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The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world as we used to know it, and severely disrupted the travel industry in particular. Countries in lockdown, stranded passengers away from home, closed airports and – most important of all – an unimaginable death toll across the world.
On top of this, a countless number of passengers were affected by flight cancellations across the world, and in many cases, a total loss of their money. However, there’s another side of the story. As with all crisis throughout the History, this pandemic is driving innovation, and that might translate into good news. In this post, we’ll break down all the innovations that will drive the future of the industry. Let’s take a look.  Although we’re still living this disruptive COVID-19 pandemic, we’re not standing still. Today, we announce a new partnership with Flight Slash.
Flight Slash provides heavily discounted airfares, cheap first class tickets by using deep travel hacking techniques. They also offer a subscription service where users can take advantage of secret deals and mistake fares from their chosen airport. Travel Consulting Hub and Flight Slash will also cooperate on blog content across platforms to provide greater benefits for both audiences. If you’re already planning your next flight or just looking how to find discounted flights due to covid, visit Flight Slash!  The COVID-19 situation has disrupted the whole world, and the travel industry in particular.
It has been some difficult times for all, and the world is now slowly starting to reopen and readjust to what is called “the new normal”. At Travel Consulting Hub, we’d like to take this opportunity to share what we're doing to help travelers, and the steps you can take to stay safe. As for all our clients, we want to give you confidence and clarity. Confidence is achieved with the high standards we put into our service so you know that all our travel planning is based on the most recent recommended sanitary measures. As for clarity, we’ll strive for giving all necessary information regarding your travel plans, what you can and can’t do, to provide the most accurate data, and provide 24/7 support if you need to change the dates of your trip. We have also implemented a new feature on all our travel planning regarding travel insurance so you can feel safe while traveling. At Travel Consulting Hub, your safety and well-being is our priority. You can – and should – start to dream about your next trip. We’re here to help you out in everything we can. In the meantime, stay safe!
By Jesse Clark, from Soulful Travel
Image via Unsplash
For many people, traveling can be a fulfilling experience. Getting to see the world and explore new places is thrilling, though it is sometimes costly. According to research, the average four-night domestic trip costs $581, and a 12-night international trip costs $3,251. Almost half of those costs come from travel expenses. Thankfully, there are ways you can save money on traveling while getting the most out of your trip. Keeping the Flights Costs Down
The cost of plane tickets can take up a large chunk of your travel costs. If you have the travel bug, it may be worthwhile to take part in a frequent flyer program. Airline cards can help you save money on flights, luggage, and hotel costs. You can earn frequent flyer miles not only through purchases from the airline but also through everyday purchases.
Believe it or not, some days are cheaper to fly than others. If you're looking to save money, you'll want to avoid traveling around major holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years. Additionally, spring break tickets are also expensive. The cheapest days to fly are often Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Before booking your tickets, use a flight price calculator to experiment with different dates and times to see when you can get the best price. Be Wise About Accommodations
A hotel stay is another area where your expenses can add up quickly. To keep costs down, use reward programs. Earning points can net you a free night in the hotel. You can also save money by being flexible about when you book. Friday or Saturday are the best days to book a hotel. When booking, choosing a Sunday check-in and a Friday check-out can also save you money.
If you're looking for a cheaper option than a hotel, you may want to try staying in a hostel instead. Hostels offer inexpensive lodging for travelers through shared dormitories and common areas. This option also gives you a chance to meet other travelers and learn their tips for saving money. Wherever you choose to stay, look for places that offer a complimentary breakfast to save on the cost of eating out for each meal. Cooking your own meals can also save you money, so find accommodations with a kitchen. Another budget-friendly option is to stay local and rent a vacation home in Sarasota. You will save on transportation expenses and have roomier accommodations, and having your own kitchen means you won't have to spend as much dining out. Search for homes near the activities you enjoy the most. According to Turnkey, if long, relaxing days at the beach are how you would like to unwind, you can book a home at Siesta Key for access to Crescent or Turtle Beach. If you would prefer to enjoy the city's shopping, restaurants, and nightlife, look to stay in or near Downtown Saratoga. 
