What Is A Travel Agent, Tour Operator, Or Online Travel Agency?

Every great travel company has to determine what type of travel company they want to be. Below we discuss the different ways travel is sold and the associated business operation name/description.1.) Tour Operator – Traditional company that contracts hotel rooms, transportation, and additional excursions/events for its guests. Tour operators market directly to their guests and allow travel agents to re-sell their tour packages for a commission. The tour operator is the vendor and the travel agent is the sales agent selling to the general public. Start-up capital needed – minimum $20,000.002. Traditional Travel Agency – A traditional travel agency arranges travel for their guests and re-sell tour operators products. An example of a travel agency business model is Liberty Travel They re-sell prearranged hotel and flight packages arranged by tour operators. Traditional travel agencies normally sell face-to-face with their clients, over the phone, or via email. Start-up capital needed – minimum $6,000.003. Online Travel Agency and/or OTA – These agencies are 100% online. They contract hotels directly or through a third party wholesaler. They then use a direct connection with the airlines to package flights and hotels together. Typically they offer a contact/call center to aid people booking online, however in most cases they book 75% of their business online. Examples of this model include Expedia.com, Booking.com & CheapCaribbean.com. These companies started very small and have grown to be massive companies, and seem to be the largest sale of travel related products worldwide. Start-up capital needed – minimum $100,000.004. Travel Affiliate Programs – This is the newest model, with the least amount of capital required to start, and zero direct customer interaction. Online travel agencies and tour operators pay affiliate websites to advertise their travel deals/specials and when a potential customer visits the affiliate travel website and clicks on an offer, the tour operator or online travel agency pays the travel affiliate between $0.10 – $4.00 for the “click” when a potential guest leaves the affiliate site to be taken to the tour operator or online travel agencies website. Some tour operators and online travel agencies offer up to 10% commission if a guest gets to their websites via an ad they clicked on located on your travel affiliate site and completes and pays for a reservation. Start-up costs – $0 – $4000.00We’re not partial to one model over any other. However we should point out that the affiliate model is the best way for someone with limited resources, who wants no customer service liability, a simple (nearly hands off) approach, and the fastest way to earn money. If money is your motivator and you want to earn it quickly, the affiliate model is the way to go.In our next articles we’ll talk about developing your travel business idea and which of the four models might work best for you.Learn more at http://www.yourtravelstartup.com/travel-start-up-blog

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Need Auto Insurance? Find Out How Here

It is mandatory for all new car owners to get auto insurance. The Road Traffic Act stipulates that all motorists should be insured against liability and it declares driving a car without a minimum level of insurance is illegal. The violation can attract severe civil and criminal penalties. This can be easily avoided by securing a proper auto insurance cover for your vehicle as per your state’s demands. It is quite a simple process.Nowadays, there is so much dependence on vehicles that the best thing to do is to follow all stipulated guidelines religiously. Getting the right auto insurance cover is one of them.What Is Auto Insurance All About?Auto Insurance simply means a contract or an agreement between an auto owner and an insurance company. Under this contract, premium is paid to the insurer and in return he pays for any car related losses as detailed in the policy.Key Legal RequirementsIn order to get an insurance cover for your vehicle, you would need to fulfill the following requirements. It’s advisable to find out the requirements in your respective state since these may vary. However, these are the broad requirements for auto insurance.Firstly, you should be in possession of a valid driver’s license before you go in for registration or insuring your car. For your license you would need to approach your local DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles). This is the primary requirement.You will also need to have an auto title. It is a legal certificate of ownership that confirms that you own the car. Most of the paperwork is already done when you purchase a gar from a dealer. Licensed dealers are needed to transfer the title of the car in your name. The title will list the owner’s name, address, make of the car, model and year of the car and the date of sale. This should be retained by you.Next, you need to get your car registered. You can apply for registration at the local DMV. The requirements may vary from state to state. In order to register your vehicle, you will require a valid driving license, signed certificate of title for the car, address of residence and proof of your insurance.The law also stipulates that that a vehicle more than three years old should have a valid MOT certificate. It is not possible to tax a vehicle without MOT and certificate of insurance and driving without them is an offence.It is also vital to keep the insurance company informed in case of any vehicle modifications and fixed penalties. Failing to do so is an offense and may affect any claim that you make.You are also legally obliged to take the basic level of auto insurance that will cover you against third party claims. Since the legal requirements for auto insurance vary from state to state, you will need to clarify the level of cover that you require while taking auto insurance. Only insuring the legal minimum isn’t necessarily the best choice to make.As a proof of your auto insurance, the company issues you the following documents – A Certificate of insurance which will also be required for buying your road tax; A cover note that will act as a temporary policy and certificate until your new insurance policy has been set up; and Policy documents which gives a detail of all that you are covered for. Read the documents carefully to understand your rights and obligations under the policy.Insurance companies have set up claim help lines and accident emergency recovery hotlines for ensuring a smoother process. In case of any ambiguity in terms of insurance or legal requirements, get your doubts cleared by talking to the company.

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Use These Simple Tips to Get Best General Auto Insurance

If you have purchased a new vehicle or already own one, there is no use of paying huge amount of insurance premium for general automobile insurance policy. Is there any way out? Yes, there are many options for you to get inexpensive motor vehicle insurance. Here are a few significant leads for you, which you should adhere to before you settle to buy a general auto insurance for your vehicle.Automobile insurance is compulsory for registering and driving your vehicle. Getting adequate knowledge about auto insurance is critical for you for purchasing a useful and economical general auto insurance cover. A good policy should provide sufficient cover for unforeseen damages or risks. At the same time, you should not pay insurance premium through your nose. Therefore, acquiring proper knowledge and information is going to vital.Every state follows certain deviations with regard to the car insurance regulations. However, basically it is mandatory everywhere that the vehicle and the driver should be insured. It should be noted that lower limit for the amount of insurance varies in all the states. It is better for you to find out the minimum insurance required for your automobile to decide about the insurance cover for your vehicle. The minimum limit is a statutory requirement and does not bind you any way from going for a higher value of insurance cover according to your requirements. You will like to have a larger cover to include coverage on different possible risks. It is always advisable to select the most beneficial general auto insurance cover.Here is the way to find and select the best insurance cover.It is better to obtain the insurance quotes from different companies, which sell general auto insurance. It is easier to get the quotes online. Just visit the website of the company and complete a small form and submit it. You may be asked the particulars about the vehicle- its make, model and condition, you driving license, address, etc. It is very quick and simple and you get quotes in almost no time. You can also visit their local offices or contact their agents to obtain the quotes.The insurance cost varies with city, type,make, model and condition of vehicle. General auto insurance cost gets reduced, if the automobile is provided with a tracking systemNext step is to compare auto insurance quotes received from various companies. As they cut the cost on employees, online companies give benefits to clients and make insurance cheaper. It is possible to compare the quotes from general auto insurance companies on some neutral websites. Don’t take these quote as the final, and don’t go for the cheapest quote without evaluating them.You should analyze coverage provided and the other benefits such as cost, applicable terms and conditions vs. your own necessities from the insurance policy. Ultimately, you should get the best deal at an inexpensive price. So, assess the various offers before you decide.General automobile insurance companies may give you different options for payments of premium. You should select the option best suited to you. It is economical to make one time payment of premium. However, you can opt to pay in six months or over a year, as the company may allow at an extra cost.These tips should help you to understand the basic aspects of general auto insurance and how you can get the best and economical insurance policy.

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