which do you recommend the most?

 

Ourisman Travel had this exchange with a traveler named Dustin. Angela, a valued member of Team Ourisman, had posted photos on Instagram during her recent trip to St. Barths. Dustin had come across her gorgeous pictures of Cheval Blanc, Eden Roc, and other resorts on this very five star island, and that inspired him to ask a question: "Of all the St. Barths hotels you visited, which do you recommend most?"

Instagram does not provide the best medium in which to work our magic as Travel Advisors. Before we can recommend a resort, we need to know more about you. Tell us about the vacation you enjoyed most: Where did you stay? Why did you love that resort? Tell us about your aesthetic tastes: Do you enjoy contemporary interiors or do you prefer traditional Caribbean settings? Do you want to be right on the beach? Is a resort pool a must? Some guests want resorts where the pool water is heated, so is that a factor? Are you traveling with kids? Would a kids program that gives you free time while your children are off making friends be a plus? And last, but perhaps the first question to ask: what is your budget?

There's a great vacation for every traveler. Our job is to ask about your preferences and learn your budget. Armed with that information, we can make the best recommendation for you. If, as Dustin wrote, "the rates were absurd" in Anguilla and St. Barths, we are able recommend a better island for you! For the 750€ per night Dustin was spending at Villa Marie, there are likely some much more compelling values right on the beach ... and not a 10 minute drive away which I'm sure he must have grown to resent.

But Instagram is not a place where we can consult with you about your travel plans. Reach out to us at Team@OurismanTravel.com to plan a vacation at the beach or in the mountains.

copyright (c) 2021 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member.

what I've learned about working remotely

my old paper-and-pencil system of keeping track of bookings

When I started Ourisman Travel in 2006, I implemented a simple paper-and-pencil system. Each client had a manilla file folder. Inside that folder was a sheet with the client's basic information and preferences. Hotel confirmations, travel insurance certificates, etc. were also filed in the folder. But key to my system was the form above — a chronological list of each booking with tasks to be done.

Details for each reservation were recorded listing the name of the hotel, room category chosen, bed types requested, and room rate. There was a space in the middle of the form to record the Sabre PNR  and the confirmation number. At the right was a box to make note of special requests. There was even a checkbox to remind me to provide my IATA number to the hotel when making a reservation on the phone.

The workflow was quite simple. I filled out the form, then put the folder in a physical "inbox" on my assistant's desk. She would invoice the reservation and send a VIP email, tick off the appropriate checkboxes, then refile the client's folder in the file cabinet.

But as Ourisman Travel grew, my simple paper-and-pencil system became obsolete. We now had home offices in both California and Maryland. We hired assistants who lived elsewhere (Arkansas and Kentucky, at the time). Of necessity, our office became "virtual." Every client still had a file, but it lived in Dropbox. Every reservation still had to be invoiced and VIP'ed, but without an assistant sitting across the room, we had to invent something new ... and we did!

reservations in Paris and Rome in Ping Pong

It's called Ping Pong, a proprietary software platform being developed by our software designer to meet our specific needs. Ping Pong has replaced my paper-and-pencil form. When it's ready, Ping Pong will be made available to the entire travel industry.

When I fill in the details and enter a confirmation number, the reservation magically appears in the to-do list of the Team members who will take the next steps — invoicing and VIP'ing. They'll tick off those tasks when accomplished. It's just like my paper-and-pencil system, but everyone on Team Ourisman has access to the entire trip, even though we're separated by thousands of miles.

We have years of experience working remotely! There are now eight of us; we live across the country in California, Maryland, New Jersey, and Arkansas. We are available constantly to one another in real time. With Dialpad, customers calling our main number are transferred to their travel advisor. With Slack, the Team stays in constant contact, asking questions or sharing ideas. Asana (project management software) helps us keep the details of complex itineraries organized. With Uberconference, we can schedule conference calls with clients and vendors, even sharing video presentations.

My verdict on working remotely? The members of Team Ourisman can be anywhere in the world, even when we're separated by oceans, yet it very much feels like we're one Team collaborating together, sharing the same space. Sheltering-in-place is no issue for us when we work with clients to plan their next wonderful trips!

