The document provides information for travel professionals on how to promote their professional certification and skills through a program run by The Travel Institute. In July, travel professionals can receive 50% discounts on certification training courses through scholarships. They can also attend webinars and access resources on marketing themselves and their certifications. The goal is to help travel professionals advance their careers through greater professionalization and promotion of their expertise.

1. 7/2016

2. 4 EDITORIAL
The DESIRE to travel starts early
and continues throughout one’s
life – are you marketing to
Generation Z?
Share your money making ideas
in SELLING TRAVEL.
CONTACT
Steve Crowhurst
steve@sellingtravel.net
250-760-0893
www.sellingtravel.net
Publisher:
SMP Training Co.
www.sellingtravel.net
Contributors
Steve Crowhurst, Anthony Dalton,
Steve Gillick.
SELLING TRAVEL is owned and published
by Steve Crowhurst, SMP Training Co. All
Rights Reserved. Protected by
International Copyright Law. SELLING
TRAVEL can be shared, forwarded, cut and
pasted but not sold, resold or in any way
monetized. Using any images or content
from SELLING TRAVEL must be sourced as
follows: “Copyright SMP Training Co.
www.sellingtravel.net” SMP Training Co.
6171 Strathcona Place, BC, Canada, V9T-
0A1 Note: Steve Crowhurst is not
responsible for outcomes based on how
you interpret or use the ideas in SELLING
TRAVEL. T: 250-760-0893.
5 IT’S A-OK! YOU CAN USE THE WORD “OUT”
7 GLOBAL REPORT ON LGBT TOURISM - DOWNLOAD
8 STEPS TO SELLING THE RAINBOW
12 THE TRAVEL INSTITUTE – PROMOTE YOUR PROFESSIONALISM
14 LGBT PUZZLEMENT
16 SAFER TRAVELS
20 KEEP CALM IT’S JUST A BREXIT WOUND
29 20 + EGUIDES OFFERING HUNDREDS OF IDEAS
30 CLASSIFIEDS
THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE FOR TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS
Please note that Selling Travel, owned and published by SMP Training Co, is not
connected in any way to Selling Travel magazine published by BMI Publishing Ltd., and
based in the UK. The latter publication focuses entirely on destination and travel/tourism
product training and is circulated solely to the UK and Ireland travel industries. To benefit
from this resource visit www.sellingtravel.co.uk and be sure to subscribe.
Attention Suppliers: Advertising in SELLING TRAVEL reaches the serious business-minded
travel agent. Promote your products and services using Selling Travel’s unique promotional
formula – you write the articles on how to sell your own products offering step-by-step selling
tips, tools and techniques that you know have worked for your agency accounts. Full page
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4. SELLING THE RAINBOW
The LGBT community for all the wrong reasons has, from a news point of view, been front and
center. The Orlando tragedy brings to mind many, many things and as always when innocent
people are killed, or when someone simply passes away in their sleep, to me it’s a reminder that
our lives are short to begin with, let alone cut short. For those with things to do in their lifetime,
just get it done. That’s the key. Get it done.
Relating the Get It Done comment to selling travel, there is so much to sell and so many places
to see and things to do that there is no time to sit and stew. One thing, as a travel trade profes-
sional, you can do is to SELL THE RAINBOW. You can translate that as pushing your clients, all
clients, to get out there and complete their dream trip, sooner than later.
SELLING THE RAINBOW also means looking out for your LGBT community and offering them the
very best of your travel services.
In this issue of Selling Travel we explore selling the LGBT traveller, and also things you can do
related to having your clients travel safely and more aware of their surroundings.
Let’s get busy, and don’t forget you have a series of e-Guides you can purchase from The Travel
Institute that will help you move ahead in most things related to selling travel.
Here’s to your continued success!
Best regards.
Steve Crowhurst, CTC, CTM Hon.
steve@sellingtravel.net www.sellingtravel.net
SALES & MARKETING TIPS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES FOR ALL TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS
Steve Crowhurst, Publisher

6. Yes you can use the word “OUT” when
marketing to the LGBT customer.
For those of you who are new to selling
travel and for the straight agents who are
thinking of attracting their local LGBT
travellers – there is sometimes a challenge in
knowing how to market to the LGBT
community. A quick win would be to search
online for gay travel agencies and suppliers
and review the wording they use. The four
companies shown above selected at random
all use the world “OUT” in their name.
You can follow suit and go for GET OUT, or
COME OUT AND PLAY… or GET OUT ON THE
OCEAN (cruises)… not difficult to weed in the
OUT word and chances are, hey straight
travellers will respond to the slogan too.
SO now all you have to do yourself it GET
OUT and go OUT and talk to your prospective
gay travellers who are already… wait for it..
OUT! 

