Travel Staff NewsMy Most Memorable TripApril 6, 2021My family and I have traveled quite often but I would definitely say our trip to Tanzania. It was part safari and part community service. We wanted our daughter to see Tanzania and to be honest we thought the 3-park safari was going to be the highlight of the 10-day trip. It was truly amazing as we saw animals for the first time in THEIR habitat NOT behind fences and that was breathtaking. Elephants, lions, wilder beast, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, tons of birds and more. But what truly struck a chord to this day was pulling up to the middle school in Moshi in our bus and having 300 kids rush the bus screaming and yelling and waving like we were the Rolling Stones! For a week we taught these amazing kids English in their dilapidated classrooms. Tin roofs, dirt floors, window frames without windows and no electricity. Yet they were the most polite, well behaved, joyous kids. If anyone on this earth had a reason to be angry or sad—it was them but they were not. In fact, they taught us to be thankful for what you do have and not sad for what you don’t! Their clothes were dirty and tattered, and they Ungali (like porridge) that they ate once a day in school may be their only meal. All they wanted to do was sit on your lap or hold your hand. We have amazing photos to go along with this trip. Many of them, even the little ones walked to school sometimes a mile or two on a dirt road with torn sneakers or shoes. But never complained. The teachers were amazing. Paid hardly anything and full of energy and excitement and gratitude. At the end of our stay, my family and I donated 100 pairs of brand new shoes to the school for the children. We cannot wait to go back! Story by Louis Lanfranchi... Read more...Who was your MENTOR?March 2, 2021You are an experienced MPI member and an Independent or Small Business Owner. (ISBO) Who was your mentor? Are you still in touch? Did you form a lifelong friendship? Are you ready to return the favor? ISBO, The Independent & Small Business Community, within MPI is starting a Mentorship Program. Now, more than ever, our younger and less experienced MPI members need help and sound advice. Are you ready, willing and able to become a Mentor and pay it back, or is it paying it forward? Complete our simple 5 questions to see if you qualify as a Mentor. After assembling our pool of Mentors, we will know how many Mentees we can invite to participate. We will Match Mentor to Mentee based on industry segment, geography and personality. Be part of this exciting development, as we strengthen our industry, invest in the future and prepare for a return to work. Send Nick Reid an email with MENTOR in the subject line and he will send you the 5 Questions. nick@travelstaff.net... Read more...2021 ISBO ADVISORY BOARDJanuary 20, 2021Our first meeting was held on January 7th, to kick start the year. February meetings will set the agenda for the year and prioritize goals. We will report these in our next newsletter. In the meantime, please follow us on our MYMPIweb section, under “Communities” and encourage other MPI members who are Independent & Small Business Owners to join the ISBO community. Here is the lineup of Advisory Board Members for 2021. We have 3 Committees: • Education• Community Engagement• Long Range Planning EDUCATION CO-CHAIRS COMMUNITY ENAGEMENT CO-CHAIRS LONG RANGE PLANNING CHAIR... Read more...Networking SalutationsNovember 6, 2020I miss networking. I miss going to industry events; meeting new people, catching up with colleagues, and learning new things. But most of all, I miss the rush of walking into an event space, scanning the room, searching for the area we all go to first …. the bar. My heart skips a beat. I catch my breath. My brisk walk turns into fast-paced steps as I begin to see other attendees charging in the same direction. Must. Redeem. Drink ticket. Now, don’t get me wrong. The best part of attending these events is to network and meet new, potential clients. However, some of our best meetings have occurred at the bar. Is it because we’re in a relaxed setting and have found a way to break the ice with people we hope to conduct business with in the future? And, how do we celebrate this new camaraderie? Simple. We propose a toast to new beginnings by clinking our glasses. Our 5 Senses are being stimulated: sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound (the clink). But, wait. We don’t say, “Toast”!What do we say? Other countries have a word they use when drinking. But America doesn’t have its own word to celebrate a toast or wish someone good health/happiness. In England, they say, “Cheers”. In France, the word is “Sante”. Mexico: “Salud”.Italy: “Chin Chin”Japan: “Kampai”Israel: “L’chaim”Germany: “Prost”Scandinavia: “Skal”China: “Gambai”Ireland: “Slainte” It seems here in the land of amber waves of grain, Americans have adopted the English salutation of “Cheers”. But, what if we had our own word? What would it be? I challenge you to find a good word that we can say as we clink our glasses and toast. We will pick the 5 best suggestions from our readers and the winners will each receive a free wireless car charger for your cell phone. Simply send your “word” idea to: imelda@travelstaff.netThe winners will be notified directly and posted on next month’s newsletter. Let’s have fun with this! And remember, as