Can this Trip be saved / Managing your Travel Business / Travel Selling
by John Hawks

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Answer: The quick answer is "Not much."

Every major (and minor) cruise line that takes U.S. citizens into non-U.S. ports states clearly in its brochures and documents that it is the responsibility of the travelers -- not the cruise line -- to make sure they have the proper documents to board the ship. And, almost every CLIA line has a strict policy of not refunding money to passengers who run afoul of these rules.

It's tough to blame the cruise lines in these cases, as they're simply following federal regulations that grew much tougher after the 9/11 attacks. In fact, any cruise line that bent the rules and allowed travelers to board the ship without the proper documentation could find itself in hot water when those passengers tried to clear U.S. customs upon their return without up-to-date papers!

Here's the best advice for cruise passengers these days: Go ahead and invest in a valid passport. Federal rules will be changing in 2007 and 2008 to require passports even for quick jaunts into Canada and Mexico (though U.S. officials say they may compromise on this point, given the complaints they're getting from businesses along both borders). Since passports are now valid for 10 years, your clients will be paying the price of a single movie ticket once a year to have the very best form of travel identification at their fingertips.

If your clients simply insist on using driver's licenses and birth certificates, they must make sure that those documents are absolutely valid and updated. For example, does the birth certificate bear the birth state's official seal, or is it simply a copy of the original birth certificate that was never technically certified? Also, some countries require travel documents to be valid for at least six months beyond the dates of the trip. (For the latest entry and exit requirements for any country, check http://travel.state.gov.)

Managing Your Travel Business: Walking the Straight Line on Permits and Registrations

Glance around the next time you walk into a small business in your city -- especially a retail store or restaurant that serves a steady flow of public customers. The chances are very good that you will see a corkboard or a display area near the cash register that shows the proprietor's local and state business licenses and permits.

If you live in one of the dozen or more states that have "seller of travel" laws, you realize that you may be required to comply with these regulations (which range from simple annual registrations as a travel agent to big expenses to satisfy requirements such as escrow accounts and bonds).

Have you ever thought, however, about the other permits and registrations you may need to operate a lawful business in your community?

Here's a short list of licenses and permits that you should investigate on the federal, state, and local levels:

Federal paperwork

The primary form you should remember for Uncle Sam is IRS Form SS-4 -- the application to secure your own employer identification number (EIN), sometimes called a tax ID number. You'll find a blank version of this form at www.irs.gov, and you should file this form and reserve your EIN as soon as you open your home-based travel business. Resist the temptation to use your own Social Security number as your EIN, so that you can separate your business and personal affairs.

State paperwork

Beyond any state seller of travel laws, you should learn about your state's requirements for income tax (unless you happen to live in one of those blessed states that do not impose income taxes!). And, if you have any employees in your business (including yourself!), you should contact your state's employment or labor department to request the forms for new employers. (You might consider using a payroll service which will help you file the proper forms.)

Local paperwork

Here's the # 1 local issue that trips up some home-based travel agents: zoning regulations or homeowners association rules that prohibit businesses in the home on certain streets or in certain neighborhoods. It pays to check with City Hall so that you will be in compliance with the zoning rules governing your street -- and so that you can secure the proper forms required by some cities for opening a home-based business of any type.

Travel Selling 101: Don't Check Your Email in the Mornings

Does the above title sound really strange to you?

If you're like many home-based travel agents, your business depends heavily upon email -- staying in close touch with your clients and prospects. Have you noticed, though, that you sometimes feel chained to your computer, and do you find yourself wondering whether you're selling travel or simply answering everyone's travel questions?

In other words, do you focus too much time and effort on activities that don't really have a lot to do with your bottom-line sales?

That's the subject of a provocative new book titled Never Check Email In The Morning: And Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work by Julie Morgenstern, a New York Times bestselling author and organizing guru. This book offers many lessons grouped around a central theme: Don't major in minor things.

"Sure," you may be saying to yourself right now. "There's no way I can't check my email 24/7 -- who knows when a new client might email me to book an around-the-world cruise?" Morgenstern doesn't advocate ignoring your email, but what she's promoting in her new book is the strategy of controlling your work flow. She advises that you start every work day with a strategic planning period -- even if it's simply 15 minutes while you're having that first cup of coffee -- to organize your day in terms of priorities that actually bring dollars to your bottom line. Then, set aside one or two periods during the day for email. She says you'll feel much more focused than if you start the day chasing junk email and requests from "shoppers" who want travel advice from you without paying for it.

Consider these other strategies offered by Morgenstern to get the most out of your daily schedule:

"Beware of multitasking." Sometimes, we congratulate ourselves that we can juggle so many different clients and projects -- but Morgenstern says we're kidding ourselves instead. We're simply dividing our attention and energy, so that we end up doing 10 tasks in a mediocre manner instead of one or two things very well. "Scattering your efforts makes for a longer day," she writes.

"Crunch your container." It's tempting for home-based travel agents to ignore the scheduled end of our workdays, because there's always one more client to call or one more prospect to visit. Morgenstern actually advises shortening the workday schedule by 30 minutes -- creating a premium on our time, so that we'll actually get more done.

"Dance near the revenue line." We can sort the latest cruise brochures for our files, attend supplier functions to learn the newest packages, and spend time laying out newsletters and designing our business cards until the end of time -- but, the truth is, we don't make any real money until we sell something. That's Morgenstern's point: "Making or saving money is where your greatest value lies.

"Trust your truth." When it's crunch time, you have to trust yourself to make the best decision for your travel business. "Never undervalue your unique self, skills, and point of view," she writes.

We recommend this new book for OSSN agents to read over the holidays. Here's the link if you'd like to purchase it for the special price of $10.80 plus shipping and handling!