7. STAY ON TOP
This Report is 2012, but the info is still worth the read.

9. The acronym of LGBT has expanded to include sexual orientations other than straight, so if you
are thinking of attracting your LGBT community to do business with you, then you should do
your due diligence and explore the expanded acronym of LGBTTIQQ2S. The definition being:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transgendered,
Intersexual, Queer, Questioning, 2-Spirited
Now here’s the thing. If we go with the call of community and each of us supporting the other
then surely there should be an “S” somewhere in that acronym for Straight. Why not? If not,
then it’s still them: LGBTTIQQ2S and us: Straight. Meaning there’s a barrier, a fence, a gap in
the community at large. Based on my view of Selling The Rainbow, it will include Straight clients
of all races, colours, creeds, religions… blah, blah, blah. Here we go:
Chances are, if you are straight you have not
ventured out too often to engage your local
LGBT community in search of new business.
You will no doubt have one or two gay clients
who found you and that’s about it.
Gay travel agents are generally not so closed
off to who they sell to and attract the
straight traveller without too much
pondering. A travel client is a travel client.
For the Record
As a straight TA you might be wondering
about the needs and wants and what drives
a gay traveller to travel. Well, surprise! The
same reasons apply whether the traveller is
gay or straight. They wanna see it! Sense it.
Experience it.
Your gay traveller has the best of both
worlds if you like. They can book on a generic
all-purpose tour or, they can book on a gay
focused tour, meaning their fellow travellers
will be mostly from the LGBT world-wide
community.
Travelling With Groups
You’ll not find too many straight travellers
booking on a gay focused tour product,
unless of course the itinerary is a one of a
kind. Or, that straight couple for instance
find the personalities of gay travellers easier
to travel with than their fellow straight
travellers.
After that, it’s all down to the individual and
how they think, act, do and handle the world
around them.

10. To me, everyone has a rainbow they like to
look at and in terms of travel that means a
dream trip. The #1 on their bucket list. The
Before You Die trip.
Which Rainbow Are You Selling Today?
It’s your world and you can colour your
rainbow any colours you want. There’s the
established rainbow flag as you know and
you can find images online to support your
LGBT tour or marketing campaign.
You can also as I say, create your own
rainbow to attract would-be clients. In fact
you can even use one of your photographs
where you have caught a beautiful shot of an
arcing rainbow.
When you use the rainbow image, the
general public will, today, automatically
connect it to the LGBT community and your
straight traveller may not feel included. So
you could add a line of white and black and
Ginger if you’re trying to win my business!
Rainbow = Dream
In my world a rainbow and dream trip go
together. You can also use the Somewhere
Over The Rainbow theme to say… there’s a
trip for you.
There’s also many images featuring a pot of
gold over the rainbow. Now that can be used
to suggest savings, two for ones and any
other supplier options that save money or
add value. Here’s a great image linking
rainbow colouring to ideas i.e. lightbulb.
“We’ve got some great trip
ideas for you. Call us today!”
Here’s another rainbow image that could
indicate your agency loves to do business
with the LGBT community.
The Steps so Far
Alright… here’s what you need to do in order
to capture your share of the combined LGBT
and straight rainbow market.
1. Collect rainbow images that you can
interpret by using supporting slogans.
2. Add a rainbow flag to your agency
window, your website, your social media
accounts, and letterhead / printed
materials. Business card too will help
spread the word.
3. Advertise locally, hold local events, and
invite the LGBT community to a travel
night. Straight folk allowed in too!
4. Survey everyone’s DREAM as in
RAINBOW trip of a lifetime.

