Question:
I’m a little unclear about this site. It tells me "Metatravel is a powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. Eileen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.
Response:
Good Question Eileen, I’ve made the agent search available to people who are not registered and haven’t signed in because I’ve gotten some feedback from people who don’t want to have to register to "evaluate" a site. However, once you have registered, you get more tools. One of them is the travel request area. Try it out and tell me what you think. I’m trying very hard to incorporate people’s ideas. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m a little unclear about this site. It tells me "Metatravel is a > powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests > and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country > and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific > travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. > Eileen > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.
Response:
Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to look for for a customer than the database of available flights, cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at that also because agents often can find better fares than the online companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is looking for information about a destination or wants to do something more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know what you think.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on > metatravel.com. You should be able to find it cheaper. The problem I > have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their > options. A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of > options. The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is > that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy > regarding the type of travel that you are interested in. Being able to > search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and > sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a > request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the > B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much > better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what > you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas. Perhaps I can > parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see > what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a > number to beat…
I don’t get how this is supposed to work. The reason it’s cost-effective to run these large automated ticket engines like Travelocity is because they are able to spread out the (fairly small) cost of reservation database queries among all their users. Even if 90% of queries don’t turn into a sale they can still make it up on the few that do. However, having live travel agents look into a fare costs many orders of magnitude more money. And their answers can’t be cached like reservation database query results can. Either they get paid a reasonable amount for each and every little research project, or sooner or later, they stop doing it. So unless your results are so good that you’re selling about 100 times as many tickets per request (which strikes me as highly unlikely) then this seems like it will quickly implode on its costs, or on agent churn. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Response:
I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can still be better with good feedback and ideas Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas
easy peesy. If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. I *know* that I am not alone in this. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any of it. I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out. It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > easy peesy. > If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this.
You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Response:
> Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations
It was a good thing for the people that handle aa.com to eventually get this and permit checking the price for a booking before requiring you to login.
Response:
> Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any > of it.
It is not the giving of the information that I have a problem with. It is the inconvenience of doing it (when there is no real reason). (Bear in mind that if you like the site and want to make a booking later you will regret lying.) > I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out.
I once got rejected from a site because too many people > It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form > everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information.
But some types of site require ‘real’ information to be usable in other ways tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between >>travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best >>possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the >>online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want >>to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been >>working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let >>people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel >>agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can >>still be better with good feedback and ideas >easy peesy. >If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. >I *know* that I am not alone in this. > You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. > Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its > recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). > miguel
Hear! Hear! Well said, Miguel. Most of those holier than thou sites are not worth the time for a download. John Bermont — * * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * * http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
Response:
> Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer
yes > (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here…).
When I encounter this malarkey, I ask myself how interested I really am in the site. Did I go there for some purpose, or was I incidentally carried there by the surf? If the former, i.e., if I care at all, I will usually try to send the webmaster a note, quoting the following: "Anyone who slaps a ‘this page is best viewed with Browser X’ label on a Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another computer, another word processor, or another network." -Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996 cheers, Henry (Of course, there wil be some–webmasters included–who say ‘Tim who?’)
Response:
Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. Mark
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Requiring >registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to >turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to >offer > yes >(up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one >that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit >here…). > When I encounter this malarkey, I ask myself how interested I really am > in the site. Did I go there for some purpose, or was I incidentally > carried there by the surf? If the former, i.e., if I care at all, I will > usually try to send the webmaster a note, quoting the following: > "Anyone who slaps a ‘this page is best viewed with Browser X’ label on a > Web page appears to be yearning for the bad old days, before the Web, > when you had very little chance of reading a document written on another > computer, another word processor, or another network." > -Tim Berners-Lee in Technology Review, July 1996 > cheers, > Henry
And others who want to use and may need features that are not supported by antiques.
Response:
That’s an interesting point. Instant gratification is worth alot. I suppose Interesting point, you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on metatravel.com. You should be able to find it cheaper. The problem I have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their options. A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of options. The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy regarding the type of travel that you are interested in. Being able to search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas. Perhaps I can parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a number to beat… Thanks for the feedback – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing > and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then > waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales > tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like > expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know > uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for > hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m > not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing > is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. > Mark > I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can still be better with good feedback and ideas Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas
easy peesy. If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. I *know* that I am not alone in this. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any of it. I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out. It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > easy peesy. > If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this.
You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Response:
> Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations
It was a good thing for the people that handle aa.com to eventually get this and permit checking the price for a booking before requiring you to login.
Response:
> Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any > of it.
It is not the giving of the information that I have a problem with. It is the inconvenience of doing it (when there is no real reason). (Bear in mind that if you like the site and want to make a booking later you will regret lying.) > I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out.
