The Travel Company Edinburgh Blog - The Travel Company Edinburgh

COVID-19: statement from The Travel Company Edinburgh

9/3/2020

Citizens of the world, global businesses and Government are watching, monitoring and adapting plans as the Coronavirus crisis continues to unfold. In travel, we’ve been through many a destination crisis, from Caribbean storms, Icelandic volcanos and the previous SARS outbreak, amongst others. However, the rapid spread of Coronavirus has taken the world by surprise.

At The Travel Company Edinburgh, we understand and appreciate the concerns of our customers, who are unsure if they should travel, as well as our trade partners who are facing heightened corporate pressures as well as concern for their customers and loved ones.

As the situation unfolds, there are lots of questions on cancellation fees, how insurers are approaching force majeure and the Foreign Office’s advice to travel. A lot of the answers are as yet unknown, but we will communicate new information when we have it.

We don’t intend to make any impulsive reactions here and will be following destination tourism advice as well as our own Government’s action plans to protect our customers and partners. Trade associations and bodies continue to aggregate and share news and issue guidance, which will inform our position too.
We are hopeful that like SARS, which spread rapidly and then all but disappeared, the Coronavirus outbreak will be temporary, and we can return to creating incredible, stress-free holidays. In the meantime, we suggest that for those of us who are well, it’s business as usual for ourselves and our clients.

The world should keep on travelling where it’s safe to do so. And the over-riding view of the industry is that most of the world is safe. We advise to take common sense steps to protect from illness, at home and on your travels. Good hand hygiene, self-isolation if unwell and reporting any travel to infected areas. If you are booked to travel to an infected area, rather than cancel your trip we recommend that you postpone it or switch destination.

At The Travel Company Edinburgh, we reassure that we stand by our customers, partners and employees over the next few unknown months. Together, we’ll find our way through this crisis, whilst standing together and preserving the beautiful experience of world travel and the industries that support it.
If you have any questions on imminent travel to an affected region, get in touch with us on our dedicated hotline on 0131 467 7000.

ARE YOU READY? - New Security measures for online credit card payments (PDS2)

16/8/2019

Did you know that from the 13th September 2019 there are new regulations coming into place with an extra layer of security for online purchases.

Officially: PDS2 (Payment Services Directive 2).

This new regulation covers ALL card payments made online, both personal and company credit cards.

So what does this mean? It means that every time you make a booking with online payment, your bank will ask you to authenticate it using a code from the bank to verify that you are the person who is authorising that payment.

The Good News:
This is good news as it make sure to limit fraud online! so you know that all your payments will be safe.

What might it effect for you and something to be aware of:
If your card is used to make your travel bookings online and it is not always you making the booking then every time you will receive a text with the authentication code to input into the screen to verify the payment.
This may not seem too bad, however if you have someone else making the booking and you are on a flight or in a meeting where you can not check your messages then the booking can not be made until you give the person assisting you the code.
This will delay the booking and potentially the price or availability may change by the time you are able to give the code so it could be an issue.

For your Travel bookings - what is the solution?
As a travel management company we can make the bookings immediately for you without the need for the credit card.
So no worrying about if the cardholder is available to give the code or not.
We would then simply invoice for the bookings as per our agreement with your company.
Making it very simple.

Get in touch with us to set up and account and away you go!

The Travel Company Edinburgh
edinburgh@ttce.com
0044 (0)131 467 7000
www.ttce.com

Medical Travel Companions

24/6/2019

Here at The Travel Company Edinburgh we are very excited to be working with Medical Travel Companions as their UK partner. It is very exciting because the service that we can now provide is a fabulous addition for all travellers that need this service.

What is Medical Travel Companions?
Medical Travel Companions is a unique service that assists people with their travel needs from a local domestic or complex international journey. There are a large number of individuals or families who choose not to travel due to a variety of reasons. MTC can remove many of the barriers that will allow many to realise their travel dreams.

