Free Worldwide Opportunities Magazine
AIRLINES OPPORTUNITIES
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Airlines Loyalty - A Psychological Perspective Introduction
Bricks of loyalty:
Despite the extant literature on customer loyalty, it is recognized that the psychological processes behind customer loyalty and commitment are still ill understood (Pritchard et al. 1999) (1). The fundamental guidance system for all human responses is powered by its emotional palette. Thus, to understand its underpinnings and moderate it to favor an organisation within limited extend, an deep understanding of human psychology is important.
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Total customer-loyalty is the Holy Grail that all organisations seek in order to meet their business objectives and bolster financial bottom-lines. Every organisation has the fantasy that their customers would remain totally loyal to their business. If this could be achieved, they would remain profitable forever. This is a dichotomous thought because, if all customers would restrict their loyalty to a few organisations, then customer acquisition-the manna for business growth would grind to a halt, killing expansion and new initiatives. Thus, disloyalty within varying degrees is a reality and a necessary evil.
Reality is far from fantasy, and humans will keep shifting their loyalty at varying levels as they are by nature promiscuous in all their relationships. Their ability to think intelligently enables them to explore various combinations and permutations in every situation and choose what is most favorable to them.
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The "sense" of loyalty seems be a part of the survival instinct. It helps people come together and live within groups & undertake tasks that would otherwise have been impossible to execute alone or in small numbers. This human tendency to cluster together is what marketing experts call "relationship-proneness". In this clustering, the individual is willing to let collective needs predominate over his personal needs. This requires high levels of commitment that can only emanate from a strong, consensual and positive state of mind.
Among the various factors that affect customer loyalty, the sense of commitment comes across as major. In the literature on organizational psychology, Allen and Meyer (1990) distinguish between affective, continuance (calculative) and normative commitment. The differences between these three types of commitment reflect the psychological state that binds the individual to the organization. Affective commitment refers to the emotional attachment to an organization, while continuance commitment refers to the costs that individuals associate with leaving the organization and the normative component refers to individuals' feelings of obligation to remain with the organization.
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They argue that a more comprehensive understanding of the link between commitment and loyalty will be achieved when all three types of commitment are considered simultaneously (5). Pritchard et al. (1999) argue that an analysis of commitment 'should move beyond a general expression of attachment and incorporate an understanding of the psychology inherent in binding a person to that disposition' (p. 334). They distinguish information processes, identification processes and volition processes as antecedents of commitment. (2)
Many organisations have spent valuable resources in implementing a loyalty program to retain existing customers and attain new ones. While many have succeeded, the others are still struggling recoup the expenses and to identify what went wrong in the whole process.
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A Loyalty program is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It should address the stimulus-response system of its targeted customers based on actual behavioural data over a period of time. People within different segments exhibit differing behavioural traits & the stimulus that elicits a desired response seems to be varied too. The variety of behavioural responses by same people within different groups is truly complex. Basic understanding of the human stimulus-response to emotional manipulations can be understood from the classic "Hawthorne study" & B.F. Skinner's theory of "operant conditioning" and his proposition and exploration of possibilities of the "token economy". The rewards offered through a loyalty program not only aim at eliciting the right behaviour, but also reinforce it so that it ultimately becomes the part of the person's shopping psyche. Eliciting the right response is not just the function of the rewards offered, but all also includes a lot of other factors including the overall experience that has been nomenclatured as "experiential-marketing" in today's parlance.
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By being the member of a loyalty program, a subscriber by default becomes the part of a larger community. Like every group, this community is also guided by certain norms and rules-predominantly set by the principal organisation that owns the program. The acts of accrual and redemption forms the basic rules and constant tactical promotions that have a different set of rules forms advanced rules that form the part of the standard operating procedures that guide the members of the community. Community formation being the first step, successful conversion of the members into a "psychological-crowd" remains the key. Psychological crowds are by nature extremely prone to the power of suggestibility. This vulnerability towards suggestion can arguably be achieved by constant and relevant communication. In marketing terms the tactical and strategic promotions that are used to constantly communicate to the members serve the function of active suggestion. Physical and emotional proximity between the members can be achieved by creating activities specially created for them like a family day-out, movie premiere, tickets for a play etc. These activities re-assure each member that as there are many like them who think and act similarly thus, validating their membership to the group.
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What applies to an individual applies to a group-successful loyalty programs are those that leverage the emotions that guide human behaviour and channelise them towards limited behaviour modification resulting in regular and incremental financial returns for the organisation. The human mind craves for routine and any incentive that allows one to profitably (by being rewarded) continue dealing with familiar organisations is a winner.
Loyalty programs are dictated by market dynamics. It is no longer a luxury but a necessity and a vital tool for survival for any business across industries. This is easy to understand when we realise that the market resides nowhere but in the collective consciousness of consumers.
Loyalty-the airline perspective.
