Oakesy's little acorns.....

What are the responsibilities of a rep?

Chrisoakes — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 12:49:00 GMT

I of course am an advocate of anyone taking the opportunity to work in travel as I have done both in the UK and overseas for over 22 years. Last week I had a great opportunity of working with some of the staff from Worcester College of Technology who have a travel implant agency Spires Travel in the college. 42 students and 3 staff members had 5 days in the Costa del Sol to experience the life overseas first hand. It was hard work and with curfews in place the students were on their best behaviour and at least 15 of them will eventually become overseas reps; some already have placements, or cabin crew or travel agents. The course is excellent and well managed by a team of very knowledgeable staff, Bridget, Martin and Jane who were on hand for the students and worked them hard on the trip!

Courses like this are vital and it was so good to see a new wave of young enthusiastic people who may be the captains of the travel industry of the future – lets face it if you look round now most of the high profile people in our travel have came from the overseas background.

It is great that there are now courses for this and that young people are being taught the value of working overseas and how much responsibility goes with it, however where does that responsibility start and end?

Being a father of a my young daughter Amelia I find the deaths of the two young children in Corfu 3 years ago Robert and Christianne tragic and I cannot even begin to feel the grief that the parents must be feeling. Things do need to be reviewed, laws tightened to ensure that this never happens ever again, and somebody needs to be accountable – however should this be the hotel who had qualified maintenance staff and on site inspections – or two young holiday reps who were asked to complete standard company heath and safety checks?

Nicola Gibson and Richard Carson are on trial with ten Greek nationals for the deaths of Robert and Christianne. The trial has been postponed several times however goes ahead tomorrow 17^th February and hopefully common sense will prevail on accountability.

Anyone starting out in a career in travel should always know how tough it is at the sharp end and that they have a huge responsibility, however on this occasion the buck needs to stop with the hotel owners and management and not two young holiday reps completely untrained in gas maintenance.

I do hope that Nicola and Richard can be exonerated and pick up their lives and careers and not be made to be scapegoats in all of this. It also needs to be clear from the tour operator and the Package Travel Regulations as to who ultimately has responsibility for what – and what the repercussions are when you put your name to any document – health and safety check or otherwise.

The tragedy of all this is a young family torn apart and the terrible loss of young life and that ultimately even more vigorous controls and checks are in place so that this can and never will happen again.

No country for old men (or women)....

Chrisoakes — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 16:25:00 GMT

As some of you may know I had the opportunity to travel and work in a lot of countries over the years, Greece, Spain, Tunisia, Gambia etc.

All of these countries have a lot of things good and bad about them - however the thing that always stood out for me was the sense of family, community and respect for the elders. I attended a wedding in Tunisia which lasted 3 days – we only went for one day, however Jegham Ahmed our host made sure even at a Muslim wedding there was wine and beers for all of us travel people who attended. It was a great honour and we were made very welcome – by young and old and the whole community.

I moved back to the UK in 1998 and that was a culture shock after ten years away – however the longer I stay – in a country I am very proud off – maybe it’s because I am getting older – you start thinking what is happening in the UK.?

In Siberia it is minus 50 degrees, buses and taxis still work and schools only close when it gets to minus 30 degrees. At Asda last week it was like a scene out of a disaster movie with people fighting over loaves of bread and pints of milk, bins weren’t collected, planes and trains were cancelled and we have nearly ran out of grit – the country was nearly at standstill.

To one elderly couple in Northamptonshire this didn’t really matter – as they had already died of the cold…

Jean and Derek Randall were found dead in their home in Northampton by police as Britain was gripped by the coldest winter in 30 years.

Mr Randall, 76, had been trying to get his wife, 79, into a care home after realising that his own flagging health left him incapable of caring for her. The pair may have been dead for up to five days before officers forced their way into their bungalow on Thursday. When we live in a society where we cannot care or look after or respect our elders then something is fundamentally wrong in “Broken Britain”.

My dad is 83 years old and is still fit and healthy and lives with my brother, however there are still neighbours who also look in – so there is still a sense of community in certain areas.

In the village where I live – we are the youngest family in our Cul de Sac – and when our car got stuck in the snow in winter - 3 of my neighbours all over 65 years of age and retired came out on mass to push the car and dig us out.

The older generation are still teaching us a lesson in humility and for Mr and Mrs Randall the tragedy is that their neighbours did look out for them – and contacted Social Services but their concerns went unheeded.