MTC travel companions are experienced paramedics, nurses, or nannies, that have undergone a rigorous selection process. They have a range of knowledge including: families with elderly parents, young children, people with a mental health issue, disability, or simply people who just need reassurance or help on a holiday or in transit.

MTC companions are available on a global basis.
Key Benefits of Using Medical Travel CompanionsTravellers can engage MTC services for travel on all forms of travel including, tours, cruises, flights, private vacations, or concierge transport services for local transportation requirements.

MTC companions are available to help you to your desired destination or even to stay with you for the duration of the entire trip. Medical Travel Companions is flexible and can tailor a solution to suit your specific needs.

MTC companions provide caring assistance to travellers such as:

Elderly
Disabled
Insurance recovery
Patient discharge
Sporting groups
School groups
People with a psychological condition
Children needing assistance
People recovering from surgery or illness
Families
Or it could simply be a case of a person travelling on their own who requires a trusted companion to accompany them on their travel journey.

About Ben Wilson | Co Founder & CEO of Medical Travel CompanionsBen holds a Bachelor of Business Degree from the University of South Australia.
Ben brings to MTC experience in the Airline, Airport, Travel, Health and HR sectors. Ben is responsible for the day to day strategic direction of MTC on a global basis.
Before starting Medical Travel Companions in 2000, Ben held management roles for a major international airline, and also at a global management consulting firm.
Ben has travelled extensively, including completing a transatlantic sailing voyage.
He has lived and worked in the UK and Africa. Ben is married and has three children and enjoys boating, Kangaroo Island, diving, tennis and, of course, travelling.
Text accredited to: Allan Suss, Podcast travel

Contact us on +44 131 467 7000 or edinburgh@ttce.com or link to make a booking Medical Travel Companions

How do you plan the Perfect Meeting or Event?

31/5/2019

The very first thing to think of is 'What is this meeting for and what do we want to achieve?'
Is it: A brainstorming session, simple meeting, training, inspirational staff meeting, fun day out, an awards event, a serious meeting to discuss strategy or anything else you can think of.
Once you know what you are looking to do in the meeting, that’s when you can decide what you need and you can then source the perfect venue. This can take a long time to get right, especially if you are not familiar with the town or city you want to hold it in. This is where we can help you by doing all the leg work and negotiating the best rates for your meeting.

What are you looking for?

Do you need a venue with accommodation for the delegates or even just for the speaker?
The size of the room to fit your numbers
Do you need AV (Audio visual) equipment for your event?
What time will the meeting start and finish?
What is the timing of the different parts of the meeting, working this out will help you to work out when you want to have the breaks.
Will you be providing food and drinks?
When do you want your refreshments? In the room for a working coffee break or lunch break or outside the room so your delegates can stretch their legs?
If you want to keep everyone really happy what about Breakfast before the meeting or working breakfast sandwiches?
What will you provide for lunch on the day a buffet, a restaurant meal or a working lunch?

Do you want to arrange a dinner or even a Gala Dinner?

There are many more things to consider but the above is a start. Now it's time to think about what you want from the meeting. These are potentially the same thing or they can be 2 different things.
My idea of the perfect meeting is something like this:

Room that works for the specific meeting request, you would be surprised as people often think 'a meeting room is just the same as an other' you don't realise how wrong that comment can be!
The room has blackout blinds if the screen is going to be used
A venue that is flexible, so if there is a change last minute then the venue can accommodate me.

Friendly, efficient and flexible staff at the venue.
if using AV the venue needs to have technical support. Just in case you need it!
A great lunch. it’s funny because people always remember the lunch from a meeting! I guess when you are out of the office and you are being given a free lunch in the middle of a training or team meeting etc it’s important that the lunch is delicious. It can make or break a meeting!

If you want some help in finding the best venue for your meeting or event anywhere in the world then get intouch:

The Travel Company Edinburgh
0131 467 7000
edinburgh@ttce.com

Hotel booking sites to end 'misleading' sales

7/2/2019

Before reading the below we would like to say how pleased we are that this is now being taken seriously and something is being done.
The below article is credited to the BBC the link is www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47141538
Expedia, Booking.com, Agoda, Hotels.com, ebookers and trivago have been investigated over high-pressure selling tactics and misleading discount claims, the competition watchdog says.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was concerned the sites were making rooms seem more popular than they were.

