NSA Voices of Experience - Toolie the Travel Guide #1
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Middle Aged (35-54)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Hi. This is Tuli, The Travel Guide with some tips for you to make a life on the road a little less bumpy. This month's travel tip to lease triangle of travel costs. I've been making my own airline reservations for a long time. In the late 19 eighties, long before the Internet became accessible to the average consumer, I began booking my own travel online using Easy Saver on CompuServe. I'm one of those rare people who actually likes traveling and goes out of my way to do so. In my many years of travel, I've discovered and proven what I call to lease triangle of travel costs. That is the secret to finding a travel style that works for you. There are three elements that affect your travel plans, time, effort and money. Basically, if you spend more time and effort on your travel plans before departure, you have the opportunity to spend less money to get where you're going. For most business travelers in this economy, spending less money has become a real priority. One of the hidden benefits of spending that upfront time and effort is that your trip can also go more smoothly. Here are some examples of what I mean. If you spend the time and effort to research your own airline fares, you can avoid the service fee charged by most travel agents, which averages anywhere from 20 to $35 per ticket. Don't misunderstand me. I like travel agents very much, and I do not begrudge them their fees. Doing your own reservations is just one of many choices you can make. If you're a consultant paid by the hour than spending an hour looking for flights might not make sense in your personal economy. You then rely on someone else's time and effort, but you spend a little more money. If you choose airline or hotel loyalty over relative cost, you can often spend less time and effort to get your reservations in place. You may spend more money up front, but many of those programs will pay you back by providing redeemable points for free flights and free hotel stays. In some cases, you have to spend the effort to fit your schedule to the available flights. But airline loyalty also brings with it the opportunity to upgrade from coach to business or first class. For some travelers having that upgrade capability is top priority, and they're willing to get up at the crack of dawn to take the first flights out of town to get that comfortable seat and a meal. And yes, I happen to be one of those people. If you decide to take a cab back to the airport instead of using mass transit or a shared ride van, you get to control your departure time from your location. And in some cases you may arrive in less time than using the other two options. You spend less time and effort to get to the airport, but most often it will also cost you more money. Now, if you're running late, that extra money spent on a cab will probably be less expensive than missing the last flight out of town and having to stay an extra night in hotel. Not to mention how unhappy those at home will be that you are delayed. Sometimes it makes sense to spend more money. Sometimes you have to take more time and expend more effort to save money. The decision process is entirely yours or yours balanced with your company's travel policies. The recognition of how these three elements Time, effort and money work together can help you formulate a travel style that will work for you and your bank account. This is to lead the travel guide, reminding you that getting there is half the fun. The other half is when the paycheck clears, I'll see you on the road.