The best travel deals aren’t from the airlines, too many restrictions. The area where you can get some terrific (more…)

Smith Travel Research says hotel occupancy has dropped from 74% a year ago down to 61%. “The entire hotel sector has entered the initial stage of one of the deepest and longest recessions in (more…)

San Francisco is proud of its cultural diversity. And the airport, port and city is busily launching a new advertising program in seven (more…)

I was reading Portfolio this morning and came across this interesting comment by Joe Brancatelli who writes a “Business Travel Column” for Portfolio, an excellent magazine.

According to Brancatelli hotels pay maids 1/2 cent per square foot to clean a hotel room. I don’t know about you, but over the years I’ve stayed in hotel rooms that would (more…)

Almost 3 million time-share owners are bartering their time share weeks, both on a direct basis as well as indirectly. There are 4,000+ time-share resorts in 81 countries around the world.

Given the figures states you can see their is now an enormous “time-share exchange industry” in place for you to utilize, (more…)

In any economy companies of every size should take a hard look at expenditures, and search for the maximum yield for the minimum dollar amount. Here’s a quick look at how incentive travel, on trade, can be an excellent way to build your company’s cohesiveness.

Many companies are aiming for a tighter alignment within their organization by re-evaluating priorities, readjusting qualifications and integrating more education. And there’s a new understanding of how they can use incentive travel to its full potential—as an investment, not just (more…)

If you’re planning a summer vacation there are ways you may be able to use the tax code to help subsidize that summer trip to some popular tourist haven. Here are some possibilities:

• Mixing vacation with business. One ticket to tax-deductible summer travel is to tack some vacation onto a business trip you’re scheduled to take this summer. If the primary purpose of your trip is business, you can deduct the cost of getting to and from your destination.

For example, say you have a (more…)

Delta Air Lines has introduced a new program that is aimed at keeping their customers, who have accumulated a lot of frequent-flier miles, happy.The plan is definitely a step up in flexibility and offers frequent fliers a choice.

The new program, “Pay With Miles” will enable members of its SkyMiles program who have a (more…)

If there’s an economic slowdown in your life don’t consider taking action that you might regret later on-–like canceling your vacation. That practice should carry a Surgeon General’s warning: Canceling your vacation is dangerous to your health.

If you are considering canceling a vacation, and if you have a choice in the matter, don’t do it. A growing body of research links long-term vacation habits and health.

A 14-year study of 13,000 men, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, found annual vacations sharply (more…)

The Japanese government wants its citizens to spend more money traveling abroad…today the Japanese would rather work than travel.

Last year, 80 percent of all salaried workers in Japan refused to take all their vacation time. Japanese unions are dropping wage demands and asking for more holiday time to cooperate with the government’s plan. A strong traditional work-ethic practice, honed over centuries, may not be easily replaced.

But with the support of Japanese government and unions, and with major companies rounding up tourists (a new long-range business plan), there is a good probability of long-term success. And the ultimate effect on the international travel industry would be dramatic.

Consider the following situation (more…)