The sites will now say if commissions they receive affect the results.
They also agreed to be clearer with discount claims and hidden charges.

The CMA began its investigation in June 2018 but didn't name the comparison sites it was investigating.
"The CMA has taken enforcement action to bring to an end misleading sales tactics, hidden charges and other practices in the online hotel booking market," said CMA Chairman Andrew Tyrie. "These have been wholly unacceptable."

Compare like with likeThe CMA will now seek to make the rest of the sector follow the same rules as the six companies it has named, it said.
Consumer action group Which? welcomed the CMA's intervention and said the changes should be "swiftly implemented".
The companies have all now agreed to the following, the CMA said:

To make it clearer how hotels are graded, including whether hotels paying the ranking sites more have received a position higher up the list

To not give a false impression of a hotel's popularity to rush customers into making a booking. For example, when saying that other customers are looking at the same hotel as you, it should be made clear it they are searching for different dates. Some sites were also placing sold-out hotels within search results to put pressure on people to book more quickly. Sites have now committed not to do this, the CMA said

To be clear about discounts and only promoting deals that are actually available at that time. The CMA found sites comparing a higher weekend room rate with a weekday rate or comparing the price of a luxury suite with a standard room

To show charges such as taxes, booking or resort fees in the price

'Trust'Not all of the six companies had fallen foul of all four of these bad practices, the CMA said.
"You can get some good bargains on these sites, but it is very important that you can trust what they say," Michael Grenfell, executive director of enforcement at the CMA told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"We will monitor them," he added.
The companies have until 1 September to comply with the demands, otherwise they could be taken to court.

There are no hidden fees or elements when you book with us.
Give us a call on 0131 467 7000 or email on edinburgh@ttce.com

Why Should you use a Travel Management Company (TMC)?

19/11/2018

People often say to me 'why should I use a TMC when I can just book everything online?'

I love it when someone asks me this as there are so many answers depending on the company or situation of the person. All of them end up with the person realising that among other things; You can still book everything online and you have the backup of a 24 hour team of experienced professionals to help should you need it.
Just image this situation:

You are the person responsible for booking accommodation, travel and meetings for your team.
You have made what seems like hundreds of bookings this week and it is now Friday at 5pm and time to go home for the weekend - Hurray!
You pickup your things get in the car and are driving home thinking about what to have for your dinner or where you are going out to that evening.
You have been singing along to the radio and the news comes on.
You hear that there has been a problem at one of the airports that you regularly use and you know you have some of your team flying through there coming home from a week away.
OH NO!! What do you do?
What flights were they on?
Which team members are travelling at the moment?
What do you need to do to sort it out?
Are they covered if they can not get home?
You will have to go back to the office and sort it all out!
That will ruin your weekend plans!
What a Nightmare! - not if you are using a TMC

When using a TMC there is no need to panic we can help you. We have all the information in one place and can tell you exactly what flights and hotels are booked and for who and help sort all the flights, re-book alternative flights, book trains if flights are grounded, book hotels where required or anything that you need.

So the answer to the question 'why should I use a TMC when I can just book everything online?' is:
Why would you not use a TMC when you can still book everything online through systems like the one we can provide you and you have the backup of a 24 hour team of experienced professionals to help should you need it.

Get in touch and we can tell you how we can help you with your situation email us

How do you reward your staff? Cash rewards or memories that last a lifetime?

4/9/2017

Motivating your staff is key in any modern business, by rewarding your staff who meet and exceed your performance levels it will help them to strive for similar results in the future as well as motivating those that may be under performing.

But what is the best way to reward your staff who are performing well? Are cash rewards the way to do it? We believe that while paying a bonus may give staff an instant boost it will soon be forgotten once the credit card has been paid off!

