Adjoining room Two or more rooms side by side without a connecting door between them. Rooms can be adjoining without being connecting.
Affinity group Members of an organization formed for purposes other than travel but operating affinity charter flights.
Aft Near, toward, or in the stern of a vessel.
Agency rep A salesperson calling on travel agents.
Agency tour A familiarization tour, complementary or reduced-rate travel for travel agents to familiarize them with new destinations in order to increase sales.
Air/sea A cruise or travel program in which one or more transportation legs are provided by air and one or more by sea. Often combined with local hotel operations.
A la carte (a) A menu or list of items from which guests may select their various choices. This type of meal arrangement is included only in some higher-priced tours. Menu items are sold individually and priced individually, (b) Cooked to order.
All-expense tour An all-inclusive tour offering all or most services for an established price. Terms and conditions of the tour contract specify all services paid for and included in prepaid tour arrangements.
American Plan (AP) Hotel accommodations with three meals daily included in the price of the room. Sometimes referred to as "full pension."
Amtrak Name used by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, under which it operates almost all U.S. intercity passenger trains (except commuter trains) under contract with the individual railroads.
Appointment In the travel industry, an official designation to act as sales outlet for a conference group of carriers. Conferences approve travel agents before they are appointed individually by conference members.
APEX Advance purchase excursion. Airline fare, cheaper than normal, but with restrictions. The ticket must be paid for in advance of the trip and the trip must involve a Saturday night away from home.
Back to back A manner of operating tours on a consistent continuing basis. A flight with, say, 250 passengers arriving in a city would pick up another 250 passengers who have completed their stay in that city and would continue on or return on that same plane. This scheduling eliminates unnecessary ferrying of aircraft. It also makes it possible to block out or reserve hotel rooms on a continuing basis.
Balance of payments, or trade When a country exports more than it imports it is said to have a positive balance of payments; when it imports more than it exports there is a negative balance of payments. Tourism is part of the balance of trade under the heading of services. When a tourist from one country visits another country the economic effect for the country visited is the same as exports.
Bareboat charter A yacht rented without supplies or crew.
B and B Bed and breakfast. Includes a room and English or Continental breakfast; used throughout the United Kingdom and Europe.
Beam The width of a vessel at its widest point.
Bermuda Plan (BP) Room and American breakfast daily.
Berth A bed on a ship or train; also a space in which a ship may dock.
Blocked space Guaranteed reservation of rooms or space at hotels, restaurants or attractions made by suppliers to travel agents, wholesalers, or group movers for later resale.
Bond Used to guarantee the conduct or performance of an individual to an employer and to promise to pay a sum of money to the employer if the bonded person defaults. A guarantee of financial protection for suppliers and clients, purchased by premium, paid by an agent or operator to a bonding or insurance company.
Booking Making a reservation.
Booking form A form completed by purchasers of tours, giving the operator full information about the purchaser. It contains a complete statement about what is being purchased and often includes a liability clause to be read, understood, and signed.
Bow The forward part of a ship.
Briefing tour A hotel or tourist-board promotion. It sells a destination usually to the travel trade at the trade's location as opposed to selling it at the destination.
Brochure Printed folder containing descriptions and conditions of a tour.
Bulk fare Special airline fare made available to tour operators by cooperating airlines, based on a tour operator or operators taking a predetermined number of seats on the same flight.
Bumping To remove or displace a passenger in favor of someone who has a higher priority or is more important.
Cabana A room adjacent to a pool area, with or without sleeping facilities, and usually separate from the hotel's main building.
Cabin Passenger compartment on a ship, or a sleeping room, usually less luxurious than a stateroom. Carrier A public transportation company such as an airline or steamship line, railroad, bus line, etc.
Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) Designation conferred on the completion of a course of study by the Institute of Certified Travel Agents, attesting to professional competence as a travel agent.
Charter flight A flight booked exclusively for a specific group or groups, on scheduled or nonscheduled airlines, and available to these groups under charter conditions.