When your train is late or cancelled or your bin isn’t emptied please remember people on their own or the likes of the Randall’s or the pensioners that cannot afford to put the heating on, or is stuck in the house for the past five weeks and cannot get to the shops. Call in see how they are and make sure they know they are not alone – as without that generation none of us would have the rights we have now that they fought for – we owe them so let’s start paying back that debt.

Chris

Urgent Press Release: Christmas Downsizing

Chrisoakes — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 09:53:00 GMT

Like all businesses today’s global challenges require the North Pole to continue to look for better, more competitive steps.

Effective immediately, the following economy measures are to take place in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” subsidiary:

1. The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree never turned out to be
the cash crop forecasted. It will be replaced by a plastic hanging plant,
providing considerable savings in maintenance.

2. The two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost
effective. In addition, their romance during working hours could not be
condoned. The positions are therefore eliminated.

3. The three French hens will remain intact. After all, everyone loves the
French.

4. The four calling birds were replaced by an automated voice mail system,
with a call waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds
have been calling, how often and how long they talked.

5. The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors.
Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications
for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals as well
as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks appear to be in order.

6. The six geese-a-laying constitutes a luxury which can no longer be
afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose
per day is an example of the decline in productivity. Three geese will be let
go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by personnel will assure
management that from now on every goose it gets will be a good one.

7. The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times.
Their function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The
current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes and therefore enhance
their outplacement.

8. As you know, the eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy
scrutiny by the EEOC. A male/female balance in the workforce is being sought.
The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility.
Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending, a-mentoring or
a-mulching.

9. Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be
phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps.

10. Ten Lords-a-leaping is overkill. The high cost of Lords plus the expense of
international air travel prompted the Compensation Committee to suggest
replacing this group with ten out-of-work congressmen. While leaping ability
may be somewhat sacrificed, the savings are significant because we expect an
oversupply of unemployed congressmen this year.

11. Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the
band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cut back on new
music and no uniforms will produce savings which will drop right down to the
bottom line.

12. We can expect a substantial reduction in assorted people, fowl, animals and
other expenses. Though incomplete, studies indicate that stretching deliveries
over twelve days is inefficient. If we can drop ship in one day, service levels
will be improved.

Regarding the lawsuit filed by the attorney’s association seeking expansion to include the legal profession (”thirteen lawyers-a-suing”), action is pending.

Lastly, it is not beyond consideration that deeper cuts may be necessary in the future to stay competitive. Should that happen, the Board will request management to scrutinize the Snow White Division to see if seven dwarfs is the right number.

Merry Xmas !!

Chris

The Blogger is back with a few over due rants!

Chrisoakes — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:59:00 GMT

Apologies as it has been some weeks since my last blog. Since the Travel Convention I have managed to squeeze in a family holiday at last to sunny Tenerife. Travel is amazing as I have still have some friends over there Roberto and Karina that I worked with and Adi and Ruth and even though it has been over 14 years since we worked together it still felt like yesterday. Since then I had a jaunt to SSH to the Hays IG Conference which as was well attended and productive. SSH does let itself down however as the arrival process is a daunting and disorganised affair and more should be done not just for the conference but generally to make it a bit more welcoming to say the least. My last journey of late was to Amsterdam for a great joint Fam Trip with the COOP Scottish Region co-hosted by Holidaytaxis, Travel2, Hoseasons and of course DFDS. Amsterdam is know for a lot of tolerance to wards various activities, however there is a lot more to the city and I had forgotten what a great destination it is. It was a great cruise and highly recommended for a short beak and all of the agents were hard working and excellent.

So a lot of trips with no hitches – wrong…….

On arrival in SSH there was a problem with my relatively new passport (don’t worry no one had drawn whiskers on my face this time), as there was a problem with the chip. I managed to get through – same problem on the way back and the same going to and from Amsterdam. I then this week had to go through the torture of the passport office call centre – reference Stephen – who was reading the same info of the website that I was reading!! I did manage to get an appointment in Liverpool to go down and sort it out. My passport is only a year old and I paid extra to get it the same day – I then had to pay an extra £77 to get a new passport yesterday – the broken chip is their fault!! They have said that if the passport has not been tampered with then they will refund the money – however in the old days it just would have been stamped – no hassle and lasted a good ten years!

