Recently in Homeworking Category

More from Cruise Month - here's homeworker Andrew Fox, a member of the Travel Weekly Cruise Club, on a visit to Oceania Cruises' Regatta. Our Kelly Ranson was there with the camera.

Andrew makes the well-rehearsed, but no less true, point that ship visits are indispensable to successful cruise sales - and you can read more about how he developed his own travel business in Skills Zone.

More video, sales tips, ship reports and other useful stuff on the Cruise Month page.

Nathan Midgley, web producer

In an age when employers are being encouraged to give staff ever more flexibility, and technology means you can set up office practically anywhere, it’s no surprise the travel industry has seen a boom in homeworking.

So I wonder what you think about the comments of wannabe Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who believes we need to improve the country’s transport system because people are more productive in offices.

He says:

“Working at work may be unproductive, my friends, but working from home is simply a euphemism for sloth, apathy, staring out of the window and random surfing of the internet: and that is why it is so imperative that we get the transport system of this country moving.”

According to his blog, a day working from home involves the following:

“You polish off that bottle of wine at lunch, and then you have a snooze, and then you find the afternoon has gone as fast as the morning, and the children are back from school, and you have managed to spend a whole day "working from home" in which you have achieved two thirds of diddly squat.”

This TW news story begs to differ. So does this one. Come on homeworkers: tell us what it’s really like…

Image: John Hemming. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Sharealike 2.0

Emily Ashwell, business and community editor

Brian Horden, one of our industry bloggers, wades in to a long-running debate...

That question has appeared yet again..."why are women not at the top with more travel companies?"

My views on this subject go back in history, and then jump right into the year 2006.

My first three bosses in the travel industry were all female, and I can only repeat what I have said on many other occasions: my gratitude to these people for the knowledge, wisdom and experience which they shared has been reflected in the many successes that I have enjoyed in my travel career.

I also wonder how many women actually want some of the top jobs in our colourful industry?

So often, behind the scenes of some of the more successful companies is the strategic thinking of the female mind....the "engineer" behind the success of new thoughts, new ideas, and new systems.

And, on a slightly different "tack", customers enjoy talking to women, especially professional, knowledgeable and enthusiastic women, and moving these people "upstairs" within the company so often removes the best people for face-to-face contact (how often do you see "super salespeople" retail managers working on the Foreign Exchange desk!).

Some contentious views, I am sure; and just to support some of my many thoughts on this subject, just look at the cruise business with Carol Marlow as president of Cunard, Trudy Redfern as vice president of Silversea, Lynn Narraway, director of Carnival Cruise. Or look at the women in First Choice…air and retail, and all successful

Do women want the top job, and all the "baggage" that goes with it, or would they rather be in the position of quietly driving the company forward from behind the scenes? I am sure there will be lots of thoughts on this.

Brian Hordon, director of training development, Silversea Cruises

If you’re feeling depressed today, worry not, you’re in good company.

January 22 is the most depressing day of the year, according to one headline-grabbing psychologist who, among other things cites fading memories of holidays as one reason for this being a particularly gloomy start to the working week.

If you’re a travel agent or tour operator, however, there should be a little spring in your step and a glint in your eye that says, today’s the day to sell holidays, to give people something to look forward to.

And with a cold snap with us and no World Cup this year to ride a coach and horses through all your plans to generate forward bookings, operators are heralding the return of the busy early year booking period.

I’m not usually one to take much notice of the kind of psycho babble that prompted this blog but maybe there is something in it. A relative of mine was saying just last night how all she could think about at the moment was where she was going to go on holiday this year.

So while everyone else is moping around, suffering from the effects of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), it is the travel trade’s job to find the motivation, the positive outlook on life to sell them their dream holiday.

Good luck, and hopefully by the time the year’s happiest day come along (June 23) you’ll have sold enough holidays to enjoy yourselves.