Check-in The hotel day starts at 6 a.m.; however, occupancy of rooms by arriving guests may not be possible until after the established check-out time (usually 1:00 p.m.).
Check-out The time by which a hotel guest is required to vacate a room in order to avoid additional charges.
City package A package tour that includes transportation, accommodations, and some combination of other tour elements in one particular city.
City pair The departure and destination points of an air trip.
City terminal An airline office, other than at the airport, where a passenger may check in for a flight, receive seat assignments, check baggage, and obtain ground transportation to the airport.
Coach In railway usage, a day-coach for ordinary short-haul travel. In recent years, improved coaches have been introduced with reclining seats for overnight travel. For buses, coach used to refer to a bus on tour as distinct from point-to-point scheduled travel. Also refers to tourist section of an airplane.
Commercial rate A special rate given by a hotel to a company or other bulk purchaser, usually a flat rate for rooms of a certain quality or better.
Commission The varying and often regulated amount of money paid by suppliers to travel agents for the sale of transportation, accommodation, and other services.
Concierge In almost all European and many major hotels throughout the world, the concierge is the person in charge of services such as baggage handling, mailing letters, making reservations, etc., for guests. Conducted tour A prepaid, prearranged vacation in which a group of people travel together under the guidance of a tour leader who stays with them from the start to the end of the trip. Also referred to as the escorted tour.
Conference Usually general sessions and face-to-face groups with high participation to plan, get facts, and solve organization and member problems associated with tourism.
Configuration Interior arrangement of a vehicle, particularly an airplane; for example, number of coach, business-class, and first-class seats in a plane.
Confirmation Oral or written statement by a supplier that a reservation has been received and will be honored. Oral confirmations have no legal worth; even written confirmations have specified or implied limitations, for example, a hotel is not obligated to hold a reservation if the guest arrives after 6 p.m. unless late arrival is specified.
Congress European designation for a convention; mainly international in scope.
Connecting rooms Two or more rooms with private connecting doors permitting access without going into the corridor.
Consolidated Air Tour Manual (CATM) A publication issued jointly by US airlines as a composite of tours offered for sale to the public, usually through retail agents. Issued semiannually.
Consolidator A person or company specializing in consolidating groups for travel on airline charters. Consolidators refer to operators, mainly in large cities, who purchase air tickets at big discounts and resell them to smaller agencies at a higher commission than airlines give them. They also sell directly to the public through advertisements; sell mainly to foreign destinations.
Continental breakfast At a minimum, a beverage (coffee, tea, or milk) and rolls or toast. Sometimes the breakfast includes fruit juice.
Continental Plan (CP) Lodging and continental breakfast.
Contractor A person, firm, or corporation who provides vehicles, guides, and/or local services to a tour operator or travel agent for the benefit of the passengers. Contractors operate in every stage of a tour, and their contracted services are coordinated by the tour operator into a complete itinerary. Sometimes called local operator. A hotel, for example, is a contractor.
Convention Usually general sessions and committee meetings; mostly information-giving and generally accepted traditional form of annual meeting.
Couchette On European trains, a space in an unsegregated compartment that can be converted into a sleeping berth.
Coupon Document issued by tour operators in exchange for which travelers receive prepaid accommodations, meals, sightseeing trips, etc. Also referred to as voucher.
Courier A professional travel escort sent to supervise arrival details and land arrangements for tourists. This term is generally used in Europe.
CTO City ticket office.
Cruise A pleasure voyage as opposed to one solely for transport. Sea cruises usually depart from and return to the same port.
Customs The government agency or office where, upon entry to a country, the traveler must declare all foreign-purchased items to government officials.
Cut-off date The designated day when the buyer (upon request) must release or add to function room or bedroom commitment. For certain types of groups, rooming lists should be sent to the hotel at least two weeks prior to arrival.
Day use or day rate Half the normal rates in the day.
Deadheading A person traveling on a free pass; any vehicle, ship, or aircraft operating without a payload.
