more than 10 years, she said.

Some of that gain could have come from Bigos accompanying Lee County Visitor Convention Bureau sales staff on a visit to travel agents in Wisconsin. Each year, the visitor bureau pays calls to at least 300 travel agencies in key feeder markets, said Jovina Huber, travel agent help desk manager. Interest in these trips from hoteliers and others in the local hospitality trades is so keen, there was a waiting list last year, Huber said.

Not all research suggests a resurgence in travel agent use. Douglas Quinby, senior director of research with PhoCusWright, told Travel Market Report last spring: “Just looking at leisure, we continue to see this gradual migration from offline to online channels, across all segments,” including airline tickets, hotel bookings, car rentals — and increasingly, cruises and vacation packages.

Still, Paula Vazquez at North Fort Myers-based Adventure Travel of Florida thinks there always will be demand from people for whom time is money and who are planning “trips that are more complicated.”

“In time, you’ll see even fewer storefront agencies,” Vazquez said, adding: “I’m hoping we’ll be one of the survivors.”

Since sifting through dull newspapers, hyperbolic blogs, and overflowing RSS feeds for meaningful news can be an arduous process, News Net catches and compiles both the amusing and the significant reports that were overlooked over the weekend. Here are some things to think about as the workweek begins.

• A big to-do was made last November when it was announced that David Zucker would direct a commercial for state tourism organization Travel Wisconsin. Zucker, a Wisconsin native and one of the masterminds behind such stone-cold classics as Airplane! and The Naked Gun, was soon welcomed with open arms and breathless press releases, and even appeared with the lovable Gov. Scott Walker at a much-hyped news conference. Surely the man responsible for The Kentucky Fried Movie and Top Secret! (and, er, BASEketball) could come up with a winter tourism campaign more effective and hilarious than a picture of a fucking mitten.

Sadly, the final commercial—which was released online over the weekend and will begin airing in Milwaukee Wednesday—is pretty lame. In it, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra performs “Winter Wonderland” on stage at the Riverside Theater, with fake snow falling from the rafters. Then, in a development that apparently illustrates our state’s totally unique penchant for “fun,” a snowball fight breaks out. That’s it. Catholic High School Girls In Trouble this is not.

The Wisconsin Department of Tourism is of course pleased as punch with the spot, and seems enamored with the cutting-edge idea of not including a previously used slogan with the campaign. (Tourism Secretary Stephanie Klett: “It is a differentiator, not having [a] slogan.” Whoa!) As for Zucker, the ad represents a harmless and well-intentioned miss. Hell, even his mildly reprehensible, anti-Democrat spot from 2006 has more spunk and inspiration:

• Slightly better than Zucker’s wacky snowball ad is State Farm’s newest spot, featuring Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji. In it, Raji performs, well, “The Raji,” much to the chagrin of budding thespian Aaron Rodgers.

• The UWM Union Theater announced its spring lineup late last week. Some highlights include Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos’ ALPs (Feb. 17-19); a restored print of Wong Kar-wai’s Fallen Angels (March 31-April 1); and Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s This Is Not A Film (April 26). Tap Milwaukee has more information.

• Local video game historian and co-founder of the Midwest Gaming Classic Marty Goldberg will co-author an upcoming book on the history of Atari, says Tap Milwaukee. The tentatively-titled Silicon Hot Tub: Atari Inc. How Innovative Leisure Created The Video Game Industry, And How Excess Almost Destroyed It, is scheduled for release in June, just in time for Atari’s 40th anniversary.

• Red Letter Media released a new episode of its terrific Half In The Bag series over the weekend. The video serves as a recap of the films of 2011, as well as a spot-on (and funny, natch) take on David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

• OnMilwaukee.com’s JC Poppe talked to Group Of The Altos’ Daniel Spack about the band’s new album, and the challenges of playing in such a large group. Look for our review of Altos when the group announces an official release show.

• OnMilwaukee.com also caught up with local DJ duo The Ghosts Of Laura Palmer, who revealed plans for a new EP.