Second call centre rant – Sharon and Amelia (my wife and daughter) were all booked to go and see Sharon’s mum and dad in Malaga. I received an e-mail when we were in TFS to say the outbound had been cancelled – I booked the flights 4 months previous with BMI Baby. There was no phone number on the email and it was a no reply email either with no reason and no name. I managed to find a number – called their call centre overseas who informed me I would be refunded the flight cost but not the taxes or the credit card charge – wrong answer! After a debate on legalities and speaking to the supervisor, they agreed to full refund – then couldn’t work out how much it was. I then asked them was it definite that the inbound wasn’t going to be cancelled (he didn’t understand you have to fly a plane out so that you have one to fly back in again!) and he said it was definitely not cancelled. I rebooked the outbound this time with Easyjet next thing new email – inbound is now cancelled by BMI! I have had a full refund – no apology – and an experience that I will never book with BMI Baby again – poor and shoddy service and they expect support from the trade. Yes I know I should have booked it with a travel agent and there are good and bad call centres and staff – however still a very poor show by BMI Baby

Anyway nearly Xmas and goodwill to all men (and women) – back next week.

Chris

Ryanair - diplomatic as always......

Chrisoakes — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:44:00 GMT

Taken from this weeks Sunday times another classic Ryanair act of diplomacy.......

IT’S SCRATCHCARDS AT DAWN

The chief executive of the no-frills airline Germanwings has sparked a furious row with Ryanair by predicting that the Irish giant would go out of business. “The Ryanair model is coming to an end… travellers do not want to fly from nowhere to nowhere,” said Thomas Winkelmann, at the launch of Germanwings’s new Manchester-to-Bonn flight. Asked for a response, Ryanair told The Sunday Times: “We only reply to airlines that have a significant market share. Germanwings is the fly on the arse of the airline industry, so we’re not going to bother.”

You just couldn't make it up!!!

Regards

Chris

Planes, trains, taxis and automobiles - The Travel Convention 2009

Chrisoakes — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:52:00 GMT

The Travel Convention in Barcelona had a record number of attendees this year – however out of the 1000 delegates approximately 200 were agents – so is it of benefit and was it any good – or is it a bit of a jolly?

From a business perspective we don’t do things by half’s and did our usual meet and greet airport duties on the Monday and Tuesday – 27 hours at the airport with my colleague “our Damo” (although he did a quick exit as he was coaching the C & M football team). Barcelona airport is vast and we were split between two terminals – however all went according to plan and it gave us some time with our excellent ground handling staff. Not only did we meet and greet at the airport but had a 6.30 start to meet Shaun Hinds and the CTTG team that had reduced their carbon foot print by travelling all the way from the Midlands by train.

Our local taxi and coach drivers we worked with were fantastic and did a great job of showing the wonderful city of Barcelona off to its full potential.

Some of the business sessions were very good the 30 minute MBA stood out and of course Travel in 2023 was an eye opener. The networking session was not as busy as previous years and perhaps diluted with having the cruise and luxury conference at the same time, however we did see who we wanted to catch up with.

A lot of meetings and networking sessions happen out with the main event and my view is you only get out of these events what you put into them – so from a Holidaytaxis.com perspective we did have a very beneficial conference.

The Spanish Tourist board and our hosts in Barcelona put on some great events and did a great job of hosting the event as always.

For the cost of hotels and also some of the other peripheral costs perhaps ABTA need to review these areas as the main delegate hotels were very over priced and at times charging premiums for certain items.

This is the major event in the Travel Calendar and it is a beneficial event, however looking forward we need to encourage more agents that it is of value – and look at giving delegates and all attendees more relevant sessions and bang for their buck.

Off on my hols for a few weeks now so catch you in November.

Regards

Chris

Discrimination - it's not big and it's not clever

Chrisoakes — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 08:47:00 GMT

Having just returned from the Travel Convention – more on that next week – I have just read of the furore over comments made by Anton Du Beke to his dance partner on Strictly Come Dancing. He has apologised and she has accepted, however it has happened – it was unacceptable and whilst I agree that the world has gone mad on political correctness there is no room now or back in the good old 70,s and 80’s for this type of treatment and discrimination.

My dad now 83 years young still talks of the time moving from Ireland to Scotland in the early 50’s with the boarding houses all having signs saying “No Irish” and of course the term “Mick” being used then an now – is that any more acceptable? In my own experience having travelled far and wild people the world over love a Scotsman especially in a kilt (yes I have one and no I don’t to question number two….); however some of my early experiences were not as rosy!