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Like any business, the airline industry has organically grown to many times its size since the first commercial aircraft began operations. With almost every nation today owning a "national" airline and the numerous private airlines glutting the sky, the passenger has never been spoiled for choice. Air travel itself has come down from a few notches in its positioning with ticket prices hitting realistic levels and from a luxury, it has become a necessity.
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The process of globalization has resulted in creating new inter-cultural and inter-national dependencies. In the new & bold "flat world", political boundaries have become transparent. Business or personal travel has picked up and considering that today, time is perceived as more valuable, air travel has naturally become more popular. With conspicuous consumption attaining added respectability, even services are treated at par with products. It may be safely said that today the consumer has truly been crowned "King".
According to a Datamonitor study, the global airlines industry generated total revenues of $318.6 billion in 2005, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.6% for the five-year period spanning 2001-2005. Passenger volumes increased with a CAGR of 5.5% between 2002-2006, to reach a total of 2,490 million passengers in 2005. The performance of the industry is forecast to accelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 8.3% for the five-year period 2005-2010 expected to drive the industry to a value of $475.3 billion by the end of 2010 (3).
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With demand reaching high levels, the battle has focused on cornering maximum business by individual airlines. Loyalty programs or frequent flyer programs as they are known within the airline industry have already proven its efficacy as effective marketing weapons helping the individual airlines and alliances differentiate their service features and reduce core marketing expenses. Since the target acquisition has changed from large groups to smaller demographic groups or even individuals, a shift in firing mode-from assault to precision is but a natural process.
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Increased business opportunities have throw up its own unique challenges and airlines in their bid to maintain profitability has had no choice but revamp, invigorate and empower alternative marketing tools like FFPs. FFPs are psychological marketing initiatives that focus on the emotions of the target prompting a change that drives them not only in thought, but action as well. Which means, over a period of time, the target customer is encouraged to if not actually make a purchase, at least find out more about the offer made. This most of the times is the beginning of a transaction.
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Like everything in the universe, Loyalty programs have gone through its share of evolution as well. From primitive stamp & other coupon based ones, it has come a long way and is today almost entirely software-driven offering better flexibility through intelligent automation. The transformation of frequent flyer programs, kick started by the deregulation of the US airline industry in 1978 and extensive computerization within the industry has been rapid in recent times.
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The key to any successful business is informed investment. For effectively spend money to maximise returns, deployable data is a crucial component for any organisation. Like all businesses, the airline Industry too is bound by the Pareto principle of 80:20. Since all customers are not same, it becomes important to identify the most "valuable" customers. A sophisticated data-capture system as a part of the loyalty program helps in identifying these customers and their Life time value (LTV). By identifying wallet-share, the customers can be identified and incentivised. This narrowcasting also results in better ROI on rewards and communication expenses. FFPs like all loyalty initiatives is the result of a bargain. For repeat and consistent business, the airline offers rewards to the customer who in return gets a better ROI on his spend and responds by patronizing the airline.
Data Management:
The ultimate objective of FFPs is information. It is gathered through data collation and analysis and the success of a loyalty initiative primarily depends on it. It's not just any data but the right fields that it captures and the customer behaviour patterns that it brings out which helps the airlines in fine tuning its strategies and fortifying its bottom lines.
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In 1981, when AAdvantage was launched by American Airlines, it had a 150,000 best customer database. Today, the figures have swelled many times introducing new complexities. These huge databases potentially offer tremendous business opportunities if mined properly for information. Extracting precision information by slicing and dicing the available data require sophisticated technologies to manage and derive analytics that would ultimately help the airlines retain and obtain business.
Rewards Capability:
The customer service expectations have undergone the natural evolution process and are at a higher plane today. They are conscious of the fact that their business is valuable to the industry and the individual airline. In order to meet elevated expectations, it has become essential to offer varied, exciting and obtainable rewards in two timescales-tactical and strategic. The challenge for the airlines lies in constantly identifying innovative rewarding methodologies that will keep the customer excited and participating without compromising on its financial bottomlines.
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Thus, apart from maintaining their own proprietary FFPs, most of the airlines have also become part of alliances like Star Alliance, Skyteam or Oneworld the three top alliances in the world or smaller regional groupings. Alliances promise seamless service to passengers across their joint networks with each alliance member giving the appropriate level of reward and recognition to each other's members. Proportionate rewards are here to stay and there is no escape from it.
It is a tribute to the flexibility and appeal of FFPs that it has expanded and accommodated related but non-flying partners like rent-a car services, tour operators, hotels etc. Many FFPs have also successfully tied-up with natural transaction aggregators like credit cards to plug-in retail into the accrual eco-system. Though these businesses are in reality outsiders within the FFP environment, they present wider and accelerated miles earning pool for the members but also results in additional earnings for the airline that is used to subsidise the costs of its FFP.
