Polar Bear Tours | See the Polar Bears of Churchill
Classic Polar Bear Expedition
Trip Overview
See the world’s greatest concentration of polar bears, just outside Churchill, Manitoba
- Experience the frozen wilderness on Hudson Bay from the comfort of warm tundra vehicles
- Discover the challenges and joys of life in the far north in the outpost town of Churchill
Location of Adventure
Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Group Size Limit: Approximately 15 Travelers
A very important feature of our polar bear expeditions is the limited group size. Nature is always best experienced in smaller groups and it is particularly important on this expedition so our guests have plenty of room on board the tundra vehicles.
Included
R/T flight from Winnipeg to Churchill, accommodations, all meals (except either lunch or dinner on your final day in Churchill), services of NHA’s professional Expedition Leaders and assistants, all activities/entrance fees, evening wildlife and cultural presentations, all taxes and service charges.
Not Included
Travel to and from Winnipeg, lunch or dinner on your final day in Churchill, alcoholic beverages, gratuities, travel insurance, items of a personal nature (telephone calls, laundry, etc.).
Oct / Nov 2010 dates.
Call for dates / pricing / avalability. Collette Peck 801-327-7609
Irish Fling – 8 day coach tour – $848.00 land only!
- Day 1 – Overnight to Shannon
- Day 2 – Bunratty Castle Banquet
- Day 3 – Flying Boat Museum & Dingle Peninsula
- Day 4 – Jaunting Car Ride & Moll’s Gap
- Day 5 – Cobh Heritage & Traditional Music Session
- Day 6 – Medieval Kilkenny & National Stud
- Day 7 – Explore Dublin City
- Day 8 – Return Home from Dublin
Save $300 per couple ($150 per person) when you book the 8 Day Irish Fling Tour for travel anytime during 2010. Book between July 13 and July 31 to receive discount . This offer is valid for new bookings only and not valid for group travel or with other CIE Tours promotions and discounts. This promotion may be revised at any time. Certain restrictions apply.
Call our IRISH SPECIALIST TODAY! Collette Peck 801-327-7609
Social Media Making Inroads for Managing Travel
Whether personal or job-related, corporate travel professionals are participating in more social networks than they did one year ago, and they are doing so at a higher rate, according to a Spring 2010 online survey conducted by AirPlus International. The recent exercise follows up on a year-ago survey also conducted by AirPlus, and included additional social networking platforms where respondents might be active users. Not only did the survey show fairly robust usage numbers for the new inclusions—Plaxo and TripIt—it also showed increased usage on for nearly every social platform making a repeat appearance in the survey this year.
While Linked In users held steady at about 58 percent, use of Facebook increased among surveyed travel management pros by almost 25 percent over last year’s numbers. Use of Twitter, which was employed by 15.5 percent of survey respondents last year, ostensibly doubled its numbers in the 2010 survey. Corporate travel industry blogs were another big performer in year-over-year comparisons, with 20 percent of respondents indicating they participated in this format in 2010 compared to less than 13 percent who did so in 2009, an increase of 50 percent.
In which of the following social media platforms do you participate?
| Social Media Platforms | 2009 | 2010 |
| Linked In | 58% | 58.5% |
| 44.8% | 55.4% | |
| 15.5% | 30.8% | |
| Industry Blogs | 12.6% | 20.0% |
| MySpace | 5.2% | 3.1% |
| Plaxo | n/a | 10.8% |
| TripIt | 28.2% | 23.1% |
| Other | 7.5% | 4.6% |
Overall, a higher percentage of survey respondents cited use of social networking sites this year. Just under 72 percent of respondents indicated they were using social media cites either personally or professionally last year. That number increased to 77 percent in the 2010 survey.
Survey respondents indicated that traveler use of social media sites for travel-related recommendations and/or services has also been on the rise since last year. Forty percent said that their travelers had increased use of social networks for travel-related research, while less than 5 percent thought that it had decreased.