Learn About The Area
Take time to learn about the place you are visiting. Since food costs at tourist locations can be high, learn from the locals about the places that they like to eat. Shop at a local grocery store or farmers market, and learn about local food. You may be able to find a food tour that will let you try the local cuisine, and some restaurants offer discounts to people who take the tour.
Even though you're already at your destination, travel costs can still add up. Instead of renting a car, try renting a bike or walking wherever you can. You may also be able to take low-cost rides on trolleys to get around. Research the locations you want to visit. Oftentimes, places such as museums have discounted or free days that you can take advantage of. Look for free or low-cost events that you can add to your itinerary as well. While traveling will cost you money, it doesn't have to break the bank. Being flexible about your flights and accommodations can bring your costs down, and getting to know the area you're staying in can help you find ways to save. Challenge yourself to reduce your costs. You may end up being able to spend an extra night or treat yourself to an extra activity on your trip. How the industry is creating better travel experiences for the modern travelerThe Internet has brought accessibility to the regular customer, but also to the travel industry itself. So easy, in fact, that the perception is that traditional travel agents have almost been rendered unnecessary. With just a few clicks, you can find hundreds of deals for your chosen destination, hotels, flight connections and price quotes, activities, vacation packages, you name it. The travel industry became a big shopping market for everyone and travel agents quickly became a rare species, as they don’t add too much value anymore to the regular traveler. If you have a computer and internet connection, you can find better deals that the ones offered by a brick-and-mortar travel agency within minutes at the comfort of your home, it’s a fact. However, a new trend is taking shape in the industry. At Travel Consulting Hub, we have already talked about the value and importance of a travel consultant before. Rather than just trying to sell you a travel package from a standard brochure, travel consultants started to emerge as the 21st century service providers, as we can customize your trip to meet your own needs and wishes. Travel consultants are a valuable resource in the travel industry as we can offer the best trade-off between price, experience and convenience. Demand for made-to-measure trips is rising every single year According to a recent article by Travel+Leisure, requests for customized and personalized vacations are rising sharply. In today’s world travel industry, one size no longer fits all. Personalization and trip customization IS the new trend! If you buy a tilored suit/dress, why not apply that same concept to your travel needs?! Take the flight booking experience, for exemple. Choosing a flight is no longer just a matter of price, or going from point “A” to “B”. It's much more than that, in fact. Traveles are starting to better perceive the value of flight recommendations based on their shopping purpose - leisure or business trip, family vacation or group travel and even which city they come from. You’re not looking just for the cheapest price anymore, but also for (smooth) connections, airline aliances, air miles, inflight entertainment and even the seat features itself! Moreover, according to Amadeus – a leading travel services provider and one of the biggest global distribution systems for the airline aindustry - 40% of European travelers do not have a destination in mind when they start planning their trip. This means that people still need – and are actively looking for – help to plan their journeys. The only difference is that you no longer want a “standard travel package”. In today’s world, travelers want to travel the world in just one way – their own way. “The global travel industry, and the way in which consumers experience it, is changing so dramatically that it requires a fundamental change to the way in which travel is sold and how the traveller is served”, says Luis Maroto, Chief Executive Officer and President of Amadeus. Bottom line, people need help when choosing and booking travel. However, they are looking for solutions that better fits their needs, rather than the simple results from web pages and online travel agencies (OTA’s). The advent of mobile travel services (optimized web pages, travel apps and available services) is no longer a trend in the travel industry, it’s now an industry-feature. The key to success from now on is how to combine innovative solutions and technology with customized services and personalization. In fact, the requests for customized vacations packages are rising sharply and will continue to grow. That’s another reason why travel consultants are now on high demand. "Because there are so many people who have money, the new currency is how unusual and rare the experience is" says Keith Waldon, a spokesman for Virtuoso. The relevance of recommendations and the way that consultants connect with their clients makes all difference today! By shaping the offers to match client’s needs, travel consultants are differentiating from all the competition. That’s what we do at Travel Consulting Hub. We combine our personal travel knowledge and expertise with customizable itineraries and services for the modern traveler in order to provide better and unique travel experiences. The whole journey - and the lifetime memories you get – is the destination! Do you also think customization is the new trend in travel?! Are you planning to use custom-made travel services in 2018?! Share your thoughts and ideas with us. We’d love to hear them!