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Airline alliances have helped in selective aggregation of passengers as well as spread-out cost benefits for airlines. The success of these alliances is indicated by the statistics generated and is indicative of its popularity and the way forward for airlines. Among the top three alliances- Star alliance has 455.5 million PPY*, 912 destinations, 25.1% market share, SkyTeam has 428 million PPY, 841 Destinations and 20.8% market share and Oneworld has 319.7 million PPY, 692 destinations and 14.9% market share. One of the crucial factors that have played a role in the popularity and success of these alliances definitely has been the opportunity to earn miles seamlessly across them.
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According to the Economist magazine, frequent flyer points are the world's second largest currency. The total number of frequent flyer miles worldwide is worth an estimated $500 billion. (4) This indicates that miles collection remains a constant done either deliberately or as a normal process. It has become an alternate currency whose potential exchange value is used to attract customer attention. Redemption offers being important tools that can be used to make customer transact with the miles ecosystem and used to sell perishable commodities like seats on aircraft or hotel rooms during off-season periods. The large miles pool thus presents a real opportunity than threat to the airline industry and indicates that along with constant accrual, periodic redemptions are critical to demonstrate the value of miles earned.
* Passengers per year
It seems that what makes loyalty programs attractive (from the consumer standpoint) and effective (from the airline standpoint) is the reward side of the equation. FFPs work because there is a balancing of consumer and airline interests. From the airline standpoint, the generous awards can be justified because average award costs are closer to the direct costs of carrying a passenger (an extra meal, extra aircraft fuel, etc.) than to the actual cost of purchasing a comparable ticket. That's because award seats are limited, thereby reducing the likelihood of an award passenger displacing a revenue passenger. The real advantage for an organisation in giving away loyalty points lies not only in creating a sense of loyalty, but in the millions of data points collected about customer behaviour. This data is analysed and used for inside-out marketing communications.
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As FFPs allow targeted communications with the airlines' proven customers, it is not necessary to spend as much on expensive (and inefficient) print and broadcast advertising to maintain the interest and loyalty of current customers. The dollars "earned" through these savings run into the millions. A combination of sophisticated yield management techniques and frequent flyer programs has helped the airline industry consolidate its profits.
FFPs at crossroads:
Frequent flyer programs as revenue consolidators & generators have remained a constant within the airline industry but it is the needs of the customer that have undergone a sea change. In order to accommodate the changed needs of the customers, many FFPs have gone through an inevitable metamorphosis into sophisticated programs playing a vital role in customer relations management (CRM). In the process of maintaining the relevance of their FFPs as brand differentiators, airlines today are compelled to upgrade their programs with new generation functionalities. But the greatest impediment towards this transformation has come from inside-system constraints. Most of today's loyalty systems were developed in-house in a reactive fashion. They were predominantly built on legacy systems that have limitations when it comes to up gradations.
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While the basic debiting and crediting of points, additional promotions, tier based differential accruals etc work reasonably well with the old system, complex offerings exposes, the limitations of these systems and a lot of manual processing is required to support these activities
Some of the weak points of legacy systems may be summarised here:
Lack of flexibility- In most systems it is extremely difficult to make changes-changes like new promotions, new programs or even smaller things, like what data gets stored for each customer.
Expensive to Maintain- In order to accommodate enhancements within the legacy systems that are inherently difficult to make, a lot of coding is required. Coding exercises being manual intensive are expensive by nature. Built predominantly on custom-made systems, there is poor interoperability between alliance partners. Thus, the opportunities to share opportunities & costs that come with economies of scale are diminished thereby pushing up the costs.
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Little or no access to customer data for analysis- Despite accumulating customer data, many airlines are constrained by their inability to derive deployable information through data mining and analysis. Such information is valuable in understanding customer behaviour patterns, calculating ROI, make any necessary course correction or most importantly, to directly communicate with valuable customers.
Lack of customer information flow between systems: For enhancing the travel experience for the passenger, the airline staff needs to treat them with familiarity and based on larger business, treat them as special. Unless the information regarding the customer is accessible through their system, this cannot happen. In legacy systems, actionable customer information cannot be pushed out to customer contact employees at the appropriate time.
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There are also other constraints like inability to offer complex tactical promotions, Inability to effectively handling large databases, lack of multi-channel support, non-integrated and non-automated marketing functions etc restrains an airline from exploiting the true capabilities of a frequent flyer program. Thus faced with FFPs on state-of-the art loyalty platforms, these airlines lose the opportunity to convert their loyalty programs into true tools of competitive advantage, attracting, retaining and expanding business with high-value customers. In a different period, the legacy systems have served the airlines well. In the more demanding circumstances wherein the value-proposition of an FFP has changed, the passenger's loyalty has become all the more determining factor that has a direct effect on the operational efficiencies and profitability for an airline. Legacy systems are well past their prime and the airlines are left with no choice but upgrade their FFPs on enterprise systems.
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Comparison-legacy system & new loyalty solution.