Lee Hayhurst, acting news editor [note new title for Lee - Ed]

Last night, my colleague Jo Gardner and I were given the task of playing Trinny and Susannah.

We were on a mission to find the best dressed people at the Globes - quite a hard task with almost 1,500 people walking through the doors of the Grosvenor House desperate to grab a glass of champagne.

Deciding on the critique was pretty tough – did we go for some smart and elegant or some really eye caching numbers?

Well, from men in kilts through to ladies in their designer glad rags we did pick out a few and both the magazine and the web will name those that stood out for us. You can see them in our best dressed gallery at flickr.com.

Who stood out for you?

Kelly Ranson, reporter

It’s always a sign of a good night when you see respectable members of the travel trade sprawled on the floor at the end of the night.

One young man was seen tripping and ultimately falling as he attempted one of the Grosvenor House Hotel’s many staircases, a young lady lay flat out on the stairs to the exit, while one City analyst could not help but fall flat on his face in the ballroom – naming no names Andrew…

Of course it was another story for a certain member of the Travel Weekly team, but I couldn’t possibly comment in public.

Of course if Ed Robertson wants to give a full account of his journey home, that’s up to him.

Juliet Dennis, news editor

Over on table 54 former-ABTA head of corporate affairs Keith Betton was actually seen to put his hand in his pocket and buy a packet of cigarettes instead of doing his usual trick of blagging off anyone he can find with a pack.

The Siren PR table was handily situated close to its client’s two Royal Caribbean International tables, the scene of some of the night’s most vocal celebrations when it scooped the best four-star cruiseline award ahead of rival and perennial winner P&O Cruises.

Following much hearty backslapping, hugging and punching of the air with Royal Caribbean’s Robin Shaw, Michael English and Jo Rzymowska, who could barely contain her delight as she collected the award, at the centre of the celebrations.

Can this be the same Rzymowska who told a Travel Weekly journalist last year after P&O Cruises won their category that she didn’t care much for winning a Globe and much preferred to win consumer awards? Anyway, there’s nothing like winning!

Lee Hayhurst, deputy news editor

Staging the awards in-the-round was a master stroke – a throwback to the Globe of Shakespeare’s day perhaps. Whatever, it worked marvellously.

So many awards ceremonies are diminished for all those sat on the margins or far from the stage and reduced to watching on a TV screen. Aside from anything else, being more inclusive cut down the background chatter.

The standing ovation for TW boss Trevor Harding was genuinely warm and made a fitting end. So it was shame to bring on the showgirls – too much of a throwback to a former age in an industry in which more than half the workforce are women.

Surely it’s time more of them made it to the stage as award winners?

Ian Taylor, reporter

There’s black tie and there’s black tie. This year’s Travel Weekly Globes provided some twists on the familiar awards attire.

Leading the way was Travel Weekly’s very own Trevor Harding, who managed to pimp up his dinner suit with a three-quarter length ivory silk jacket. And then there was David Speakman’s pin stripe dinner suit. Are the boys the new girls, suits the new dresses?

It was pointed out to me last night that Onholidaygroup’s Steve Endacott seems only ever to be referred to as Endacott. Or is there some other commonly used moniker for the dynamic packaging dynamo?

Martin Couzins, acting editor [and huge fan of ivory silk jackets, we presume – Ed]

Busy couple of days here.

Last night we hosted a party in Central London to unveil the re-launched Travel Weekly magazine. Reaction has been overwhelmingly positive so far! [Lawrence Assock of Destination Care pictured]

Earlier today, Travel Weekly managing director Trevor Harding handed out copies of the new magazine here at Reed Business Information in Sutton.

All the frenetic activity of the past few months will continue next week at World Travel Market, where we will be out in force with a special stand at ExCel with our new TW Group colleagues, Travolution and Gazetteers Plus.

We will also have our famous WTM dailies, which will be circulated every single day of WTM.

Make sure you drop by to say hello during the course of the event, stand # 1700 in the South Hall.