Specialized travel sites that incorporate social networking elements as well as itinerary management tools have developed a devoted following among leisure and business travelers. TripIt, which showed a strong debut in the AirPlus survey this year, has capitalized on that business traveler interest by offering a free “groups” service that allows a company to create a private network through the site based on the company’s email domain name. The group function allows co-workers with corresponding email domains to exchange itineraries and recommendations away from the eyes of the general TripIt user, sidestepping some of the privacy and confidentiality concerns that continue to give pause to travel management stakeholders when it comes to dealing with the influence of social media sites. Indeed, the open sharing of company travel itineraries and preferred supplier information on consumer-oriented social media sites has been reported in industry media as a widespread concern for corporate travel managers. Still, there is a growing recognition that being able to share information with colleagues through a social media platform has significant advantages for travel management.
More than 52 percent of survey respondents indicated that traveler satisfaction benefits from the informal exchange of information that a social media platform offers. Nearly 42 percent of respondents said that travel managers could also benefit by listening to feedback about traveler needs. Almost 36 percent cited social media platforms as a way to refine preferred supplier choices based on traveler input.
Outside of the AirPlus survey, leading-edge travel managers have recommended using these platforms as a way to keep travel programs agile and relevant not simply by participating in of-the-moment technologies but using them in innovative ways to push savings opportunities and special benefits to travelers . As a new generation of business traveler enters the workplace with plugged-in lives and consumer-style expectations for enterprise technologies, managed travel programs would do well to explore the options now.
source: www.airplus.com
Helpful Travel Apps
Try these 5 travel apps. You will be glad you did!
- Open Table – Allows you to make meal reservations and also get food reviews.
- Yelp – Gives great reviews on just about everything related to travel.
- Trip Advisor – Gives unbiased travel reviews. This app is great when booking a hotel you have never stayed at before. (iPhone only)
- Gate guru – When you find yourself faced with a long layover, find the best places to eat or find a place to buy a gift. (iPhone only)
- MetrO – This site is great for finding public transportation.
Speaking of history….
Since we are celebrating our country’s history let’s take a look at some of our own….
Christopherson Business Travel…. on the move!
Sales results 2002 - $79.9 million. Sales were over $200 million in 2009.
Voice mail implemented April 2003 – The vote is in 75% of our clients surveyed said they would like us to have voice mail and 85% of the employees agreed!
Christopherson billboard advertising campaign 2004 -Remember those great blue billboards with those clever sayings? “We draw the line at packing your bags”, “Hear that? It’s your bottom line saying “Thank You”, and “Travel Agency for Capitalists and their tightwad CFO’s” to name a few.
Denver travel agency purchased 2005 – Travel Connections was purchased which added 14 new team members and $15 million in new travel bookings.
AirPortal® trademark approved 2006- Great news! The name AirPortal® is exclusively ours. AirPortal was the beginning of many great things to come from our incredible technology team.
Christopherson selected as #1 in the “Readers’ Choice Awards” survey by Connect Magazine 2007 – The survey was taken among high-income readers in business decision-maker positions.
Christopherson Business Travel and Denver based Andavo Travel Announce Merger 2008 –
The combined operations formed one of the largest travel management firms in the United States and the largest national BCD Travel affiliate.
Christopherson Wins the Alfred P. Sloan Award 2009 - What a great place to work!
And now for some frivolous but ’thought you might like to know’ facts….
A LONG TIME AGO: Nov 21, 1783 – Who thought then, at the early start of aviation history what air travel would mean. The modern age of aviation began with the first untethered human lighter- than-air flight on November 21, 1783, in a hot air balloon designed by the Montgolfier brothers.
WHAT’S A “QANTAS?” You probably recognize the name of this Australian national airline… but what’s it mean? It’s an acronym for: Queensland and Northern Territories Air Service.
ANY QUESTIONS? As printed on an American Airlines package of peanuts: “Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts.”