Legacy/ custom built solutions
Gen-Next Systems
Expensive to maintain
Strategically lower maintenance costs
Lack of over-all flexibility
Flexibility to handle multi-faceted loyalty functions
Manual intervention intensive
Low manual intervention
Difficulty in offering complex rewards
Multiple rewarding options
Cumbersome to handle large databases
Easy to handle large & multiple segmented databases
Inability to analyze accumulated data
Developed for complex data analysis
Lack of customer information flow between systems
Access to real-time customer information at all customer touch points
Lack of Multi-channel support
Integrated with multiple channel ability
Poor inter-operability between alliance partners
Designed for seamless inter-operability between alliance partners
Marketing communication is a separate & manual function
Marketing communications are automated and seamless
FFPs are workhorses for airline industry having proven its effectiveness over 27 years. The role of FFPs & expectations from it has changed.
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The next generation loyalty solutions need to be adopted within the industry to continue harness the power of FFPs. Some highlights of the new loyalty solutions are:
Viable and inevitable migration option from the current legacy system.
Pre-built analytics solution that can throw-up obtain customer behavioural/purchase patterns.
A flexible rules engine that can accommodate multiple rules to run the loyalty program.
Empowers the airlines to design and effectively execute and manage loyalty campaigns and ability to offer complex rewards.
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Flexible design supporting innovative airline business models and enables them to respond efficiently to the ever changing demands of the air travel industry.
Enable seamless customer information flow between systems. The touch points where customer is serviced should have the capability to access important information that can transform the flying experience.
Marketing communication should be integrated with the FFP system rather than being a separate activity.
With organisations like ITC Infotech offering specialised services to upgrade the FFPs from legacy systems to new enterprise based platforms, loyalty programs are set for transform into dynamic entities that can handle complex functions and exceed the current expectations from it.- SANJAI VELAYUDHAN
References
Pritchard, M.P., M.E. Havitz, & D.R. Howard (1999). Analyzing the Commitment-Loyalty Link in Service Contexts. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27 (3), 333-48.
The psychology behind commitment and loyalty. An empirical study in a bank setting. Josee Bloemer, Gaby Odekerken- Schroder, Hilda Martens.
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/45810/airlines_global_industry_guide; Datamonitor, March 2007.
http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-4240152-10819257
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4240152-10844433
http://www.travelcentre.com.au/FrequentFlyer/freq_flyer.htm© Sanjai velayudhan
Endnote: The author would like your feedback-both bouquets & brickbats. Write to me- sanjai.velayudhan@itcinfotech.com. A behavioural trainer by education and a loyalty specialist by profession, Sanjai has PG qualifications in Training and Performance management from CLMS, University of Leicester. Sanjai currently works with ITC Infotech India Limited as senior manager-loyalty programme. He has hands-on experience in managing loyalty programmes both in India and the middle east. He writes extensively on loyalty programmes and the psychology behind it. To read some his papers, please visit: http://www.itcinfotech.com/Loyalty-Solutions/Home.html. You can watch his talk on the psychology of loyalty-: http://www.24framesdigital.com/winningedge/260608 feel free to write to him- sanjai.velayudhan@itcinfotech.com.Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The best source of international business
VACATION
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While scheduling a trip for Nevada, you would surely wish to comprise some best of the Las Vegas tourism. It has been the greatest growing cities of the United States and is popular for the exotic casinos and nightly shows. This city offers to shop and several restaurants. You may be certain that there is ample to do in the glamorous city of Las Vegas regardless of your budget.
Getting There
Ask your travel agent while flying to Vegas. You might be able to get few economical deals depending upon your visiting time. Certain hotels would offer a free night for you if reserving a room for minimum of two nights. If large number of people are traveling with you and staying in same hotel, you might be getting discounts. While flying to city, you would arrive at the McCarran Airport that is nearly eight to ten miles away from the hotels on popular Las Vegas Boulevard, also called Strip.
What to Do and See: The Best of Vegas Tourism
* You must see Hoover Dam that is situated thirty miles outside the Vegas.
* An Elvis-a-Rama museum is dedicated to Elvis Presley.
* Lied Children Discovery Museum gives an amazing experience and must be travelled with children.
* Natural History Museum shows all living animals that are being preserved.
* Liberace Museum is an entertaining place for exploring the life of Vegas' best musical performers.
Where to Stay
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While staying in the hotel, tours would be offered to you along with sightseeing and outing booking of the city. Vegas is for everybody, from adults to basic aged children to the teens. Shows tickets of your much loved artists, counting Barry Manilow or Celine Dion can also be purchased from the hotel. If you actually want to see an exacting show, it's best to purchase tickets prior to your entrance.
Getting There
Ask your travel agent while flying to Vegas. You might be able to get few economical deals depending upon your visiting time. Certain hotels would offer a free night for you if reserving a room for minimum of two nights. If large number of people are traveling with you and staying in same hotel, you might be getting discounts. While flying to city, you would arrive at the McCarran Airport that is nearly eight to ten miles away from the hotels on popular Las Vegas Boulevard, also called Strip.
What to Do and See: The Best of Vegas Tourism
* You must see Hoover Dam that is situated thirty miles outside the Vegas.