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

book Silversea in April | bonus $250 gift card

First of all, this is a gorgeous itinerary. You spend your first evening in London, then set sail the next day on the Thames going under the Tower Bridge. Heading out to sea, your ship (the Silver Wind) cruises through the North Sea toward the gorgeous western coast of Norway. Norway's fjords are the most beautiful place I've ever been.



Second, you're on Silversea enjoying the intimacy of a small ship with just 296 guests with so much included in your fare — including round-trip airfare, transfers, an upgrade at booking, butler service, unlimited Free WiFi, beverages including champagne and select wines and spirits, complimentary transportation into town in most ports, and included gratuities.

Third, you receive a $250 Visa gift card in addition to any other promotions, including Virtuoso Voyages amenities for selected cruises. This exclusive offer is available from any Brownell Travel advisor, including the team at Ourisman Travel.

Finally, this offer is value on ANY Silversea cruise (including this particular cruise that captured my imagination). Just make your booking during April, 2019.

copyright (c) 2019 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

travel photography | stimulate your wanderlust

I recently created this slide show containing a few of my favorite photographs, all taken while traveling the world. I put it together for our recent Ourisman Travel team meeting in Baltimore and am posting here to stimulate your wanderlust. Enjoy!

wan·der·lust  ˈwändərˌləst/   

noun — a strong desire to travel

copyright  (c)  2018 by Ourisman Travel LLC.  All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit our website.

the best travel blazer?

the Bluffworks Blazer (used without permission, but I'm sure they won't mind)

Could this be the best travel blazer ever made? Perhaps, and I'll be giving it a try on a trip I'm taking next week to Palm Beach (to visit my dad) and Baltimore (for an Ourisman Travel meeting).

I had the opportunity to purchase this travel coat during its Kickstarter start-up phase, so I did enjoy a bit of a discount. What attracted me to this jacket? The claim that you could literally throw it in the washing machine and then the dryer. Typically, suites or blazers have to go to the dry cleaners to get pressed after spending time folded up in a suitcase. I'll get to test the claim after my trip.

I really like the feel of the material. It has a soft feel and a dressy look, so I'll enjoy wearing it. And for travelers, the jacket has ten pockets ... some of them with security zippers making it easy to safeguard a passport, iPhone, iPad, or credit card against pickpockets.

For a quick follow-up and report on how it came out of the washer and dryer (as well as planned site reports from two Baltimore hotels, the Four Seasons Baltimore and the Sagamore Pendry), follow this blog!

copyright (c) 2017 by Ourisman Travel LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell, a Virtuoso® Member. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

VirtuosoWeek top ten | Canada on sale

Shangri-La Vancouver

Ourisman Travel is back from Virtuoso Travel Week. Here's is the first of our "top ten" takeaways from this years #VirtuosoWeek: Canada is on sale! One USD (greenback) is currently worth 1.28 CAD (loonie). This is a 40% discount from where things stood one year ago.

Great news for U.S. citizens wanting to travel north of the 49th parallel ... and it also makes Canada the perfect destination for U.K. or European citizens in shock over the current value of the pound sterling and the Euro. Here are our top ideas for visiting Canada this summer, fall, or winter:

Fogo Island Inn. This resort was one of my top ten takeaways from the 2014 Travel Week, and it's a stunning, all-inclusive resort on a small island in Newfoundland. Virtuoso guests receive a $100 USD hotel credit in addition to everything that's already included.

Vancouver is one of my favorite cities in the world, with great Virtuoso hotels (including the Shangri-La pictured above), fine dining, and a climate suited for year-round active travel. You can bike or hike to your heart's content. Walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge, visit the Archeological Museum at UBC, shop at Granville Market, or take a seaplane to Vancouver Island and visit the Buchart Gardens.

Quebec City's Christmas Markets. You don't have to travel to Germany to experience Old World Christmas Markets. Less than a two hours from New York, less than three hours from Chicago... it's a wonderful weekend getaway with two Virtuoso hotels ready to offer their five-star hospitality.

Montreal's shopping and dining. On parle français ici. The largest city in the provence of Quebec, Canada's francophone province, Montreal offers visitor great shopping and dining opportunities, including three Michelin-starred restaurants.