We believe that incentive trips create much more impact, firstly there is the anticipation, followed by the enjoyment of the trip and lastly, memories that can last a lifetime.

We have a wealth of experience of creating incentive trips that will capture the imagination, get all of your staff talking and most importantly have your staff striving to raise their games in order to be included on the trip next year.

We can take care of everything, flights, hotels, restaurants and activities for the trip. We have a specialist team who would only be too happy to discuss your requirements and work within your budget in order to add value to your rewards program.

Want to find out more, contact me at mike.halliwell@ttce.com or call me on 07841 920752.

Alternatively contact the office at edinburgh@ttce.com or call 0131 467 7000

Top tips for productive business travel.

14/8/2017

It can be a relaxing experience - travelling by train or plane gives some business travellers the opportunity to clear their heads of clutter and refocus on what’s important. For others, business travel feels like a bit of a nightmare, eating up their time and keeping them from getting things done. Whether you’re stressed or stress-free, there are various things anybody can do to make the time spent travelling on business more productive and more enjoyable.

Read
What better time to keep up to date with what's going on in your particular field? A lot of people don't feel they have the time to read up on what's going on in their business area, they're too busy getting on with their jobs. So use this in-between time to get clued-up on the latest developments and topical stories. You could turn to a trade magazine, scour the web for news stories or spend some time on a relevant industry blog.

Get creative
Without the usual distractions shift into problem-solving mode. Take the time to focus on the major problems you, your team or your company want to solve. Focus on one issue at a time and hone in on workable solutions. Hopefully, you'll then be ready to return to your team with some really useful, well-thought-out ideas.

Just to-do it!
Do you have an unruly inbox that’s collapsing under the weight of your ever-increasing mountain of emails? Maybe there’s a report that would only take half an hour to read but keeps getting overlooked? I'm still a big fan of the good old to-do list; make yourself one before you leave and then work through the quick wins on your travels. If you can’t sort the issue while you’re travelling, make a note of what you can do or who you need to involve to make things happen. Instead of allowing the time on board to pass you by, sort out those tasks you keep putting off – you’ll be pleased you did.
I often wonder how much business-related activities actually go on whilst people are travelling on business. Your company may allow you to travel 1st class for a journey over a specific amount of time – this is usually to give the added benefit of making best use of your time as well as comfort! So next time you are travelling on business, don’t give up on being productive, use our tips to leave you feeling accomplished.

Want to know more how you can get more from your business travel? Please contact us on 0131 467 7000 or mike.halliwell@ttce.com

Top tips on how charities can make essential savings

7/8/2017

Smart Travel Makes Better Use of Funds

I don’t need to remind you that controlling spend is as important as ever especially in the not-for-profit sector. As doing more with less becomes ever more urgent, travel is one area of a charity's cost base that cannot be overlooked. For charities working overseas, travel is an integral part of their work. Many would struggle to provide their core services if they were not able to send volunteers, staff and supporters to manage essential operations abroad. Charities face a dilemma as their travel costs rise and their incomes fall. We've worked with charities working overseas which spend up to 20% of their income on travel. Keeping travel costs under control can therefore be the difference between survival and extinction. Charities large or small operating internationally need to be able to move fast and respond to natural disasters, conflicts and humanitarian crises as well as negotiate hazards such as delays, ash clouds and industrial strikes. To manage scenarios such as this, it is vital that charities make travel arrangements that are flexible and adaptable. Top tips: Initiate a travel policy. A logical first step for any charity working abroad. Set out clearly which airlines and classes employees can book so that all travel spending can be monitored and evaluated. It also helps to be flexible. A travel policy is also a good place to start when managing the safety and wellbeing of travelling staff, an essential duty for employers. We help to put a travel policy in place that is robust and fit for purpose. 2 Make your staff aware of your travel policy. Make the policy easily accessible and send out periodic reminders and share stories of best practice. If staff don't know about it, they can't abide by it. 3 Don't DIY. It is needlessly expensive to have employees, especially in large organisations, sorting out their own travel. Although individuals may think they are getting the best deal, online fares often have restrictive conditions and no agent support should things go wrong – and they often do. When travel purchasing is centralised, it is far easier to keep an eye on costs and trends and identify where savings can be made. 4 Book early. We've found that a client ends up spending an extra £4 per ticket for each day that they wait before booking a flight. If you consistently book at the earliest possible moment you will, on average, save 30% compared to someone who always books last minute. 5 Know what you're getting. We all hear about airlines charging separate fees for things such as checked baggage, food, drink and even things like pillows – a process known as unbundling. Be conscious of this when looking for flights online as what seems on the surface like a great fare may increase considerably as non-inclusive items are added. Want to know more? Please contact me mike.halliwell@ttce.com or call 0131 467 7000 and we can arrange a free consultation to get a better understanding of your requirements.