* An Elvis-a-Rama museum is dedicated to Elvis Presley.
* Lied Children Discovery Museum gives an amazing experience and must be travelled with children.
* Natural History Museum shows all living animals that are being preserved.
* Liberace Museum is an entertaining place for exploring the life of Vegas' best musical performers.
Where to Stay
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While staying in the hotel, tours would be offered to you along with sightseeing and outing booking of the city. Vegas is for everybody, from adults to basic aged children to the teens. Shows tickets of your much loved artists, counting Barry Manilow or Celine Dion can also be purchased from the hotel. If you actually want to see an exacting show, it's best to purchase tickets prior to your entrance.
Las Vegas Tours is one of the most beautiful and exciting place to spend your vacation. So, people keep looking for cheap tickets to that place. You can read more about vacation and vacation planning in my other articles. 11 Reasons to Buy Rail Europe Tickets Onlinehttp://www.advertiserserver.com/advertiserimage.gifHere is what you need to know about traveling across Europe by rail since you want to ensure that you would get your money's worth out of your Europe vacation. http://www.awltovhc.com/image-4240152-10857202 #1. Rail Europe tickets really enable you to see TRUE Europe by train - Enjoy some of the most spectacular and picturesque scenery live from the comfort of your seat. #2. Europe rail pass will be your smart choice if you intend to visit at least four Countries or more depend on how long you would travel. Check out for a wide selection of rail passes. You can find either single-pass or multi-pass options that fits your travel needs before you can book Euro rail pass. #3. You can request for your refunds if you wish to leave Europe early for home. You will get refunds minus 15% charges within six months of your euro pass purchase. #4. Euro rail does not charge you any fee for your super-sized luggage - All trains allow you to bring all of your stuffs. #5. If you are late, you would miss a train, that's no problem! You can hop on the next train. How's that sounds? http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-4240152-10806902 #6. Flexibility is what you need to travel with unlimited freedom - Europe train tickets can allow you to view eurail ticket prices and buy euro rail tickets in advance without feeling locked in, that means you can change your itinerary anytime if you change your mind. Euro Rail Pass will help you along the way. #7. Location, location, location - Train stations are located in city centers. You will be in the perfect location to start exploring and have easy access to stores, restaurants, hotels, hostels and more entertainments. #8. Train tickets to Europe is another better reason, because rising fuel costs do not make any difference and will not affect the price of Euro rail passes. #9. Rail Europe tickets for Eurail passes can be used on many ferries as well as the tracks if you intend to travel to Denmark or Norway or Sweden or Greece by rail. #10. Rail Europe offers tickets for the Eurostar where you can travel by rail between London, Paris and Brussels. #11. You'll meet fellow travelers from around the world in Europe, you would be getting the true feeling of Europe; You'll also meet friendly Europeans and can learn anything you want about the Europe's cultures. http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-4240152-10857205 As for residents who currently live in Countries except USA and plan to book rail europe tickets online and travel across Europe by rail, They offer the Europe rail site versions available for Countries, such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa.
How To Ride the Rails in Europehttp://www.advertiserserver.com/advertiserimage.gif http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-4240152-10820806 Riding the rails in Europe can be a fun and relaxing way to travel from city to city while vacationing in Europe providing time was taken to plan each portion of the trip. Train travel is the perfect way to go if you have a long vacation and are visiting many cities while you are in Europe, however if you are only in Europe for a week and traveling a great distance between only two cities your best bet it to fly. Like any great vacation there has to be a well researched plan and that goes for the train reservations as well. This is where this information comes into play with tips on how to plan a vacation which includes the rail portion of the trip. Start by asking the question how do I plan my train travels? This can be done simply by starting with a list of questions to ask yourself about the daily activities for the entire trip. These could include things like how long do I want to stay in each city? Which can only be answered by deciding how many activities you want to do there. The next question is how long is the train ride to the next city? Is the next city close enough to have time to go sightseeing once I am there and checked into my hotel or should I leave later in the day and just have dinner once I get there and plan to start my sightseeing the next day. This may seem a little complicated now but once you start planning your vacation everything will start to fall into place. So Make a check list of things you want to do in each city in order to decide how much time it will take to do everything you want to do there. After doing this you should be able to come up with a realistic estimate of how many days you will need for your vacation. If you have an abundance of days to use the planning will be much simpler then if you have 20 days and it looks like it may take 19 days to do everything on your wish list. If you are like most of us you will be tight on time which makes planning more important. This is why it is so great to have the internet since you can look up everything and avoid being in a constant state of stress trying to figure out how your getting to the next city on your vacation. The best way to get all the information you need for train travel is to go to Rail Europe which is the main train transportation system in Europe. Their web site is very easy to use and will give you many options to choose from including local and regional rail lines and daily schedules. Rail Europe also has a feature I like a lot which gives you the price difference between buying separate city to city tickets or a rail pass. For example you may be going to five different cities and each city may be only 150 miles apart, if you buy separate tickets for each city they could be 50 dollars each for a total of 250 dollars. After you have selected all your cities and have gotten a price there is an area to click that says rail pass and the system will show you the price of a 5 city rail pass and will be able to see which would be less expensive of the two giving you the option of which to buy. http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-4240152-10809298 Often the best value when buying a rail pass is when there is a large distance between the cities you're traveling to but there is an advantage to getting a pass. A rail pass is good for a certain time period which is normally about a month, so you could go to 5 cities in 5 days with any departure time or take an entire month to go to all 5 cities. So you get a lot of flexibility with a rail pass in deciding when to use it and is great for those who aren't as organized as they wish they could be. Not to say if you missed your 8 am train by 5 minutes you wouldn't be able to exchange a regular ticket for the next train because you can, there is just some flexibility with the rail pass. I recommend making reservation for your train transportation before you leave on vacation so you will have everything you need. I also suggest printing out the train schedule for each days travel just in case you are going to miss your train you will know when the next train leaves. If you don't want to buy your tickets in advance then at least print out the train schedule showing the departing and destination cities in order to have the schedules to look at. I really enjoy the train trips I have taken and have a tendency to daydream of what historic events might have taken place on the distant fields I see as the train goes by and others may just enjoy the view and wonder what the people in the villages we pass do in their daily lives. Whatever you do on your trip I hope this information makes planning easier and your trip very enjoyable.