Wine Tasting at Niagra Falls. There are 50 wineries dotting the shores of Lake Ontario, and we can arrange wine tours of this not-yet-discovered wine region.

copyright (c) 2016 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

non-googleable experiences

from icbellagio.com, the premier Virtuoso onsite for Italy

Just back from Brownell Travel's annual meeting in Atlanta, #BrownellAcademy. This was a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with the best travel consultant colleagues in the industry ... along with dozens of industry sales reps there to share with us the latest news about luxury hotels, cruise lines, and custom tours.

One phrase among many captured my attention last weekend: non-googleable experiences. Google, first a number, has become a noun, then a verb, and now has been incorporated into adjectival form. I was attending a class conducted by IC Bellagio, a premier company based in northern Italy that crafts the finest custom tours in that country. One of the things they offer: non-googleable experiences.

Non-googleable experiences ... what does that mean? Many travelers plan their vacations by googling their destinations — for instance "best things to do in Italy" — and are presented with millions of possibilities, webpages such as "the top ten things to do in Italy." Put those ten activities on your Italy bucket list, and you'll have a pretty routine trip — along with the thousands of other tourists queueing up to do the exact same thing at the very same time as you.

Instead of responding to "what did you do in Italy?" by listing the ten bucket lists items that everyone sees, what if you could tell your friends about an utterly unique experience that hardly anyone even knows about. That's where our Virtuoso tour partners become very useful. They can help plan dozens of unique experiences that will give you the trip of your dreams, paying you a lifetime dividend of priceless memories.

Want to discover more about the wonders of the world — and experience them in style? That's what Brownell, Ourisman Travel, and Virtuoso are all about. Fill out our travel request form to start planning your next trip!

copyright (c) 2015 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

Thanksgiving, Baltimore style

I've spent very little time in Baltimore, despite growing up less than 40 miles away. But my son and daughter-in-law moved to Baltimore a year ago, and they're hosting Thanksgiving dinner. Josh is a partner with Bolster Labs, a web design company located in Baltimore … and Jessica heads the east coast office of Ourisman Travel.

After many years of celebrating Thanksgiving in New York, I'll miss walking through Central Park, catching live glimpses of the Macy's Parade, and making my early morning Black Friday visits to the 5th Avenue Apple Store (reasonable crowds at 5 a.m. - impossible crowds later in the day).

So what awaits me in Baltimore? We'll of course be staying at the Four Seasons Baltimore, located on the inner harbour. Later this week, I'll let you know about the rooms, the service, and what to do in the area. If your plans take you to Baltimore, contact me (or any Four Seasons Preferred Partner travel consultant) to get complimentary breakfast for two, free internet, $100 spa credit, and space available upgrades at the best luxury hotel in Baltimore.

copyright (c) 2014 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.

congratulations, Jessica!

Jessica Ourisman, travel consultant, on a hiking trip in Wales

Congratulations to Jessica Ourisman who has been named to Travel Agent magazine's list of "Top 30 Under 30" travel consultants for 2012. She's pictured above while on a hiking trip in Wales. Here's what the article says about her:

Jessica Ourisman is the co-owner of Ourisman Travel along with her father-in-law, David Ourisman, and both are independent associates of Brownell Travel, a Virtuoso agency. “I manage my own client list and specialize in trips to Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America,” she says of her job. 

But, she adds, she has only been an agent for one year, even though she helped develop Ourisman Travel. The agency started just as social media began to take off, and she leveraged the nascent technology to its full advantage.  

“Today, we are one of the top sellers of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, and I think that is a great testament to the way we chose to direct and focus our marketing message,” she says. “I was more than eager to get involved on a new level, to take real ownership in the business, and to start thinking about the next growth stage for us.” 

Troy Haas, CEO of Brownell Travel, has high praise for her. “Jessica has masterminded one of the most successful ‘new models’ of travel we have seen in our long history at Brownell. Even before she entered the travel business she advised her father-in-law, David Ourisman, on use of social media for leveraging his deep passion and knowledge of hotels. Today David is our top seller of luxury hotels as a result, and Jessica has joined his practice to help develop that amazing success she helped create.”

travel consultants (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2012 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.