Deluxe Of the highest standard; part of an official rating system; a top-grade hotel with all rooms having private baths and a high standard of service.
Demi-pension or half-pension Hotel accommodations that include Continental breakfast and either table d'hote lunch or dinner in the price of the room. Same as Modified plan.
Denied boarding compensation The penalty payment made to a passenger by an airline that has not honored a confirmed reservation.
Departure tax A fee collected by a city or national government for departure from the city or county. US Departure tax, also known as "head tax", is added to fare. Most other governments collect upon departure and issue stamps or receipts.
Deposit reservation A hotel reservation for which at least one night's payment has been received. The hotel must then hold a room for the first night, no matter how late the guest arrives.
Discounting Price cutting and/or specials designed to increase customer frequency.
Domestic Independent Tour, or Domestic Inclusive Tour (DIT) Generally used in the United States and Canada.
Double Room with one large bed for two persons.
Double occupancy rate The price per person for a room to be shared with another person. The rate most frequently quoted in tour brochures.
Downgrade To move to a lesser accommodation or class of service.
Dry lease Rental of a vehicle without operator or crew; a pure dry lease also excludes supplies, fuel, or maintenance.
Duplex A suite with two floors and connected by private stairway.
Duty-free shop A store located at an international airport or at a port of exit that sells goods free of taxes to travelers going to another country.
Economy hotel Tourist or second-class hotel with few or no private baths and limited services.
Efficiency An accommodation containing some type of kitchen facility.
Elastic demand curve A demand curve showing that when a price is lowered more items will be sold and revenue will increase. Or, if a price is increased, fewer items will be sold but the percentage decline in number of items sold will not be offset by percentage increase in price. Total revenue decreases.
Elasticity A measurement of relative sensitivity among two or more variables. Usually refers to price elasticity.
English breakfast A morning meal generally served in the British Isles and Ireland. It usually includes hot or cold cereal, bacon or ham and eggs, toast, butter, jam or marmalade, and a beverage, traditionally tea.
Entry tax (or fee) A fee collected by a city or national government for entry into that city or country. Escort Courier; professional travel escort; also called tour escort, tour leader, or tour manager. Escorted tour A prearranged escorted travel program; also a guided sightseeing program.
Escrow account Agency and tour operator funds placed in licensed financial institutions for safekeeping. Many charter travel regulations require that customers' deposits and prepayments be placed in escrow accounts.
ETA Estimated time of arrival.
ETD Estimated time of departure.
Eurailpass A railroad ticket to provide unlimited rail travel throughout 13 countries of Western Europe. Fares are flat rates for specified number of days and are available at special children's rates as well as for adults.
European Plan (EP) Hotel accommodations with no meals whatever included in the price of the room.
Excursion fare Round-trip fare at reduced price. Excursions have limitations as to days of departure, time of day, and length of stay.
Excursionist A traveler who spends fewer than 24 hours at a destination.
Extension A trip to be taken before, during, or at the conclusion of a basic tour for which all reservations and arrangements can be made, and usually optional for members of a tour group, at additional cost.
Familiarization tour An educational program, generally for travel agents or airline personnel, to a destination for inspection of tourist facilities. Usually sponsored in cooperation with airlines, tour operators, and local tourist boards.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) A government agency within the US Department of Transportation. Exercises overall control of airports, equipment, pilots, routes, etc., and issues mandatory requirements and standards to govern civil aviation.
Ferry mileage The mileage a plane is flown without passengers to where it must pick up tour members. Airlines charge for these air miles; therefore, the fewer ferry miles on the schedule, the lower the operating cost of the charter. This term applies to charter air transportation.
FET Foreign escorted tour.
Final itinerary The schedule provided by the travel agent that spells out in great detail the exact program mapped out for the traveler, including flight or train numbers, departure times, etc. This is always delivered shortly before actual departure.
First-class fare The most expensive and best class of service in air, sea, and rail travel.