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It offers concrete information business in the following areas: Non-Profit, Accessories, Buy and Sell, Food and Drink, Art / Photo / Music, Insurance, Automotive, Beauty, Business, Gifts & Flowers, Careers, Entertainment , Teaching, Department stores / shopping centers, Computers & Electronics, Toys and Games, Legal, Books / Media, Entertainment, Home and Garden, Marketing, Seasonal, Health and Wellness, Online Services, Financial Services, Sports and Fitness, Telecommunications , Travel, etc..
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Monday, February 28, 2011
Source for international business opportunities
SPECIAL VACATION
HOME FOR EXCHANGE
House swap holidays (also known as house exchange holidays) are a new way of having a holiday, without spending any money on accommodation.
You arrange with another family to exchange houses for a few days, a week, two weeks or whatever period suits you.
The holidays are usually taken simultaneously, but if one or both parties have a holiday home or a second home then it need not be simultaneous.
Many people who have never taken a holiday this way before go into it with some trepidation, but it almost always works out well for both parties; very often people decide to only take holidays this way in future, since you can save so much money by avoiding the cost of renting a house or a cottage, or paying for a hotel or guest house.
In addition, if you house swap you have all the comforts of a real home, and are not restricted to a cramped hotel room. Privacy, space and facilities are often much better than in a hotel, and you save on the cost of meals too, as you can make them yourself.
You are not restricted to house swap holidays in your own country either: if you fancy a trip to Rome, Paris or New York you will be able to find many families looking to come on an exchange from there to your area.
You are not restricted to house swap holidays in your own country either: if you fancy a trip to Rome, Paris or New York you will be able to find many families looking to come on an exchange from there to your area.
A car is also very often part of the swap, and this saves you the money you would have spent on transport or car rental too.
So, how do you actually set up house swap holidays?
There are many online services with very low monthly fees which allow you to register, offer your home for exchange, and look for house swaps in the destination you want. In fact, most of them let you browse their listings for free, so you can see what kinds of exchanges are available. To contact owners, you pay a very modest monthly fee to the exchange service.
Retired people in particular, who can be very flexible with dates, find that house swap holidays suit them very well: they often have several such holidays every year. Large families also find that this way of having a holiday is very economical compared with hotels. But all kinds of people, including young couples are also now holidaying this way. I've done it too, with my family, and I can recommend it!
