Nowhere is it written that a parent’s holiday wish list should only contain other people’s dream gifts. What are you hoping for this Christmas? We asked a few of the parents we’ve met in this space over the past year what one thing belongs on their wish list. Mike Biewenga runs Chicagodads.com, a networking site for local dads. He has a toddler and a newborn at home, so his wish involves, understandably, sleep. I wish that not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, but who knows what goes through their heads? I read the right story, they sat on my lap. Finally…I could get a long winter’s nap! No such luck, there’s the usual clatter.

I flop out of bed to see what the matter is.”Janet Penley is a parenting coach and author of “MotherStyles: Using Personality Type to Discover Your Parenting Strengths.” Her wish makes us want to stand up and cheer.”I wish that supporting our country’s mothers would be considered as patriotic as supporting our troops. Every day about 35 million mothers dutifully tend to the needs of our next generation, changing diapers, making sandwiches and drying tears. For their efforts, they earn no pay and little recognition. Yet without their service and dedication, our society would scarcely be worth defending. Maybe we should start thinking of mothers as our ‘home-front soldiers.’

Many people are going on holiday without taking out adequate travel insurance, according to a study by Nationwide. One in three (35%) of those questioned do not always take out travel insurance when they go on holiday, so would not be fully covered in the event of any cancellation, medical emergency or theft of personal belongings.

When asked what precautions are taken for keeping valuables, such as currency and passports, safe while on holiday, many admitted to not always using a safety deposit box, instead preferring to store them: On their person (36%) In a suitcase (12%) In a drawer (9%) On the bedside table (2%) Over half (54%) of those questioned holiday more than once a year, yet only 30% of holidaymakers opt for annual travel insurance, preferring to take out single trip policies each time they go away. Nationwide’s insurance director, Robin Bailey, said: “It is astounding that people are prepared to take such a gamble when travelling abroad. You never know what’s around the corner and for that reason it is vital that you have adequate travel insurance in place.

Valentine’s Day is a chance to demonstrate your love by a gift to your loved one or by whisking them away for a romantic holiday. However, without proper insurance, what starts as a happy day could turn into a nightmare if things go wrong. If you are planning to give your beloved something expensive you need to make sure that both of you are properly insured. Insuring expensive items when they are taken outside the house is covered by “personal possessions” insurance which is either built in as standard or can be purchased as an optional extra to the home insurance policy.

Without this cover, any item of value that is lost or stolen away from the home is not covered. So, if you are intending to propose in a beautiful setting and you lose your nerve or the ring, you can be comforted that you will have another opportunity at a later date without having to dip into your savings. If you are planning a romantic holiday abroad, the importance of taking out travel insurance is well known, even if it is for only a few days. Costs of medical treatment overseas can be very variable and loss of baggage could prove very expensive without proper cover.

Single trip policies can be purchased online and there are many retail outlets, banks and building societies which offer competitive cover. What is less well known is what happens if something goes wrong when you are traveling to a destination in the UK. If you have already purchased an annual travel policy, It is important to note that with some annual policies, in order for cover to be provided you must have pre-booked at least 2 nights accommodation in a hotel, guest house or the like.

Your discussion about insurance left me confused about one point that might be worth addressing in a follow up article, if there is one. Regarding injuries that might be sustained in a bike-car accident, you write that it’s important to have high UM/UIM and PIP coverage on your own auto policy. But there is an additional insurance player that could become involved– my health insurer. Presumably in a tort liability state, if an at-fault driver has no insurance/assets and I have no Uninsured/Underinsured coverage, then my health insurance gets stuck with the bill, minus my deductible (and similarly if I have no PIP in a no-fault or hybrid state.)If this is the case, then do cyclists during traveling really benefit from buying UM/UIM/PIP with high limits (beyond their health insurance deductible)? I agree that it doesn’t make sense to talk about insuring a bicycle without mention of personal insurance, but am surprised you don’t mention the most basic personal insurance, medical. As far as I know medical insurance covers injuries caused by solo falls, other cyclists and uninsured/underinsured motorists travellers. Since many injuries don’t involve a vehicle, and medical insurance covers where auto insurance ends, I think it is much more important to have than UM/UIM and PIP policies.

The Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia had a global traveling experience Saturday without even leaving the area. On Saturday, the Georgia Mountains Center was decked out in a travel theme setting for World Thinking Day, which gives Girl Scouts the opportunity to learn about international cultures. Mary Hurst, membership marketing director, said Thinking Day “makes the world seem a lot smaller” to the girls. Out of the 25 counties under the jurisdiction of the Girl Scouts of Northeast Georgia, 17 were picked to represent a country of their choosing. Girl Scout participants were allowed to change booths during the event in order to learn more about each country and not just the one they had picked to study.

Countries were divided into three categories — European, North and South American, and African and Asian — and each was represented at a booth with information about its culture. For example, the China booth had displays of traditional Chinese decorations, samples of Jasmine tea, a game of Chinese hopscotch and a display of Chinese customs. Surrounding the booths were areas called “in-flight entertainment.” The entertainment was provided by presenters including Chaudron Gille, director of the Center for Teaching, Learning and Leadership at Gainesville State College, and University of Georgia professors Arvin Scott and Sarah W. Workman.