First-class hotel A medium range, comfortable hotel with high standard services provided; most rooms have a private bath.
FIT Foreign independent tour or foreign inclusive tour. This is a tour to a foreign country made up and planned or tailored to an individual's desires or requirements. It must be a prepaid tour.
Flag carrier Major airline designated by its government.
Flyer Printed advertisement, usually mailed to potential customers.
FMC Federal Maritime Commission.
Forward Toward or at the bow of a vessel.
Free sale Allowing another carrier to sell a predetermined number of seats without having to check the seat availability. It is an allotment of seats to another carrier.
Full pension A predominantly European term referring to hotel accommodations with three meals daily included in the price of the room. Sometimes referred to as American Plan or Full American Plan.
Galley The kitchen on a ship.
GIT Group inclusive tour. A tour-based fare to various destinations, providing a special fare for a minimum of five persons and requiring that all the members must travel on the same flight round-trip, and must travel together during their entire time abroad, and where reservations must be made at the same time.
Gratuities Payments to service personnel for services rendered.
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) Mean solar time at Greenwich, England, used as the basis for calculating standard time for the entire world.
Ground arrangements All services provided for the traveler by the tour operator after the traveler reaches the first destination and beyond.
Ground operator A company that provides local travel services to a client at destination; receiving agent.
Group Inclusive Tour (GIT) A prepaid tour on which passengers complete the trip going and coming as part of an air package; usually organized by a tour operator.
Guaranteed reservation Hotel reservation that a guest agrees to pay for whether or not used; payment may be guaranteed by a company or a travel agent who has a credit rating with the hotel, or by prepayment.
Guide Someone who is licensed to take tourists on local sightseeing excursions.
Guided tour Local escorted sightseeing trip.
Head tax Amount collected by a government from a passenger who enters or leaves a country.
Hospitality suite A parlor with connecting bedroom(s) to be used for entertaining.
Hostel Supervised low-cost accommodation, usually for young people of designated ages.
Hotel package A special offering, including such things as transportation, transfers, room, board, and use of facilities.
Hotel representative (hotel rep) A person, firm, or corporation designated by a hotel to provide tour operators, travel agents, and the general public with reservations in hotels and resorts.
Hotel and Travel Index A worldwide quarterly compilation of hotel facilities, rates, and personnel information.
Hotel voucher Coupon issued by the tour operator to cover payment for all specified prepaid tour features. Guest surrenders hotel voucher on check-in and the hotel sends voucher and billing statement to tour operator for payment.
ICC Interstate Commerce Commission.
Incentive (or incentive commission) Override; extra commission paid by airlines, wholesalers, suppliers, hotels, or government to increase sales.
Incentive travel Travel offered as a prize to stimulate employees' sales; the business of providing such travel programs.
Incidentals Charges incurred by the participants of a tour but which are not included in the tour price.
Inclusive tour A tour that includes all elements of an itinerary, usually making it unnecessary for a passenger to spend money for anything except personal extras during the course of the tour.
Inclusive Tour Charter (ITC) An aircraft charter carrying an inclusive tour; travel industry term for a tour on which basic transportation is by chartered aircraft.
Inelastic demand curve A demand curve showing that when price is lowered more items will be sold but not enough to offset the decline in price. Total revenue will decrease. Or, if a price is raised, fewer items will be sold but the percentage decline in the number of items sold will be offset by the percentage increase in price. Total revenue will increase.
Infrastructure Underground and service installations (for example, power, roads, water supply, communication installations, etc.)
In-plant Travel agency situated in a company's premises, doing business only for that company.
Interline arrangements The practice of airline employees traveling on another airline.
Intermodal travel Tour using more than one means of transportation.
I.T. Number Code number on an ARC- or IATAN-approved tour that qualifies agents selling air transportation in connection with those agencies for override commissions.
ITX Inclusive tour excursion. British and European term for an inclusive tour fare.
Itinerary An outline of a tour covering daily activities.