| To have a look at what house swap services are available, what they offer and what they cost, see my house exchange page. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Kintraw | SANDALS&BEACHES RESORTS | |||||||||
| | http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4240152-10471168 | Thinking of a Destination Wedding at Sandals & Beaches? Here is what you need to know! First things first: Location, Location Location! This is probably the hardest part of the planning process. So many great choices, how do you know which is the best resort for you? Sandals and Beaches Resorts are located in Jamaica, Bahamas, Antigua, Cuba, and St. Lucia. Its important to do your research on each country, because each offer very unique experiences. For example, the Bahamas are very westernized, and have a very western feel to its shopping and excursions. Scuba diving and Snorkeling are excellent in the Bahamas; however Jamaica, offers so many more excursion options, with its natural waterfalls, mountains, and great beaches. A destination wedding consultant can help you decide. What next: Sandals has 12 unique resorts, and all offer a different feel and atmosphere, It is good to talk with an expert who knows the properties, so that you can get your information. Once you know which resort we want to go with, you'll need to be prepared to at least make a deposit on your own room so that the wedding day can be secured (See "How to Book your Sandals & Beaches Wedding" below). A destination wedding consultant can give you room recommendations based on what you are looking for and a category that will give you the free wedding. Sandals & Beaches offer great wedding packages. Most wedding packages are similar for each resort. You should review the all inclusive wedding packages to see what package that is best for you. Make sure you have all the information you need on legal requirements and documentation needed to get married on the island you chose. If you are doing a symbolic ceremony, this won't be necessary. You can connect with a U.S. based wedding coordinator for your resort where you will learn about the wedding packages, ceremony locations, reception locations and extras that you can add to your day. You will want to make sure you have all your questions answered so that your wedding process is effortless and smooth sailing and help you get all your documentation in on time. If needed, you can get a group contract set up and make sure that your guests will get the best pricing available. A destination wedding consultant can make sure your wedding is set up properly so that you get all the extra perks you deserve! Wedding Extras (to name a few): Accessories (cake cutter, champagne glasses, party favors, attendant gifts etc), Destination Wedding Dress, Photography, Videography, Web Streaming, KATT Cruise, Sesame Street Character for 30 minutes at reception (Beaches), DJ, Steel Drum Band, Violinist, Saxophonist, Soloist, Candlelight dinner for Bride & Groom, private transfers, Hair, Makeup, Nails, Spa treatments, Standard Cocktail reception, Private Cocktail reception, Private Dinner, Private Reception & Dinner. Wedding Inclusions Picturesque Wedding Location Bridal Bouquet & Groom's Boutonniere Pre-Recorded Musical Accompaniment Marriage Officer Sparkling Wine & Chilled Hors d'oeuvres Reception for Bride, Groom and Two Guests (30 minutes) Two-tiered Caribbean Wedding Cake Personal Wedding Consultant Honeymoon Dinner for Bride & Groom Continental Breakfast in bed the next morning One (1) 5x7 Wedding Photograph Preparation of Marriage Documents Certified Marriage Certificate Special Wedding Gift Please note: • All wedding themes include table for bride and groom and 2 guests. • Additional tables for guests (up to 8 each) are available for an additional cost. • Room bookings made at Premium level or higher at Beaches Resorts will be eligible for a Free WeddingMoon™ with a minimum stay of 6 nights. Room bookings made at Concierge level or higher at Sandals Resorts will be eligible for a free WeddingMoon with a minimum 6 night stay. • Government and administrative fees apply to wedding bookings that are not eligible for the Free WeddingMoon™ $200 (Jamaica), $400 (Antigua), $500 (St. Lucia), $500 (Bahamas) and $700 (Turks & Caicos). • Payment policy for Beautiful Beginnings and Renewal of Vows is a $200 deposit within 7 days of booking. • Final balance is due 60 days prior to travel. • Cancellation policy for Weddings and Renewal of Vows is non-refundable within 45 days prior to arrival. How to book your Sandals or Beaches Wedding: It is beneficial to book your wedding as far in advance as possible, especially if you have a particular date and if it is a Holiday weekend. So, how far in advance should you book your Destination Wedding? If possible, 1 ½ - 2 years before hand, at least one year. If you don't have this much time, that's okay. Many times a destination wedding consultant can help you get your wedding date secured. The first thing we will do is secure your room with the $400 deposit. Once you have that, your wedding date and time will be held as well as a group code. The group code will be used if we choose not to have a group contract and will assist you in receiving any group amenities you may qualify for (like a free upgrade). If a group contract would be better for your group, I will let you know. As a reference, the group contract is definitely beneficial if you are booking in advance and you have 5 or more rooms. This will ensure the low rate (rates always increase and booking in advance will save everyone money) plus gives everyone in your group an upgrade. A 10% deposit is required to secure a group which will hold a block of rooms and is generally paid by the bride and groom. This money will be applied toward your personal room as guests call me to secure their space. A group contract will be the 10% deposit for all rooms held, not the $400 room deposit mentioned above. Once the contract is in place and the deposit is made, The wedding date and time can be secured. Call a destination wedding expert for details!, You will receive expert & honest advice and direction to ensure you have all the information you need to choose the resort and location that is best for you. When you have a question, you'll have someone to go to. A destination wedding consultant can assist you and your guests with the travel process and will set up transfers and extra activities. Legal Requirements: • Jamaica: Residency of 48 hours (includes weekend arrivals) • Bahamas: Residency of 48 hours (2 full business days - Friday arrival will allow a Wednesday wedding) • Antigua: Residency of 48 hours (must include 1 business day, Friday arrival will allow a Monday wedding) • St. Lucia: Residency of 72 hours (3 business days, day of arrival/weekends not included. Friday arrival is Thursday wedding, Monday arrival allows Friday wedding) • Turks & Caicos: Residency of 48 hours (day of arrival and weekend not included...a Friday arrival allows a Thursday wedding) Documentation required: For Jamaica and Turks/Caicos only: documents must be mailed Notarized copies of bride and groom's state-issued birth certificates Notarized copy of divorce decree final judgment (if applicable) Notarized copy of spouse's death certificate and related marriage certificate (if applicable) Notarized copy of legal adoption papers or legal name change (if applicable) Notarized affidavit of spinstership and bachelorhood, with raised seal must be dated within 90 day prior to wedding date, if applicable (for Turks/Caicos only) Notarized copy of legal translation of all documents to English along with original documents in original language (if applicable) Notarized copy of passport or driver's license (Turks & Caicos only) All original and court certified documents must be hand-carried (Turks & Caicos only) For Bahamas/St. Lucia/Antigua: All original documents with certified court seals must be hand carried to the island. Faxed copies are also required Country issued Passports or State issued birth certificates of bride and groom All pages of divorce decree final judgment (if applicable) If applicable, spouse's death certificate and related marriage certificate Legal adoption papers and legal name change (if applicable) Legal translation of all documents to English (if applicable) Hope this helps you make all of your destination wedding dreams come true! Tami Santini is founder of Paradise Getaways LLC, A Honeymoon and Destination Wedding Service located in Kalamazoo Michigan. Tami has built one of the best honeymoon and destination wedding services in the United States. Visit our website, and blog for more information. |
COACH USA
Coach Hire - Important Part Of A Pleasant Tour
All of us are very much conscious about the comfort and cost of our travel. If our transportation facilities are bad the whole trip will be a mess. A pleasant tension free travel arrangement can make our tour more enjoyable and cost effective.
