Getting the Most from Your CCRA Travel Booking Portal
Top 10 Questions Answered  top

We are pleased to work with agents to develop new features on the CCRA Travel Booking Portal - features to fit your business needs. If you have not taken the opportunity to test drive the latest tools available to you, here is a hot topics FAQ list, compiled from the questions we hear most from agents and agency owners during our daily online training sessions.

1. Who can sign up for CCRA Travel Booking Portal?
Any agency or individual agent. All that is required to use CCRA Travel Booking Portal is your travel agency ID (i.e. CLIA, IATA, ARC, Travel Sellers.com, True ID, TID).

2. Do I need a PayPal account?
No. You can book hotels at the CCRA pre-paid net rate and receive guaranteed commissions without a PayPal business account. The added benefits of a PayPal business account include same day commission payment since you will be the merchant of record for the credit card processing. If you choose to open a PaylPal business account, there are instructions in the CCRA Travel Booking Portal.

3. Will I receive my commission if the traveler cancels?
Yes! Your commission is guaranteed and paid in full when you use the pre-paid net rate. That is the beauty of a pre-paid rate, and a motto of CCRA International, that you should never have to work for free.

4. Is my commission always 100% guaranteed?
To take advantage of the 100% guaranteed commission, always use the pre-paid net rate system offered by CCRA Travel Booking Portal. Travel consumers are accustomed to buying pre-paid services online. It’s time the professional travel service providers enjoy the convenience and security that pre-paid booking services provide.

5. What’s the difference between net, preferred and promotional rate?
Using our pre-paid net rate, you can set your own commission at the time of the booking. Using any other options, such as Internet Discount Rates (hotels.com) or the CCRA Preferred Rate, your commission mark-up is limited to 7% or a traditional 9%.

6. How can I be sure to offer better pricing than what my clients see online?
CCRA Travel Booking Portal displays four price options on one screen – including the Internet Discount Rates (hotels.com). You can use the Dynamic Calculator tool and the pre-paid net rates to factor the exact commission that will meet online pricing, and earn your maximum income.

7. What if my commission payment is past due?
CCRA Travel Booking Portal is your best practice for getting commissions paid in a timely manner, as well as guaranteed. If you experience a delayed payment, check with your travel agency to make sure the agency profile information, such as tax ID, is up to date in the CCRAtravel.com system. Commission payment can only be sent if the required tax ID data is on record.

8. Who can I contact if my client has a problem with a reservation?
You can contact CCRA Travel Booking Portal Support at 877-CCRA-006.

9. After my online training, can I still get help with quick questions?
Yes. Click on the Live Chat image at the top right of every screen on CCRAtravel.com, available Monday through Friday, 6:00am – 6:00pm (PST).

10. When will I be able to book multiple rooms?
Glad you asked! We are introducing more new portal functions, such as multiple room bookings, in October. Keep an eye out for special announcements detailing the new features and benefits.

If you have questions, you are welcome to attend a free training session online, offered Monday through Friday. Click here to sign up. It is really the travel agents’ needs that drive our future enhancements to the CCRA Travel Booking Portal.

CCRAtravel.com - built by travel professionals, for travel professionals.

The Internet Advantage For Local Travel Agents  top

Travel and the Skeptical Public

There is no question that the internet has changed the travel business. Online airplane reservations and electronic tickets combined with the loss of the commission structure has taken a primary travel function away from traditional travel agents and automated the service. People can shop for hotel and car reservations on their own, on the web. Consumers can book vacation arrangements and cruises with a mouse and a keyboard.

And they can also get badly burned. It seems that the anonymity of the web has spawned unscrupulous business operators in every industry and the travel business is no exception. Travel has had its share of stories about unfulfilled promises due to airline strikes and cruise line bankruptcies. In fact, insurance companies now routinely offer travel insurance that covers a consumer's loss if a trip that has been paid for fails to materialize. Add fraudulent travel websites to the mix and the result is an entire industry that is suspect in the public's eye.