NO TIME TO NAP: The shortest scheduled airline flight is from the Scottish island of Westray to its neighbor island, Papa Westray. Flight time: 2 minutes!
THINK YOU LIKE TRAVELING? The world’s first travel agency was founded by Englishman Thomas Cook in 1850. Not only did he introduce the concept of the hotel reservation, Cook also personally organized and led the first round-the-world tour, lasting 222 days and covering over 40225 kilometers!
HA! HA! HA! A young and foolish pilot wanted to sound cool on the aviation frequencies. So, this was his first time approaching a field during the nighttime. Instead of making any official requests to the tower, he said: “Guess who?”
The controller switched the field lights off and replied: “Guess where!”
And last but certainly not least…
WHAT?! Hijacking of airplanes was outlawed in 1961.
Christopherson moves up to #12 in BTN 2010 ranking
Christopherson is pleased to have moved up to #12 in the Business Travel News (BTN) 2010 Business Travel Agencies Ranking. Christopherson’s growth is attributed to the merger with Andavo Travel and the acquisition of new corporate accounts.
Industry reports indicate the U.S. business travel spend was down over 20% in 2009 causing a challenging year for travel management companies. Christopherson was well positioned to not only withstand the tough economy of 2009, but also improve in national ranking to #12!
http://businesstravelnews.com/uploadedFiles/2010BTS_agencies.pdf
Vacation division has new name Andavo Travel
In January 2008, Christopherson Business Travel, located in Salt Lake City, and Andavo Travel, located in Denver, began a merger process forming the nation’s 14th largest travel management company.
We are pleased to announce the merger process has concluded with a consolidated ownership and branding of our companies. Effective this month, we will be operating our entire leisure vacation division under the name Andavo Travel, a Christopherson Company. Our corporate travel division will be operating under the name Christopherson Business Travel. Both divisions are now under the common ownership of Mike and Camille Cameron of Salt Lake City, Utah.
As we emerge a unified leisure travel management company under the Andavo Travel name, we want to assure our long time Christopherson Travel vacation clients that the same travel advisors who you have come to know and trust will continue to service your vacation travel needs. Along with many other special offers and promotions only available through our agency, we are pleased to bring our clients the added value of our preferred partner programs through Andavo’s long time membership with Virtuoso®.
“What is Virtuoso®?”
Virtuoso provides Andavo Travel, a Christopherson Company connections with the best hotels, cruise lines, airlines and tour companies in the world. For our clients, this means access to exclusive travel offers which are not available to the general public. If you rely on experts to reduce the complexity of travel arrangements and ensure smart choices, our travel advisors are able to design exceptional customized travel experiences using the resources and relationships available only through Virtuoso®.
- Global Connections: With personal contacts at more than 1,000 airlines, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, and premier destinations worldwide, our travel advisors will put these relationships to work for you.
- Unparalleled Expertise: Our travel advisors are among the most well-traveled people on the planet. They draw on their first-hand experiences when customizing vacations for our valued clients.
- Customized Travel Experiences: From weekend getaways to trips of a lifetime, counting on the expertise of our travel advisors insures your greatest experience.
- Confidence: Our clients rest easy knowing their personal preferences are reflected in every aspect of their itinerary, delivering the best value for their time and money.
At Andavo Travel, a Christopherson Company, our promise to our clients is to drive world class service through a foundation built on excellence, trust, integrity, loyalty, family, caring and community. Since our inception in 1956, our fundamental core company values reflect this philosophy and translate it into our daily business practices. For those who have a passion for travel, we invite you to take advantage of our specialized expertise and insider connections.
Thank you for being our valued client and for allowing us to service all your vacation travel needs.
President
Combining Business Travel with Leisure Travel
Have you ever been on a business trip and wished you could see more than just the inside of a plane, rental car, hotel room, conference room, etc.? Well, here is your solution, at least if your business travel takes you to the beautiful state of Utah.