At the age of 16 in 1982 I did two months in Plymouth with the Royal Marines – who take no prisoners. I was thinner and a lot fitter and could keep up with the best of them – but my main problem was people shouting at me! “Oi Jock” was the normal one which did really begin to grate, however the other acronym was FRISP and I won’t even go into what that stood for. After two months I decided it wasn’t for me and jacked it in – but had a realisation that it was ignorance the terminology and not always malice.

After a few years going through various admin jobs and bar jobs I joined Club 18-30 – which was ten times more stamina than the marines however this is where I learned the best weapon is wit and a quick brain.

There is no room for bullies and or yobs and racists in any society – however these are not just mindless thugs we even see them in white collars and leading political parties so it’s no longer confined to the washroom or football pitch.

On a lighter note I met my friend, mentor and former colleague Andy Cooper in Barcelona at the Travel Convention. We were a formidable force at Airtours ensuring that the millions of brochures per year were all accurate and legally correct and part of my job was errata.

All of this reminded me of my famous errata story of two girls arriving at the Sahara Beach hotel in Tunisia in 1995 where I was one of the managers. They arrived at the welcome meeting and kicked off at my reps and demanded to see the manager – I was in the area got the message on my pager (no mobiles) and set course for the hotel. When I arrived the girls were there invoice in hand and looking a bit hot under the collar. I sat them down to calmly find out what happened. “This is blatant discrimination we only noticed it on the flight so we couldn’t complain in the UK, but we just work as hard as anybody else why would you not allow us in this hotel”. I am completely lost and didn’t have a clue but it was obviously something to do with the booking confirmation, so I asked for it and had a read. Under the errata section it stated “No hairdressers” she said – “we’ve both been through college and now been hairdressers for five years, so why can’t we be allowed in this hotel”. Once I explained that it actually meant the hairdressing salon had closed in the hotel the penny did drop ….. And that my friends is a 100% true story!

See you soon

Oakesy

What's in a name? (Win some High Street Vouchers!)

Chrisoakes — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:48:00 GMT

It’s been a few weeks and I have been travelling far and wide up and down the UK and Ireland. This for a lot of us is conference season and over the next few months I am away to Faro with 45 luck agents courtesy of HTX, PNTO and Cosmos so watch this space for the photos! In October Barcelona for The Travel Convention where I am sure the subject of recession and how we combat it and is it over will be the hot topic once again. Then across the pond to Northern Ireland Travel Awards – not to be missed then off to the canaries for a short break before Sharm el Sheik and then Amsterdam in November!

I have tried my best to offset my carbon footprint and sometimes we wonder are our journeys still of value with conference and video calls and other modern technology – the answer is yes. Ancient traders set off on their ships to many exotic ports in days gone by and people still want to deal with real people. Whether you are a call centre, OTA or high street agent – it is the people behind it that make it work which is why my phone is never turned off and whenever I can get a meeting in with my accounts new or existing it is always a worthwhile journey and at conference you get to meet them face to face.

As I sit on the train travelling through a very sunny Scotland I have just read a great little article which might bring a smile to your face about where people go on holiday:-

Gardener’s – Barra

Fireman – Burntisland

Used Car Salesman – Bangor

Artists – Paington

Batman – Cape Town

Exotic Dancers

Pilots – Ayr

Plumbers – Bath

Bad chefs – Nuneaton (that’s a really bad one)

Sanitary Engineers – Flushing Meadows

Bury FC players – Toulouse

Nymphomaniacs – Bonkle

Kerry Katona – Isle of Dogs

I have left out the one about Cockfosters for obvious reason.

Any other suggestions greatly received and will win some High Street vouchers!

Hopefully see some of you at the Northern Travel Trade Ball tonight and my blog next week comes direct with Miss Travel Weekly Jo Rix from our Fam Trip in Faro.

Chris

Genius or madness - you decide - comments please!

Chrisoakes — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:21:00 GMT

Another weird and wonderful idea on the web - is it genius or madness - would you wear already used dry cleaned clothes.......

If you have ever arrived at your destination airport to find that your bags haven't made the journey and are lost somewhere then you will be especially interested to hear about a new Zero Baggage project, under which travellers will rent their holiday wardrobes, meaning an end to packing and lugging suitcases across continents...

The brain behind the idea insists it will rid people of long queues to check in luggage, lost suitcases and security checks.

The Tourism Futures Conference, which was held on the Gold Coast in Australia, was the venue for the launch of the Zero Baggage idea.