Junior suite Large hotel room with a partition dividing bedroom and sitting area.
Knot One nautical mile per hour (about two kilometers per hour).
Lanai Balcony, patio, or area outside the room to which one has access.
Land arrangements The term used in a tour program to designate all features, except basic transportation.
Land operator Company providing local services, such as transfers, sightseeing, etc.
Leg That portion of a flight between two consecutive scheduled stops; segments.
Lido deck The deck on which a pool is located on a ship, or the area around the pool.
Load factor The percentage of carrier capacity sold of the total capacity for sale.
Lower A lower berth on a ship or train.
Managed tour Same as conducted tour.
Minimum land package The minimum tour, in cost and ingredients, needed to qualify a passenger for an airline inclusive tour, group inclusive tour, or contract bulk inclusive tour.
Miscellaneous Charges Order (MCO) Form issued by travel agent or airline to cover miscellaneous ground arrangements. If tour order is not available, an MCO can be issued to cover package tour ground arrangements. Client normally exchanges MCO for hotel and vouchers on arrival at destination (usually on check-in at hotel).
Modified American Plan (MAP) Room, breakfast, and either lunch or dinner daily.
Net rate A wholesale rate to be marked up for eventual resale to the consumer. Same as net wholesale rate.
No-show Guest with confirmed reservation who does not arrive and whose reservation was not canceled.
Observation car Railroad car specially made for sightseeing.
Occupancy rate The percentage of bed-nights sold, compared with total available for sale in a hotel.
Official Airline Guide (OAG) Monthly listing of all airline tariffs and flight schedules.
Official Hotel and Resort Guide (OHRG) Worldwide reference directory describing hotels, motor hotels, and resorts.
Official Meeting Facilities Guide (OMFG) Semiannual directory of worldwide rates, accommodations, and meeting capacities of hotels and resorts.
Off-peak A fare or hotel rate to be applied at a time that is in the slack season and usually not the busiest.
On request Term used by hotel reservation services to indicate they cannot confirm the room but must request it directly from the hotel.
Open jaw An arrangement, route, or fare authorized in a tariff that grants the traveling public the privilege of purchasing round-trip transportation from the point of origin to one destination, at which point another form of transportation is used to a second destination; at this point the passenger resumes the original form of transportation and returns to point of origin; or from such destination to another destination that is in the general direction of the original starting point.
Open ticket A ticket that does not give the date on which a certain service is to be performed; this leaves the passenger to secure his or her own reservation later.
Optional Term used in tour literature to indicate a supplemental extra cost.
Overbooking The deliberate or mistaken confirmation of more reservations than there are seats or rooms.
Override Extra commission paid by airlines, wholesalers, suppliers, governments, etc., as bonuses or incentives.
Package or package tour Any advertised tour, or a single-destination tour, including transportation, accommodations, and other tour elements.
Packager A wholesaler; one who organizes and advertises a tour or package.
Parlor Room in a suite that is not a bedroom.
Parlor car Railroad car in parts of the United States with individual swivel seats and food and bar service.
Passenger kilometer One passenger carried one kilometer.
Passenger mile One passenger carried one mile.
Pension French term widely used to designate a modest accommodation, usually of a guest house variety, providing lodging and all meals.
Pitch The fore-and-aft motion of a ship at sea. Also the space between the back of one airline seat and the back of the seat behind it.
Port A nautical term meaning left side.
Porterage Baggage-handling service. If a tour includes porterage, a client does not have to pay or tip for its carriage.
Positioning The movement of a vehicle to the place where it will perform a revenue service. A positioning cruise takes passengers but is primarily for the purpose of moving a ship to another cruise area.
Postconvention tour An extension of a basic return trip from a convention.
Preconvention tour An extension supplementing the trip to a convention.
Prepaid extra nights Additional nights included in hotel voucher over and above the number of nights included in the basic package tour. Rates for extra nights are normally published next to rate for package tour within the tour folder.
