Make Sure You Are Prepared: Travel Documents Needed When Cruising
If you are cruising anywhere outside of North America, the most important document you need to have with you is your passport. For many years, North American residents did not need a passport to visit the Caribbean, Mexico, or to go to back and forth between the Canada/US border. Passports are fairly easy to obtain, either in person or by mail, at a local passport office or post office. If you are only visiting the US Virgin Islands or Puerto Rico, you do not need a passport. Other important documents to store safely are your tickets. This is to ensure that you make it to your destination without any problems.
Make sure that your passport is valid for the duration of your cruise and does not expire while you are on vacation. If you do not have a passport or need to renew it, you should apply for it at least a few months ahead of time – not surprisingly, July and August tend to be the busiest months for passport applications. It normally takes up to several weeks to receive your passport if you apply by mail. If you need it sooner, it is worth the extra cost for expedited service.
The name on your passport should match the name on your cruise booking, as well as any airline tickets. Use your full name, rather than any nickname. Cruise lines and airlines can sometimes be reluctant to change the name on a ticket but if you are able to change the name on your ticket, there is often an extra charge. If you are a woman getting married while on a cruise, it is probably easiest to keep your passport, tickets, and all other important documents in your maiden name. You can then change them all when you return.
You generally do not need a visa if you are cruising anywhere in North America, the Caribbean, Mexico, and the Bahamas. If you are visiting anywhere else, you should check to see if one is required. A visa is an authorization that is issued by a particular country, allowing you to visit there, often during a specific period; currently around 80 countries worldwide require US citizens to have a visa. It can either be in the form of a stamp in your passport or stored in an electronic database. Some countries allow you to obtain your visa upon arrival, although it is easier to get it ahead of time. Some countries also require you to present an onward ticket, as well as proof that you can support yourself while visiting.
Princess Cruises became the industry’s first cruise line to offer electronic ticketing. Other cruise lines have followed their example, meaning that cruise passengers have one less important document to hold onto. Boarding passes and itineraries can easily be printed out at home and replaced if lost. Another big name in cruising – Norwegian Cruise Lines – also no longer issues paper tickets, although unlike the airline industry, the cruise lines have yet to become entirely electronic.
If you are flying from your home to your cruise port, it is easy to keep track of your plane tickets. Virtually all major airlines now issue electronic tickets. If you lose the printed itinerary and receipt, you can simply request another one at no charge. An electronic ticket – or e-ticket as it is generally known – can be changed and reissued easily online with no need to visit the airport or travel agent. E-tickets also allow passengers to check in on the internet. In the event of a canceled flight, an e-ticket allows you to be easily accommodated on another airline. These make the process of purchasing a ticket much easier and if your cruise line has this option available, it is highly recommended.
Travel insurance is one of those things that some cruise passengers tend to forget, but you may not actually need medical travel insurance, if you already have existing health coverage. It is a good idea to take out trip cancellation insurance. This is sometimes also known as trip protection insurance, which covers such scenarios as death or illness, strike, cruise company or airline bankruptcy. Make sure you have a copy of the policy with you and know which number to call, should you need it.
One document you should definitely carry with you is a list of all your credit cards and their phone numbers. This is important in case your wallet or purse is stolen. It can be particularly difficult trying to deal with the problem of lost documents if you are on a ship, or in a foreign country. It is also a good idea to photocopy your passport (the page with the photo on it), cruise tickets, and any other documents. You should also keep them separate from the originals.
TVI Express vs. Global Resorts Network – I like both!
I just came across a couple of business opportunities that are literally sweeping the web. Both are direct marketing / network marketing based businesses involved with the travel industry.
The first is GRN or Global Resorts Network and it has been around the longest – offering it’s memberships starting way back in 1986. It also has the highest entry cost to get started. At $3000 it is a large sum to pay to get started in a network marketing business. That $3000 also gets you a lifetime membership with GRN and it is transferable. That being said – the pay off is high as well – with the top end commissions being $1000 /sale. There are also commissions on sales made by team members whom are in your organization. Some affiliates with this company are earning high 6 figure incomes. Wtih your membership you have access to discount travel vacations at 3-5 star resorts around the world. There are also tools and resources available to the affiliate to help promote their business.
