Keep Your Luggage Safe With Personalized Luggage Tags

If you are planning to make a long trip, either by air, sea or rail, the only form of identification for your baggage is with Personalized Luggage Tags. In order to make the maximum and have a successful business or leisure trip, it is vital that you have your baggage when you reach your destination. This will only be possible with the help of luggage tags.

The present day travel cases and luggage sets are very much similar to each other in size, style and colour. A person who travels frequently will agree to this statement. Due to this, baggage can easily be taken away by mistake as they come off the luggage carousel. It is a common occurrence due to these similarities. The simple solution to a very common problem is the use of Personalized Luggage Tags.

Of course you will always have the option of moving away from the standard bags and purchase one with a difference; there are many with unique, also colourful and attractive designs. This is one way of not having your luggage confused with another. But not everyone will like to have a case of bright colours and vibrant designs.

Considering the large volume of travellers today, these tags have become a great asset and supporting device in keeping a good track of their belongings. There is a wide choice of designs to select from, and one will be surprised to see the great number of styles, colours and designs that are found in shopping stores as well as online stores. It might be wise to choose unique designs with bold colours as your Personalized Luggage Tags, as it will help your luggage to stand out from the rest and identifying will be much faster.

Past experiences of lost or misdirected luggage has now proved the value of luggage tags. Great emphasis is now given to this little piece of information, and travellers totally depend on their tags to ensure safe arrival of their baggage.

Here are a few points on the importance and uses of custom made luggage tags:

• In order to have uniformity, it is best you have similar tags especially in design. Ideal when you are travelling with your family or in a group.
• In the event of lost luggage or baggage being misdirected, luggage tags will help authorities to contact the traveller immediately.
• A mode of proving that the luggage belongs to you.
• Custom made tags are stronger, bigger, durable and visible when compared to the standard tags which tend to get damaged soon.
• They are perfect as a promotional product.
• Most luggage tags have a privacy flap to keep away your personal information from others.

Personalized Luggage Tags is an "all-important" piece of information. Most often than not, travellers put off filling in their tags until the last minute of their journey. It will good to take your time and complete these tags by filling in all your details without being rushed, as it is vital for long distance traveling.

For more information on Promotional Personalized Luggage Tags visit Promotional-Merchandise.org.uk. Here you will find more articles and tips on marketing items as well as a Promotional Gifts Quick Quotes form where you can conveniently submit your request in one form and get responses from multiple suppliers so that you can find the best price and product for your marketing needs.

Travel Agency Worth - Continued #4 of 4 (Financial Management Strength)

What is the strength of your agency's financial management? This is one of the four keys to determining the value of your travel agency - operations/resource management, market position/agency image, financial management and business history. I am addressing each issue in separate articles.*

Let's consider financial management strength today.

Q: Do you operate under the accrual or cash method of accounting?

A: If you're on a cash system, ask your CPA to convert your books to accrual. If you prefer staying with cash accounting, be certain that your income is reflected properly so that a buyer will know what he is buying.

Q: What is your net worth?

A: This is probably one of the most important valuation criterion in establishing price.

Q: Do you receive a monthly balance sheet and P&L?

A: If you don't, it will be difficult for a buyer to assess trends, growth and your overall financial management.

Q: Have you kept track of key financial ratios in order to get an early warning of changes in your business, such as:

• Sales per employee and/or customer and/or vendor?
• Commissions as a percentage of sales?
• Percentage of override commissions by vendor?
• Percentage of return sales by customer or account?
• Percentage pre-tax profit of commission revenues or sales?

A: Very few agencies have a formal program that reviews the "quality" of their customers. I have seen a tendency to serve anyone just to get the business in the door. If you look at some of those ratios above, you might find out that the XYZ Corporation's account that you finally landed is costing you more than you're making on it. A buyer will be more impressed with strategic thinking along these lines than with a single number of sales.

Q: How are you doing with your collections?