An Opportunity for the Independent Travel Agent

All of this can work to an honest travel agent's advantage. Oddly enough, the way that a travel agent can capitalize on public use of the internet for travel and public distrust of travel businesses in general is to utilize  the internet.

The web is a made-to-order medium for advertising vacation packages. Photos of beautiful, historic and exotic locales combined with visual or audio descriptions are tremendous sales tools; there is no reason why an independent travel agent can't use the same tools that Carnival Cruises or Expedia uses. The technology is simple, the software well established. An independent agent can apply all of the sales technique found in the enormous, faceless travel sites.

The additional service that an independent agent can supply is personal service. It is fair to speculate that with the advent of  "help lines" for websites functioning around the clock with overseas operators, perhaps a customer shopping for travel arrangements will place more faith in a travel service that has phone availability during business hours only. Certainly an 800 number is desirable, but a number with the agent's local area code will lend an air of credibility to the transaction. Real personal contact has become important in the faceless, nameless world of the web - an independent travel agent can provide that.

The Independent Travel Agent - Guaranteed to be Genuine

The problem is so widespread that there is an entire website devoted to travel fraud at http://www.fraud.org/tips/internet/travelfraud.htm. Many of the situations for which this site provides warnings can be put to rest by an independent travel agent offering personal service. Someone who books an expensive vacation is going to want confirmation on reservations, reassurance on bookings and details on the destination site. An independent agent can provide those things; perhaps most importantly an independent travel agent can have the same voice provide additional information every time a customer calls.

The net result, so to speak, is a travel site that provides the sizzle of online advertising, the convenience of online contact and the reassurance of personal customer support. An independent agent doesn't necessarily have to compete with the "online specials" and other gimmicks found on major travel sites. The security provided by personal service will make the price worthwhile. An independent travel agent can make the internet an extension of the traditional personal service, rather than a replacement for it.


Madison Lockwood is a customer relations associate, specializing in small business development, for Apollo Hosting. Apollo Hosting provides website hosting, ecommerce hosting, vps hosting, and web design services to a wide range of customers.
Article Source: www.reprint-content.com

Travel Health Insurance Overview  top

Travel health insurance is a type of insurance which provides health insurance coverage during traveling, usually in a foreign country. In this the insured pays an amount called the premium to the travel insurance company for the coverage. The coverage usually provides coverage for medical costs incurred during travel and in some cases also covers medical evacuation.

Travel health insurance usually comes bundled up with trip interruption/cancellation insurance, travel accident insurance, baggage loss, emergency evacuation and medical expenses coverage. The usual premium is about $200 annually. However the premium depends a lot on your age, cost of trip (for single trip insurance coverage), the distance of trip, the nation to which the trip is being made, any preexisting health conditions etc. Some travel health insurance plans also cover accidental deaths and flight accidental death.

Coverage: The plans that cover the medical costs on your trip include medical expenses, dental expenses, cost of treatment and cost of medicines. These policies come attached with a lot of conditions. For example, if you take medicines from unconventional medical sources like acupuncturists or holistic treatment, the costs will not be reimbursed.

If you are already covered by health insurance, it is prudent to check whether it covers outside the United States or whether it provides only for emergencies.

Medical Evacuation: Travel health insurance provides for medical evacuation to nearest qualified medical health facility. Here the catch is nearest medical health facility and not to the US. So if you are traveling in an underdeveloped country, you may be forced to take medical treatment at a facility decided by the insurance company. The treatment in the US is one of the best, and other countries including Europe have a higher surgical mortality rate.

Repatriation of Mortal Remains: In case of death the travel health insurance company will bear the cost of returning the mortal remains of the insured.

There are other conditions like co-insurance, deductibles, exclusion, benefit period, pre-existing conditions etc which also have to be carefully studied before buying a travel health insurance policy.

Article Source: www.Articlebliss.com

Travel Insurance Assures a Stress-Free Trip
Tips to Share with Your Clientele  top

Aside from passports, what about the most important travel essential? Don't ever think of leaving town without considering travel insurance! Whether for business or leisure trips, travel insurance is definitely a must. You'll never really know when travel hassles will occur. As the no-brainer adage goes, "you can never tell." Securing travel insurance would guarantee a genuine stress-free travel.