• What are you doing this week? This is what you’re doing this week: checking out Ex Fabula’s “Faking It” Tuesday at the Bay View Brew Haus; getting in on the ground floor at the Polica show Thursday at the Cactus Club; and returning to Cactus the following night for the Midnight Reruns’ album release show. There. It’s just that easy.

• And the award for Best Local Headline Of The Weekend goes to “Some things change; others, not so much” from, you guessed it, OnMilwaukee.com. Congrats!

SEATTLE – I’m not sure I’d pay $15 to pitch a tent in someone’s garden. And I don’t plan to use Facebook or LinkedIn to pick my seatmate on a flight to Amsterdam. But I’m high on travel to Cuba after spending two weeks there recently, and Myanmar is also at the top of my list.

What’s trending in travel for 2012 – all of the above and more – may or may not be for you, but it’s nice to know the poor economy hasn’t dampened the creativity of those whose jobs depend on keeping us moving in new directions.

Here’s a look at what’s up and coming in the new year:

-Sleeping with the chickens: Garden camping is the latest lodging idea out of Britain. JWT, a New York marketing firm specializing in travel trends, predicts it will catch on in other countries.

Similar to the Airbnb concept of renting out spare rooms to travelers, Camp in My Garden (www.campinmygarden.com) offers visitors the chance to pitch a tent ($7.50-$15 per person) per night in orchards and backyard gardens from Devon to Cornwall. Some of the owners will do your laundry or throw in the evening meal for a little extra.

Caution: Only the adventuresome need apply. One listing notes that “you’ll be sharing the garden with our chickens, but don’t worry, they are not fully free-range.”

-For women only: With more women traveling alone, it’s not surprising that JWT reports more hotels will be adding floors for women only. Locally, the Georgian Court in Vancouver, B.C., has 18 rooms on the 10th floor set aside for female guests, and may add more, says general manager Lisa Jackson. The rooms are popular with business travelers, Jackson reports. They appreciate the security and the extras such as curling irons, high-power blow dryers, nail polish and yoga mats.

-Room rates: Hotels will experience higher demand than in 2011, and rates will increase, says Clem Bason, of the online ticket seller Hotwire. In the Seattle area, Smith Travel Research forecasts hotel occupancy will be flat in 2012, but average daily rates will rise by 4.5 percent.

-Next destinations: Tour companies are selling out trips to Cuba and Myanmar. Both countries are still led by repressive regimes, but they’re easier to visit this year due to political changes in Myanmar and an easing of U.S. government restrictions for Americans going to Cuba.

Agents for Travel Leaders report strong interest in Croatia, Vietnam and Panama. Their top picks among U.S. destinations are Las Vegas, Orlando, Maui, Alaska (by cruise ship) and New York.

My take on where you’ll find the best values in foreign travel: Eastern Europe, Turkey, Mexico, China and any of the Latin American countries.

-Fares and fees: Expect higher airfares, even if fewer people are flying.

“Airlines won’t see growth in demand, and may even experience a loss of demand, but will continue to raise ticket prices,” predicts Bason.

Ancillary revenue – money from everything from checked bag fees to sales of premium seats – nearly doubled to $12.5 billion last year among the major U.S. airlines.

“I think the next move is going to be not so much in introducing new fees as in new methods for managing fees,” says Jay Sorensen, CEO of IdeaWorks, an airline-consulting company. Airlines may test out charging varying prices for premium seats or early boarding, depending on the length of the flight.

“Fees will rise and fall with demand,” Sorensen says, and more airlines will look at selling annual subscriptions for services, similar to what United offers under its premier baggage plan.Social seating: Dutch airline KLM will roll out a “meet and seat” service this year that will let you choose seatmates based on Facebook and LinkedIn profiles.

The idea is that people with similar interests might want to meet and chat on long flights. Will this fly? Given the other criteria people use for choosing seats – more legroom, preference for aisle or window, etc. – I doubt it. What do you think?