The other is called TVI Express – Travel Ventures International. TVI is very similar to GRN as they offer discount travel vacations as well – along with other perks and deals through many third party channels. TVI Express is relitively new, opening it’s doors in January 2009. TVI also costs less money to get involved with as well with a one time cost of about $250. TVI uses a different compensation plan where each member is part of a Travel Board and an Express Board which as more people join – cycles and moves you up the board. Once you reach the top or cycle you get paid. Commissions range from $500 to over $10000 depending on which board you are on. TVI is popular due to low cost entry point.
With these types of business plans, marketers can be part of a community that travels the globe, offers a business opportunity and provides a vehicle to supplement one’s income or even replace it. The neat things about these businesses is the travel aspect offered with their membership. Everyone travels and almost everyone would like a discount on their vacations whether it be a flight, all inclusive resort, cruise or hotel. This may or may not be for everyone as there is risk with anything offered on the web.
These days especially with the downturn in the economy, job loss and insecurity in the business sector – people are looking to supplement their incomes. Some part time while keeping their jobs and others are doing it FULL TIME – either by choice or by necessity. You cannot rely on the government or your job to provide you a pension as many have disappeared or been mismanaged; by developing multiple streams of income from a variety of online sources you can not only supplement your income but you can also become financially independent. Online marketers are making high 5 figure incomes and some are into the 6 figures not only with the two businesses discussed above but with many other opportunities that are offered on the web.
Want to Travel and Earn at the same time?
Looking to take your marketing and home-based business to the next level? I just came across a business opportunity that is literally sweeping the web. It is called TVI Express ( Travel Ventures International ). There is nothing magical about this business nor is there a ‘catch’ to making money with them. TVI combines three major trends on the web today:
- The Internet itself: Everyone and their dog is online these days.
- Travel/Tourism: Specifically discount travel vacations ( you should see what you get when you join! ).
- Home Based Business Opportunity’s: Virtually a limitless amount of home-based business opportunities to choose from.
Now everyone these days especially with the downturn in the economy, job loss and insecurity in the business sector – people are looking to supplement their incomes. Some part time while keeping their jobs and others are doing it FULL TIME – either by choice or by necessity. You cannot rely on the government to provide you a pension as many have disappeared or been mismanaged; by developing multiple streams of income from a variety of online sources you can not only supplement your income but you can also become financially independent. Online marketers are making high 5 figure incomes and some are into the 6 figures.
TVI is a vehicle that can make substantial incomes for people who apply themselves. It is a simple to follow and ethical marketing plan. The cool thing about TVI is that it does not have monthly costs nor a big ticket price tag to become a distributor. A one time fee of $250 dollars gets you started. No qualifying, no ongoing member dues, no quotas to meet.
If you would like more info please go to this website: TVI EXPRESS
Or you can contact me at: subunit1 at gmail dot com
* I can also provide you with a PP presentation or a PDF that has more awesome info about the company, pay plan, incentives and perks. This company is going places and it will create wealthy individuals along the way.
Learn to do this and you will Prosper!
I was never good at talking on the phone about business/marketing/opportunities. Do you find it hard to talk to associates or business seekers on the phone, getting hung up on, or not knowing how to handle objections?
Time after time, I would basically get laughed at followed by am immediate “Click”.
I just couldn’t figure it out. What was I doing wrong? There were so many people out there that were effortlessly sponsoring people on the phone. Remember if you are in mlm or network marketing you will eventually have to speak to someone.
I did this for what seemed like a lifetime. I wasn’t getting anywhere with my business, basically sponsoring one or two every now and then.
Recruiting, sponsoring, finding business partners is not an easy thing to do.
But then I found something that changed the way I talked to prospects forever. It was a video interview with Mike Dillard, and master recruiter Mark Wieser.
In this video Mark get grilled by Mike on how he is able to personally sponsor over 254 reps in one year and how he is able to do it with such ease.
I figured out that I needed to change the way that I was talking to the prospects. I needed to qualify them to see if they are right for my business, not if they would be interested in joining.
I also figured out that I am the boss, I need to control the situation, I am interviewing my prospects to see if they would be good enough to be part of my business.
Basically think of it as if you were the manager interviewing to hire a new employee.
By changing the way that I approach the conversation and the attitude that I have in the conversation, I am now not getting hung up on. I am sponsoring more than ever. Prospects are actually thanking me for the conversations that we have.
Sponsoring and talking to prospects doesn’t have to be hard, frustrating, or filled with rejection.
All you need to know is how to do it the right way, the fun way, from someone that knows how to do it and do it well.