More likely than not, you've probably experienced the hassles of trip cancellations, delays, and medical injuries while on a trip. These mishaps not only cost a lot but also translate to headaches and other manifestations of stress. Travel insurance, just like medical insurance and other pre-need services, protect and save you from inevitable and unfortunate circumstances way ahead of time. Think of it as a soft cushion you can fall on when the airport personnel inform you of an abrupt change in flight schedule or when you suddenly incur an injury on a vacation. When incidents like these happen, you can be assured of refunds if you paid for an insurance policy. There are a handful of insurance policies for travel depending on a person's needs and preferences. You may opt for insurance for trip cancellations in case you want reimbursements and you can't make it to a flight because of medical or personal reasons. This kind of insurance usually covers the client's family members as well. So, if the father cancels the trip due to heartburn, his wife and children are allowed to waive theirs, too.

Another kind of travel insurance you should consider having is the one specifically for trip interruptions. This insurance is applicable for any valid reason which may prompt a person to prematurely end their trip. With this kind of insurance, you need not worry about the minor or major expenses you've already paid for but can no longer use. You can also be entitled to medical benefits like a helicopter ride to the hospital in case of emergencies. Travel insurance surely comes in handy. Yes, you have to pay for it in advance (which some people consider a hassle) but the pros of this service more than make up for the supposed inconvenience.
 

Chef Franco Maddalozzo  top

Born in Italy, Chef Franco Maddalozzo has appropriated the world little by little through his constant trips, taking with him the best of each place. All this experiences have made him savor the world itself bringing him to find his style, his flavor and inspiration for his cooking.

Restaurante Rosato, at the Fiesta Americana

Franco studied in the Instituto Alberghiero di Trieste in Italy, this was just the beginning of an extensive journey through countries like: England, Scotland, France, Indonesia, Thailand, Germany and Mexico. All of them with great gastronomic traditions and culinary styles that brought him to join world class restaurants like: Hyde Park, Mandrin Oriental, Grosvenor House, Le Meridien, Four Seasons (London, England), Skibo Castle (Inverness, Scotland), Forte Hotel Village Resort (Sardegna, Italy), Hotel Eden, Palazzo Della Fonte (Rome, Itlay), Plaza Atenee ( Paris, France), Nusa Dua, (Bali, Indonesia), The Mandarin, Peninsula (Bangkok, Thailand), Diamond Cliff (Phuket, Thailand) and Handlon Kempinsky (Berlin, Germany).

Maddalozzo describes his own creations as Mediterranean tendency with Asian touches, due to the influences and experiences of the places where he has developed his skills with great success. “I like to use the best products available, Asian spices and work with elements not too elaborate so they won’t lose their essence.”

Franco Maddalozzo presents innovations with splendid flavors, on contemporary plates that brings out the exquisiteness of each table at Rosato, all this under an avant-garde and international design that transforms spaces.

Linguine with Calamari Ingredients: 80 grams Linguine 40 grams Calamar (calamari) 10 grams Echalotte (shallots) 5 grams Ajo (garlic) 5 grams Perejil (parsley) 20 grams Calabaza (zucchini) 20 grams Tomates (tomatoes) 0.01 grams Habanero Chili 5 ml Vino blanco (white wine) 0.01 grams Sal (salt) 0.01 grams Pimienta (pepper) 20 grams Botarga Caviar (dried mullet roe) Sauté garlic, shallots, squid, zucchini, tomatoes and habanero. Add the white wine, and the dried mullet roe and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened. Combine finished sauce with the cooked pasta. Plate the dish and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