Carol Pucci: cpucci@seattletimes.com

Jason Wilson / UGC

Rainbow over Trunk Bay, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

Jason Wilson and his fiance were driving to Cinnamon Bay in the U.S. Virgin Islands when they spotted this beautiful rainbow over Trunk Bay in November 2011. 

The couple, visiting from Hickory, N.C., had just purchased wedding rings on St. John and decided to rent a car and “explore as much of the island as possible,” Wilson told TODAY.com.

“It was about an hour before sunset, so the sun was getting low on the horizon,” Wilson said. “To the north, it was raining over the water just beyond the bay. The combination of the two created the rainbow … We stayed until it disappeared about five minutes later.

“Once it disappeared, we continued on to Cinnamon Bay where we saw another rainbow, but it was not as full or bright as the one at Trunk Bay.”

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More photos:

• It’s a Snap! Travel photos from around the world
• Hurricane Ridge’s snow-capped mountains
• Roaring falls in Idaho

Philadelphia, PA –  When the NHL’s Board of Governors approved the NHL’s drastic plan for realignment in early December, announcement of the news was usually coupled with the phrase “pending approval from the National Hockey League Players Association.”

At the time, nobody seemed overly concerned that the NHLPA would actually shoot down the four-conference plan proposed by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and approved by the owners, but that’s exactly what happened on Friday.

Citing concerns about “onerous travel” and the “disparity in chances of making the playoffs between the smaller and larger divisions,” NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr (yes, that Donald Fehr) announced the union’s decision to nix the realignment plan.

Bettman and the owners’ plan was built around four conferences — two with eight teams and two with seven — and it was designed to place clubs into groups based on time zones. That would seem to take care of travel concerns, but the NHLPA wanted a mock schedule to determine what a season under the new alignment would actually look like. The players’ union never received that draft schedule from the NHL, which instead delivered travel formulas and mileage stats to the NHLPA.

While the fight over travel stats seems petty on the NHLPA’s part, the union does have a legitimate argument with its concerns about making the playoffs. From the time the realignment plan was announced, the fact that two divisions have eight teams fighting for four playoff spots and the other two have just seven clubs battling for the same number of postseason berths seemed unfair to the larger conferences.

Yet, to focus on the two debates above as the reason the league will not be realigned for 2012-13 would be missing the point. In reality, there is a whole lot of red herring being force fed to the public by both the NHL and the NHLPA.

What’s really going on here is a precursor to the pending battle over the league’s next Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current CBA is set to expire on Sept. 15, 2012 and neither side wants to blink first.

After all, the NHL heavily marketed its realignment plan, which was devised without the consent of the players’ union, and basically dared the NHLPA to veto it. Bettman and the owners figured it was a win-win for them; either they get the realignment they want, or the NHLPA shoots it down and takes a PR hit among the league’s fan base.

Fehr and the NHLPA chose the latter path and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly chastised the players in the league’s statement regarding the rejection.

“It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to approve a Plan that an overwhelming majority of our Clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and other members of the hockey community, including Players.

“We believe the Union acted unreasonably in violation of the League’s rights. We intend to evaluate all of our available legal options and to pursue adequate remedies, as appropriate.”

Doesn’t seem like the NHL is ready to play nice, does it? But, from what we know about Fehr, his side isn’t likely to cower either.

The owners were considered the winners of the last CBA battle after successfully getting the salary-cap system they wanted, but it took a lockout and the lost 2004-05 season to get it. Considering the fact that NHL players are still making millions, the only real losers in the last CBA fight were fans of NHL hockey.

It still seems unthinkable that the league and the NHLPA could be walking down a road to another work stoppage in 2012-13, but with Fehr leading the players’ union there is reason to be, well, scared.

Fehr, of course, was the executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association when baseball went through its infamous strike that lasted from 1994-1995. When he stepped down as head of the MLBPA and took the same post on the NHL side in December 2010, many folks believed — unreasonably, or not — that Fehr would inevitably help cause another hockey work stoppage.

That may not be accurate or fair, but after his involvement with the MLB strike of ’94-95, Fehr has become known by the public as a staunch defender of greed among professional athletes. In reality, he is not some super villain, but simply the best at what he does: fighting for the players’ stake in multi- billion dollar industries like professional baseball and hockey.