The presenters donated their time to provide slide shows and artifacts from many countries, including Fiji and Thailand. Scott, who teaches African, Caribbean and Brazilian hand drumming, performed throughout the day. He also invited 40 Girl Scouts to play an instrument on stage with him. The girls played with drums, shakers and bells while Scott led them with a steady beat and a song.

World Travel Awards (WTA) has announced that Eurostar, the high-speed passenger train service that links the UK and mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel, has signed a major sponsorship deal for WTA’s 15th Anniversary Grand Tour. The commitment includes sponsorship of the 2008 Asia Awards as well as the North America Awards, with the view to develop a long-term business relationship. Having operated to and from Waterloo station, London, for 13 years, Eurostar launched services from its new central London station, the magnificently restored St Pancras International, on 14 November 2007, and now offers even faster and greener rail travel as well as shorter travel times between the UK, France and Belgium.

The organization has been at the leading edge of innovation in the travel industry and prides itself on being the world’s first train operator to offer carbon neutral journeys, at no extra cost to travellers. “Eurostar is a pioneering enterprise,” commented WTA’s Executive Vice President Manon Han. “Partnering with a big name like Eurostar allows us the use of qualitative synergies of two thriving brands that both prioritize excellence in the travel industry.

This sponsorship pact is a milestone and gives us the possibility to further strengthen our position as one of the most reputable awards schemes in the tourism trade.” Michael Davies, Eurostar’s Head of International Sales, said: “As time becomes more precious, it is essential when people travel – whether it be for business or for leisure – that the whole experience is as seamless and as enjoyable as possible.

We need to encourage organizations involved in the travel industry to set the bar as high as possible, to deliver excellent customer service, attractive and competitive pricing and of course, quality. The World Travel Awards are at the heart of this impetus and we are delighted to have become a key sponsor. The partnership with the World Travel Awards will be a central part of our strategy of becoming a globally recognized brand.”

What affects the travel agent today more than anything else is, arguably, his loss of position as the sole information and distribution channel for airline tickets, hotel packages and several other travel products. Gone are the days when we, as travel agents, used to ‘control’ the tourism industry. Today, the biggest challenge is posed by the growth of the Internet, followed by the reduction in airline commissions and the increasing popularity of credit cards and e-payment gateways, which have further weakened the travel agents’ standing in the industry. The scenario has changed now as airlines are decreasing their dependence on travel agents as a distribution system. Simply put, the airlines are taking advantage of a system that has made zero commissions inevitable - The Internet.

A travel agency selling air travel today has little to look forward to in the overall scheme of the airline distribution. With the advent of the Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), which have now to some degree achieved success by marketing the product online for the customers, the online system is finally gaining ground in India. The online system will not take too long to become the preferred channel of distribution for all the tourism-related service providers - be it hospitality or aviation. But then, the most interesting thing is that despite the availability of Internet-based alternatives, most customers still prefer to deal with travel agents.

The most important reason for their continuing popularity, believe 90 per cent of travel agents, is their industry knowledge that helps them offer clients the best travel packages. The key lies in the comfort level that clients share with traditional travel agents. Besides reliability, the clients believe that travel agents will provide them with the best prices for their tours.

Finding tickets to this year’s Sugar Bowl has been tough for some University of Hawaii fans. Making travel arrangements has been even harder. Hawaii residents hoping to score tickets were lucky enough last week if they were willing to pay top dollar. Travel packages to New Orleans have risen to $3,499 for a Hawaiian Airlines coach seat, and even those were selling fast. The more than one-third increase in travel prices this week at Hawaii’s largest travel agency is the result of heavy demand to see the Warriors face off against the Georgia Bulldogs on New Year’s Day, as well as the extra costs of setting up charter flights and competition from holiday travelers who booked their tickets months ago.

When Drew Santos learned the University of Hawaii was selected to play in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, he put his name on a waiting list for one of Panda Travel’s packages. That was last Sunday, before the agency started taking reservations. Then he waited, called and waited some more. By Tuesday, after watching hotel and flight availability dwindle and prices climb, Santos, president of Honolulu’s Admor HVAC Products, booked airfare for $1,034 a person through another local travel agency and used Expedia.com to book a hotel room at up to $320 a night for himself, his wife and his daughter.

BlueSky Travel Systems, the system supplier to the UK tour operator market, is launching a subsidiary in Germany where the traditional package holiday dynamic is changing. The move is part of BlueSky’s bid to evolve into new markets and bring its cutting edge technology and experience of large-scale projects to new regions. BlueSky has appointed Ruediger Schmidt to head up the new office.

Ruediger, a native German, has vast experience in the German tour operator market with a long stretch as sales manager for tour operator solutions at Bewotec. Prior to that he also spent time in the travel department at Siemens. BlueSky believes the time is right to break into the German market, traditionally dominated by package holidays, as it begins to embrace the internet and put a toe in the water of dynamic packaging.

BlueSky managing director Mark Fallon said: “The German market is a natural progression for us coming from the UK with our ongoing work and experience so far gained within one of the UK’s largest travel companies. We are ideally placed as the German tour operator market opens up and looks for new ways of distributing travel.”