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Air Miles
If you’re a One World loyal and value your air miles, Qantas business flights will earn you lots of points that you can redeem later on any One World carrier. Fly Emirates and you’ll earn Skywards points only...
If you’re looking to pile up some points with your flight - and the possibility of an award ticket - Qantas wins.
Press Reader
If you’re flying Qantas business class, you can access Press Reader app from your tablet/smartphone and download any newspaper or magazine from around the world before your flight!
It’s available 12 hours prior to your flight and it’s a great way to add reading material. It’s a downloadable reading buffet!
(Emirates, on the other hand, offers wi-fi on your flight, but we found out difficult to connect and a slow connection speed.)
Once again, our vote goes to this smart tchnological feature by Qantas.
Your seat
Emirates offers a world-class suite-style business class seat. Qantas, on the other hand, offers a dated shell seat with a configuration of 2-2-2 on their A380 fleet but with a much bigger and wider bed.
However, we found the Emirates mini suite a bit cramped (especially if you are tall), as well as the overall cabin. On top of that, if you’re flying on an Emirates Beoing 777 you won’t find a suite-style suite. Instead, you’ll get a 2-3-2 configuration with an angle lie-flat seat, which means you won’t sleep on a 180º position.
On the other hand, Qantas seat gets you a cool massage feature during your flight, which is a bonus for such a long flight.
If you’re flying A380, it may be a tough decision. If not, Qantas wins, hands down.
 Emirates A380 Mini Suite |  Qantas Space Seat |
Pijamas
It’s a signature feature for Qantas business class. They’re one of the few carriers that offers pijamas in Business class and you won’t get them when flying Emirates. You can take it with you and use at home as well or give it as a souvenir. Either way, it’s an added feature and a delicated touch to make your flight better, we think.
Vote for Qantas once again.
Crews
It’s always difficult to evaluate the overal crew experience on an airline. You can get lucky or not on any flight. The fact is that crews can make your journey a most pleasent one if they want to.
Having flown both airlines, we found out Emirates crews seem younger, polite and motivated. However, beign nice isn’t enough. Fly Qantas and you will feel an “Aussie” feeling, they work as a team and you feel they share a common culture.
On the other side, Emirates crews are a melting pot of nationalities. It doesn’t add anything to your trip, other than trying to figure out where are they from.
Consider it as a tie…
In-flight entertainment
It’s almost “unfair” to compare Qantas offering (or any other carrier in the world) with Emirates.
The award-winning ICE (Information-communication-entertainment) by Emirates will keep you occupied for endless days and you don't want your flight to come to an end!
There is so much to see that you almost feel overwhelmed with all the choices!
On the other hand, Qantas offers a standard touch-screen entertainment system but on a much smaller screen. It has everything you “need” (films, TV shows, games, documentaries and even a smart “build your own playlist”) feature, but Emirates wins, beyond any doubt.
A380 Bar/Lounge
Both carriers offer a bar/lounge area on their A380’s.
However, while Qantas has a sofa-style área with magazines, it’s empty most of the time.
On the other side, Emirates bar is a great feature and it’s a place where many passengers gather to eat a snack or have a drink. It’s a much pleasent place toi stay and to explore.
Keep in mind, however, there is no bar on Emirates Beign 777’s, so make sure you fly the A380 if you want to have a drink at the bar. Anyway, our vote goes to Emirates on this one.
It’s a signature feature for Qantas business class. They’re one of the few carriers that offers pijamas in Business class and you won’t get them when flying Emirates. You can take it with you and use at home as well or give it as a souvenir. Either way, it’s an added feature and a delicated touch to make your flight better, we think.
Vote for Qantas once again.
Crews
It’s always difficult to evaluate the overal crew experience on an airline. You can get lucky or not on any flight. The fact is that crews can make your journey a most pleasent one if they want to.