we continue to network and build new business relationships with our own salutation, let’s not forget that these partnerships may end up becoming lifelong friendships. “Salud”!... Read more...Nick Reid Interview – Recruitment During COVID-19September 25, 2020Our own Nick Reid was interviewed by the Okon Bros. on their weekly podcast! You can watch the full interview here on YouTube.... Read more...My Damn Crystal BallJune 30, 2020My Damn Crystal Ball by Nick Reid This is going to last longer than people are saying. Re-Opening is not Recovery, it is just the first step. People are putting too much emphasis on re-opening – and it is going to cause some grief down the line. There is still a race for a vaccine. Some local travel will take place this summer. The majority will be drive. (There’s is talk of a $4,000 travel tax credit – stimulus) But the industry cannot survive on 30-50% occupancies. Domestic corporate travel will start back slowly in September. But pent up desire will not translate to pent up demand. Japan still has a 14-day quarantine for arrivals. Hawaii just changed their 14-day quarantine to a requirement for a Negative Covid test at the time of boarding. By first quarter 2021 we will only be at 30% of usual business. We will build back gradually during 2021 hitting normal numbers first quarter 2022. Who will survive? It’s hard to stay. 20% of New York City Hotels will never re-open. Hilton has laid off 20% of Corporate Staff. Qantas has laid off 6,000 staff and will not resume International service until 2021. Travel agents close to retirement whose partners/spouses have employment outside of the travel industry may choose to simply retire. 50% of travel industry staff will be laid off by July. Survival will depend on the $600 per week special allowance being extended beyond July 31. Without it most cannot survive on simple Unemployment Benefits (UI). UI will need to be extended beyond the now extended 12 months as some will still be unemployed come April 2021. A second PPP may be available to Small Businesses to use for salary/wage replacement. So much talent will go wanting for work. Many will turn to Independent Contractor status feeling there is no other alternative. More “agents” will be fighting for a much-reduced pie. Intelligent travel agencies and companies will look to mergers and cost cutting to survive. Those who can survive until early 2021, will be the winners. by Imelda Bermudez If you’ve just read Nick’s article and are still feeling the sting of his words, rest easy. My words will soften the blow. Nick is a Realist; calls it as he sees it. You know, “just the facts, ma’am”. I, on the other hand, am an Optimist. Someone who tends to be hopeful and confident about the future. Not because of concrete evidence, but because I believe for every bad, there’s good. And this is why we make the perfect partnership. I can honestly say, Nick is 100% correct. And it’s through his candor and experience that I find the strength to trudge forward. But how? Tourism is operating at 30-50%, he says. What do I do in the meantime? The thought of watching another movie/show on Netflix makes me want to set fire to myself. Okay, maybe not that drastic, but you get the picture. And so, my research begins. I scrolled through a myriad of posts on LinkedIn. Read articles on Success.com. Spoke to friends and colleagues who are in the same boat as I am. What do I keep hearing? “I think it’s time to reinvent myself”. Just because the Travel & Hospitality Industries are at a standstill, it doesn’t mean you should wait on the sidelines until you “see some movement”. Start by creating movement yourself. Make YOU a Whole New YOU. I’m not suggesting you leave the industry you love altogether. Why not change fields in the same industry? Or better yet, build on the skills you already have to make yourself more attractive to hiring managers. Gone are the days of unitasking. Those who are hired back first, won’t be doing just ONE job (as they did before). Employers are going to expect employees to wear more than one hat. How many hats do YOU have? Corporate Travel Agents – if you’ve never issued tickets, or need a refresher, IATA has free online training courses on their site: https://www.iata.org/en/training/subject-areas/fares-ticketing-courses/ Leisure Travel Agents – if you don’t have GDS experience, look into taking an online course on SABRE, Apollo, or Worldspan. There are online courses for $200 and in less than 2 weeks, you’ll be introduced to a whole new world of technology that will make you a viable asset.Meeting Planners – up your game by learning a platform like Cvent. Check out videos on Vimeo or YouTube (“Cvent training courses”) that will introduce you to this must have Event Management Platform, as the event industry transitions into the virtual world.Travel Agency to Hotel? If you’re like my friend Albert, and you know everything there is to know about your local community; restaurants, theme parks, museums, etc. Have you thought about working for a hotel? Start with becoming a concierge. Use that local tourism knowledge and help others get around in your fair town. Your travel industry experience will come in handy later, as you decide to grow in hospitality. You already know the industry. Now, all you have to do is get back in the game and learn how to play a different position. Don’t leave the Travel & Hospitality