The Benefits of Working with The Travel Company Edinburgh

1/8/2017

By consolidating your travel spend with your preferred Travel Management Company, The Travel Company Edinburgh, we are able to work closely with your procurement/purchasing department to ensure that best value is provided for all your travel requirements. By travel policy adherence, proactive account management and the extensive knowledge and expertise of our travel consultants we can drive down your company spend and make recommendations for best practice – improving the way you book travel.

Here are some of the key benefits that we provide:

Management Information is provided and discussed on a quarterly or monthly basis to ensure travel policy adherence and to also identify areas of savings by improving booking processes etc.
- For example; We are able negotiate deals with any high spend suppliers or for high volume transactions – e.g. frequently used airlines / flight destinations, preferred hotel properties/ room night volumes,regular rail journeys etc.
- We can also identify saving opportunities - such as by booking further in advance of travel this can significantly reduce the costs of your travel spend – even on a lower value rail ticket. We can identify such opportunities from the data we provide.

We are able to track all flight bookings against ‘company’ airline membership schemes which ultimately provide the company with enhanced financial benefits.
Our GDS reservation systems allows us to provide quotations for scheduled airlines and low cost carriers for your requested flight itinerary to find the most cost effective option – which is not always the low cost carrier!

Our systems capture all mandatory purchasing requirements which ensures that bookings are only accepted when the agreed approval process criteria has been met.
All bookings made are billed back to your company account.Hotel reservations is often an area where payment is an issue ; we pay for your hotel booking using company credit card facilities or via third party suppliers and then bill the company account – eliminating the need for the guest to pay on arrival or departure and submitting expense claims etc.

We offer a 24/7 emergency service which covers all bookings made through TTCE whether online or offline. We can make emergency changes or alternative travel arrangements quickly and easily outside of normal office hours for all your bookings through one dedicated number which is provided on all quotations and confirmations.

Where bookings are made via TTCE we can also provide a traveller tracking facility which enables us to report back to your organisation any travellers that maybe located in area affected by a major incident. This facility is also used for incidents such as strikes that may affect travel plans; we will contact the booker or traveller and advise of alternative options if required.

There is a misconception that our service fee makes the booking of low cost carriers cheaper to book directly on the airlines website. Ensuring our fees are competitive, the added of value of 24/7 emergency assistance, traveller tracking, no requirement for an expenses claim and management information we feel provides value for money as well as confidence and peace of mind should changes be required.

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COVID-19 Infomation

Click here for: Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office travel advice.

Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate
Book with confidence. We are a Member of ABTA which means you have the benefit of ABTA's assistance and Code of Conduct. All the package and Flight-Plus holidays we sell are covered by a scheme protecting your money if the supplier fails. Other services such as business travel, hotels or flights on their own may not be protected and you should ask us what protection is available. To find out more please go to www.abta.co .uk. Our numbers are W9294, C7292, J2696.
The air holiday packages advertised on this website are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority, as we act as an agent for licensed tour operators and we can ATOL protect our own tailor-made itineraries for you. The names and ATOL numbers of each tour operators are displayed with each holiday offer shown and when enquiring with us about your holiday we will advise who is ATOL protecting your booking and confirm their ATOL number. Our ATOL number is 9150. You can check an ATOL number here