| Do you like to travel? Would you like to travel more? | | | | Â-Many travel industry businesses offer |
| Would you travel more if you could find some real | | | | familiarization trips, FAM trips for short, to professional |
| bargains, say 50% or more off the regular retail price, | | | | travel agents and agencies so that they can then "sell" |
| not just the 10% AARP or 10% business discount | | | | these services to their clients. These FAM trips may |
| often available at motels? | | | | offer huge discounts or free accommodations and |
| If you do like to travel, I'm sure you have gone the | | | | trips when the agent books 8-10 clients for the same |
| route of search-engine searches for discount travel, | | | | accommodation or trip. |
| only to find the major Internet booking engines with | | | | Â-Travel agents can build their own FAM trips |
| their flashy "lowest prices guaranteed" all offer exactly | | | | calling the travel vendor directly, offering some form of |
| the same prices. | | | | advertisement back home, and requesting travel |
| The truth be known, some bargains do raise their | | | | professional discounts. |
| heads above all the "cheapest prices guaranteed" but | | | | This month my wife and I are taking a quick summer |
| good luck finding them. You must tenaciously search | | | | vacation to Canon City, Colorado, for a ½ day |
| every day, and even then some of those specials are | | | | white-water rafting adventure in Bighorn Sheep |
| alive for only a few hours. Is there an easier way? I | | | | Canyon and a 2-hour train ride in a vista-dome through |
| think there is, and you can turn travel into business. | | | | the Royal Gorge. We have acquired two nights' |
| Yes, those bargains are there, reserved for the travel | | | | lodging because we want to further explore the |
| professional in the form of travel perks, business tax | | | | business opportunities in the area. We contacted the |
| deductions and sales commissions. Consider these | | | | vendors as travel professional with an offer to do a |
| points: | | | | write-up on their company and publish it on the Internet. |
| Â-Own your own booking engine and earn | | | | In return we received ½ off the raft trip and the |
| commissions on all travel booked through your site -- | | | | lodging and complimentary tickets for two for the train |
| your own travel and the travel of anyone and | | | | ride. After applying business tax deductions, we |
| everyone that you can drive to your booking engine. | | | | estimate that we will realize close to a 70% savings or |
| Â-Operate a legitimate travel business and you | | | | $300 on this one very short trip. Not too shabby! |
| can apply business tax deductions to your own travel | | | | You can indeed travel for less and travel more. In fact, |
| as long as you include that travel in your business plan, | | | | your travel can become your job. What a great life! |
| and you keep accurate records. | | | | |