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RECORD CROWDS AND ARMS OUTSTRETECHED FOR SELFIES: THE NEW ITALAIN VACATION
After more than two years of dreams placed on hold, we are all back in the travel saddle again heading for lands with undulating hills embracing tranquil streams not far from whimsical villages where the locals line the roads welcoming back tourists from the States. It will all be magical again. I’ve read numerous surveys…
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A FEW TRAVEL SHOTS ACROSS THE BOW
I have this feeling that our reading of media might be more accurate and more easily digested if columnists were allowed to simply state some opinions or biases upfront – without long explanations. “Travel planning overseas is easy. Skip the three-star Michelins and decide you are going to find the world’s best sandwiches. To begin…
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RULE # 1 – BEWARE FAKE REVIEWS ON ‘CRITIC’ SITES
I have been thinking of a brief moment from my early 20s. I was driving down St. Catherine Street in Montreal one lovely summer evening in my new gold Mustang convertible with a beautiful lady by my side. The top was down, and at the perfect moment, my favorite song by Charles Aznavour came…
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BEDS I HAVE KNOWN AND SOME I HAVE LOVED
My family didn’t stay in hotels. They thought the concept was ridiculous if your home had a bedroom. Later, in my teens, the family took its first vacation to a resort in upstate New York, where I developed a crush on Natalie Wood, who was filming a movie on the property. I even had…
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MY MOST LACKING TRAVEL SKILL: FAILING TO GIVE CLIENTS SMELL ADVICE WHEN THEY CROSS BORDERS
When I entered this industry, humpteen years ago, my goals were fairly straightforward. I needed to get people safely from place to place. Generally, they told me where they wanted to go and I knew which buttons to push to get them there. But then, along the way, something happened to my rather clear job…
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A LETTER FROM AFGHANISTAN’S AMUSEMENT PARKS, BEIJING AIRPORT, AND THE OUTDOOR TERRACE OF THE GRITTI PALACE
Stories about the pandemic and those about the impact of Russia’s attack on Ukraine are, we can all agree, totally newsworthy. And each is affecting our professional lives in some dramatic ways. But as a “serious” travel columnist, I feel an obligation to talk with you today about some travel news stories that seem to have been missed by…
Meet Our Editor Richard Bruce Turen
Richard is a graduate of an American Indian College with a major in History. He received an MBA in International Relations before pursuing a Doctoral program in Political Science at the University of Maryland. He has been a soda jerk, a nightclub bouncer, a stand-up comedian, a college instructor in Political Science, a teacher, the Founder and Headmaster of an American School in Tuscany, a syndicated travel and food columnist, host of a travel talk cable TV series that ran for fourteen years, a cruise line executive during the Love Boat years, author of three books on Travel and Restaurants, and a syndicated restaurant reviewer. He is currently the Senior Contributing Editor at Travel Weekly, the industry’s most respected travel industry publication. Richard and his wife Angela launched a new type of vacation planning firm, Churchill & Turen Ltd., in 1987. Since its launch, Churchill & Turen has won more “World’s Best Travel Specialists” Awards than any other travel firm in the United States. The Turen’s have been named “Top Worldwide Producers” for the $26 Billion Virtuoso Luxury Travel Group three times. They currently have clients in 48 states and seven countries who utilize their services to plan upscale cruise and tour vacations worldwide. Last year, 91% of their services were offered on a complimentary basis. There are currently six web sites in the C&T Media Group. All offer ad-free-hype free content that is unavailable elsewhere. The C&T Media Group accepts no financial support for any of its content. Churchill & Turen does not employ travel agents, outside sales agents, or commissioned salespeople. The firm’s award-winning Concierge Team includes extremely talented salaried employees whose only job is assisting guests to achieve the best possible international cruise, safari, riverboat, and escorted tour outcomes.