Industry. Reinvent yourself. Just T.R.Y.... Read more...The Second WaveJune 17, 2020We are getting hit with the second wave of layoffs. People whose salaries were covered by PPP and people who were furloughed in March are now finding out that business has not returned, and money is running out. They are being laid off, joining those that were laid off in March. New PPP guidelines allow for employers to use PPP money to pay furloughed staff to lay them off and still qualify for loan forgiveness. The Federal Government has been creative with unemployment numbers. People receiving pay via PPP are employed. However, they are employed using government money – unemployed people are also receiving government money. Same purse, different pocket. As early PPP recipients, told they had to spend their PPP allowance within 8 weeks to qualify for loan forgiveness, are approaching their 8th week, they have spent their money. They are starting to lay off employees, as business has been slower in returning. This is going to grow unemployment numbers. The stock market will react poorly to greater numbers. A correction in the markets becomes inevitable. A second wave – a second correction is coming. The $600 per week special Covid-19 allowance for the unemployed is due to run out July 31st. Lawmakers are debating whether to extend this or create a “Return to Work” bonus. If it is not extended, the real pain of unemployment will be felt by many. A second wave of hurt. The government has printed an extraordinary amount of money. By calling them loans they are balancing their books. As the loans are converted to grants, they will have to recognize this free money. A second wave of debt recognition is coming. What does this mean for you? More people unemployed. More downward pressure on salaries and wages. What can you do? Keep your costs as low as possible. Allow time to rebuild your business. Our March newsletter predicted business would not start returning until September and even then, would build slowly into the first quarter 2021. Some people felt we were being overly pessimistic. I hope you were one of those that paid attention in March. We are here to help businesses recalibrate and job seekers to find employment. We won’t sugarcoat anything. Contact Nick Reid or Imelda Bermudez to discuss your needs confidentially. Nick Reid: nick@travestaff.net (310) 948-8769 Imelda Bermudez: imelda@travelstaff.net (424) 393-9896... Read more...Green ShootsJune 1, 2020We are finally starting to see some signs of life returning to the global tourism industry. Southern European nations have opened for general tourism. Gaylord Resort is opening in Austin, TX. Japanese children have returned to school. Hotels & Resorts are opening, but conforming to local safety regulations is causing low occupancy, and impossible F&B metrics. Owners will continue to declare bankruptcy. As you have heard, Hertz has filed for Chapter 11.Jobs are different. Furloughs in corporate travel are being extended until September. We have seen scant new job openings. But they are starting to appear. We will see more come up progressively from now to the end of summer. By September we should start to see a decent number of job openings. So, what can you do? As employers, be brave. This is the time to reset your business and find the best talent. If you commit to hire, you can employ somebody to start in September. People can survive if they have a start date. Snap up the talent now – it is your advantage.As employees, don’t waste this downtime. Improve your skills. Undertake a course. Find your special messaging. We recently advised a former Club Med employee to offer a free tennis lesson if granted an interview. Why? To highlight the fact that he had extraordinary Club Med experience, had worked on the customer entertainment and activities side of the hospitality business and had been a tennis coach. His application was sent with a can of tennis balls. You have to do something to stand out. What’s next? More openings. Orange County, California just approved in-restaurant dining. But business will not snap back. Social distancing predicts this. More businesses will return. Remote will remain. We are predicting children will return to school in September, freeing up parents who have had to teach from home. More bankruptcies. Businesses have been drained. Large and small. The Mall of America, the largest mall in America, has defaulted on $1.4 billion. What business does resume will not be enough to stave off bankruptcies. Cruise will resume in August and build back slowly. The first quarter of 2021 will be good for cruise. Air travel will resume from September and build back in much the same way. But Corporate Travel will not return in strength until 2021.Nothing is certain. This is our best guess based on information to hand today. But we see Green Shoots. We hope you do to.As always, we pray for your safety and continued survival.... Read more...Work Opportunities for Travel AgentsMay 14, 2020WERE YOU FURLOUGHED OR LAID OFF? If you were furloughed, you are one of the lucky ones who will be called back to work shortly. If you were laid off, you are in trouble. Why? Because Employers are not going to rush to hire. They will bring back furloughed staff and then they will move cautiously. Many will use contingent labor (temps or contract) to avoid commitment. What can you do? Get in touch with Travel