Primarily a tour means an opportunity to get a good travel experience. For that we need to do a lot of planning in well advance. It will start from which mode of transport will be best suitable for the trip and whether it is affordable for us. This thinking is the basic to a good family tour. The selection of travel modes should be at the interest of the whole of our tour members.
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4240152-10667213
For group tours it is really cheap and best to think about the coach hire. In order to get a memorable travel experience with your family it is best to think early about the coach rental. You have to look for the best quality less expensive coach hiring. For this you need to do a well study about the trading. Then the travel will be tension free and joyful.
Especially when you are planning for a trip in the countries like USA and UK, better search well for the most reliable coach hire deals. Your aim should be both cheap transport modes with comfort. Especially if you are planning for a group tour like with your extended family then coach hire will be the basic requirement. For this you can take the help of some of your experienced friends or travel dealers.
As you are in a group the interests will be largely divergent. Then it is advisable to use the coach hire facility to visit all the important places with less cost. You should not miss the important places. If we take the case of UK, in the city of London itself you have to cover so many tour spots. For this you need smooth transportation and planning. Here coach rental alone can save you a lot.
http://www.tqlkg.com/image-4240152-10683765
Why coach hire is preferable is because it will make you tension free. You will be in a large group. Then depending on private transport at each time will make inconvenience and spending of considerable amount of money. At the same time if you are wise enough to ensure the service of a good coach company they will take care of all the transportation needs and even take care of your luggage. You can carry your luggage with you and avoid tensions about the safety of your articles.
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4240152-10750438
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4240152-10667213
For group tours it is really cheap and best to think about the coach hire. In order to get a memorable travel experience with your family it is best to think early about the coach rental. You have to look for the best quality less expensive coach hiring. For this you need to do a well study about the trading. Then the travel will be tension free and joyful.
Especially when you are planning for a trip in the countries like USA and UK, better search well for the most reliable coach hire deals. Your aim should be both cheap transport modes with comfort. Especially if you are planning for a group tour like with your extended family then coach hire will be the basic requirement. For this you can take the help of some of your experienced friends or travel dealers.
As you are in a group the interests will be largely divergent. Then it is advisable to use the coach hire facility to visit all the important places with less cost. You should not miss the important places. If we take the case of UK, in the city of London itself you have to cover so many tour spots. For this you need smooth transportation and planning. Here coach rental alone can save you a lot.
http://www.tqlkg.com/image-4240152-10683765
Why coach hire is preferable is because it will make you tension free. You will be in a large group. Then depending on private transport at each time will make inconvenience and spending of considerable amount of money. At the same time if you are wise enough to ensure the service of a good coach company they will take care of all the transportation needs and even take care of your luggage. You can carry your luggage with you and avoid tensions about the safety of your articles.
http://www.dpbolvw.net/click-4240152-10750438
The coach hiring facility which you are looking for will be easily available in the cities of UK and USA. If you are doing a careful search you will get many experienced coach rental companies. Most of them will offer you very attractive deals at affordable price. But you should be careful enough to give right importance to it in your tour planning.
Amazing hospitality is the best part of these coach hire companies. This quality service makes them more popular and increased the demand for their service. People all over the world now use this coach hire facility to make their group tours a complete success.
Amazing hospitality is the best part of these coach hire companies. This quality service makes them more popular and increased the demand for their service. People all over the world now use this coach hire facility to make their group tours a complete success.
| You should always try and contact a reputable coach hire company for a hassle free travel for your vacations. Other than this if you wish to improve the visibility of your website through SEO services, you can contact us. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Abhinav_S_Sidana | |
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