I once got rejected from a site because too many people > It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form > everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information.
But some types of site require ‘real’ information to be usable in other ways tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between >>travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best >>possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the >>online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want >>to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been >>working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let >>people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel >>agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can >>still be better with good feedback and ideas >easy peesy. >If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. >I *know* that I am not alone in this. > You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. > Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its > recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). > miguel
Hear! Hear! Well said, Miguel. Most of those holier than thou sites are not worth the time for a download. John Bermont — * * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * * http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
Response:
Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. Mark
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
That’s an interesting point. Instant gratification is worth alot. I suppose Interesting point, you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on metatravel.com. You should be able to find it cheaper. The problem I have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their options. A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of options. The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy regarding the type of travel that you are interested in. Being able to search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas. Perhaps I can parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a number to beat… Thanks for the feedback – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing > and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then > waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales > tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like > expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know > uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for > hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m > not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing > is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. > Mark > I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
I’m a little unclear about this site. It tells me "Metatravel is a powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. Eileen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.
Response:
Good Question Eileen, I’ve made the agent search available to people who are not registered and haven’t signed in because I’ve gotten some feedback from people who don’t want to have to register to "evaluate" a site. However, once you have registered, you get more tools. One of them is the travel request area. Try it out and tell me what you think. I’m trying very hard to incorporate people’s ideas. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m a little unclear about this site. It tells me "Metatravel is a > powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests > and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country > and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific > travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. > Eileen > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.
Response:
Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to look for for a customer than the database of available flights, cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at that also because agents often can find better fares than the online companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is looking for information about a destination or wants to do something more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know what you think.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on > metatravel.com. You should be able to find it cheaper. The problem I > have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their > options. A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of > options. The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is > that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy > regarding the type of travel that you are interested in. Being able to > search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and > sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a > request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the > B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much > better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what > you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas. Perhaps I can > parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see > what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a > number to beat…
I don’t get how this is supposed to work. The reason it’s cost-effective to run these large automated ticket engines like Travelocity is because they are able to spread out the (fairly small) cost of reservation database queries among all their users. Even if 90% of queries don’t turn into a sale they can still make it up on the few that do. However, having live travel agents look into a fare costs many orders of magnitude more money. And their answers can’t be cached like reservation database query results can. Either they get paid a reasonable amount for each and every little research project, or sooner or later, they stop doing it. So unless your results are so good that you’re selling about 100 times as many tickets per request (which strikes me as highly unlikely) then this seems like it will quickly implode on its costs, or on agent churn. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Response:
I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can still be better with good feedback and ideas Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas
easy peesy. If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. I *know* that I am not alone in this. tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any of it. I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out. It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > easy peesy. > If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this.
You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
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> Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations
It was a good thing for the people that handle aa.com to eventually get this and permit checking the price for a booking before requiring you to login.
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> Or you could simply register with fake information, they don’t confirm any > of it.
It is not the giving of the information that I have a problem with. It is the inconvenience of doing it (when there is no real reason). (Bear in mind that if you like the site and want to make a booking later you will regret lying.) > I *know* that I am not the only one who figured that out.
I once got rejected from a site because too many people > It’s amazing that when you put a name or an e-mail question on a form > everybody believes you have to fill it in with real information.
But some types of site require ‘real’ information to be usable in other ways tim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. > I *know* that I am not alone in this. > tim > > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->>I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between >>travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best >>possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the >>online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want >>to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been >>working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let >>people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel >>agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can >>still be better with good feedback and ideas >easy peesy. >If I have to register to try it out, I go somewhere else. >I *know* that I am not alone in this. > You are not – it kept me from going past the first click too. > Professionals who run web sites have learned that they have to offer > additional added value in order to coax registrations (e.g., Amazon with its > recommendations, Travelocity with its FareWatcher, etc.). Requiring > registration before presenting any value at all is one of the surest ways to > turn the majority of visitors away before they even see what you have to > offer (up there with moronic things like "your browser is not the same one > that I, the developer, use, so go download another one before you can visit > here, and why not change your monitor resolution while you’re at it?"). > miguel
Hear! Hear! Well said, Miguel. Most of those holier than thou sites are not worth the time for a download. John Bermont — * * * Mastering Independent Budget Travel * * * http://www.enjoy-europe.com/
Response:
Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. Mark
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
That’s an interesting point. Instant gratification is worth alot. I suppose Interesting point, you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on metatravel.com. You should be able to find it cheaper. The problem I have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their options. A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of options. The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy regarding the type of travel that you are interested in. Being able to search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas. Perhaps I can parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a number to beat… Thanks for the feedback – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Personally, I’d never use a site like this. I like to browse, get pricing > and if I see something I like I buy it. Giving personal information and then > waiting for a response tends to make me feel like there would be sales > tactics or pressure when I did get a response. Instant online pricing like > expedia, travelocity, smartcruiser, etc are the things that everyone I know > uses because it’s instant and anonymous. I can look at the details for > hundreds of vacations before deciding about anything. Most of the time I’m > not sure where I want to go until something looks attractive. If the pricing > is right then I may book it online or go to my travel agent. > Mark > I’m working on a service which facilitates communication between > travelers and travel agents. The goal is to help people get the best > possible expertise and fares possible. It’s an alternative to the > online "big boys." Please look at it and send some feedback. I want > to make the best service possible. It’s free of course. I’ve been > working on software for travel agents for years, now I’d like to let > people benefit from the collective expertise of 40,000+ travel > agencies. I’ve used it myself twice with great success, but it can > still be better with good feedback and ideas > Please check it out at www.metatravel.com
Response:
I’m a little unclear about this site. It tells me "Metatravel is a powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. Eileen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.