11. Rainbow Tour Companies
Are you up to speed on gay focused tour
companies, hotels, events etc.? Well if you
didn’t know, yes there are dedicated travel
suppliers who offer travel & tours to the
LGBT traveller.
You can start right here, by clicking to the
website of IGLTA.ORG.
Then click the link below to locate the
suppliers who serve the LGBT traveller.
https://www.iglta.org/tour-operators/
Now here’s an example of what I’m
suggesting and that is bringing your Gay &
Straight travellers together or at least
market the same tour to all.
Reaching Out
Here’s a one stop shop for those of you who
want to serious reach the LGBT traveller
nationwide. Check it out.
For more media resources click here then
click on Media.
More Than Clubs
Yes, if you weren’t aware of it, LGBT
travellers do put their lives on the line and
seek out soft and extreme adventures. So be
sure to include your LGBT list when
marketing slogging to the base camp or
Everest.
Click the image to read about the
adventures offered by HE Travel.com
Okay, over to you. Start selling the rainbow
and make it any colour you want… as long
as you include everyone under it. I’ll leave
this page with a snazzy rainbow image. 

12. The Travel Institute announced details of its 3rd
annual “Promote
Your Professionalism” program, a month-long campaign in July
created to help travel professionals advance in their careers
through greater access to certification training as well as the skills
needed to promote this expertise to their clients and the media.
Throughout July, travel professionals can enroll in the Certified Travel
Associate (CTA), Certified Travel Counselor (CTC), or Certified Travel
Industry Executive (CTIE) programs and qualify to receive a 50-percent
savings thanks to the generous scholarships from The Travel Institute
Fund. Depending on selected coursework, the value may be as high as
$250 off standard curriculum pricing. Individuals must apply for the
certification scholarships and answer several questions before being
accepted. The application form is on The Travel Institute’s website at
www.thetravelinstitute.com.
Complementing the certification-scholarship offer in July are four
interactive webinars, a podcast, and twice-weekly e-communications, all
focused on how to effectively market yourself as a travel professional.
July’s four webinars are led by
members of The Travel
Institute’s Professional
Educators Program, along
with other industry veterans.
Cost is free to Institute
members and $19.99 for non-
members, per session. All
webinars begin at 1 p.m.
Eastern. The schedule is as
follows:
 July 12 – “How to
Promote your
Professionalism and
Certification with the
Media” with Richard
Earls, publisher, Travel
Research Online

13. “We introduced Promote Your Professionalism in 2014 during our 50th
anniversary as a way to give back
to the industry,” said COO Diane Petras, CMP, CTIE. “In the last two years, The Travel Institute Fund has
endowed more than $100,000 in scholarships for CTA, CTC, and CTIE certifications during this agent
outreach. That translates to helping more than 600 professionals reach
their educational goals through this special endowment – and that
doesn’t even include the thousands of people who took advantage of
the PR training.
“It’s clear to us that people understand the value of certification, but
may not have the financial resources to see it through, nor the know-
how to promote it once they complete the comprehensive training.
Our Promote Your Professionalism program makes both happen.”
Also during Promote Your Professionalism month, The Travel
Institute’s popular “Hot Tip Tuesday” e-newsletter and member-only
“Friday Five” blog posts will focus on selling yourself as a travel
professional. In addition, a new video, “Do Your Social Photos Boost
Your Professionalism?” produced by Catherine Heeg, founder,
Customized Management Solutions, will provide tips to elevate photos
and graphics to new levels. All Hot Tip Tuesday subscribers will receive
an email link to the podcast.
Advanced registration is required for the
Promote Your Professionalism webinars. To register
or for more information about the certification
scholarships, visit here.
The schedule continues as
follows:
 July 21 – “Powerful Public
Speaking” with Kate
Koziol, CTC, director of
growth strategies,
Winger Marketing
 July 26 – “How to
Promote Yourself as a
Romance Expert” with
Lisa Sheldon, CTC, MCC,
executive director,
Destination Wedding &
Honeymoon Specialists
Association
 July 28 – “How to
Promote Yourself as a
Wellness Expert” with
Anne Dimon, publisher,
Travel to Wellness