Fehr and Bettman have yet to meet about the CBA, but they are expected to have their first encounter sometime after this month’s All-Star Game in Ottawa. Whenever they do meet, it’s a safe bet that the conversation will be lacking in small talk.

The Great Recession might seem like it has never ended, but one class of consumer has had no trouble bouncing back. They’re the affluent, and they’re driving this two-speed economy of ours. With high income and high net worth, the affluent have money to burn, and this year many of them are looking to spend it on traveling. Travel stocks might just be ready to rally.

Just the facts, please
The Unity Marketing study that discovered this increasing interest in traveling offers a number of interesting figures. Let’s run through them quickly:

• Survey size: 1,498.
• Average income: $279,100 (minimum cutoff is $100,000).
• Total taxpayers in this category: 17.4 million (12.4% of taxpaying populace).
• 43% plan to spend more on travel in 2012, with 12% planning to spend significantly more.
• Only 15% plan to reduce their travel costs.
• 54% plan to redeem reward points for trips.
• 61% will make their own plans; only 38% will use a travel agent.
• Only 15% cite travel rewards as an influence.
• Specialty discount offers only influence 15% of travelers, less than the previous survey two years ago.

Trouble at the ‘Zoo
What does it all mean? It’s highly encouraging for the right sort of companies, but the last two lines in particular might give some others pause. Travelzoo (Nasdaq: TZOO  ) is the clear standard-bearer of online discount traveling. With a slim fraction of likely travelers looking for special offers, it could be in for another disappointing year. It doesn’t help that online discount sites are notoriously competitive, and larger players could outmuscle Travelzoo if they start smelling new revenue streams.

Roll the dice
If travelers plan to redeem rewards and spend more money, who stands to benefit? The casino industry will throw itself at big spenders to get them to come back, as anyone who’s put in time at the tables can attest. Fellow Fool Travis Hoium has already noted an uptick in visitors to Sin City that began last year, on which Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS  ) and MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM  ) are poised to capitalize. Rewards redemption plus more spending money is music to the ears of big casinos.

Take to the air
What of the well-heeled set that prefer more exotic destinations? Major airlines have enough trouble keeping their heads above water, even in good times — witness the airline bankruptcy musical chairs of the last decade. That doesn’t mean the well-heeled won’t need tickets. With most making their own plans, priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN  ) could scoop up a number of new customers this year. That could strap a rocket onto its impressive internationally fueled growth. Remember, just because people want to spend more doesn’t mean they necessarily want to splurge on a flight.

Rule the waves
Cruising also appears to be in vogue this year, particularly on smaller, more luxurious ships. One big winner here is Celebrity Cruises, the upscale brand of cruiser Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL  ) . Cruise Holidays reports that Celebrity’s new ships are the most popular cruise choices for 2011, and look set to sustain that momentum into 2012.

Royal Caribbean stock offers more than just a decent 1.5% dividend — both it and Carnival offer benefits to anyone with more than 100 shares in their portfolio. If you own at least 100 shares and take a cruise with Royal Caribbean, you can get up to $250 in onboard credit. A standard cruise of six to nine nights on Royal Caribbean offers $100 in credits, which works out to a sort of “bonus” 3.9% dividend for taking just one cruise a year at the company’s current share price — if you own the minimum 100 shares. Owning a little stock makes a lot of sense for affluent cruisers.

If you’d like to track these companies to find out whether they can cash in this year, add them to your Watchlist now. Looking for another company with great potential, both this year and beyond? Get your free copy of The Motley Fool’s brand-new report on a cutting-edge company that looks like the next rule-breaking multibagger.

The Collapse of the Euro
Europe is only weeks away from economic collapse, insists a former IMF chief. Yet you probably haven’t heard the whole story: You can protect yourself and even profit from this looming catastrophe if you move fast enough…

Discover your chance to profit now. Enter your email address below to receive your copy of “The Investor’s Guide to Shorting the Euro.” Developed by the expert analysts of Motley Fool PRO, this report is yours FREE for a limited time. Enter your email address now.