So if you would like to learn how I overcame my fear of talking to prospects on the phone, now sponsor more than ever, and how I never hear the word no again, then you need to get your hands on this free 1 hour video interview.
http://subunit1.blackbeltrecruiting.com
Enjoy the free interveiw
Making Money Online – Can You Do It?
In this day and age there is a greater number of websites on the internet than there are people on this planet. This can make for a difficult time when trying to find a way to make money on the internet. A lot of opportunities promise you the world and never deliver. Let me give you a few things to consider when trying to choose a home based business opportunity online.
First realize that no one knows your work ethic like yourself. So no one else can make you a promise of how much money you will make, or the length of time it will take you to make it. I don’t care how good the product might be. Stay clear of a company that tells you that its possible to become rich with little or no work at all. For your home based business to stay strong, it needs to grow with the ever changing times. So you must always work at your business, updating, changing formulas, trying new marketing strategies, sending out the old and bringing in the new.
Never let your emotions get in the way of you using your common sense. When I first started looking for a online Home Based Business. I joined one company after another. The idea of being able to work at home clouded my judgments. I would join one company work with it a couple of months, I would never making any money. So I would move on to the next golden opportunity, and I would repeat the same process over and over. This went on for quite some time. I was under the impression that I could join a company, and the big checks would just start rolling in automatically. It just didn’t happen like that for me. It took me a couple of years to find out, in order to be successful with a business you need to learn the business. In order to learn the business you have to work at the business.
I remember back when I first set out to have a Home Based Business. I spent a lot of money. I purchased a lot of programs, and at the time thought that I had wasted a lot of time. Today I know that it took what it took, in order for me to get where I am today. If you are thinking of starting a online business, don’t be discouraged, not knowing if its the right one. Jump in with both feet, work it and make it the right program. I have been there that unsure feeling, not knowing if its going to work. This is the very reason that I am promoting my latest at home opportunity, because it is a program that dedicated to the new guy. It takes you by the hand and shows you exactly what to do, step by step. It even teaches you how to market your business. And that is the most important factor.
I think back to my earlier years, I probably had bought some pretty good products. But I didn’t know what to do with them. Having the best product in the world is useless if no one knows about it. Marketing is the most important piece of the online business puzzle. When you get the time stop by my website and look it over. I’m confident you will like what you see. Today it’s not about me, its about you. The hardest thing about having a Home Based Business, is taking the first step and getting started.
The harsh truth someone once shared with me is, If you are not willing to invest in yourself, then you need a job. You need to work for someone else. Start the journey to Financial Freedom. Wouldn’t you like to wake up in the morning, and be able to go and do anything that your heart desires? Wouldn’t you like to have the time and the money to take that dream vacation that others can only wish for? Get started today. It’s your responsibility, and only you can make it happen.
Setting up your Business at Home.
Setting up a home-based business may be a more cost-effective alternative to setting up a major company, but it may still drain the limited resources of a small business owner. To keep the business going, small business loans will definitely be necessary. These can be availed of through credit card services. This article will show you how.First, you need to set up your home based business. Do your research on the type of business you want to establish. Find out what licensing and zoning requirements you need to meet and ensure that you meet them all. Do not attempt to cut corners here.
Get the services of an accountant, even if only on a consultancy basis, to help you set up your books and records correctly from the start. Ask for help in determining deductions so that you can plan on your business expenses. Establish a routine for keeping strict records of all income and expenses right from day one. Keep all business related receipts, invoices, client records, bank statements, bank deposit slips and canceled checks.
Being home-based, you need to set aside a particular place in your home just for your business. Make sure it can accommodate all the necessary equipment. Check that you have the appropriate electrical outlets and have them installed if needed to avoid overloading your system. Set up rules to keep the area insulated from household noise and disturbances.
Have a business phone installed that is separate from your residential line. Avoid having your children answer the business line. Install an answering machine to take calls when you are out or occupied.
Get a post office box so that you can use that address in your official stationery and other documents, keeping your business profile professional. Hold client meetings in rented conference rooms or set business meetings in good restaurants.
One of the most important steps in setting up your home-based business is to acquire credit card services that will enable you to accept credit card payments and debit card payments. These credit card services provide all the necessary software and hardware for you to be able to process payments in person, online or by phone. This step alone already expands the customer base that you can access.
Credit card services will also serve you well once your home-based business begins to feel the need for additional capital. When you need to get small business loans, you will not have to approach banks which are most likely not sympathetic to small home-based businesses.