Having flown both airlines, we found out Emirates crews seem younger, polite and motivated. However, beign nice isn’t enough. Fly Qantas and you will feel an “Aussie” feeling, they work as a team and you feel they share a common culture.
On the other side, Emirates crews are a melting pot of nationalities. It doesn’t add anything to your trip, other than trying to figure out where are they from.
Consider it as a tie…
In-flight entertainment
It’s almost “unfair” to compare Qantas offering (or any other carrier in the world) with Emirates.
The award-winning ICE (Information-communication-entertainment) by Emirates will keep you occupied for endless days and you don't want your flight to come to an end!
There is so much to see that you almost feel overwhelmed with all the choices!
On the other hand, Qantas offers a standard touch-screen entertainment system but on a much smaller screen. It has everything you “need” (films, TV shows, games, documentaries and even a smart “build your own playlist”) feature, but Emirates wins, beyond any doubt.
A380 Bar/Lounge
Both carriers offer a bar/lounge area on their A380’s.
However, while Qantas has a sofa-style área with magazines, it’s empty most of the time.
On the other side, Emirates bar is a great feature and it’s a place where many passengers gather to eat a snack or have a drink. It’s a much pleasent place toi stay and to explore.
Keep in mind, however, there is no bar on Emirates Beign 777’s, so make sure you fly the A380 if you want to have a drink at the bar. Anyway, our vote goes to Emirates on this one.
 Emirates Lounge with finger food! Tasty! |  Qantas A380 (empty!) lounge |
The lounge/bar area on emirates has always been a success and it's definitely a winner here!
And the winner is.........
And the winner is.........
All in all, despite the much better inflight entertainment and the great bar lounge on their A380’s, our choice goes to Qantas.
Why, you may ask?!
The accumulated air miles and One World membership is a plus to the australian carrier, in our opinion.
We also found out our seat less cramped than Emirates mini-suite, as we prefer to sacrifice some privacy (Qantas business class configuration is a 2-2-2) in favor of more personal space and a bigger bed!
On top of that, the Press Reader app, the pijama and Neil Perry’s inspired menus (including the exclusive online meal choice) gives you some extra touches to make your flight customized to your specific needs, whether you want to eat something differet, want to get a better sleep or enjoy reading.
If you’re flying business class to Australia, make the smartest choice. Fly Qantas instead!
(Please note: This article is an unbiased review of both airlines offerings based on our flight experiences. Travel Consulting Hub paid for their our own flights)
Why, you may ask?!
The accumulated air miles and One World membership is a plus to the australian carrier, in our opinion.
We also found out our seat less cramped than Emirates mini-suite, as we prefer to sacrifice some privacy (Qantas business class configuration is a 2-2-2) in favor of more personal space and a bigger bed!
On top of that, the Press Reader app, the pijama and Neil Perry’s inspired menus (including the exclusive online meal choice) gives you some extra touches to make your flight customized to your specific needs, whether you want to eat something differet, want to get a better sleep or enjoy reading.
If you’re flying business class to Australia, make the smartest choice. Fly Qantas instead!
(Please note: This article is an unbiased review of both airlines offerings based on our flight experiences. Travel Consulting Hub paid for their our own flights)
Often times prospective clients ask us a question many people have. Why do I need a travel consultant? What more can you do for me that my travel agent (“TA”) can’t?!...
It’s a great question but very easy to answer, in fact.
To synthesize: travel agents have a job at a travel agency; Travel consultants have connections, passion and deep knowledge about travel!
Of course we can say that some TA’s are also passionate about travel and I personally have known a few! However, their main task is to sell you travel packages or any other product they have been supplied. Their main focus is to sell what their supplier has already sold them. Have you ever asked an agent the “where should I go” question?! Their answer is always “why don’t you go to [x] as we have a great deal at the moment”!!!
TA’s either i) try to sell you a travel product or ii) they take orders (certain flight/date/hotel) from clients based on system’s availability. That’s their job!
Even some online TA’s do this every day as they are a franchise of a travel agency.