Baby girl Blue Ivy Carter was welcomed to the world Sunday by parents Beyonce and Jay-Z — and an avalanche of tweets about her unusual name. Early Twitter messages mistakenly reversed it to Ivy Blue (and I’m ignoring those with the hashtag #NamesBetterThanBlueIvy).

Here are some amazing places that share Blue Ivy’s first name and would be perfect for a visit — after she learns to walk.

–Blue Hole of Belize: There are other blue holes in the world, but this one has always snagged the title the “great” Blue Hole. It’s on the Lighthouse Reef Atoll, which has become a diving magnet, and measures about 1,000 feet in diameter and 412 feet deep.

–Blue Mountains of Australia: Just 40 miles from Sydney is an impressive mountain chain with a high point of just more than 3,000 feet. Katoomba is the cool place to stay while exploring the bush, gorges and national parks in the area. Here’s what Lonely Planet says about the name: “The slate-coloured haze that gives the mountains their name comes from a fine mist of oil exuded by eucalyptus trees.”

–Blue Zone areas: This isn’t a single destination but rather several areas of the world where explorer and educator Dan Buettner found the happy confluence of diet, lifestyle and old age. Ikaria, Greece; Okinawa, Japan; and even Loma Linda in Southern California are some of the spots to visit — and learn.

–Blue City of Jodhpur, India: The blue here refers to houses painted an intense blue in the Meherangarh Fort section of Jodhpur, the second-largest city in Rajasthan. 

LAS VEGAS–BlackBerry OS 7.1 wasn’t the only thing RIM announced today. Three of the most popular apps on the BlackBerry platform also got some major work done.

First, BBM 6.1 is here, and it adds some sexy NFC flavor to its feature set. Now, friends can invite each other to connect on BlackBerry Messenger by simply tapping their NFC-enabled phones together, which, let’s face it, is a hell of a lot easier than inputting those crazy BBM PINs. Also, BBM 6.1 gets the powerful message and profile customization options–animated avatars, emoticons, and colored chat bubbles–that were previously seen in the app’s beta release.

(Credit:
RIM)

Next, BlackBerry Travel also got a big boost. According to the folks at RIM, the newly updated app “virtually plans your trips for you from airport pickup and drop-off to accommodations and scheduling.” You can use it to find deals on hotels and
car rentals, and it can notify you of any delays or changes in your flight schedule. Also, there’s an automatic trip-scanning feature that can pull your trip details directly into the app, no matter where you booked your trip. Since many of BlackBerry’s remaining followers are likely the business-travel type, these updates are sure to raise a lot of eyebrows.

Finally, BlackBerry Traffic now has turn-by-turn voice navigation. It gives you your route, along with your estimated time of arrival (ETA) based on current traffic conditions, which should be incredibly helpful to those running around major metropolitan cities for meetings all day.

(Credit:
RIM)

The new BlackBerry Messenger 6.1, BlackBerry Travel, and BlackBerry Traffic apps are available for download now on BlackBerry App World.

Official figures show a fall in the number of people travelling to Ireland between September and November, though visitor numbers for the year so far are still ahead of last year.

The Central Statistics Office said there were just over 1.5 million trips made to Ireland in the three-month period, down 4.1% or 65,300 compared with the same period a year earlier.

Visits from Britain – Ireland’s biggest tourism market – were down 2%, while trips from North America fell 11.7%. Visits from other European countries were down 2.9% compared with the same period last year.

For the first 11 months of the year, foreign trips to Ireland are up 6.8% – or 380,100 – to just over six million.

Late last month, the Irish Tourist Industry Confederation estimated that overseas visitors to Ireland increased by 7% in 2011 – the first increase in four years. Tourism body Fáilte Ireland is due to give its estimate later this week.

Meanwhile, Irish people made 58,700 fewer trips abroad from September to November – a drop of 3.9% to just over three million. For the first 11 months of 2011, Irish travel abroad fell by 4% to 5.98 million.