Response:
Good Question Eileen, I’ve made the agent search available to people who are not registered and haven’t signed in because I’ve gotten some feedback from people who don’t want to have to register to "evaluate" a site. However, once you have registered, you get more tools. One of them is the travel request area. Try it out and tell me what you think. I’m trying very hard to incorporate people’s ideas. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > I’m a little unclear about this site. It tells me "Metatravel is a > powerful, no cost program which will send your specific travel requests > and requirements to thousands of expert travel agents across the country > and around the world" – but I don’t see any way to make a specific > travel request, only a way to search for an agency’s specialty. > Eileen > Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes > because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start > using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to > enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools > at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for > example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests > online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been > working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving > to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot > get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity > etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to > look for for a customer than the database of available flights, > cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the > 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they > thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very > good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of > metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at > that also because agents often can find better fares than the online > companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is > looking for information about a destination or wants to do something > more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many > travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because > they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the > orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those > of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know > what you think.
Response:
Thank you all for your insights so far. I’ve made several changes because of them. First of all, you don’t need to register to start using metatravel anymore, second, if you register, you don’t need to enter your email address if you don’t want to (you’ll have fewer tools at your disposal – like a mass email to a targeted list of agents for example, and you’ll have to check the responses to your requests online, you won’t get them via email also). The service has been working quite well so far. The responses that agents have been giving to consumers have been excellent. information that you simply cannot get from any of the computerized websites (expedia, orbits, travelocity etc.) Also, travel agents have far more choices when deciding what to look for for a customer than the database of available flights, cruises, cars and tours that the big online travel shops offer. Of the 50 or so consumers I’ve called to check in with to see what they thought so far, about 80% booked with an agent that respond with very good information to their travel request. It is true that the value of metatravel is not simply getting plane tickets (although it excels at that also because agents often can find better fares than the online companies). The true value of metatravel is for the customer who is looking for information about a destination or wants to do something more in depth than flying somewhere and back. I feel that many travelers miss out on opportunities that they never knew about because they never looked beyond the tiny amount of information found in the orbitz travelocities etc. Anyway, more feedback will be great. Those of you who haven’t tried www.metatravel.com, try it and let me know what you think.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > you could find something first on Orbitz etc, then ask for it on > metatravel.com. You should be able to find it cheaper. The problem I > have with the big online companies is that you are quite limited by their > options. A computer can’t free associate and has a limited inventory of > options. The problem I have with working with a single travel agency is > that you’re limited by the scope of thier knowlege, expertise ans savvy > regarding the type of travel that you are interested in. Being able to > search for travel agents who specialize in what you’re looking for and > sending out a broadcast to only those agents in addition to publishing a > request to the 40K agencies we’ve got (We been writing software for the > B2B portion of the travel industry for 7 years) I’ve found gets much > better results than the big online sites, but I do understand exactly what > you’re talking about and it’s giving me a couple of ideas. Perhaps I can > parse a request to metatravel and spider orbitz, travelocity etc and see > what they would do as a comparison and send that along to the agents as a > number to beat…
I don’t get how this is supposed to work. The reason it’s cost-effective to run these large automated ticket engines like Travelocity is because they are able to spread out the (fairly small) cost of reservation database queries among all their users. Even if 90% of queries don’t turn into a sale they can still make it up on the few that do. However, having live travel agents look into a fare costs many orders of magnitude more money. And their answers can’t be cached like reservation database query results can. Either they get paid a reasonable amount for each and every little research project, or sooner or later, they stop doing it. So unless your results are so good that you’re selling about 100 times as many tickets per request (which strikes me as highly unlikely) then this seems like it will quickly implode on its costs, or on agent churn. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Response: