10/05/2009
Leading the way to free travel
Leading the way to free travel
"Have coffee in Dublin at 11 and walk in
Stephen's Green and you'll be in heaven."
You've replayed the words of that old song
over and over in your head for years. In fact, all
your life, you've dreamt of seeing the Emerald
Isle, of spending long evenings in Irish pubs,
sipping Guinness and engaging in lively
conversation.
The only thing that has kept you from making
your dreams come true is money. After all the
monthly bills are paid, you never seem to have
enough left over to afford a trip to Dublin.
But money need no longer be an obstacle. You
can arrange to see Ireland free -- maybe even make
a bit of money in the bargain.
Cruise lines, airlines, tour companies, and
hotels will gladly accommodate you free of charge -
- even put cash in your pocket to boot -- if you
promise to bring them a certain amount of business
in return.
You don't have to be an experienced tour
leader. You don't need any experience as a
salesman. The only job requirements are enthusiasm
and a desire to see the world.
The possibilities are endless. You could lead
a tour of Ireland's green, green countryside and
ancient ruins. You could lead an art tour of
northern Italy. A garden tour of Britain. A river
cruise in New Guinea. An archeological expedition
to Easter Island. A family train tour of France. A
hiking trip in the Alps. A castles and wine cruise
of Germany. A tour of rural Japan, visiting
teahouses and farmhouses. A cycling adventure in
Scotland. A luxury yacht charter in the Greek
Isles.
And as the leader of the tour, you travel for
free.
Making a business of biking
Peter Costello did it. He had been working
restoring antique furniture in Baltimore, Maryland.
It was a steady living, but what Peter really
enjoyed was riding his bicycle and traveling. If
only someone would pay me to ride my bike and
travel around the world, he thought. Because he
could find no one willing to do so, he decided to
arrange it for himself.
After a vacation to Scotland, his future was
determined. He would lead bicycle tours through the
green and rolling Scottish hills.
Peter asked a former executive of a bicycle
touring company in Vermont to act as consultant.
Scotland was the perfect place to begin the
business, not only because Peter (whose family was
from Scotland) knew the country, but also because
the market was wide open. In fact, no one else in
the business was offering bicycle tours in
Scotland.
Peter knew bicycling, and he knew Scotland.
But he didn't know anything about starting a
business or leading a tour. As Peter explains, "I
took a crash course in Business 101."
"The touring is the easy part," he says. "All
of my tours begin and end in Edinburgh. We take off
down the road, supported by a van, exploring
beautiful countryside. We travel about 40 miles a
day, and then spend the nights in comfortable,
homey bed and breakfasts. That's easy.
"The hard part is the marketing."
Peter handles all of the marketing himself
from an office in Baltimore. He advertises in major
bicycling publications and tries to generate
business through travel agents.
Peter has been quite successful. His amateur
operation, Peter Costello Ltd., P.O. Box 23490,
Baltimore, MD 21203; (410) 685-6918) has grown into
a full-fledged business. He employs two other tour
leaders and leads 17 tours a year. Peter attributes
his success to two things: first, he was able to
find a niche in the market; and second, he keeps
his tours competitively priced.
Keeping it low key
Peter's tour operation has grown into a big
business. He is making enough money to support
himself and two employees. To get to this point,
Peter has devoted himself completely to the
company. It has become his livelihood and his
favorite pastime.
But it doesn't have to be that way. You can
travel for free as a tour leader -- and still
maintain your regular job and home life. It doesn't
take a lot of time or energy to arrange one tour a
year, for example.
But it still works in much the same way. As
Peter explained, the most difficult part is the
advertising and marketing. How do you convince four
or five other people to pay you to act as their
tour guide? We'll tell you, step by step.
How it works
The first step is to decide where you want to
go. This should be the easiest task of all. After
all, this is the reason for arranging the tour in
the first place -- to allow you to live out your
life's dream of seeing another part of the world.
Once you know where you want to go, do
extensive research on the area. Call the tourist
board and the embassy for that country and request
all the brochures and literature they have
available on hotels, restaurants, nightclubs,
transportation, sightseeing, and local customs.
Spend a day or two at the library, poring over
travel guides and reference books. The best general
reference guides available include Fielding's,
Fodor's, and Frommer's (which include the
Dollarwise series on budget travel). Also read
Lonely Planet's guides and the series known as
Let's Go. If your library doesn't stock these
books, you can order them (as well as a catalog of
worldwide travel guidebooks) from Forsyth Travel
Library, 9154 W. 57th St., P.O. Box 2975, Shawnee
Mission, KS 66201, or the Traveler's Bookstore, 22
W. 52nd St., New York, NY 10019.
Also study local maps. Remember, everyone you
bring with you will look to you for guidance.
Once you've become familiar with your
destination, pick something unique about it and
plan your tour around that theme. It is easier to
sell a tour of the stately homes of Britain's
aristocracy than it is to sell a tour of Britain,
period. Look for a niche in the market, something
that no one else is doing (or doing well).
Next, plan your itinerary. Choose the hotels
where you would like to stay, and then contact them
to explain what you want to do. Ask for special
group rates and request that you stay free as the
tour leader.
Do the same with the airline you wish to fly.
Find out what restrictions are attached to the
cheapest tickets available. Usually you have to
purchase special fare tickets a certain number of
days in advance. Other restrictions involve the
length of your stay and the days of departure and
return. Make sure you know about all of this up
front. And again, request that you fly free.
Plan some sightseeing and evening
entertainment, but keep some time open. Your group
will want time to itself.
Make all of the plans -- but don't make any
reservations. At least, not yet. Wait until you've
gathered your group together and agreed on a
departure date.
Next, set a price. This will be the first
question you are asked when you approach someone
about joining you on your grand adventure. Figure
in all of your costs (airfare, hotels, ground
transportation, sightseeing, taxes, departure fees,
and any meals that you plan to include in the
package). Take this total and mark it up as much
as you think the market will bear. The lower your
costs, the greater your profits. You want to make
at least enough to cover all of your expenses,
including the entire cost of your trip. Any money
you make beyond that is an added bonus.
Finding the people
This brings us to the most difficult part of
the project: finding the tour participants.
The easiest way to do this is to tell everyone
you know -- everyone you work with, everyone you
run into at the supermarket, everyone you meet on
the subway, everyone you play bridge with on
Thursday nights -- that you are planning to lead a
seven-day, all-inclusive tour of Germany's Bavarian
castles (for example). Tantalize them with tales of
Mad King Ludwig, who built the country's most
beautiful castle, Neuschwanstein, the turreted,
white creation that Walt Disney used as a model for
Disneyland. Tell them about Linderhof Castle, near
Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where the mad king had the
dining room built directly above the kitchen and
then installed a dining table that could be lowered
into the kitchen, set by the cooks, and then lifted
back up to the dining room. Thus, King Ludwig could
be waited on at dinner without ever having to be
bothered by the servants.
Once you've got them interested, remind them
that group travel is always cheaper than going it
alone; they'll save several hundred dollars at
least. Remind them also that group travel is much
more hassle-free than independent travel. Tell them
that you'll arrange everything. You'll make all the
reservations. You'll check on all the train
schedules. You'll offer suggestions for good
restaurants. All they have to do is enjoy the
experience.
The other way to find tour participants is to
advertise for them in travel magazines and
newsletters. It doesn't cost much to place a small
classified ad. Publications to try include:
International Living, Agora Inc., 824 E. Baltimore
St., Baltimore, MD 21202; International Travel
News, 2120 28th St., Sacramento, CA 95818;
Transitions Abroad, Box 344, Amherst, MA 01004;
Travel and Leisure, American Express Publishing,
1120 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036;
Travel-Holiday, Travel Publications Inc., 28 W.
23rd St., New York, NY 10010; Conde Nast Traveler,
Conde Nast Publications, 350 Madison Ave., New
York, NY 10017; National Geographic Traveler,
National Geographic Society, 17th and M streets
N.W., Washington, DC 20036; the International
Herald Tribune, Box 309, 63 Long Acre, London WC2E
9JH, England; or the Travel Section of The New York
Times, 229 W. 43rd St., New York, NY 10036. You can
also place ads in your local newspapers. Make the
ad simple. Tell where you're going, when you plan
to depart, how long you'll be staying, what the
trip includes, how much it costs, and how to
contact you for more information.
Another easy way to advertise is to put up
notes on bulletin boards at community centers,
colleges, and libraries in your area. Include the
same information you used in your classified ads.
This may be just as effective, and it will cost you
nothing.
Once responses begin coming in, create a log
of everyone who has expressed an interest (either
as the result of an ad or the result of a chance
conversation at a bus stop). Contact each person
by phone or by mail and make a record of the
correspondence. If you don't hear back within a
couple of weeks, send another letter or make
another telephone call.
When someone does make a reservation, ask him
if he can suggest anyone else who might be
interested. You'll find that word-of-mouth
referrals will be your best source of new clients.
Booking the trip
Once you have your group together and you have
determined an itinerary and a departure date, the
next step is making the reservations. You can do
this in two ways: on your own or with the help of a
travel agent.
If you go it alone, all of the profit is
yours. If the tour costs you $2,000 per person
and you charge $3,000 per person, you'll make
$1,000 off each tour participant. If you have
five people traveling with you, that's $5,000.
Assume that you're able to arrange for your airfare
and accommodations free of charge (as the tour
leader), and you're way ahead. You'll spend several
hundred dollars at your destination on your
personal expenses; the rest of the $5,000 will be
clear profit. Plus, of course, you're getting the
trip free. Not a bad deal at all.
The disadvantage to all of this is that you
alone are responsible for everything. If you don't
know what you're doing -- if you've never dealt
with airlines and hotel managers and bus drivers
and taxi cab drivers and translators before -- you
might be in for a rude awakening. Your dream trip
overseas might turn into one huge headache. It is
possible to go it alone. But it may not be
practical.
So consider affiliating yourself with a travel
agency. True, the agency will take its cut of the
profits -- but in exchange, it will share with you
its wealth of experience. It will tell you whether
it's better to land in Beijing, tour China, and
exit through Hong Kong or to land in Hong Kong,
visit China, and return to Hong Kong for the flight
home. It can tell you which Rhine River cruises are
a delight and which are taking water. It can help
you choose hotels. It can tell you about special
health requirements at your destination. It can
offer tips on the climate and how to dress. It can
tell you whether it's better to take a bus at your
destination or to hail a taxi.
When looking for a travel agency to deal with,
your first question should be, "What commission do
you pay to outside agents?" (That is what you will
be considered.) If the agency won't pay you a
commission (and a sizeable commission at that) for
the business you bring in, find another agency.
The second most important question involves
free tickets. Who gets them? You or the agency?
Travel agents receive free airline tickets and
vouchers for free hotel stays all the time in
exchange for the volume of business they bring the
airlines and the hotels. But make sure that these
tickets are also available to outside agents.
Ask about other outside agents working for the
agency. How many of these agents organize tours?
What kinds of tours do they organize?
And inquire about support for outside agents.
Will you be given a manual? Reservation forms?
Guidebooks? Will the agency maintain records for
you?
And shop around. Don't settle for less than
you think you should be getting. If you don't come
out of the deal with at least a free trip,
something's not right.
Book with a tour company -- another alternative
If you're intimidated at the thought of making
all the arrangements on your own, but you don't
like the idea of having to share your profits with
a travel agency, you have a third alternative.
Decide on the tour you want to lead, and then book
it through a tour company that offers free trips to
individuals who reserve a certain number of spaces
on their package trips.
Globus-Gateway, 95-25 Queens Blvd., Rego Park,
NY 11374, for example, offers a free trip for
anyone who books 16 people on any of its tours to
Europe and one-half off a trip for anyone who books
eight people on a trip to Europe.
Saga Holidays, 120 Boylston St., Boston, MA
02166, offers one free trip for 20 bookings.
Destinations include Europe, Asia, the South
Pacific, and South America.
Travel Plans International, P.O. Box 3875, Oak
Brook, IL 60521, offers one free trip for 20
bookings on a safari to Africa.
Toucan Adventure Tours, 1142 Manhattan Ave.,
CP #416, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266, offers one free
trip for 12 bookings on a tour to Mexico.
Newmans Tours, Suite 305, 10351 Santa Monica
Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025, offers discounted
trips for 10 bookings on trips to New Zealand.
The following companies also give
complimentary trips to anyone who signs on five or
six other people to travel with them:
* Ambassadors World, 5601 Roanne Way, Suite
314, P.O. Box 9751, Greensboro, NC 27429
* Bryan World Tours, P.O. Box 4156, Topeka, KS
66604
* Friendship Tours Inc., P.O. Box 2526,
Shawnee Mission, KS 66201
* Travel Careers and Tours, P.O. Box 91102,
International Airport, Los Angeles, CA 90009
In addition, almost all major cruise lines
offer free tickets to anyone who can sign on 15
paying passengers.
Most major tour companies around the world
will offer terms very similar to these. Unlike the
American companies, most are unwilling to publicly
advertise their terms. They want to meet you or
discuss the situation first, but the net result
will invariably be along the lines discussed here.
These are practically world-wide industry standard
compensation rates, and not usually negotiable.
Trip tips
You and five strangers are sitting in the
airport lounge. They answered your ads in travel
magazines, and now they are counting on you to take
them on a memorable tour of the castles of Bavaria.
How can you make sure that all the tour
participants feel like they're getting their
money's worth -- and still have a good time
yourself?
Well, you will have to work a bit. After all,
these people have paid you money. Following are a
few tips to make sure all goes smoothly.
1. Take charge. The old saying that too many
cooks spoil the soup applies here. As the leader,
you should make all the arrangements and all the
decisions -- within limits, of course. Ask for
input from the group, but don't waste time debating
every move.
2. Be flexible. Itineraries are made to be
broken. Don't be more concerned about following
your original schedule than you are about enjoying
the trip. Take advantage of opportunities as they
present themselves.
3. Make sure that no one feels left out or
overlooked. Ask if everyone is comfortable in his
room. If his luggage arrived safely. If there is
anything special he would like to do or see. Don't
ever let anyone eat alone during an unscheduled
meal (unless he prefers to do so, of course).
4. Make time for yourself. Promise your group
your undivided attention from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.,
for example, but make everyone know that he's on
his own after that (except for one planned night
out).
For more information
For more on traveling as a tour leader, read
Travel for Fun and Profit by Larry King, available
from Dreams Unlimited Inc., P.O. Box 20667,
Seattle, Washington 98102; (206)322-4304. The cost
is $12.95.
Leading a tour with a twist
We've a unique suggestion for anyone who loves
boating, loves to travel, and is ready for a change
in lifestyle. It requires a little more commitment
and investment than organizing a single tour a
year, but the payoff is potentially much greater as
well. If you follow up on our idea, you could earn
a comfortable living -- and spend your days
floating down the riverways of Burgundy, France.
The idea is to lead guided tours of the French
countryside -- in your own passenger barge. As we
mentioned already, this is not something to be
undertaken lightly. And it is not something to be
undertaken by a total novice. You should have a bit
of experience in the boating industry.
But don't let these words of caution
discourage you. This could be the opportunity of a
lifetime, a chance to live out your dreams.
Dennis Sherman did it. He had been crewing on
boats, primarily as cook, for years. Mainly
interested in barging, his knowledge of the
industry served him well when it came time to take
the plunge and purchase his own passenger barge.
"The barging industry is small and close-
knit," he explains. "If you want to get into it,
your best source of information, especially about
boats for sale, is word-of-mouth."
Dennis' first piece of advice is that you
shouldn't try to buy a working barge and convert it
into a pleasure craft. Too timely and costly, he
says. Neither should you try to build a barge from
scratch -- that is, not unless you have nearly
unlimited capital to invest.
The remaining option is to purchase a barge
already operating as a pleasure craft. Without
contacts in the industry, it's paramount to begin
by contacting a barge agent. Dennis recommends Joe
Parfaitt, Chantier du Nivernais, 89000 Mailly-La-
Ville, France; tel. (33-86) 40-44-77. Parfaitt has
his own shipyard. In addition to barge sales, he
handles conversions
When you've found a boat you're interested in
buying, the next step is arranging the purchase.
Find an independent lawyer who is experienced with
Americans doing business overseas. Dennis consulted
Catherine Kessedjian, 27 rue des Plantes, 75014
Paris, France; tel. (33-1) 45-40-86-27. Experienced
with handling the details of setting up a
corporation in France, according to Dennis, dealing
with Catherine "is like one-stop shopping," because
she is capable in all areas.
Dennis set up a French corporation to handle
the barge operation and an American company to
handle the marketing. This enabled him, with the
barge operating under a French corporation, to
arrange financing in France.
Dennis chose France as his location, because
that's where the barge that he wanted to buy was
operating. But there are other reasons to choose
France. The country is striving to attract new
small business, and therefore, any new venture in
France is eligible for tax-free status for the
first three years and considerable tax breaks the
next two years.
The capital investment
How much does a venture such as this cost?
Dennis estimates $250,000, including purchase of
the barge, any improvements, first-year operating
expenses, and professional fees. True, that's
hardly free. But think of the return. And after the
initial investment is made, if your barge company
is successful, you'll not only be able to travel
the French countryside for free for the rest of
your life, but you'll also have a comfortable
annual income. And the equity in the barge.
Dennis' barge, called the Papillon, travels
the Burgundy region of France. Spring and early
summer, it cruises in the Nivernais; in June, the
barge moves to the tree-lined waters of the
Burgundy Canal; in late summer, it cruises the
River Seine and the Canal du Centre, through the
heart of the vineyards of Santenay; in the fall,
the barge heads back to the Nivernais. It makes
one-week cruises for a 33-week season.
Swap your home and travel free
Swap your home and travel free
You want to spend a few months or more
somewhere exotic, beautiful, and culturally
different, but you don't think you can handle the
cost.
What if you could arrange it free?
The answer is a home exchange. Exchange your
home for a comparable residence in a foreign
country. It's free, except for the minimal cost of
finding someone who wants to trade.
William G. Thomas and his wife exchanged their
home in California for a 500-year-old rectory in
English farm country, a small, austere, Gothic
church situated on a knolled horizon. It stood
alongside a moss-covered cemetery and was
surrounded by ancient, thick-trunked trees and
ringed by six handsome and rustic English houses.
This tiny English community about 40 miles
north of London has a population of 17. The
residents are hard-working farmers and the families
of three business executives who chose country life
over the rigors of urban living. One of these
executives, John Morris, and his wife Mary decided
they wanted to venture for a while beyond their
English village. They wanted to see the United
States.
So the two couples arranged a home exchange.
The three-week swap was total. The Thomas' and the
Morris' exchanged homes, pets, and cars.
William and his wife had visited London on
several occasions before investigating the idea of
a home exchange. They wanted to return to the
London area, but not simply as tourists running
hurriedly from site to site. So they wrote to
English friends, applied for home-exchange
brochures, and reviewed ads in the London Times.
Their inquiries yielded several alternatives:
a house at Wimbledon; an apartment near Kensington
Gardens; and a bedroom in the home of a friend in
Whitchurch, Hants. Then the letter came asking if
they would be interested in a home exchange with a
family living in an old rectory near the ancient
town of Hitchin. They jumped at the chance.
The swap was arranged over the telephone. The
couples discussed departure times, instructions on
how to operate household appliances, trash
collection, and what to feed each other's pets. It
took several months to make all of the
arrangements.
How to arrange a swap
You can begin your search for a home exchange
partner by asking around or by placing an
advertisement in an international publication, such
as International Living, 824 E. Baltimore St.,
Baltimore, MD 21202, or the International Herald
Tribune, 850 Third Ave., 10th Floor, New York, NY
10022; (212) 752-3890.
The alternative is to contact a home exchange
organization. These companies publish directories
several times a year listing people interested in
trading homes, when they want to travel, and where
they would like to go.
Agencies to contact include Better Homes &
Travel, 185 Park Row, P.O. Box 268, Suite 14D, New
York, NY 10038; (212) 349-5340. This is the only
home exchange organization that screens
participants and negotiates arrangements for you.
The registration fee for first-time participants is
$50. The closing fee ranges from $150 to $600.
Also try Loan-A-Home, 2 Park Lane, 6E, Mt.
Vernon, NY 10552; (914) 664-7640. This group deals
primarily with members of the international
academic and business communities. You can list
your home in Loan-A-Home's directory free.
Intervac, P.O. Box 3975, San Francisco, CA
94119; (415) 435-3497, is part of an international
network of 22 home exchange companies representing
30 countries. For $35, you can list your home and
receive a copy of the club's directory.
Vacation Exchange Club, in Honolulu,
Hawaii,(800) 638-3841, is affiliated with 22 other
exchange companies and represents 42 countries. For
$24.70, you can list your home and receive a copy
of the directory.
The more people you contact, the more likely
you are to find a successful match. Send out as
many as 50 letters, telling prospects about your
home, your community, and the local attractions.
Give references. And be flexible. It can take as
long as a year to arrange a successful exchange.
Once you have found a partner, clearly define
all terms. It is best to do this in writing.
Details to clarify include:
* Gas and electric bills. You can trade bills
or settle up later.
* Telephone bills. It is best to exchange
bills, so that everyone pays for his own calls.
* Cars. If you exchange use of vehicles, make
sure insurance, licenses, and permits are in order.
* Dates. Make sure of the exact dates of
arrival and departure.
Most home exchange companies do not screen
participants. That's up to you. Ask potential
partners for references and photographs of their
homes.
* Potential damages. Who is responsible for
paying for repairs?
* Yard work. Do you expect your guests to mow
the grass or weed your rose beds?
Contact your home insurance agent and tell him
you will have visitors living in your home. For
your own peace of mind, put away valuables and
fragile ornaments.
If you don't plan to meet your guests when
they arrive in the United States, have a friend or
family member meet them and give them the keys. Ask
your neighbors to welcome your guests, perhaps
inviting them over for dinner or drinks.
Leave a note explaining where essentials can
be found, a schedule for trash collection, and a
list of important telephone numbers (police, fire,
and hospitals).
For more information...
For more details on home exchange how-
to's, read Your Place and Mine by Cindy Gum.
It is available from Gum Publications, 15195
El Camino Grande, Suite 100, Saratoga, CA
95070. The cost is US$5.95.
Let your tenant pay for your trip
If you're unable to arrange the home exchange
of your dreams, take a new tack. Put your house up
for rent for the week (or weeks) that you want to
travel. If you're able to get US$700 or US$800 a
week for your home in rent, you surely can afford
to spend two weeks sunning yourself in Montserrat.
It's not as foolhardy as it may sound. Ask for
references -- and check them carefully -- before
you accept a tenant. Also request a security
deposit, which you can keep in case there are any
damages.
Some home exchange organizations will also
list houses or apartments for rent (refer to the
list given above). Another good contact is
Hideaways International, 15 Goldsmith St., P.O. Box
1270, Littleton, MA 01460, which lists rentals in
its annual directory.
When writing the ad for your house, think like
a salesman. List all the features and comforts of
your home, as well as all the nearby attractions.
===========================================
Adam Starchild
Box 917729
Longwood, Florida 32791
Thank you
a picture can be worth a free trip
The photojournalism angle: a picture can be
worth a free trip
Your attic is probably filled with photo
albums...which in turn are filled with hundreds of
photographs taken during your world
travels...pictures of the Great Wall in China, the
Tower of London, a tiny church in Dubrovnik, sunset
over the Greek Isles, the tidy, white houses that
line the hills of the island of Madeira, the Swiss
Alps in winter, a lone fisherman on the Spey River
in Scotland...
And some of your photographs aren't half-bad.
In fact, there are two or three that you're quite
proud of. They're at least as good as those photos
you see every month decorating the pages of your
favorite travel magazines.
So what are your travel photographs doing
hidden away in the attic? Pull them out, dust them
off, and put them to good use. Those old
photographs could pay for your next overseas
adventure.
Becoming a free-lance photographer
The editors of travel magazines and
newsletters are always looking for good travel
photographs. Many employ staff photographers whose
job it is to travel the globe, tripods, lenses, and
cameras in tow, in search of the perfect shot.
Travel publications also employ free-lance
photographers. Some of these free-lancers work on
assignment; their editors tell them where to go,
what to take pictures of, when the photos will be
published, and how much they will be paid. These
are professional photographers with years of
experience.
But not all free-lance travel photographers
work on assignment. It is possible for amateur
photographers to have their photos published. All
it takes is a contact, a little persistence, a good
photograph, and a bit of luck.
If you have never been published as a travel
photographer, your chances of receiving a photo
assignment from the editor of a travel magazine are
slim and none. But your chances of being published
depend on how hard you are willing to work at it.
It is best to make contact with the editors
you're interested in working with before you depart
for your trip. Contact as many as you can think of
to increase your chances of making a sale.
Begin with a letter of introduction. Explain
that you are an amateur photographer, who is
planning to go on safari in Kenya for two weeks.
Explain also what kind of camera and equipment you
will be using. Offer specific suggestions on photos
you plan to take.
Follow up on this letter with a phone call.
You may not be able to get through to the editor
personally. Try the art director or an editorial
assistant. Ask if the publication uses free-lance
photographers and how much they are paid. Also ask
if the art director prefers color photos or black
and white, slides or prints. Request photographer's
guidelines and a sample issue of the publication
and offer to contact the editor or his assistant
again when you return from your trip.
The photographer's guidelines and the sample
issues will give you a good idea of what kind of
photographs each publication is looking for. This,
of course, is what you also should be looking for
while you're riding through Kenya's game parks in
the back of a jeep.
When you return home, develop your photos,
choose one or two of the best, and send them off,
in a padded envelope, with a cover letter, to each
of the editors you contacted prior to your trip. Do
not send more than one or two; most publications do
not take responsibility for returning unsolicited
material, and you probably will never see your
photos again. In your letter, explain that these
are only a sample of what you have available and
that you would be happy to send additional
photographs if the editor is interested.
Follow up with another telephone call. In this
game, persistence is the key. Editors receive
unsolicited photos and letters from photographers
every day. Editors buy photos from those
photographers who make themselves stand out from
the crowd.
Making the sale
The editor of Travel & Leisure is planning an
issue devoted to Africa, and your photograph of the
sunset behind Lake Bogoria in Kenya is one of the
best he's ever seen. He calls and says he would
like to use it and that he would also like to see
all the other photos you took during your trip.
Your first question should be, "How much am I
going to be paid?" This varies tremendously,
depending on the publication; it can range anywhere
from $50 to $500 per photograph. Your next
question should concern rights of ownership. Do you
retain all rights or does the publication assume
rights of ownership with purchase? If you retain
the rights to your photo (as you should if at all
possible), you can sell it again to someone else.
You will be sent a contract to sign, verifying
the photograph to be purchased, the fee, the
question of rights, and the date of publication.
Payment may be upon acceptance of the photograph or
upon publication, again depending on the magazine.
All it takes is one sale. Thereafter, you are
no longer an amateur; you are a professional
photographer. It may not be enough to get you an
assignment from the travel editor of The New York
Times, but it will help when next you contact the
editor of your local paper.
Tips on how to make it work
It is possible to pay for your travel by
selling your travel photographs. But, to be honest,
it isn't easy. Travel editors buy only a small
percentage of the number of photos and queries they
receive.
Why do they choose one photo over another?
Of course, the first concern is quality. Is
the picture clear and in focus? Is there enough
contrast? These are the basic requirements for any
photograph to be considered by any editor anywhere.
But to make a sale, your photo has to offer much
more than the basics. It should be different.
Unique. It should provide a feeling of the place
without being a cliche. Snapshots of the Arc de
Triomphe are a dime a dozen. Yes, they give you a
feeling of Paris, but it is a feeling of Paris for
the tourist. You'll get much further with a photo
that conveys the feeling of Paris for the Parisian.
How many photos you have to sell to pay for
your travel depends on where you sell them. A
single photograph sold to Travel & Leisure probably
will cover all the expenses of your trip -- and
then some. If you're dealing with smaller
publications with tighter budgets, you'll have to
sell several to make it worthwhile.
Can you write?
Of course, the editors of travel magazines and
newsletters are also always in the market for good
travel articles. They depend on staff writers for
much of their material, but they also depend
heavily on free-lance writers, both professional
and amateur, to fill their pages.
Selling the story of your recent adventure
bicycling through Holland is handled in much the
same way as selling the photographs you took of the
famed cheese carriers of Gouda. You must query as
many editors as you can name (the secret of paying
for your travel as a free-lance writer is lining up
as many assignments as possible for each trip you
take), follow up with telephone calls, and request
writer's guidelines and sample issues to give you
an idea of each publication's focus and style.
In the case of the free-lance writer, however,
the query is much more important than for the free-
lance photographer. Your query must show that you
can write. That you have a good command of
language. And that you have something to say. You
want to tantalize and tempt. The letter of query is
the free-lance journalist's strongest marketing
tool. It must sell the editor, both on the article
idea and on the writer's ability.
In addition, the query should be as specific
as you can make it. The editor you are addressing
reads dozens of queries every day. Your offer to
write an article on Britain will be tossed
immediately in the nearest waste-paper basket. But
your offer to tell that editor's readers about a
driving tour through the Peak District of
Derbyshire, the first national park to be
designated in the country, will likely catch his
attention.
Once he's hooked, tease him further by
mentioning Melbourne Hall, in the southeast corner
of the Peak District, which boasts one of Britain's
most outstanding formal gardens, laid out in the
manner of Le Notre's design for Versailles...or
Speedwell Cavern, also in this region, where a boat
takes you on a subterranean canal tour of the
ancient lead mines...or the ruins of Peveril
Castle, high above the village of Castleton,
situated in the northwest corner of the Peak
District and immortalized in Sir Walter Scott's
Peveril of the Peak.
If your query does its job, you will be
rewarded with a letter of interest -- perhaps even
a letter of assignment. With this in your pocket,
you're ready to take off on your trip.
While traveling, keep copious notes and
collect all the brochures and literature you can
get your hands on. When you return home, sit down
at your word processor and go at it. Then package
your manuscript with a cover letter and send it
off.
Your work is done. You've nothing left to do
but sit back and wait for payment.
The writer's edge
The free-lance writer has an edge over the
free-lance photographer. Rarely do editors
advertise for photographers for short-term
assignments, but editors advertise frequently for
writers. One of the best places to look for
specific writing assignments is the TravelWriter
MarketLetter, published by Robert Scott Milne.
Contact him at the Waldorf-Astoria, Suite 1850, New
York, NY 10022. A one-year subscription to the
newsletter is $60 in the United States, $70
overseas. Each issue lists travel publications
across the United States that are looking for
articles on specific topics. Information is
included on how long the article should be,
payment, and rights.
In addition, the TravelWriter MarketLetter
also includes information on trips that are
available free to writers traveling on assignment.
To apply for one of these free trips (recent
offerings have included free stays at the Hotel
Metropole, a five-star hotel in Geneva, a free ride
on the Venice-Simplon Orient Express, and a
complimentary stay at the Seiont Manor Hotel near
the Isle of Anglesey in Wales), you must have a
letter of assignment from the editor of a travel
publication. If you have never been published
before, this will be difficult to arrange. But if
you can produce even one clip (or copy of an
article you have had published), and you can
convince the editor that you know how to write, you
have a good chance of getting your letter.
Other sources
Once you've exhausted the listings in the
TravelWriter MarketLetter, visit your local
newsstand and pick up the latest issues of all
internationally oriented magazines and newspapers.
The classified sections of these publications are
usually filled with listings for free-lance travel
writers.
Publications to try include The New York
Times, New York, NY 10108; the International Herald
Tribune, Box 309, 36 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JH,
England; and The Sunday Times, 200 Gray's Inn Road,
London, England. Other good markets are in-flight
magazines, and you should check with airlines serving
the destination you are covering for the editorial
addresses of their inflight publications.
Never let a story die
Suppose you travel this summer to the island
of Bermuda with your two young daughters. You
arrange to sell two pieces when you return: one on
the most affordable lodgings on the island, the
other reviewing the island's many first-class
restaurants. You earn $250 for each article and
pack your notes from the trip away in the attic.
Two years from now, go back up to the attic
and pull your notes out again. Send out another
batch of query letters. What you'll find is that
the new editor of Caribbean Travel & Life is
looking for a piece on family travel and would like
you to write a piece titled "Ten ways to amuse your
children on the island of Bermuda." And he's
willing to pay you $300, bringing the total
income for the trip up to $800.
And it's tax-free, to boot
If you can manage to sell one photograph or
one travel article as a result of your trip, you
can deduct all your costs -- airfare, hotel,
transportation, meals, even sightseeing -- from
your taxes as a business expense (in most
countries).
In others you must apportion your time and
expense between business and personal. For help
with this, talk to your lawyer or accountant.
Become a shipboard host
Become a shipboard host
If you are male, gregarious, hospitable, and
relatively good looking, you can be paid to travel
on board a luxury cruise ship. That's right, not
only will the cruise itself be entirely free, but
you will be paid a salary in addition.
In return, you simply must agree to act as
companion to those ladies on board the cruise who
find themselves without partners when it comes time
for dinner and dancing.
More and more women are taking cruises alone.
But that doesn't mean they want to eat alone...or
sit alone while everyone else is dancing the
samba...or wander alone in each exotic port of
call. The cruise line wants to ensure that these
women have a good time (and that they return for a
second or third cruise), so they arrange for
debonair and polished older gentlemen to join the
cruise and act as hosts.
Most of the men are retired military officers,
executives, and professional men. In return for
treating their female companions to a few rounds of
drinks at the pool and engaging in lively
conversation over dinner, they are given free
round-trip transportation to the port of departure,
a completely free cruise (including food and
drink), and a sizeable salary.
The two cruise lines that employ the greatest
number of male shipboard companions are Cunard
Lines, 555 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10017, and
Royal Cruise Lines, One Maritime Plaza, Suite 1400,
San Francisco, CA 94111.
Buy a new car in Europe
Buy a new car in Europe
look to the showrooms in Europe. In Europe, you
can choose from many makes and models (with
optional U.S. environmental and safety standards,
if you want to sell the car in the United States).
These cars are exactly the same as those you'd see
at showrooms in your country. But they cost less,
and European sales tax (which can run as high as
35%) is not added to cars bought by foreigners.
All things considered, you can save enough
purchasing your new car in Europe to pay for your
trip -- and have money left over. By purchasing
the car in Europe, you save more than enough to
enjoy a week or two tooling Europe's country roads
in your new automobile. And if you do use your new
Mercedes as transportation during your European
vacation, you'll also save the cost of renting a
car.
Almost any European car dealership in your
country can handle the transaction for you. When
you plan your trip, try to arrange to pick up the
car and to leave it for delivery to your country in
cities specified by the dealer. Volvos, for
example, will be shipped free to the United States
if you drop the car off in either London or
Antwerp.
If you intend to resell the car in the United
States, Be sure to specify that your car be
equipped to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and to U.S. or California emissions
regulations. If you get a car that does not meet
these standards, modification costs will wipe out
any savings you reap.
Rest assured that any new car bought in Europe
comes with the same manufacturer's warranty as a
car bought in your country. We're not talking
"grey market" deals here, we're talking about
tourist purchase arranged by the car's manufacturer
and authorized dealers.
The following European dealers handle cars
built to U.S. specifications:
Shipside Tax Free World on Wheels B.V.,
Shipside Buildings, Kruisweg 631, P.O. Box 430,
2130 AK Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; (201)818-0400
in the United States. This company operates
showrooms and delivery centers at airports in
Amsterdam and Brussels. It offers a large selection
of makes and models. A free catalog is available
upon request.
Cars of Copenhagen, Vodroffsvej 55, DK-1900,
Copenhagen, Denmark; tel. (45-3)5-37-7800.
Iczovitz Tax-Free Cars, Claridenstrasse 36,
CH-8027 Zurich, Switzerland. This company sells the
following makes built to U.S. specifications: Audi,
Mercedes, Saab, Volvo, and Volkswagen.
For a real insider's guide to buying a tax-free
car in Europe, the definitive book is available for $135
including airmail postage from Scope International Ltd.,
62 Murray Road, Waterlooville, Hants. PO8 9JL, Great
Britain. Tell them you want the tax free car report.
Let the airline pick up the tab
How can you fly from point A to point B
without ever opening your wallet? You've got to
know your way around an airline.
The easiest way to fly free is to get yourself
bumped.
Airlines typically overbook their flights by
10% to 30%, knowing that a certain number of paying
passengers will not show up for one reason or
another. Sometimes, though, their calculations are
off, and they're faced with 200 seats and 205
passengers, five of whom are likely to become very
annoyed unless something is done in a hurry.
That's where you come in. You made a
reservation on that flight, because you knew it was
very overbooked. And you are standing at the end of
the check-in line, observing airline officials as
they realize their predicament. So, you step out of
line, find an airline representative, and offer to
be bumped from the flight. You're doing the airline
a favor -- and in return, it will do you the favor
of allowing you to fly to your destination free on
the next plane out. What's more, the airline will
put cash in your pocket for your trouble. (The
amount varies, depending on the airline and the
circumstances.)
The frequent flyer story
Many airlines offer frequent flyer programs
that allow passengers to accumulate points every
time they take a trip with that airline, and then
redeem them in the form of free tickets to selected
destinations. You have to fly a lot of miles to win
any free trips, but for the business traveler, this
is an easy way to arrange free travel.
The main problem with Frequent Flyer programs
is that they change their rules or become
discontinued altogether faster than you can say,
"I'd like a round-trip ticket to Cabos San Lucas,
please." The best way to get up-to-date information
is to contact the airlines themselves.
If you know you won't travel enough in any
given year to accumulate enough points as a
Frequent Flyer to earn a free trip, you can still
take advantage of Frequent Flyer miles. Coupon
brokers buy these Frequent Flyer awards and resell
them to the public at very low prices. Coupons are
especially good deals if you want to fly first or
business class or if you will be flying a very long
distance. Generally, you must wait five to six
weeks to get the coupon issued in your name.
But you must be careful when dealing with
coupon brokers. Airlines are not fond of what
coupon brokers are doing and are on the lookout for
tickets purchased from them. For the past several
years, airlines have been confiscating tickets
issued by coupon brokers and leaving the ticket
buyers stranded at boarding gates all over the
world.
It is not illegal for coupon brokers to
operate in most countries, but it is illegal in
some. It is, however, against the airlines' rules
in all countries, which prohibit the sale of
Frequent Flyer coupons.
But if you're willing to take the risks, you
will be rewarded with a very cheap airline ticket.
You will usually find coupon brokers advertising in
the travel classified advertising of major Sunday
newspapers around the world.
without ever opening your wallet? You've got to
know your way around an airline.
The easiest way to fly free is to get yourself
bumped.
Airlines typically overbook their flights by
10% to 30%, knowing that a certain number of paying
passengers will not show up for one reason or
another. Sometimes, though, their calculations are
off, and they're faced with 200 seats and 205
passengers, five of whom are likely to become very
annoyed unless something is done in a hurry.
That's where you come in. You made a
reservation on that flight, because you knew it was
very overbooked. And you are standing at the end of
the check-in line, observing airline officials as
they realize their predicament. So, you step out of
line, find an airline representative, and offer to
be bumped from the flight. You're doing the airline
a favor -- and in return, it will do you the favor
of allowing you to fly to your destination free on
the next plane out. What's more, the airline will
put cash in your pocket for your trouble. (The
amount varies, depending on the airline and the
circumstances.)
The frequent flyer story
Many airlines offer frequent flyer programs
that allow passengers to accumulate points every
time they take a trip with that airline, and then
redeem them in the form of free tickets to selected
destinations. You have to fly a lot of miles to win
any free trips, but for the business traveler, this
is an easy way to arrange free travel.
The main problem with Frequent Flyer programs
is that they change their rules or become
discontinued altogether faster than you can say,
"I'd like a round-trip ticket to Cabos San Lucas,
please." The best way to get up-to-date information
is to contact the airlines themselves.
If you know you won't travel enough in any
given year to accumulate enough points as a
Frequent Flyer to earn a free trip, you can still
take advantage of Frequent Flyer miles. Coupon
brokers buy these Frequent Flyer awards and resell
them to the public at very low prices. Coupons are
especially good deals if you want to fly first or
business class or if you will be flying a very long
distance. Generally, you must wait five to six
weeks to get the coupon issued in your name.
But you must be careful when dealing with
coupon brokers. Airlines are not fond of what
coupon brokers are doing and are on the lookout for
tickets purchased from them. For the past several
years, airlines have been confiscating tickets
issued by coupon brokers and leaving the ticket
buyers stranded at boarding gates all over the
world.
It is not illegal for coupon brokers to
operate in most countries, but it is illegal in
some. It is, however, against the airlines' rules
in all countries, which prohibit the sale of
Frequent Flyer coupons.
But if you're willing to take the risks, you
will be rewarded with a very cheap airline ticket.
You will usually find coupon brokers advertising in
the travel classified advertising of major Sunday
newspapers around the world.
Go as a companion
Go as a companion
You can travel the world in style -- sleeping
at the Ritz in Madrid, lunching at the Balzar in
Paris, taking high tea at the Hyde Park Hotel in
London, jetting across the ocean on the Concorde,
no less -- as the guest of a gentleman (or -woman)
who has the time and money to travel but no one
with whom to share the experience. More and more
well-to-do would-be travelers are employing
professional companions, paying them well, and then
rewarding them further with first-class trips to
the world's most exotic destinations.
The requirements for the job are easy to fill.
Generally, you must be friendly, reliable, neat,
easy to get along with, and willing to travel.
Language ability and previous travel experience are
pluses, but they are not necessary.
You can advertise yourself as a traveling
companion in the classified section of a travel
magazine or newsletter. Indicate when you are
available to travel, any previous travel
experience, any language ability, and a number to
call for more information. You will be asked to
produce references. And then you will be asked if
you're ready for a week in the Caribbean...or a few
days wandering the museums of London...or a month
exploring the Irish countryside.
The other way to find a traveler looking for a
companion is to list your availability with the
Travel Companion Exchange, P.O. Box 833,
Amityville, NY 11701; (916)454-0880.
Make money from a travel club
Make money from a travel club
and get the lowest prices for every
business or pleasure trip you ever take
Go anywhere in the world and never pay full price to
get there...ever again! PLUS, earn FREE vacations and
cash...quickly and easily just be recommending INFINET to
anyone you know.
Infinet Travel Club is operated by Globe Travel
Service, a 45 year old agency, and was featured in the
Feburary, 1993, issue of Money magazine.
Members get:
* full service travel agency
* 5-60% off everything you buy
* GUARANTEED lowest available airfare
* Up to 60% off last-minute travel bargains
* 50% off hotel discount programs
* proven referral system! Spreading the word is
easy and profitable.
* Enormous earnings potential -- after all,
everyone loves to travel and save money.
* Absolutely no selling or travel experience
required for success!
* Infinet cuts into their profits by rebating back
to you 50% of the standard industry
commissions. (Does your current travel agent
do this?)
* Earn free vacations and cash just by
recommending Infinet. (Yes, I'm doing that
right here...and so can you!)
If you read my financial books and articles, you know
I am interested in saving and making money. Now you can
too.
Before you even think of booking your next vacation or
business trip, give Infinet a call to compare their prices
and services. You have absolutely nothing to lose...and
thousands of dollars of savings, bonuses and free vacations
to get! You can use my Discount Travel Number 12639 to
save money. It's your chance to try Infinet at no charge
before becoming a member. Just call 1-800-966-2582 to book
your trip. There is no obligation to join, and you and your
family and friends are welcome to use my discount number
indefinitely if you prefer not to join. By using this number,
you will receive a discount of part of the standard industry
commission, making Infinet less than the lowest fare the airline
itself can give you.
If at some point in the future you do decide to join,
please do me the courtesy of writing "Sponsored by Adam
Starchild, member #12639" on your application so that I will
be credited with the membership.
and get the lowest prices for every
business or pleasure trip you ever take
Go anywhere in the world and never pay full price to
get there...ever again! PLUS, earn FREE vacations and
cash...quickly and easily just be recommending INFINET to
anyone you know.
Infinet Travel Club is operated by Globe Travel
Service, a 45 year old agency, and was featured in the
Feburary, 1993, issue of Money magazine.
Members get:
* full service travel agency
* 5-60% off everything you buy
* GUARANTEED lowest available airfare
* Up to 60% off last-minute travel bargains
* 50% off hotel discount programs
* proven referral system! Spreading the word is
easy and profitable.
* Enormous earnings potential -- after all,
everyone loves to travel and save money.
* Absolutely no selling or travel experience
required for success!
* Infinet cuts into their profits by rebating back
to you 50% of the standard industry
commissions. (Does your current travel agent
do this?)
* Earn free vacations and cash just by
recommending Infinet. (Yes, I'm doing that
right here...and so can you!)
If you read my financial books and articles, you know
I am interested in saving and making money. Now you can
too.
Before you even think of booking your next vacation or
business trip, give Infinet a call to compare their prices
and services. You have absolutely nothing to lose...and
thousands of dollars of savings, bonuses and free vacations
to get! You can use my Discount Travel Number 12639 to
save money. It's your chance to try Infinet at no charge
before becoming a member. Just call 1-800-966-2582 to book
your trip. There is no obligation to join, and you and your
family and friends are welcome to use my discount number
indefinitely if you prefer not to join. By using this number,
you will receive a discount of part of the standard industry
commission, making Infinet less than the lowest fare the airline
itself can give you.
If at some point in the future you do decide to join,
please do me the courtesy of writing "Sponsored by Adam
Starchild, member #12639" on your application so that I will
be credited with the membership.
More low-cost and free travel ideas
More low-cost and free travel ideas
>> Buy trip cancellation insurance if you
think a health or personal problem will interfere
with your travel schedule. Premiums starts at about
$4 per $100 of coverage.
>> Cruise lines generally offer free passage
to anyone who can recruit 10 to 15 paying
passengers. You can also cruise free as an expert
on a subject suitable for a lecture series. There
is demand for ornithologists, historians, and
experts on the culture of the country of a cruise
ship's destination.
Free cruises are also available to doctors and
nurses willing to be on call 24 hours a day.
>> To stay for free in Las Vegas or Atlantic
City, bring $3,000 cash with you. The hotel or
casino will keep this money in their safe and, in
return, give you a room free.
How to be an importer
How to be an importer...and pay for your world travel
"How much?"
"100 dirhams," answers the young boy, barely
looking up from his work.
You make a quick calculation in your head and
determine that the cost of the hand-fashioned
silver bracelet is about $10. The workmanship is
exquisite, and you find it hard to believe that
these young boys, no older than 8 or 9, are able to
create such beautiful jewelry.
"I'll give you 800 dirhams each," you respond.
"And I would like to purchase 25 of them." The boy
nods excitedly and turns to fetch the wooden box
filled with finished bracelets that is siting on
the table behind him.
You are wandering the dirt roads of downtown
Tiznit, a tiny pink-walled city of Berbers situated
along a caravan crossroads in southern Morocco.
You've come in search of merchandise to ship back
home and resell. You figure you can sell the
bracelets back home for about $35 to $40 apiece.
That's a profit of 300%.
Not planning to visit Morocco any time soon?
That's OK. You could buy furs in Finland. Finland
is the world's biggest seller of farmed furs. The
pieces are well-made and inexpensive. So you can
buy silver fox furs in Helsinki along the North
Esplanade...and then resell them for a warm profit.
These scenarios may sound exotic and far-
fetched at first. But think again. Purchasing
unusual and unique goods around the world, and then
shipping them to other countries, where they can be
sold for tremendous profits, is becoming
increasingly common among travelers who want to see
the world but who can't afford an endless vacation.
Setting yourself up as a small-time importer
is the next best thing. It allows you to satisfy
your wanderlust while earning at least enough to
pay for your trip. Plus, it makes all of your
travel tax-deductible.
One woman's story
Kathleen Rozelle, an interior designer from
Dallas, Texas, first thought of going into the
international importing business when she and
another designer were planning a trip to England to
visit family. Once in London, they teamed up for a
shopping spree. They shipped their treasures to
Dallas, and then sold everything to clients and
other designers. Within three years, the team made
enough money to pay for the expenses of their trip
(including transportation, accommodation,
purchases, and shipping) -- and earned a $14,000
profit.
Confident after that success, Kathleen and her
family teamed with two other designers for a three-
week buying trip in France. They began their buying
trip at the March aux Puces in Paris, which is open
three days a week. The March Biron section of this
enormous market is the place to search for
antiques.
Another place to shop in France is Rouen. All
the shops here are retail; they are clustered near
the cathedral and close from noon until 2 p.m.
In the south, visit Biot, known for its hand-
blown glass. (You'll have to pay more to have these
fragile items packed and shipped.) Also visit
L'Ile-Sur-La-Sorgue, where the antique shops are
open only two days a week. At Moustiers-Saintes-
Marie, an open-air market is set up every Friday in
the main square. This region is known for its
beautiful hand-painted dishes.
What lessons can you learn from Kathleen's
story?
First, that you must begin by choosing a
country where you'll feel comfortable doing
business. England is a good first choice, because
there is no language barrier. (Of course, you
should also pick a country where you want to
travel.)
Second, study the market back home. Is there a
demand for the items you plan to purchase? This is
the most important consideration when deciding what
exactly to import. The second thing to consider
when choosing a product is personal experience.
What do you know something about? What are you
interested in shopping for?
If you have a bit of experience with antiques
(and if you love poking around in the dark and
dusty corners of antique shops), then go with that.
In this market, smaller pieces of furniture, such
as chairs and end tables, and knick-knacks and art
objects that aren't easily found back home are the
best bets. (Small accessory pieces also make sense
from the perspective of shipping. They can be
stashed inside the larger pieces to conserve space
in the freight container.) Always mix your
purchases. On return buying trips, purchase what
sold well last time, and then buy a few new items
to test.
The Peruvian sweater trade
Antiques is an obvious market for small-time
importers. But it is hardly the only market.
Take Annie Hurlbut, for example. She imports
alpaca sweaters hand-made in Cuzco, Peru. It all
started as a birthday present for her mother.
Annie, then a graduate student at the
University of Illinois, was studying the market
women in Peru. She spent her days at the
marketplace in Cuzco, working with the Andean
women, who make their living selling handmade
tourist goods, especially alpaca sweaters and
ponchos.
Annie planned to fly home to Kansas City for
her mother's 50th birthday party -_ and she needed
a gift. She chose a fur- trimmed alpaca sweater-
coat made by one of the market women. The present
was extremely well-received. In fact, Annie's
mother and friends went so far as to suggest that
Annie had stumbled upon a real opportunity. The
Peruvian Connection was born.
Annie continued her graduate studies, visiting
Peru to do research, and then returning home with
all the handmade sweaters she could carry. Her
mother ran the business end of the company from her
farm in Tonganoxie, Kansas. Their first customer
was a local store, which placed a wholesale order
for 40 garments.
"When my mother told me we had an order for 40
sweaters, I almost panicked. I couldn't even
remember where I had bought the first one."
Annie began running small space ads in the New
Yorker and selling her sweaters across the country.
She personally visited the owners of stores in New
York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and California, asking
if they'd like to carry her line.
By this time, Annie had created her own
design, patterned after what she'd found in Peru.
She'd made the sweaters of the market women into a
classic fashion product that appealed to upscale
boutiques.
The business really took off in 1979, when a
reporter for The New York Times Style Section saw
Annie's sweaters at the Fashion and Boutique Show
in New York. Annie and The Peruvian Connection
received front-page billing -- which brought in
thousands of requests for catalogs.
Annie has been running her import business for
10 years. She spends part of each year at home in
Kansas -- and the rest of the year in Peru. Not
only does her business bring in enough money to pay
for her regular trips to South America -- but it
has grown into a big-time mail-order company that
provides a living for both Annie and her mother.
Annie has organized 25 cottage industries in
Peru that work for her under contract. She works
out the designs and patterns, and then hands over
the production to the Peruvians. Everything is
shipped by air to the United States.
What words of advice does Annie have for
anyone considering getting into the international
import trade?
First, don't try to handle the production and
the marketing yourself. You end up spreading
yourself -- and your money -- too thin.
It's better to come up with a good product,
something that no one else makes as well, and focus
all your attention on the production. It's not that
difficult (or costly) to set up the overseas
production of a product. It's the marketing and
advertising that can drain you. Sell yourself once
to a backer, and then let him handle it from there.
Annie's other piece of advice is that you
should give a lot of thought to where you set up
shop. Americans should think twice, she warns,
before opening a home office for an international
importing company in New York. This city is
overwhelmed with shipments, and you can end up
waiting a couple of weeks to see your merchandise.
Things go much more quickly and smoothly in the
Midwest, for example.
Another thing to consider is customs
regulations. However, Annie assures all would-be
entrepreneurs that they won't have any problems
with customs. Importers bring a lot of revenue into
their home country and are generally treated well
by their home governments.
Nonetheless, you will have to pay import
duties. In the United States, duty is generally
about 20%, depending on the type of goods being
imported.
Cashing in on Brazil's mineral rush
How much money do you need to go into the
import business?
Harvey and Michael Siegel, brothers born in
Long Island, New York, did it with about $400.
A boyhood fascination with rock and rubble led
these two to Brazil, where they filled their
knapsack with $400 worth of agate ashtrays. This
was the beginning of Aurora Mineral Corporation,
which is now a leading wholesaler of semi-precious
stone and mineral specimens, with a client list
that includes the Harvard University Museum, the
Smithsonian Institution, and H. Stern Jewelers.
The brothers didn't fly down to Brazil with
armloads of research, deep pockets, and a long list
of connections. On the contrary, this was a seat-
of-the-pants operation. The Siegels' cousin had
traveled to Brazil for Carnival the year before,
met a Brazilian girl, and decided to stay. He was
their only connection in the country, and he agreed
to act as their agent.
Having a reliable agent can really make or
break an import business. The agent's role is to
screen products, accompany the importer on buying
trips, consolidate orders from multiple suppliers,
and arrange for a shipper to transport your
merchandise back home. You can work without an
agent -_ doing all the legwork yourself -_ but your
job is made much easier if you have someone working
with you.
"It is invaluable to have someone on the spot
to shop the market constantly," says Irving Viglor,
a New York-based international trade consultant. An
agent is independent and acts as an intermediary in
a deal but does not take title to the merchandise.
"Pay the agent a commission to protect your
interest," warns Viglor. "Don't let the vendor pay
the commission. And always check references."