Zero Baggage Chief Executive Catharine Macintosh told business and industry representatives the new way of travelling would save airlines money, traveller's time, be more sustainable and reduce safety fears at airports.

Instead of having a nightmare trying to fit all your clothes into one suitcase and then being forced to pay baggage check-in fees or excess charges, you simply log onto the Zero Baggage website and pack online, dragging and dropping new or pre-loved clothes into a virtual suitcase.

When you arrived at their hotel, the selection you have chosen will be waiting, with rental prices at just a fraction of what the clothes cost new. When the holiday was over, the clothes would be cleaned and used again for other travellers to select.

Ms Macintosh said the idea would work especially well with business travellers who could keep a Zero Baggage locker with their clothes at hotels they regularly stayed at for work.

The pilot project will take off in Toronto, Canada, from November next year, and if successful, could be rolled out to many other countries too.

Somehow I cannot see it quite catching on!!

Regards

Chris

Read this - another rip off!!

Chrisoakes — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:21:00 GMT

Ok – so we all here about rip off Britain. Latest culprit Manchester Airport!!

I have just booked flights with an airline and had to pay £60 quid for bags – I know it’s a rip off, however you know they are going to charge you.

Yesterday morning going through security at Manchester Airport for the umpteenth time in 43 years – I had my clear plastic bag seized full of my assorted stay young potions and toothpaste etc.

Then I met upon the three Witches of Eastwick – Hinge, Bracket and Hecate…. Who told me that my clear plastic bag was not an authorised clear plastic bag – it was not a MANCHESTER AIRPORT 1 litre clear plastic bag. Even though speaking to a supervisor – with the same story – and the designated bag should be clear plastic bag 20cm by 20 cm (mine was 21 x 22) and still clear and all toiletries were less than 100 mls – I had to leave £30 worth of odds and sods – to buy them again in Boots – 110 metres along the corridor.

Let me say I am all for security – over the years I have worked in some hot spots etc -, however don’t believe that Oil of Olay and Aquafresh are the materials of choice of any Al Qaeda cell?

Ok so why the sudden jobs worth attack as I have travelled the same route for years with my clear freezer bag full of toiletries – easy from next month you will HAVE to use the correct bags issued by Manchester Airport so they can do “vapour tests” and they will cost you a £1 a bag!!

At least Dick Turpin wore a mask!!

Where did it all go wrong?

Chrisoakes — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:04:00 GMT

One of my favourite stories of the late but great legend George Best was when a waiter brings him room service – walks into his room bringing more bottles of champagne and there was George in bed with two stunning models and his bed was strewn with £20 notes – the waiter looked at George and said – “Mr Best where did it all go wrong”……………

In 2003 I was aboard the Lady Marina – working for Cosmos with my boss Brian Young now at OHG and we were standing sipping champagne on one of the largest super yachts in the world – both of us thinking what did we do to get here and doing a double take!

Last week approx 6000 travel industry colleagues would have a similar feeling on board the sumptuous Equinox – at 8.00 AM when I went to breakfast it was like a ghost ship – then by 10 AM champagne corks were popping again. Hats off to the staff at Celebrity Cruises and RCCL who did an extraordinary job in pulling the whole thing off – my favourite comment was from Colin Laffin of Laffin Travel in Belfast said who had the mad idea to give 2500 travel agents a free bar for two days!

We work in a fantastic industry and it is still great when we can experience such events and people should be rewarded. There is not as many Fam trips as there used to be, however at HTX we believe that if you experience a service pr product – you can sell that service and product. We are committed to still doing such trips and events to say thanks such as our trip to Portaventura early on in the year and our Faro Fam Trip with Avro, Cosmos and PNTO later on in the year and support those who continually support us.

So when you are having a bad day – think about the good times – which Mr Best often did – as the say a frown is just a smile the wrong way round.

Regards

Chris

Classic Aussies Comments!

Chrisoakes — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:56:00 GMT

Thought I would lighten the mood this week – been a hard week again! These are questions and genuine answers from an Australian Tourism website – I know about the Aussies and the Ashes – but these are classic – enjoy!!

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).

A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.

__________________________________________________

Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA )

A: Depends how much you've been drinking.

__________________________________________________

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden )

A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.

__________________________________________________

Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane , Cairns ,Townsville and HerveyBay ? ( UK )

A: What did your last slave die of?

__________________________________________________

Q: Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? ( USA )

A: A-fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not
..... oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.

__________________________________________________

Q: Which direction is North in Australia ? ( USA )

A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.