The culinary offerings of the Fiesta Americana Santa Fe are unmatched. In the exclusive Restaurante Rosato you can enjoy a select variety of dishes and Italian specialties with Mediterranean touches in a sophisticated ambience under the expert hand of the chef Franco Maddalozzo (the creator of the Azur in Aqua). Rosato opens at 7:00am, at that time the breakfast buffet is served or you can order from the menu. For lunch and dinner you can order a la carte. In the most important corporate area in Mexico City, Grupo Posadas has created an integrated hotel complex that houses the Fiesta Americana and Fiesta Inn, the two top names in “twin” concept creations. Fiesta Americana Santa Fe is a fusion of contemporary styles of the exceptional quality that sets it apart from the rest. With 162 rooms and 10 luxury suites that make up the ellipse shaped building, if offers modern rooms that are warm and large and provoke a feeling of distinctive hospitality and equilibrium. The hotel offers a business center with 5 work rooms, a fitness center and pool, 14 event rooms (with capacities form 650 to 10 persons), executive floors (private access section with a exclusive reception area, continental breakfast, and honor bar with hors d'óeuvres and newspapers in the rooms), the Urban lounge and Rosato Restaurante. Fiesta Inn Santa Fe has a Mexican contemporary design and offers everything you need to have a pleasant and perfect stay during a business trip. The 187 rooms and 2 junior suites are in a vertical 12-story building. The hotel has a business center with 2 work rooms, gym and a lobby bar. In the Café La Fiesta you can enjoy the international cuisine in this modern and comfortable space that also offers the option to dine on a more traditional Mexican cuisine.

Stir Up the Calories top

It’s okay to choose an activity that won’t excite your body too much, but it’s crucial to pick something you enjoy doing. Keeping active is the key to permanent weight loss, so your activity needs to be enjoyable, convenient, and endurable. In this chapter, we’ll give you the tips and tools you’ll need to make your exercise work without leaving you feeling too worked.

MELTING THE FAT WITHOUT BURNING YOURSELF OUT

There are a few things you’ll want to know before you start stirring up the calories.  What type of activity as best along with just how much and how hard you have to do it are some of the tips we’re going to give you.  But first, we want to go over some fat-burning principles.

Simmering Down Some Fat-Burning Facts

When we talk about exercising to burn fat, we use the term aerobic, which means in the presence of oxygen. You cannot burn fat without oxygen. When you do aerobic exercise, you increase your aerobic capacity or your ability to take in, transport, and utilize oxygen. Increasing your aerobic capacity helps you become a better fat burner.

Here are some guidelines to remember when you exercise aerobically:

• Choose an activity that is continuous and uses your larger muscle groups. Examples of these activities are dancing, walking, jogging, biking, and swimming.
• Pick at least two or three activates and rotate them. Variety will keep you from getting bored or injured.
• Begin slowly and gradually progress in effort, frequency, and duration (no more then 10 percent increase per week).
• Wear the right kind of shoes and clothing.
• Always warm up before and cool down after your aerobic exercise (easy pace for at least five minutes)

Little Chunks, Tiny Chunks, Teeny Chunks

We’ve told you that you don’t need to do more then 30 minutes, five to six days a week. And, you don’t have to exercise all at once. You can break it up into little chunks, tiny chunks, or teeny chunks. You will see results if you do this, especially if you haven’t been doing anything up to this point.

Of course, you see even more results if you increase those chunks of time. The more you exercise, the more calories and fat you burn – even after you stop. The choice is yours to make, but if you decide to stick with the smaller chunks of time, be sure to use as many muscle groups as you can. For instance, pick whole body activities like rowing, cross country skiing, jumping rope, or jumping jacks. Remember, the more muscles you use the less time you need to move them.

With a Huff and a Puff You’ll Blow That Fat Down

In order to get the benefits of aerobic exercise you need to get your heart beating at a level beyond its resting state and below its maximum rate. That means you will get a little heated, a little breathless, and a little sweaty (or really sweaty depending on your plumbing). Sounds like fun, huh?!

Seriously though, you need to listen to your body and work at a level of exertion that feels moderate to hard. On a scale from 1 to 10, this exertion level will be at 7-1/2 to 8-1/2. Remember that how you feel exercising today may be different from tomorrow, so always pay attention to your breathing and energy level.

Stirring Up a Melting Pot of Benefits

Exercise does a lot more for you then melting fat and calories. It truly is the cornerstone of good health and a productive life. There are so many benefits for working out (even if you do it The Lazy Way). Once you see them you’ll probably never want to stop stirring those calories.