On the other end of the spectrum there are travel consultants…
We see ourselves as part of a team with our client(s). We are part of a collaboration process in order to create a customized experience (that’s why we certainly don’t try to sell anything). We gather client’s information and provide all they want, the way they want. We don’t seek a discount or a commission, we create value to our client. Moreover, since we’re not affiliated with any supplier, the same destination can be – and is, actually! – “sold” to different clients as two completely travel experiences . We don’t work for a supplier, we work with and for the client!
TA’s are somehow valuable at booking flights through their booking engines (GDS) one might argue, but consultants can overcome this last “hurdle” very easily these days! We don’t simply rely on system availability, we search the web and our own contacts to overcome any obstacles. And let me assure you… we can deliver even better results!
It’s a great question but very easy to answer, in fact.
To synthesize: travel agents have a job at a travel agency; Travel consultants have connections, passion and deep knowledge about travel!
Of course we can say that some TA’s are also passionate about travel and I personally have known a few! However, their main task is to sell you travel packages or any other product they have been supplied. Their main focus is to sell what their supplier has already sold them. Have you ever asked an agent the “where should I go” question?! Their answer is always “why don’t you go to [x] as we have a great deal at the moment”!!!
TA’s either i) try to sell you a travel product or ii) they take orders (certain flight/date/hotel) from clients based on system’s availability. That’s their job!
Even some online TA’s do this every day as they are a franchise of a travel agency.
On the other end of the spectrum there are travel consultants…
We see ourselves as part of a team with our client(s). We are part of a collaboration process in order to create a customized experience (that’s why we certainly don’t try to sell anything). We gather client’s information and provide all they want, the way they want. We don’t seek a discount or a commission, we create value to our client. Moreover, since we’re not affiliated with any supplier, the same destination can be – and is, actually! – “sold” to different clients as two completely travel experiences . We don’t work for a supplier, we work with and for the client!
TA’s are somehow valuable at booking flights through their booking engines (GDS) one might argue, but consultants can overcome this last “hurdle” very easily these days! We don’t simply rely on system availability, we search the web and our own contacts to overcome any obstacles. And let me assure you… we can deliver even better results!
 | Bottom line, if you are seeking a travel package, then a TA may be the easiest choice. On the other hand, if you seek a customized travel experience, if you care about the value consultants can bring to the table, if you want a personalized plan based on your needs/wishes and ultimately if you believe that a journey is not only about the destination but a whole experience, than you need a travel consultant. We can create value, save you time, money and provide you some unimaginable perks…! |
Most of our clients ask us about general travel tips to take into consideration. Each situation and each trip is unique but there are some basic rules that everyone can follow to make it a better experience. While there are a lot of other useful tips to follow, the following general tips will definitely improve your travel experience:
# 1: Use an ATM instead of a currency exchange when traveling abroad. However, choose to be charged in the local currency of the country you’re in and don’t let the ATM do your conversion for you, otherwise you will get the conversion rate of the local bank.
# 2: Leave important valuables at home. If you decide to take valuables, you could lose them, or they could even be stolen.
# 3: Make a packing list. Start as soon as you can before your trip, that way you can add your must-have items to the list as you think of them. This way, even if you pack the day before you leave, it will be easier and you won’t forget any essential items.
# 4: When flying, consider packing your own pillow or blanket, as well as headphones. The airline versions are not very comfortable. You may also want to pack along a few snacks so you can have something substantial to eat during your flight.
Travel the smart way!
# 5: If you are thinking about going to a specific place that sells tickets, head to its website and see if it is possible to buy and print tickets from there. Just avoiding the time you will wait in line makes up for the small online printing fee. Also, parks sometimes offer timed entry, and if they do, you can use your tickets to get right to the admission line.
# 6: Put in a good workout before boarding your flight. Taking a long flight can be tedious. In addition, having to sit in one spot for hours can cause your back and legs to severely cramp up. Working out prior to a long flight can relax your body and reduce uncomfortable feelings in your body due to the flight.
# 7: Don't sleep as soon you arrive your destination when crossing different timezones. If you go to bed (even for "just a few minutes") you won't be able to adjust yourself to the new timezone and you will be sleepy for a longer period of time.
There you go! With these seven tips we showed, you next trip will be more enjoyable for sure!
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