Aurora Mineral Corporation mines for its
minerals (figuratively speaking) in the tiny towns
of La Jeado and Salto Jaqui in Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil's pampas grasslands bordering Uruguay and
Argentina. Actually, the local Brazilians do the
mining. They dig for amethyst and agate with back
hoes on land leased from farmers. The bounty is
sold by the kilo from wood shacks.
North of Rio Grande do Sul is the state of
Minas Gerais, where quartz crystals, rose quartz,
fossils, aquamarines, topazes, and uncut emeralds
are mined. The finest quality pieces are purchased
in their natural form and sold to museums or
collectors at trade shows.
In addition to the minerals themselves, the
Siegels also import decorative pieces made of
amethyst, agate, and quartz. The stones are carved
into birds, grape clusters, coasters, spheres, book
ends, ashtrays, and clock faces.
These finished pieces are culled from one-
person workshops and larger factory warehouses. "In
Minas Gerais, unlike in the south, you deal with
many small suppliers. An agent is particularly
important here," says Michael.
The recent craze for quartz crystal, believed
by some to have curative powers, has meant big
business for Aurora Minerals. The World Prayer
Center, a Buddhist house of worship in Maryland,
mortgaged its real estate to pay for its collection
of quartz crystal, which it purchased from Aurora
Minerals
Your Brazilian connections
All Brazilian exporters are required to file
annually with the Department of External Affairs in
Brasilia. These records are accessible, free of
charge, from the Brazilian Government Trade Bureau,
551 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10176; (212) 916-3200;
fax (212) 573-9406, or their offices in many major
countries. If you're interested in going into the
import business in Brazil, it would be a good idea
to review these records to find out something about
the competition you'll be up against.
In addition, the Brazilian Government Trade
Bureau offers free consultations for anyone
interested in doing business in Brazil. Other
complimentary services include use of meeting
rooms, conference calls with simultaneous
translating services (you pay only for the
telephone charges), assistance with travel
arrangements to Brazil, and referrals for
accountants, lawyers, and agents who are
experienced with matters of import and export.
The deputy director of finance for the trade
bureau, Luiz de Athayda, can answer all your
questions pertaining to the Brazilian economy,
banking, and financial regulations. Contact him at
the address given above. Or contact the trade
bureau's office in Washington, D.C., (202) 745-2805.
The Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce
publishes a listing of trade opportunities for U.S.
businesses in Brazil and vice versa. This
international swap meet is part of a bilingual
business newspaper called The Brazilians. To submit
a listing (which is free of charge) or to reply to
a posting, contact The Brazilian-American Chamber
of Commerce, 42 W. 48th St., New York, NY 10036;
(212) 575-9070; fax (212) 921-1078. To receive a copy
of the newspaper itself, call The Brazilians,
(212) 382-1630 in New York or (55-21) 267-3898 in Rio
de Janeiro.
Choosing an import
If you're intrigued by the idea of setting
yourself up as an importer as a way of paying for
your world travel, but you don't have an idea for
what exactly to import, attend the Frankfurt
International Fair. This exposition, held every
August, is known as the Cannes Festival of Consumer
Goods. It is the best place in the world to preview
the latest European trends. Among the exhibits are
clocks, tableware, home accessories, lighting
fixtures, giftware, housewares, arts, and
handicrafts. For more information on this year's
festival, contact Messe Frankfurt Office, Ludwig-
Erhard Anlage 1, 6000 Frankfurt am Main 1, Germany;
tel. (49-69) 75-63-64.
If you can't make it to this annual fair, you
surely can make it to one of the other 16
internationally renowned trade fairs held each year
in Frankfurt, which has become a mecca for
international importers. For a calendar of the
fairs and more information on how to make
arrangements to attend, contact Philippe Hans,
Frankfurt Fair Representative, German American
Chamber of Commerce, 666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY
10103; (212) 974-8856.
And remember, if you attend any of these fairs
to do research for your import business, all the
costs of the trip are tax-deductible.
A publication that has provided many product
sources since 1963 is Worldwide Business Exchange, a
monthly newsletter with hundreds upon hundreds of
leads, contacts, sources, and resources every month.
It covers not only import sources, but also business
financing, channels of distribution, franchises, new
products, finder's fees, mergers & acquisitions,
venture capital, joint ventures, partnerships and more.
A one year subscription is $48 from Phlander Company,
Dept. 70197, P. O. Box 5385, Cleveland TN 37320. New
subscribers can try it for 6 months for $27.
The value of a home-grown import
The import companies that prove most
successful are those that grow out of a native
cottage industry whose product is considered exotic
or rare back home. That's why Annie Hurlbut's
import business is booming. She discovered a
cottage industry that was already thriving in
Peru -- and then transported the fruits of that
industry back home to the United States, where
alpaca sweaters handmade in Indian designs are
valued -- and not easy to come by.
An idea for a similar import is handmade
cotton clothing from Guatemala. The colorful and
comfortable shirts and skirts being made here can
be bought for virtually nothing -- and then shipped
back home, where young girls are willing to spend a
pretty penny on these fashion statements. We know
of a couple, living in Maryland, who travel to
Guatemala several times a year to purchase the
handmade clothing, and then ship the pieces to the
United States for resale. Like Annie Hurlbut, this
couple is not only able to travel to their favorite
South American country three or four times a year
free -- but they are also making a comfortable
living off of the profits of their small import
company.
The ideas are virtually limitless...handmade
Mexican blankets, which can be purchased anywhere
in Mexico for a few dollars and then resold in the
United States for $30 or $35...brass pots from
Morocco, which can be purchased in any shop or from
any street vendor for about $15; these can be
sold in the United States for at least twice
that...tiny wooden boxes from Uruguay, useful as
decorative objects or for storing jewelry; these
sell for $5 or $6 in nearly every gift shop in
Montevideo and can easily be resold in the United
States for $10 or $15... Similar deals can be
made between any two countries.
Where do you want to go? Which country of the
world are you interested in exploring? That should
be the primary determining factor when trying to
decide on an import. Remember, the whole idea is to
use the import business as a way of paying for your
travel.
An unusual suggestion for the importer in Sulawesi
In Sulawesi, Indonesia, craftsmen make
traditional wooden sailing boats using methods
little changed from those used hundreds of years
ago. These boats, built without hand tools and
without electricity, come minus an engine, and they
have two huge steering oars instead of a rudder.
Known as an Indonesian pinisi, a boat of this
type is a cross between a junk and a 16th-century
galleon. The pinisi was once the sailing ship of
choice among the fierce Bugis pirates, who ravaged
the islands of Indonesia and conquered much of
mainland Malaysia.
It is possible to buy one of these boats for
as little as $5,000 or $10,000. Of course, you
must travel to Ujung Pandang, the capital of
Sulawesi, to do so. But that's where the adventure
begins.
Once in Ujung Pandang, your first job is to
find a reliable agent, who speaks the language and
who knows something about building a pinisi. One
agent we can recommend is a Mr. Rustum, who can be
contacted at Jalan 302/10, Ujung Pandang,
Sulawesi, Indonesia.
But perhaps the most helpful person in the
traditional boat trade in Sulawesi is a Yugoslavian
sailor named Ivo Rebic. Ivo speaks fluent English
and Indonesian and has spent two years researching
traditional wooden boat building. He is your best
bet for reliable and enthusiastic local assistance.
Contact him in care of Evie Rumagit, Jalan Sumba
86/9, Ujung Pandang, Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Once you have found an agent, the next step is
to find a competent builder. The biggest boat
building center in Sulawesi is Tana Beru. At any
given time, there are 50 boats being built along
the palm-lined beach of this seaside village.
One of the most respected builders in this
area is Usman Hasan, an Indonesian Chinese who has
the most Western-style approach to the boat-
building business of anyone in Tana Beru. You can
contact him at Jalan Tokambang 072, Bulukumba, Tana
Beru, Indonesia.
Now, you may be thinking, that all sounds
intriguing, but why in the world would I want to
buy an Indonesian pinisi?
First, it is a wonderful excuse to travel to
exotic Indonesia and have the adventure of a
lifetime.
But more than that, investing the time and
money in building a pinisi in Sulawesi makes it
possible for you to see Indonesia free.
Before you take off for Sulawesi, contact
marinas and boat clubs in your area. Put up notices
on the club bulletin boards explaining what you're
planning to do. If you're lucky, you may be able to
arrange for a buyer -- or a sponsor -- before you
depart for your trip. But at the very least, you'll
build interest in your venture.
Once your boat has been built and shipped back
home, contact all those marinas and boat clubs
again. And place small ads in boating magazines and
newsletters offering your rare and authentic
Indonesian pinisi for sale -- for several times
what you paid for it. You should have no trouble
finding a buyer -- these boats are beautiful and
truly exotic in any other part of the world. Any
boat lover anywhere would be thrilled at the
opportunity to own one -- and probably more than
happy to pay enough to cover all the costs of your
trip to Indonesia.
Buy a Chinese junk
Years ago, the harbor at Hong Kong was filled
with Chinese junks. These flat-bottomed, high-
sterned sailing vessels with square bows and masts
carrying lug-sails served as floating homes for
thousands of the island's residents. Today, these
traditional junks are disappearing from the harbor.
They are inconvenient and uncomfortable places to
live. And few new junks are being built.