15. You are not alone if you are trying to understand the world of the LGBT traveller – that is if
you’re straight. Here to help you are many associations and media companies who all promote
to the LGBT community and therefore have done their due diligence in terms of what attracts
an LGBT customer to do business. In this case, with you. Then you have plenty of LGBT travel
magazines and lifestyle magazines to access to better understand article content and words,
slogans etc. Pretty much the work has been done for you. But there’s more:
One of the best ways to better understand
you LGBT travelling community is to chat
with your gay friends, that is assuming you
have some. If not, then look for a relative
who is gay or simply place an ad in a gay
newspaper or send out a social media call
that you would like to have a think tank, a
get together to discuss local travel needs by
the LGBT community.
With your sounding board in place, you can
then pitch your questions and obtain first
hand answers that will or might differ per
person of course but then you’ll have the
info you need on which to base your
marketing plan.
Some of the questions that need to be asked
are generic and some personal and mostly
typical. In other words the exact same
questions you ask a straight traveller in order
to get the info you need to service them
better.
Try these:
1. What is the most travelled to destination
for gay travellers who want a sun
destination?
2. Which cruise line is preferred by gay
cruisers?
3. Is there a specific tour company that gay
travellers prefer when travelling Europe?
4. Same for hotel chains, car rental firms
etc.
5. How many trips do you take per year?
6. Are there any festivals and events you
like to attend?
7. What is your (specific now) dream trip
and have you set a date for it?
8. What magazines do you read (generic to
gay)?
9. What would attract you to do business
with a straight agency?
10. Would that straight agency need to hire
a gay travel agent to serve you?
Right over to you. Start working on your
ideas for attracting that primary date /
information and then your marketing plan
and list of services will be better suited to
attract gay travellers from your local
community scene. 

17. It’s one of those bandwagons the media loves to jump on after such tragedies as the Orlando
shootings at the gay club. The concept of travelling safely always come to mind and the
repetitive content that we see day in day out does something to our collective psyche. Some
top up with more guns and others head out to travel to prove the terrorist did not reach them
psychologically. The main thing to learn from this media push is that yes, we can all be more
aware when it comes to travelling – and that’s at home, and overseas. Here’s how:
The worst thing we can do, and many do it,
is to become paranoid. Easier said than done
for many people especially those directly
affected by a tragedy be it a mass shooting,
or a personal attack.
It’s been stated many times and most
government information for travellers will
tell us, not to frequent areas, locations and
events where trouble could and more than
likely break out. But as humans we tend to
think for ourselves and hence into danger we
go. Could be walking an isolated trail used by
grizzlies for thousands of years, or stepping
out late at night to buy something from the
corner store.
It’s the way we are generally wired. We don’t
do what we are supposed to do to stay alive
and well. Some are too polite to refuse a
hand that was used to pet a dog, or cover a
sneeze. When both depending on your
immune system could be damaging to your
health.
So many things can cause your clients to
have a terrible holiday and this is where you
engage your clients to get them to
understand they must play an active role in
their own travel safety.
This article is not focused on the LGBT
community however because of the
nutcases in our society, if we stand out in any
way (and here’s me with ginger hair, some
left anyway!) you know you may be picked
on or worse. Been there had that… had to
finally stand up to the school bully who
backed down when confronted. Job done
but times are different now.
You can arm your client with more
protection than a gun can offer. And knives
do not enter the picture either. Any weapon
carried can be turned on the person carrying
it and besides, you cannot travel overseas
carrying an armoury around your person.
You can however carry an acute awareness
for danger, you can have SOS apps uploaded
and ready to action on your smartphone and
you can take a self-defence course to fully
understand how your body works when
confronted with one or two people who
challenge you.
As a travel agency, you can and should
arrange and offer a self-defence course
through your local police department, or
martial art / UFC styled training center.