• Are your accounts receivable properly aged?
• What is your reserve for bad debt and actual write-offs for the past five years?
• What is your collection mix of credit cards vs. invoice?
• What do you do with un-collectables?
• What credit analysis procedures do you have when taking on a new account?

A: Again, these items are important and reflect on your abilities as a financial manager. Bear in mind that the buyer of your agency may not necessarily have the same business acumen you have, yet you obviously want him to succeed.

Q: Do you have a formal annual budgeting process?

A: This is a truly impressive feature to a buyer. Even if you haven't performed to your budget, with proper variance explanations, nothing instills confidence like a well-thought out budget.

Q: Do you have bank references readily available?

A: If you have a positive cash flow and generated income from your surplus investments, your banker will say very nice things about you. If you've borrowed money to meet the occasional air report and repaid it promptly, your banker will also have nice things to say about you.

The key feature in all the criteria above is feedback. It's like driving a car - do you have full and properly calibrated instrumentation or are you driving with the dashboard painted over? I have seen agencies with outstanding "instrumentation" and I have seen others with even the wind shield painted over.

If all you know is that you're in the travel business but you're not really sure of any of the ratios or data above, how do you expect a buyer to make an assessment as to what he should pay for your business?

Your answers to these questions will help determine your agency's net worth - and its value in the marketplace. Travel business consultants such as Travel Business CPR will review and prepare your operation for sale on your behalf.

* See a discussion of operations/resource management in http://ezinearticles.com/?Travel-Agency-Worth&id=2904410

Tharwat Abouraya, CTIE
President
Travel Business CPR - Bring Strategy to Life!
http://www.travelbusinesscpr.com

Safe Vacation Tips

Between burglars, car-jackers and terrorists, the carefree vacation seems like a thing of the past. There is no question that many dangers await the unwary traveler, both at home and abroad. In spite of the problems, there are precautions you can take to ensure that you will get the rest and relaxation you deserve on your vacation.

The first step is to secure your home. Leave a house key with a trusted friend or neighbor who can check on the house periodically. Let them know where you'll be and give them a cell-phone or hotel phone number where you can be reached in case of emergency. Cancel all deliveries such as newspapers, etc., and have a friend or neighbor pick up your mail and any circulars left by the door. Don't leave notes saying you've gone on vacation and never tell strangers that you are going away.

Check all doors and windows to make sure they're properly locked. Don't forget the garage and storage areas. Use clock timers to turn on lights, a radio, or the television, on and off at certain times each day, giving the outside impression that the home is occupied. Purchase timers that can alter the light patterns. Unplug all unnecessary appliances. Turn down the volume on your phones as constant ringing indicates an empty house. Drapes and shades should be left partly open so it looks like someone is home. Expensive jewelry and cash should be in a safe deposit box, and credit cards and checkbooks should be secured. Lawn furniture, barbecue grills, ladders, etc., should be locked away.

When traveling by car, keep your belongings locked in the trunk. Never leave luggage, cameras, and other valuables in open view, especially when the car is unattended. Keep all doors locked both when driving and at rest stops. When returning to a parked car check the back seat to assure no one is hiding there. Wherever possible, stay on well-lit, well-traveled roads. Be sure you know where you are going and have the necessary maps and directions so you don't find yourself lost in a bad area.

Upon arrival, place valuables in the hotel or motel safe if one is available. Do not flash large amounts of cash. Never leave cash, cameras, jewelry or other expensive items in your room unattended. Protect your room key and don't leave it anywhere. Always use the double lock and chain when you are in the room.

Traveling overseas requires extra attention to security. You should "sterilize" your luggage by removing all logos, stickers and claim checks that will identify you as an American. Limit your exposure time in airports by arriving with just enough time to check your bags and get through the metal detectors about ten minutes before boarding the plane. When traveling in any foreign country, maintain a low profile. Avoid large crowds and groups of tourists as they are considered easy targets by terrorists. Try to observe local customs with regard to dress, behavior, etc., and be a polite, considerate guest.

David Antonio Parietti's official self-defense website is http://www.bestultimatesecurity.com/