The need for small business loans usually comes when the home-based business is already at least a year old. At such time, your home-based business would have created an average monthly credit card sales record with your credit card services company. You can refer to that when you approach your credit card services company for small business loans, sometimes called cash advances.
Credit card services do offer small business loans to their clients based on average monthly credit card sales, without the need for any collateral. The aforementioned average monthly credit card sales guarantee your company’s capability to pay the small business loans. Payments will be automatically deducted as a percentage of future credit card sales. This arrangement frees you from worrying about the amortization for your small business loans, too.
As soon as you pay off your small business loans completely, you are automatically eligible for new small business loans for as long as your home-based business is getting a good monthly average in credit card sales. With the help of credit card services, you can continue to expand and grow your home-based business.
Teach a Man to be Duplicatable and his efforts are Multiplied.
Residual income has become a very common topic for people in the world today but what really is the best residual income opportunity out there? That’s a little bit of a tough question to answer because there are so many different types of residual income. If we define residual income this should help us find the best residual income opportunity. Simply put, residual income is defined as making some sort of a sale once and you continually get paid from that sale in regular intervals afterwards.
By taking that residual income definition, we can look around and see thousands of different types of residual income. So what is the best residual income opportunity? The best would have to be the network marketing industry.
With all the different types of residual income out there, network marketing gives the average person the greatest chance to create a residual income business that spits off lots of cash. In the network marketing industry, you end up getting residual income in 2 ways.
One way to get residual income is when you make a sale of your product. Typically, the products are consumable, meaning they run out, and then the person comes back and buys more. You sold them on the benefits once and they automatically come back for more. The second way is when you train someone to do what you just did and they make a sale, you taught and helped them make that sale so you get a cut too.
To get the easy residual income from network marketing, it takes setting up your system correctly and some time. After that, the cheques just keep rolling in and they get bigger and bigger. Just as your business duplicates it’s income – if you to become like your business and teach your business partners to do the same – all your efforts and income are then Multiplied!
Because of the nature of how network marketing is designed, it’s clearly the best residual income opportunity in the world.
Are you looking for the Holy Grail? Then you Want Passive Income!
What are some examples of passive income? Well many people argue that there is no such thing, that in order for you to make money then real wealth must be generated in the form of work or labor at some point. While this might be true, we can still put things on a continuum of passive income on one end, and active work on the other end.
For example, earning interest on a big pile of savings is pretty much 100 percent passive. Likewise, if you own a business and you pay someone a salary to manage and handle all aspects of that business, then the money earned from that business is pretty much passive. The only thing you have to do is “manage the manager.” It’s entirely hands off for you and for the most part you don’t have to lift a finger.
And of course there is the other end of the spectrum where you are slaving away for 40 hours plus each week at your day job, trading away the hours of your life for dollars so that you can continue to live in comfort. That is the ugly end of the spectrum, the one that all of you probably know too well.
So how can we shift towards more passive income? How can we get off the slave labor merry-go-round?
What are some of these coveted passive income opportunities?
In order to uncover those and pursue them, you will have to do some upfront work. Yes this goes against the idea of “passive” but essentially we want to build a money making system that continues to pay us over and over again.
One way to do that is with vending machines. Buy some vending machines, fill them with stock, secure a location for them, and let the money roll in. Yes there are some steps involved there, as well as some up front investment, but there are people out there who make a good living with this. There is also maintenance involved as you either have to stock the machines and collect the money yourself or pay someone else to do it. But it’s an idea; a system that can be scaled out to generate alternate income.
The internet provides systems like this that are ripe for passive income. Anyone can start a blog for free and then monetize it with advertisements. If you can build traffic to such a website then you can make money from the advertising. The beauty of a system like this is that there is almost infinite scale and an infinite amount of topics with which to target. Not only that but you can certainly learn how to do all this for free simply by browsing the web.
It is true that such a system is not passive but it is quite a ways down the scale towards being passive. If you can build up a network of money making websites then eventually you can pay someone else to manage them for you and the income will be truly passive at that point. As it is now I have a very respectable part time income coming in from only three and half hours of work per week using these ideas.
5 Ways To Monetise Your Blog
Whether you’re an amateur blogger or a hardened and experienced professional, you’ve surely heard the stories about million dollar bloggers, massive media exposure, and the huge marketing opportunities associated with online blogging. With many bloggers earning lucrative five, six, or even seven-figure incomes, blogging has changed from a publishing form once thought of as an online journal, to a serious force in the online entrepreneurship world. Regardless of what topic your blog deals with and who your readers are, it’s easily possible to monetise your blog and create an online income opportunity for yourself. While these methods may take up some time to pick up steam, they’ll invariably spawn a manageable online income for you once they gain enough traction and influence.