18. The concept of being trained to travel safely
will bring some bruises during the process
however better that now, then death later.
Awareness is one of the main attributes to
be refined and refined almost to the level of
the animals living in our forests. A skill and
sense we once had too.
The Exit
This has also been written about many
times. The exit is your client’s friend and
yours too when on a FAM.
 Boarding the plane, check your exit and
how you get to it.
 Checking into your hotel, same thing,
how do you get out?
 From your room, how do you get
downstairs and outdoors to safety?
 Where are the red buttons to push to
summon help?
 Where is your lifeboat station? How do
you get there? Practice at least three
times, how to put on your life preserver.
Walk to your lifeboat each day – embed
the route in your head so you can walk
there in pitch black. Families can make it
a fun moment for the kids – let them find
their way for an ice cream prize.
Self Defence in a Rock
Here’s my personal method of self-defence:
rock, stone or pebble. You cannot as we
know travel fully armed. You can if you are
very nervous, buy a weapon once you arrive
wherever it is you are going. Mind you there
are rules there too.
The quickest way to arm yourself is to find a
small to medium sized pebble or stone. It can
be round or round’ish. This 2” stone, when
wrapped in the center of a scarf or
handkerchief has the potential to cause
great damage to an attackers head, face,
hands, knees and any other boney and soft
tissue area you can strike. The danger of
course is that a direct hit on top of the skull
or to the temple can cause death. Better
them than you should their attack be to
cause your demise.
Sticks
These can also be found most places and
martial art shops sell small sticks you can use
to defend yourself, the key however is
practice. Without it you are useless to
yourself!
Keep It Low Key But Be Ready
Here I am with a white face and red / ginger
hair and on the wrong end of 60! I could be
considered a target. You might be white in a
black neighbourhood, black in a Latino
neighbourhood, Catholic in a Protestant
area, a partner in a mixed marriage.
Whatever stands out, gets noticed and if the
nutcases are around it ignites them. My wife
is Japanese and we have experienced the
comments when someone, a man, came up
behind my wife in a local bookstore and
started muttering nasty words.
So all of us must be beware of how we come
across to others, how we engage, how and
where we walk and how we dress. We can
say, hey it’s not supposed to be like that, and
that’s true - - however it is like that and to
travel safely, we all need to have the
knowledge of what to do and when.
Obviously none of us know where or when a
terrorist will strike or when a deranged
person will attack. It’s easy to advise and
suggest until that moment arrives in your
life. Once again, you can increase your
chances of survival by being aware, not
following the crowd, and paying attention to
the people around you.
Travel insurance cannot save anyone from
being hurt, however it helps in the post
event recovery. 

19. Click to visit Gillick’s World

20. FILL IN THE SPACE HERE WITH YOUR
OWN CATCHY PHRASE!

21. So there you have it. As far as it seems, the UK is out of the EU… and that begs the comment,
be careful what EU ask for. Looks like absolute turmoil and then there was Farage standing up
in the EU summit delivering a decent speech when you read the text, but live and in person he
came across a bit harsh, brash… not really the manner you’d want to use given the turmoil that
Brexit has caused. Creating such wounds that will not heal so quickly aint’ good politics. So
what’s next for NA travel agents?
Everyone will have an opinion as to the
damage or the opportunities caused by the
UK wanting out and getting out of the EU. It
sounds like tough times if you live in the UK
and who knows what the repercussions will
be for the Europeans.
One thing is for sure, over here in North
America the time to sell the UK is on. It’s
started. The Pound is low and that’s what
you look for when you look for currency
based opportunities.
Just on the exchange rate alone what would
have cost a few thousand dollars will cost a
few hundred less. Enough to extend the
original two week stay to three weeks
perhaps, or upgrade the basic hotel room.
If you haven’t yet jumped on this
bandwagon, now is the time. The media are
doing a great job marketing for you as they
continue to tell us about the low Pound.
Your clients are hearing this sad news too
and of course that means someone needs to
chat with them from your agency and tell
them, “Hey now is a great time to travel to
the UK.”
So get your marketing hat on and create
those web based images that you can also
send out across your social media accounts.
Place a snazzy something on your website
and prepare your emails too. Do not wait
around – this is a now project.
Travelling to the UK?
In for a penny, in
for a Pound!
THE BREXIT TOUR
Travel the UK for less.
TRAVELLING TO THE
UK IS SO SWEET
You can have your cake
and eat it too!
Remember everything starts with an eye
catching slogan so get busy! 

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25. No other travel speaker / trainer has written and published more articles, e-Books, and
magazines on new business generation for travel agents than Steve. With well over 375
published articles in CT, 20+ E-Books and 50 issues of Selling Travel, he has given you a
source of timely and cutting edge tips, tools and techniques to help you sell more travel.

26. C L A S S I F I E D S
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28. www.sellingtravel.net
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SALES & MARKETING TIPS, TOOLS & TECHNIQUES FOR ALL TRAVEL TRADE PROFESSIONALS