_________________________________________________

Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )

A: Why? Just use your fingers like we do.

__________________________________________________

Q: Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )

A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is .
oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.

__________________________________________________

Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK )

A: You are a British politician, right?

____________________________ ______________________

Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )

A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.
Milk is illegal.

__________________________________________________

Q: Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )

A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from.
All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.

__________________________________________________

Q: I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees.. ( USA )

A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them. You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.

__________________________________________________

Q: I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? ( USA )

A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.

__________________________________________________

Q: Can you tell me the regions in Tasmania where the female population is smaller than the male population? ( Italy )

A: Yes, gay night clubs.

__________________________________________________

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? ( France )

A: Only at Christmas.

__________________________________________________

Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )

A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first

Do we still need or appreciate reps?

Chrisoakes — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:21:00 GMT

I have just returned from a week at the Holiday Village in Benalmadena. I booked my package through an agent – however opted not to take their transfer and used one of our private transfers. In these days of incremental income agents are getting savvier and by offering services such as these greatly enhance the holiday experience (plus I had an extra hour in the hotel on the way back!).

The hotel was at capacity and it is a long time since I have had an actual package holiday – so what was the verdict?

Having a two year old daughter changes your whole holiday experience – but on the whole although there were many things I didn’t participate in – it was refreshing to see such a hard working team of reps and entertainment staff – some of the kids reps were on duty until 11 PM and the average cover in the hotel was 13 hours per day! I also have to say that nothing was to much trouble for the hotel staff and all in all a great hotel, excellent facilities and the pool areas were just as fantastic as they look on TV.

I said a few weeks ago about the future of travel and if you look at Directors, owners and senior managers in a lot of travel organisations – a lot have came from the humble beginnings of being an overseas rep.

Sometimes holiday reps get a bad name with TV coverage over the past few years. But even if you don’t use their services it is still a valuable training ground for the future entrepreneurs in travel and other industries and now more than ever there is a huge responsibility on them.

For my money we shouldn’t forget where a lot of us had our first break in travel and should encourage more youngsters to enjoy the same experience.

Now back to the grindstone of weaning Amelia of the 8.00 PM kiddies disco!

See you next week.

Off on my jollies.....

Chrisoakes — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:52:00 GMT

Off on my holidays – and yes booked with a travel agent – after 21 years in travel I still have a huge loyalty and being a family man (not married but been dating 17 years) I have to go up an aisle one day – and that is of course and aircraft! I have booked private transfers with my days of waiting at an airport in 35 degree heat with Sharon and my two year old Amelia well and truly over and irrespective of working for Holidaytaxis a private transfer is a definite must not an extra!! Anyway only away for a short week but thought I would leave you with a few true facts and queries to ponder over ……

An ant can lift 50 times its own weight and can pull 30 times its own weight

A square piece of paper cannot be folded in half more than 7 times

The Sahara Desert is growing by about 1 km every month!

On every continent, there is a city called Rome - can you find them?

All penguins live in the southern hemisphere

70% of the world’s fresh water is frozen in Antarctica

Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue prints are different

The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backwards

Only female ducks can quack

Antarctica is actually a desert, receiving the same amount of rain as the Sahara Desert

Crickets can hear through their knees

It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open

There are more than 2700 languages in the world

99% of people cannot lick their elbow. Can you?

A jellyfish is 85% water – whereby a trifle is 85% jelly …….

A giraffe can clean its ears with its tongue…..I know what you are thinking ……

What do you call a freezer shop in Iceland ……..

And who actually watches Kerry Katona?

Enjoy the sunshine and see you in a few weeks.

Regards

Where are we?

Chrisoakes — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:59:00 GMT

I fly out to Malaga next week for a quick break in the sun. The Costa del Sol still holds some great memories from me in my repping days; however this is still one of the classics that was a true story of a young couple’s first trip to the coast.

A guy and his girlfriend man were driving their hire car and came across the resort of Benalmadena on the way to their hotel in Marbella. They noted the strange spelling and tried to figure how to pronounce it – BEN ald madena; Ben ald madena etc. They grew more perplexed as they drove into the town.

Since they were hungry, they pulled into a place to get something to eat. At the counter, the man said to the waitress:

"My girlfriend and I can't seem to be able to figure out how to pronounce this place. Will you tell me where we are and say it very slowly so that I can understand."

Quick as a flash the waitress looked at him and said: "Buuurrrgerrr Kiiiinnnng."

Have a great weekend.