#1 – Use Google AdSense to build PPC blog earnings.
Google AdSense was once the knight in shining armour of blog advertising, and though it’s glory days are feared to be over, it’s still one of the most simple and lucrative online advertising networks around. Requiring minimal maintenance, Google AdSense is the perfect pick for any blogger that wants the minimum possible maintenance for their online income.
#2 – Embed Amazon affiliate links in your blog copy.
Regardless of what you’re blogging about, Amazon will sell something that’s related to it. As the world’s biggest online store, it’s impossible to have trouble locating something that your readers will be interested in using Amazon’s highly specific search tool and massive online inventory. Although commission rates aren’t fantastic and tracking cookies only last for a short period of time, Amazon sales can still provide a reasonable income for any blogger.
#3 – Offer your services through an additional page on your blog.
You’ve been blogging for a few months and have amassed a decent audience? What to do now? Simply offer your services through an extra page on your blog homepage. Your readers are already interested in what you have to say, so attracting customers and clients should be a piece of cake. Everyone’s an expert at something, and using your skills to work online is a great way to earn an online income.
#4 – Use your blog to advertise and promote local or genre-specific products and services.
This one is a great strategy for anyone looking to work alongside businesses that interest them. When you’ve got a sizable audience, you can offer businesses the services to advertise in your posts and sidebar to attract customers. This strategy can be risky, as too many promotional posts will dilute the effect of your other content and make your blog less popular.
#5 – Accept donations.
This one might come off as a little desperate, but it’s always an option for bloggers that desperately need money to keep their blog going. If you’re going down this route, be sure to effectively market the proposal, and avoid coming off as desperate and needy. There’s nothing readers like less than a desperate author, so present yourself effectively and this strategy can be highly worthwhile.
If you want you can include your affiliate link if you sign up at Clickbank Pirate
Nice way to utilize CB offers!
Earning Residual Income – is easier than you think….
Signing up for an affiliate program usually only takes a few minutes and once you have an affiliate link you can start earning commissions immediately. Many people think that residual income takes a long time for results but in fact can be very fast because you earn commissions on the first sale as well and not just the re-orders and re-bills.
Earning residual income is as easy as getting people to click your link and place an order or start a subscription with the merchant. You can include affiliate links and product recommendations in newsletters, forum posts, directories, articles, and email marketing.
You’ve probably seen the pyramid schemes and MLM programs advertising fast residual income but that also requires you to pay each month to stay in the program as well as actively recruit new members. Each time a new member joins, you earn residual income from the fees they pay. The idea is that people under you earn you money which is great if you are at the top of the pyramid but terrible if you are lower down where there’s nobody else to recruit. Not only are these programs usually illegal because no product is being interchanged, they can be a losing venture if you don’t recruit enough people to the program. True residual income earns you future money for your past effort. Instead, all money stops as soon as you stop paying your monthly fee.
Earning reliable and free residual income stream from home is totally possible. Lots of businesses offer residual income affiliate programs that anyone can join. Products with monthly subscriptions and re-billing are good examples where businesses are willing to compensate affiliates with residual income commissions for as long as a customer you sent to them continues to subscribe. For example, gambling, web hosting, adult website, and Internet dating merchants are good candidates for offering monthly residual income. But this is just the start. Lots of merchants that don’t have monthly re-billing still offer residual income for returning customers who place re-orders. So a customer who purchases a product today and then returns three months down the road to order again will earn you commissions on both orders. Examples of this type of residual income are jewelers, herbal supplement companies, and clothing stores but the list of merchants is extensive. I recommend you search Google or visit a free residual income directory dedicated to residual income opportunities. I am involved with and use Global Resorts Network as my primary business and for my vacations. It is the best of both worlds; an income generating business and a discount travel repository of 5 Star resorts, cruises, exclusive resorts all for substantial savings.
Earning fast free residual income is as easy as finding a business that offers residual income and having receptive people click your affiliate link. The link works immediately and costs you nothing to use. There are thousands of companies that offer free residual income affiliate programs for a multitude of different products. Once you find one that you’re comfortable with and that’s relevant, all you have to do is get customers from your emails, website, or newsletters to follow your recommendations and purchase from the merchant. Before you know it, you’ll be generating fast free monthly residual income from a home-based business.