Price elasticity A measure of the degree of sensitivity of quantity sold when a price is allowed to vary.
Principal A primary producer (airline, hotel, etc.) or a unit of travel merchandise; one who assumes responsibility for a travel program; one who pays commission to another for selling a program.
Promotional fare A fare below the regular fare, intended to stimulate travel when use of space is low;
usually round-trip with conditions.
Pullman In North America, a railroad sleeping car.
Quad Room occupied by four persons.
Rack rate The regular published rates of the hotel.
Rail Travel Promotion Association (RTPA) A central clearing house for railroad coordination of package tours.
Receiving agent (or receptive agent) A tour operator or travel agent who specializes in service for incoming visitors.
Reception agency Receiving agent; travel agent who handles local arrangements.
Reconfirmation Statement of intention to use reserved space. A passenger must reconfirm reserved space within certain time limits, under airlines rules, or the space may be resold.
Registry Registration certification showing ownership and national flag of a ship, but not indicating quality of the ship or nationality of her personnel.
Reservation An arrangement to hold a room, seat, place, etc., for a person; a promise of accommodation.
Rest and Recreation (R&R) Time allotted to travelers in planned tours for rest or recreation other than that included on the tour.
Return British and European term for round-trip, as in "return ticket".
Revenue passenger mile (RPM) One paying passenger carried one mile in commercial airline service.
Rooming list A list of names submitted by the buyer to occupy the previously reserved accommodations.
Run of the house (ROTH) Rate used between hotel manager and tour operator when a specific rate is
being established for tours and special packages to be offered by the tour operator. This rate is applicable to
all rooms used by the tour regardless of location or rack rate.
Scheduled airline Air carrier offering scheduled service for individual passengers. Scheduled carriers may also operate charter flights.
Service charge Percentage of a hotel or restaurant bill paid by the guest to take the place of a tip; a travel agent's fee charged to a client.
Shoulder fare, rate, or season A calendar period between a peak season and an off-season, usually favored by a promotional fare, lower than peak and higher than off-season.
Single One person occupying one room; one single bed.
Single supplement Extra charge for single accommodation on a tour.
Single entity charter An air charter sponsored and paid for by one person, company, or organization, on which none of the passengers are charged.
Space A reserved seat or room, or a reservation for such.
Space available Reduced or free passage; customer is given passage if the space is available.
Split charter An aircraft or other vehicle hired by more than one distinct legal entity; the portion of the aircraft hired for a specific flight or flights. Seat allotments are split among charterers.
Stabilizer A device used to eliminate or lessen a ship's tendency to roll.
Standby A special promotional fare offered on a space-available basis.
Starboard A nautical term meaning right side.
Stateroom Sleeping room on a ship, usually more luxurious than a cabin.
Stern The rear of a ship or boat.
Stopover A deliberate stop or the right to leave transportation for a period of time (usually 24 hours or more) at a regular route stop.
Studio Room with a convertible bed; has a parlor that converts into a bedroom.
Subject to temporary accommodation (STA) Term used mainly by Bermuda hotels. Indicates confirmation of space, but allows the hotel designated to arrange other accommodations in another hotel in the event that space is not available.
Suite One or more bedrooms and connecting parlor; combination of rooms.
Supplement A charge for better or extra service, or the service itself (as in single supplement).
Supplemental carrier An airline certified by government authorities to operate charter flights. Frequently called "non-skeds".
Supplier A carrier, hotel, sightseeing operator, etc. who produces a unit or segment of travel.
Table d'hote (a) A nonselective fixed-price menu served at a specific time to all guests; (b) menu on which a price is given for a complete dinner, as opposed to a la carte pricing of each item; (c) price of the entree is the total price of the complete meal.
Tariff A fare or rate from a supplier; a class or type of fare or rate; a published list of fares or rates from a supplier; official publication compiling fares and rates.
Tonnage Measurement term for describing size of ship.
Tour Any prearranged (usually prepaid) journey to one or more destinations and back to point of departure.