Staff. We have clients who have come to us in the past, for Temp staff. Did you know that 80% of exceptional temps are offered full-time positions? This is because the unknown becomes known. Employers know what they are getting when they offer a temp a full-time position. Our temp assignments carry a one-month minimum guarantee. We won’t send you out on assignment for less than that. We’ve also had assignments extended for much longer than one month. Travel Staff Temps are paid between $25 and $40 per hour, depending on experience and what the job requires. This translates to $52k – $83k per year. We use ADP, America’s leading payroll service, so at the end of the year you get your W-2 form faster than anybody else. As a Travel Staff Temp, you’d be on our payroll, have your tax deducted correctly, and your paycheck is direct deposited into your bank account. We have remote positions so you can work from home. The good news to come from all this COVID mess, is that employers who were reluctant to use or allow remote workers in the past, have now become advocates for remote work. What we are looking for: Travel Agents (Corporate, Leisure, Entertainment)Proficiency on GDS (Sabre, Apollo, Worldspan, and/or Amadeus)Ticketers (strongly skilled in driving tickets, exchanges, and refunds)Accounting staff (ARC Specialists), with TRAMS experience Send us your resume. We’ll set up a time to talk with you and assess your skillset, so we can line you up for the right position as jobs become available. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to join the Travel Staff Temp Team! Work with the best. Don’t just take my word for it. Take a moment to read some testimonials from a few of our temps: “I’ve had a great experience with Travel Staff. In a short period of time they were able to find a perfect project that fit my skillset. The project was initially set for a few weeks, and has turned into a long-term project. The team at Travel Staff have been professional and a pleasure to work with – especially Imelda & Sylvia.” Carol Smith “I hold Travel Staff in high regard due to their genuine professionalism and expertise – along with sincere, honest, kind and caring individuals such as Imelda Bermudez. I would recommend this top- notch company to anyone who is seeking job placement within the travel industry.” Michelle Johnson “I’ve been associated with Travel Staff for many years. As a temp employee, I have been offered choice assignments at a very fair pay scale and they always had another position lined up immediately after the assignment was to end. I have enjoyed their monthly socials and I consider them all friends. It’s truly a family that I have enjoyed working with.” Robert McKee Contact me. Imelda Bermudez, Co-Founder Travel Staff (424) 393 8986 imelda@travelstaff.net... Read more...A Tale of ThanksgivingNovember 1, 2019Are you one of the 54.3 million people who will be traveling on Thanksgiving? If you’re flying, take heart, the smallest group of travelers fly, only 4.7 million of the aforementioned 54.3 million. Still, be prepared for crowded ticket counters, TSA lines, mobs at Peets or McDonald’s and oversold flights. Be sure to keep your phone charger handy, and if possible, take an extra battery or portable charger with you. I’ve seen actual fights break out over electrical outlets at the gate. Remember you cannot carry on two bottles of wine, a small turkey, yes – as long as it fits in your carry-on bag, but no gravy (unless you freeze it solid) Maybe you’re planning to drive? Well if you are, and plan to leave on the Wednesday before the holiday and return on the following Sunday, you’ll be sharing the highway with 48.5 million people (more than the population of a medium sized country). Be sure to pack some extra patience and add travel time. More people on the road means slower movement, but you know that, you’re an old hand at this. Traveling with kids? You’ll need to think up some clever games to keep them occupied. Maybe you’re lucky enough to have one of those vehicles equipped with screens, online access, and bluetooth headsets so that your little darlings can watch movies and cartoons until their eyeballs are square. If that’s the case, all you have to do is bone up on some scintillating conversation for your spouse, partner, friend, travel companion. Before you know it, you’ll be at your destination (grandma’s, aunt’s, mom’s, dad’s, etc.) house, ready to dig into the turkey and all the fixins. NOTE: you should also pack some interesting anecdotes, and conversation points for the dinner table – but NO politics talk allowed. That’s how uncle Morty ended up with a bloody nose and cousin Howie with a sprained wrist, remember? Ah, then there is Friday – National Football day with leftovers – some may prefer to hit the stores for the Black Friday sales. Be forewarned, there are many crazed bargain hunters out there, shop defensively! Saturday *sigh* you may find yourself running out of clever repartee – but don’t worry, you’re leaving tomorrow. You have an excuse to retire to your shared quarters, early. Sunday, at last! You hit the road or dash to the airport – time to go home and suddenly, you are once again filled with the spirit of thanksgiving. Thankful to have family worth holiday travel and thankful to have a home to return to. Here’s wishing you all something spectacular to be thankful for! ... Read more...