Bryce National Park
Did you know that Utah has 7 national parks (Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Zion, Great Basin and Natural Bridges), with many more national parks nearby including Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde? We also have 7+ national monuments and plenty of national forests.
Utah has enough to keep everyone happy and busy including everything from snow skiing to water skiing, caving to climbing, cycling to hiking, sailing to flying and ballooning to rafting. You already know that we have the greatest snow on earth and you can be snow skiing in the morning and hiking Zion National Park in the evening all during the same season.
When you come to Utah, don’t miss out on the natural beauty that is easily within a day’s drive of where ever you may be doing business. You also won’t want to miss out on some of our great restaurants, Café Diablo near Capitol Reef, the Bit and Spur near Zion National Park, and the scrumptuous local restaurants in the Salt Lake area such as Faustina, The Oasis, The Tin Angel, The Rio Grande and many more.
For more information, please visit the websites of the Utah Travel & Tourism or the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Center
For travel arrangements for business or pleasure the travel agents with Christopherson Business Travel and Andavo Travel will be happy to assist you with the highest level of service. Please contact us at 801.327.7700, 866.327.7650 or visit our website at www.cb-travel.com. Prepare yourself for an adventure that you’ll never forget and start enjoying your business trips!
Travel Insurance: to buy or not to buy?
In a year rife with labor disputes and extreme weather – in addition to all the other things that can go wrong with travel, the question increasingly being asked by travelers is: “Should I purchase trip insurance?”.
Well, you’re in luck because here is a quick 5 point guide that should help you answer that question!
5. What-if’s. Evaluate your “what-if” scenarios. What if I get sick in another country -will my health insurance cover me. What if I have to cancel a trip because I’m taken ill or am in an accident? Check your personal insurance policy to see what’s covered when traveling and determine what non-refundable expenses you can afford to lose before traveling.
4. Pre-existing medical conditions. Examine your policies to see if pre-existing conditions are covered. Unknown fact: most insurance companies will not cover trip cancellations due to a family member’s illness because that is classified as a pre-existing condition. 
3. Unforseen events. Trip insurance usually only covers disruptions that are unforseen. For example most providers will not offer coverage for disrupted trips to Europe after April 30 caused by Iceland’s volcano since it is no longer an unforseen event. On the other hand, they will provide coverage if the policyholder’s hotel is uninhabitable. As for airline strikes, it is best to determine whether the policy you are purchasing covers the airline you are flying as some insurance companies have a “black-list” of airlines they will NOT cover due to workers who are likely to strike or the carrier is in financial turmoil.
2. Duplicate coverage. Avoid purchasing policies that cover things like lost or delayed baggage that are typically covered by homeowners insurance.
1. Above ALL else – DO YOUR RESEARCH. Read the fine print. Most trip insurance policies don’t cover things like fine jewelry or expensive equipment as part of your checked luggage. You will waste your money if you don’t read the fine print!
For additional information on trip insurance or all things travel related, don’t hesitate to contact your Christopherson Travel Advisor.
Wine Lovers, Romantic Getaway or BFF’s Weekend Nov 5-7, 2010
Wine Lovers, Romantic Getaway or BFF’s Weekend - November 5 – 7, 2010.
Take advantage of this fabulous offer at the Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara. If you thought that this beach front resort was beyond your budget now is your chance! Located 90 min north of LAX and minutes from the centerof town and close approxmity to winery’s. We’ve put together this weekend getaway for our Christopherson-Andavo clients.
Christopherson-Andavo guest recieve these added values with their stay:
Upgraded room on arrival, subject to availablity. Daily FULL breakfast for up to two in-room guest. Lunch for 2, once during your stay excluding alcohol and gratuity. Welcome amenity in room on behalf of Christopherson-Andavo. AND…$100.00 per day, per room credit to spend for Spa, restaurants or items from the sundries shop. This is nearly $230 in savings per day!
Call me for pricing: Collette Peck 801-327-7609 Air and car packages are also available