Tour-basing fare Reduced-rate excursion fare for buyer of prepaid tour or package.
Tour brochure A printed folder describing a tour and its conditions.
Tour broker Persons or company licensed by the ICC to organize and market motor coach tours.
Tour code number Number assigned to every package tour by an airline. In order to be eligible for extra commission granted by airlines on package tours, this code number must be officially approved in advance of sale to the public. Sometimes called an "I.T." number, the extra commission is granted to the travel agent selling the tour.
Tour conductor Professional travel escort.
Tour departure Date of the start of a particular travel program by any person or group or the operation of a particular tour.
Tour escort Professional travel escort or leader.
Tour guide Professional who leads a tour, usually at an attraction or destination.
Tourism All activities involved with attracting, servicing, and satisfying tourists.
Tourists Person who travels for reasons other than employment or personal business. The United Nations defines tourist as one who spends more than one night but less than a year away from home for pleasure or business, except diplomats, military personnel, and enrolled students.
Tourist card A document given to prospective tourists by the issuing country to allow them entry and departure (common in Mexico and Central and South America).
Tourist class Economical accommodations or airline seating below top grade or first class.
Tourist hotel Economy or second-class hotel, with few or no private baths and limited service.
Tour leader A courier or professional tour escort; someone with special qualifications to conduct a travel group.
Tour manager A professional tour escort who leads a prepaid tour from beginning to end (also known as tour director).
Tour operator A company that creates (packages) and markets inclusive tours, selling them through travel agents or directly to the public, and that may perform tour services or subcontract for such services.
Tour order Form issued by a travel agent or airline to cover all-inclusive package tour ground arrangements (hotel, sightseeing, etc.). Client normally exchanges tour order for hotel and tour vouchers upon arrival at destination (usually on check-in at hotel).
Tour organizer Someone who organizes a group of passengers for a special prepaid tour. An organizer need not have conference appointments, but can work through an established travel agency as an outside sales representative.
Tour package A travel plan that includes most elements of a vacation such as transportation, accommodations, and sightseeing.
Tour shell Brochures containing graphics or illustrations but no text, to be overprinted by travel agents.
Tour voucher Voucher issued by tour operator to cover payment for sightseeing or entertainment features. Client surrenders tour voucher to appropriate purveyor in exchange for sightseeing or entertainment feature. Purveyor sends voucher and billing statement to tour operator for payment.
Tour wholesaler A company that creates and markets I.T.'s and FITs through travel agents; often used interchangeably with tour operator.
Transfer The service provided for arriving or departing transfers in a given city to transport clients from one air, sea, or rail terminal to another, or between such a terminal and their hotel. Transfers are normally a standard element of an inclusive tour.
Travel agent A person, firm, or corporation qualified to provide tours, cruises, transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, transfers, sightseeing, and all other elements of travel to the public as a service. Compensation is usually derived from commissions paid by hotel and other ground or air-related services.
Triple A room occupied by three people.
Twin A room occupied by two persons and having two single beds.
Universal Air Travel Plan (UATP) Credit card and carrier-sponsored charge plan.
Upgrade To change to a better class of service or accommodation.
Upper The berth on a ship or train that is above another berth.
Value season The off-season when prices are usually less.
Visa Official authorization, added to a passport, permitting travel to and within a certain country or region; not all countries require visas.
Vouchers Documents or coupons issued to clients by tour operators to be exchanged for services such as accommodations, meals, sightseeing, etc.
Wagon lits Company operating sleeping cars on European railroads.
Waitlist A list of customers who are waiting for space on a date or time that is sold out.
Walk-in A guest who arrives without a reservation.
Wet lease Rental of a vehicle with crew; a pure wet lease includes full operational and cabin crew, supplies, fuel, and maintenance services.
Wholesaler A company that markets and usually creates I.T.'s and FITs to sell through travel agents.
Youth hostel Inexpensive supervised lodging for young people.
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