Travel Agent Month roundup: discounts, prizes, contests & more!

The travel industry is giving travel advisors around the world a collective applause today (May 3) to mark Travel Agent Day, an annual day of recognition that takes place on the first Wednesday of May.

Travel Agent Day was founded by Colleen Lorenzen of Uniglobe Carefree Travel in Saskatoon, Sask, in 2011. (Click here to join the official Facebook page). 

Since then, the day has evolved into a globally-recognized event, lasting an entire month, bringing together travel pros from all corners of the industry.

Travel advisors and agencies, throughout time, and especially since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, have proven themselves to be a resilient and resourceful force.

Here’s how suppliers and tourism boards are celebrating the travel trade this month.

Air Canada

Each week Air Canada’s travel advisor partners have a chance to win prizes.

“Successfully complete some fun trivia questions and you will be entered for a

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A Review of Our Disney Fantasy Caribbean Cruise

A Disney Fantasy Cruise in the Western Caribbean

When I posted to Instagram that we were booked on a spring break Disney Fantasy Cruise, a lot of people DMed me to ask why. It’s a reasonable question – although we’ve been on a number of cruises, we don’t love cruises, and we’re not a big Disney family. 

It goes back a decade. When my kids were small, starting at 1, 3 and 5-years-old, we did three 12-night Disney Cruises in Europe. We booked them because they were easy – unpack once and see a lot of cool places – and because Disney is, by definition, family-friendly. Our kids went to the kids club a few times, and waited in line for character photos every once in a while, but really they just enjoyed the ship and the independence, since they could run around by themselves, and we (the parents) liked

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Mondee Introduces New AI-Powered Travel Agent Tools – Cruise Industry News

Mondee announced the launch of Mondee Travel Marketplace featuring Abhi, its AI-powered travel assistant platform that simplifies the cruise booking process.

Mondee’s Marketplace features an integrated cruises platform allowing users to easily browse and book a cruise of their choice. Travel agents can also benefit from the app as it simplifies the process of supporting their customer base.

The mobile-first solution was designed to instantly create personalized travel suggestions based on a user’s interests so they can instantly book their favorite vacation. Abhi is capable to engage in conversations, understand complex queries and can offer comprehensive responses.

Mondee’s Marketplace, available both as an app and on the web, allows travel experts to expand their scope across global and local suppliers. The Mondee Marketplace also comes with a number of advanced features, such as modern fintech, conversational commerce, CRM and growth-enabling analytics.

“We are thrilled to introduce a new AI technology

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Allegedly fake travel agent arrested in $245,000 ‘kiting’ scam in Whitby


A Whitby woman has been arrested in connection with an alleged $245,000 “kiting” scam.

Durham Regional Police allege the woman posed as a travel agent to collect money from clients to fund their vacations. However, she is accused of not using the money as agreed, but keeping it for herself. This kind of operation is known in law enforcement as a “kiting” scam.

Investigators began to receive reports of the woman’s alleged fraud in October 2020 and began an investigation. They claim to have learned she operated this scam from 2011 to 2019. The additionally claim she used a fake certificate from the Travel Industry Council of Ontario to win over victims.

Police say the woman operates her own business as Travel Girl Inc. as a professional expert group travel and destination weddings. She has used more than 21 different aliases, including;

  • Alora Tarcia
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According to eDreams, many Americans step out of their comfort zone when it comes to traveling

LONDON, July 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Leading online Travel Agent eDreams’ latest poll of 10,000 respondents across international markets* – 2,000 from the US – reveals traveler motivation for getting out of our comfort zones, what that means when it comes to vacations, and how the benefits are felt.

  • 83% of US respondents report they have already traveled to a destination out of their comfort zone or are planning to. The 25-34 age group is the most experienced with a whopping 93%.
  • 54% of American respondents have already traveled outside their comfort zone, which makes them the number 1 nationality among the poll followed by the Spanish (41%).

What are the top 3 of a holiday outside of the American comfort zone?

  • For 21% of US respondents it is a vacation that is not organized at all; they just buy the plane ticket and improvise upon arrival.
  • Followed by
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What you need to know about the hit faith-based thriller fueling conspiracy theories

Jim Caviezel stars in Sound of Freedom, which unexpectedly topped the July 4th box office over Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Jim Caviezel stars in Sound of Freedom. (Everett Collection)

The faith-based child-trafficking thriller Sound of Freedom has become one of the biggest, most unexpected box-office hits of the year, thus far ranking in $53 million (and counting) and even outdueling the Walt Disney-backed Indiana Jones and the Dial of DestinyHarrison Ford’s farewell to his signature fedora-wearing adventurer on a Fourth of July holiday face-off.

The film’s underdog success story isn’t the only reason it’s making headlines, though.

There have been outlandish QAnon-centric conspiracy theories spread and refuted, a screening planned by former President Donald Trump and a link made between the film and a years-old congressional testimony by Ashton Kutcher.

Here’s everything you need to know about 2023’s sleeper hit.

What is Sound of Freedom about?

Originally filmed in 2018, Sound of Freedom is inspired by the life of Tim Ballard — a former special agent with the US

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Reagan: Travel makes America look good again | Guest Column

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Worried about air travel this summer? How to have a headache-free vacation

Open this photo in gallery:

Travelers make their way through Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Nov. 14, 2022.Cole Burston/The Canadian Press

After two years of repeated delays and cancellations, Sylvia Beck has all but given up on flying to the Maritimes to visit her son.

First, there was a trip last year where her family lost all their luggage when flying from Toronto to Moncton.

Then, on another recent trip, her daughter flew from Hamilton to avoid Toronto Pearson Airport’s congestion. But her budget carrier canceled the flight just 45 minutes before takeoff, citing bad weather despite other airlines landing in Moncton around the same time.

this year, Ms. Beck says she’ll probably do a two-day road trip instead. Gas and hotel expenses will make it more expensive, but Ms. Beck says it’s worth it for peace of mind and to be able to travel through parts of

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US passport delays are creating travel purgatory and snarling summer plans

WASHINGTON – Seeking a valid US passport for that 2023 trip? Buckle up, wishful traveler, for a very different journey before you step anywhere near an airport.

A much-heard backup of US passport applications has smashed into a wall of government bureaucracy as worldwide travel rebounds toward record pre-pandemic levels — with too few humans to handle the load. The result, say aspiring travelers in the US and around the world, is a maddening pre-travel purgatory defined, at best, by costly uncertainty.

With family dreams and big money on the line, passport seekers describe a slow-motion agony of waiting, worrying, holding the line, refreshing the screen, complaining to Congress, paying extra fees and following incorrect directions. Some applicants are buying additional plane tickets to snag in-process passports where they sit — in other cities — in time to make the flights they booked in the first place.

So grim is

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Don’t Buy Airline Tickets on This Day of the Week

enviromantic/iStock.com

enviromantic/iStock.com

Summer travel season is approaching, and you might just be getting to book your flights. While summer is typically more expensive for travel, you might be able to save some money by avoiding purchasing flights on the wrong day of the week.

I’m a Travel Agent: 7 Costliest Mistakes People Make When Planning Vacations
Learn: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

There are some long-standing myths in the travel industry about the best day to search for flight deals, but less know that there are days where flights may be more expensive.

We’ve reviewed data from Google Flights and a study from Expedia to find out if there really are worse days to buy tickets than others. Here’s what we’ve found.

Best Day To Buy Airline Tickets: Sunday

Expedia analyzed millions of flights and airfare data and found that booking a flight on a Sunday could save you

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