Here are a dozen ways aerobic exercise improves your life:

• Decreases stress
• Lowers blood pressure
• Stabilizes blood sugar
• Reduces unhealthy blood fats and increases healthy ones
• Raises HDL cholesterol levels
• Increases endurance
• Enhances balance and coordination
• Decreases appetite
• Improves resistance to disease
• Makes bones stronger
• Aids restful, higher-quality sleep
• Helps slow the aging process

And, don’t forget, when it comes to shedding pounds, the more you increase your aerobic capacity, the better fat burner you become.

Your Aerobic Activity Can Be a Walk in the Park

You might know we carry our legs with us wherever we go, so we might as well make the most of them. Once of the best ways to do this is to make walking the aerobic activity of choice. There are a multitude of ways you can fit walking into your routine. It just takes some imagination and a good pair of tennis.
Here’s how you can cultivate the pleasure of walking.

• Find a rewarding place to walk. It can be your neighborhood, a green belt, a beach, or the nearest park (if it’s a small one, walk around the perimeter).
• Take a walk first thing in the morning and see a part of the day you might usually miss.
• Go for a walk in the great outdoors during your lunch break. If will feel good to breathe in some fresh air.
• Change some of your regular driving routes into walking ones. Take your legs instead of your car to work, school, or to visit a friend or buy a newspaper.
• Head for the shopping malls and walk from end to end! (Sorry but window shopping doesn’t count!) The shopping malls are a great place to walk when the weather is bad.
• Get yourself a portable headset so that you can listen to music or books on tape.
• Walk with a friend. (Don’t forget dogs enjoy walks too!)

A SPURT HERE AND THERE DOES WONDERS
FOR MORE THAN JUST YOUR DERRIERE

We told you that there was not need to whip yourself into a frenzy and we meant it. But, we should also tell you that adding a spurt of effort every now and then while exercising can do wonders for your pound shedding. These spurts are an efficient way to get your body fit and rev up your fat-burning potential. And, because it’s just a spurt, you don’t have time to get bent out of shape.

It’s easy to incorporate these spurts into your exercise routine. After you’ve been doing your activity for several minutes, increase your intensity for 30 to 60 seconds, then bring it back down to your normal pace. For instance, if you are walking, you might walk faster or break into a jog for a little bit. This can be applied to whatever activity you choose – just do it a little harder or faster and let yourself get uncomfortable, and then return to your regular place, breathing comfortably before starting another spurt.

Here are a few ideas to help you rev it up every now and then:

• Do 20 step-ups on a bench (10 on each leg)
• Run up a flight of stairs
• Do stride outs between telephone poles
• Skip, leap, or bound
• Increase the intensity or resistance on cardiovascular machines
• Add hand weights to your work out

JUST A LITTLE MORE MOVEMENT YIELDS A LOT MORE RESULTS

A spurt of intensity will definitely increase your calorie expenditure, but just a little more movement yields results too, especially nowadays, since technology has made our lives more efficient but less active. You need to figure out how you can be more active during the day, from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed. Try to add a little physical activity everywhere you go.

Here are some simple ways to get more physical:

• Never choose the closest parking space – walk a bit to where you’re going.
• Always take the stairs over the elevator or escalator.
• Promise yourself you’ll pull five weeds a day from your yard.
• Plant a garden or flowers.
• Use your manual can opener rather then the electric one.
• Learn to fidget while you sit.
• Never sit during commercial breaks. Get up and move around.
• Incorporate down time exercises whenever you can.

Annette Cain – Health Catalyst Annette Cain is a graduate of the University of California at Davis, with a Baccalaureate of Science in Nutrition Science. She received her Masters Degree in Health Services-Wellness Promotion from the California College of Health Sciences. Annette has also completed her certification program for the Treatment of Eating Disorders at John F. Kennedy University. The Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) has certified her as a personal trainer, and she has fourteen years of experience in weight management and exercise programming. Annette has dedicated her career to promoting wellness and preventing disease through exercise and healthy habits.