But that is not to say it is no longer
possible to buy a junk. You can get one for as
little as $8,000 or $10,000. They are listed
for sale in the classified sections of local
newspapers.
This gave us an idea. You could travel to Hong
Kong, purchase an old junk, and then go on an
extravagant shopping spree in the myriad antique
shops that line the streets of this city. Oriental
carpets. Porcelain and marble statuary. Centuries-
old Chinese vases. Jewelry. Carved wooden boxes.
Then you could pack up all your Chinese
treasures, stash them in the holds of your Chinese
junk, and have your junk loaded on to a huge ocean
freighter and shipped back home.
While your treasure chest is crossing the sea,
contact the local media of the city where the ship
will land. Send out press releases. Alert everyone
in the area that an authentic Chinese junk, filled
with valuable Chinese antiques, will be landing in
the city's harbor. Make it a gala event.
All the press coverage of the junk's arrival
will help you sell the treasures it contains. You
should make enough to pay not only for the antiques
you shipped home, but also for your adventure in
Hong Kong.
What do you do with the junk? Well, you may
decide to keep it -- you'd surely be the only one
on your block to own one. Or you could sell it. A
Chinese junk is a rare and valuable thing outside
its home country. You could sell one back home for
several times what you paid for it in Hong Kong.
The real wealth angle here, however, is not
buying a Chinese junk. It's using your imagination
to unlock profits that no one else ever thought of.
Ultimately, your imagination -- along with your
patience and energy -- is the key to your fortune.
Before you buy anything...
You can simply take off for parts unknown,
with several hundred dollars cash (or traveler's
checks) in your money belt, and buy up a few dozen
of whatever strikes your fancy and you believe will
sell well (and for a premium price) back home. It
really could be that simple.
But taking off blind can also be a bit risky.
Better to do a bit of homework first.
Begin by reading everything you can get your
hands on about the country where you want to
travel. What do the local craftsmen make there?
What do they make it out of? Where can you buy it?
How much will it cost? Will it ship easily?
A good first contact is the embassy or tourist
board for the country where you'll be shopping.
Representatives at these offices should be able to
provide you with some of this information over the
phone; most are natives of the country they are
representing.
Also ask a staff member at the tourist board
for a listing of department stores or specialty
shops in your area that carry handicrafts or other
goods imported from his home country. Then go to
see for yourself what is being sold, for how much,
and to whom.
It is also a good idea to introduce yourself
to the owners, managers, or buyers of a few shops
in your area. Tell them about your shopping trip
and your plans for importing goods back home. Ask
what they would be interested in carrying and what
prices they would charge. (Remember, most retail
outlets mark prices up 100%.) You might even get an
order before you leave.
The other things to investigate before you
take off on your grand shopping adventure are
customs and rates of duty in your country. Explain
to your local customs service what you are planning
to import and to where and ask that you be sent all
relevant information on clearing customs and paying
the appropriate duties.
Setting a price
Don't wait until you've returned home,
suitcases full of silver bracelets and brass pots,
to determine prices for all of your exotic
treasures. If you leave all of this to chance, you
may be in for a very unpleasant surprise.
Instead, do a bit of arithmetic before you
even get on the plane.
Start with the purchase price. What do you
think you'll have to pay for whatever it is you
plan to buy? Add the expected costs of shipping and
duty. This gives you your total cost. Double it,
and you have the cost you can charge the retail
outlets you do business with. Double it again, and
you have the cost the retail outlets will charge
their customers.
Say you plan to buy wool blankets in Mexico
for $8 each. You know the cost of shipping each
blanket will be $1, and the cost of duty will be
$2. That's a total of $11. Double this to get
$22, the cost you should charge when selling your
blankets to a retail outlet. Double that again, to
get $44 -- that is the cost to the consumer. Is
the blanket worth $44? Is it worth more than
$44? Consider the market. What else is available?
How much is it selling for? Who is buying it?
If the total cost to the consumer you come up
with sounds like too much -- or too little -- make
adjustments one way or the other. In the case of
the Mexican blanket, for example, $44 is a bit
high. The retail outlet may only be able to sell
the blankets for $35 apiece. Thus, you can only
sell them for $17.50 apiece. This means that the
most you can pay is $5.75. It's possible to buy
blankets in Mexico for $5.75 apiece -- if you buy
a dozen or more at one time, and if you know how to
haggle. If, however, once you get to Mexico, you
find that you just can't find the blankets you want
for the price you can afford, reconsider. Maybe you
ought to be shopping for silver earrings instead.
Remember also that the whole purpose of
importing the goods in the first place is to pay
for your trip. So, once you've arrived at a price,
determine how much you will make if you sell all of
the merchandise you have imported back home. Make
sure you'll come out ahead -- or at least even. If
not, reconsider, both the pricing and the
merchandise you're importing.
The shipping factor
One of the most important considerations for
anyone in the import business is shipping.
The shipper you deal with is responsible for
picking up your purchases at the shop, packing
them, and shipping them back home for you in 20-
foot containers. With some shippers, you can
arrange for a split-container. This way, the
shipper doesn't send the merchandise until he has
enough going to your city to fill the entire
container. Shipping costs about 15% of the value of
the merchandise when a full container is sent;
about 25% or more when a partially filled container
is shipped.
The shipper should provide you with stickers
(one is attached to every item being shipped), a
shipper booklet (in which you record the merchant's
name, the agreed-upon-price, your company name, and
a description of the item), and the name of a
driver, if you need one. (If English is not spoken
in the country where you're shopping, you'll need a
driver to help you find the markets and to
negotiate with the merchants. A driver can be
expensive -- as much as $75 a day. But this is a
worthwhile investment.)
How can you find a competent and reliable
shipper? Two good places to try are your embassy in
the country where you will be shopping and the
local chamber of commerce office.
Tricks of the trade
Always carry a Polaroid camera, a 35mm camera,
and lots of film with you when shopping for
merchandise to ship home. Take two pictures of
every item purchased, one Polaroid and one 35mm.
Keep two ledgers: one that lists prospects, another
that lists actual purchases. This way, if you're
unsure of something, you can easily go back to buy
it later -- you've got a record of where to find it.
Europe does not have the same type of
wholesale market, but they do have large
wholesalers. They may not be willing to deal with
an individual, which is one good reason to form a
company first. But if you tell merchants that you
are buying for export, they'll usually give you a
15% to 20% discount.
In some countries of Europe, especially
France, the entire country goes on holiday at the
same time. In France, it is the month of August.
Plan your buying sprees around these holidays.
Always keep all of your invoices and receipts.
If your merchandise doesn't arrive as expected --
or if you have to prove the value of your goods to
a customs official -- you will be lost if you've
accidentally thrown away your documentation.
What governments won't allow you to import
Many countries have passed stringent laws
against importing many of Mother Nature's souvenirs
from foreign countries, and many of these types of
products are protected by international treaties.
These laws have been established to protect
endangered animal species. Certain plant species
are also outlawed as imports. If you ignore the
regulations and try to import two dozen pairs of
Brazilian alligator pumps (because you're sure you
can sell them back home for a 200% profit, and you
simply can't resist the opportunity), you risk
having your booty snatched. You may even be hit
with a hefty fine. So check the regulations of
your destination country carefully.
Sell American...And make a fortune doing it!
What would happen if, in your business, all
you did was "buy" from yourself?
You wouldn't make very much money, would you?
Think about it! That's exactly what this
country would be doing if we only "Buy American."
Every time we sell an American made product in
the international marketplace, those dollars come
back into the U.S. economy, increasing profits,
creating jobs, making America stronger. 80% to 85%
of U.S. businesses don't export.
But American products are in demand. Amway
recently went into Mexico, expecting $3 to $4 million
in sales the first year. Instead they hit $15 million
in sales the first year and $50 million the second
year, and said that they have never seen such strong
demand for American products in any of the more than
20 countries they are now in.
Yet it seems that when someone thinks about
getting into international trade, they decide to import
instead of export. Actually, exporting is just as easy
as, maybe even easier than, importing. Besides, as an
importer, you have to buy things to sell here...that
takes money. But, as an exporter, you are selling
things overseas...which doesn't take much money at all.
As a matter of fact, you can actually start your
own export business for a couple hundred dollars. Your
very first order could easily return your investment
ten-fold or more. There are thousands upon thousands
of products you can start exporting tomorrow! Most of
the books and courses on exporting being offered today
are theoretical, not practical. In reality, selling
overseas is no more difficult than a company in New
York selling & shipping a product to a buyer in
California.
A most useful complete startup is a new manual
called "Sell American", available for $104.95 postpaid
from Phlander Company, Dept. 70197, P. O. Box 5385,
Cleveland TN 37320. Or they'll send you a free
brochure describing the book in more detail. Once you
finish reading "Sell American" you can export U.S. made
products simply and easily, and start earning your
fortune in the international marketplace.
With the end of the cold war, unification of
Europe, the breakup of the Soviet Union, and free trade
agreements being established in the Americas, every
entrepreneur should now recall the words of Thomas
Jefferson -- "A merchant, by his very nature is a
citizen of the world." While the governments discuss
the issues of world trade, it is up to us as merchants
(entrepreneurs) to meet the challenge head-on with
action, instead of talk. As an American entrepreneur,
you should make it your responsibility to "Sell
American."
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