ideas for a business

[fromantv]

hello guys

i really wish to travel. i wish to start a business...any possible ways of combining the two and making something of it? i want original ideas and not ideas like a magazine, or a ticket portal (expedia.com) etc...i want ideas that could become popular or ideas via brainstorming

thanks

all is welcome

[crackah]

My friend takes bike riding tours through france!

[Gaulkin]

Importing and Exporting might be right for you.

[syia]

do you have any skills? why don't you teach something..maybe becoming educators of any skills that is sought after will be a good idea

[fromantv]

hmmmmm

well i got a contact in vietnam so exp/imp there might be good

but i wish to travel nonstop country to country....any such thing as an international product/brand consultant? that might be cool

my degree is in marketing so im thinking something with that

thanks

[teabenny]

The Baby Boomers are the single richest and most successful group of people in history. And while it's true that they are retiring or getting close to it, they can expect a long and exceptionally healthy old age. This vigour, combined with their financial resources and new-found free time, is going to result in a pretty big and relatively untapped market. The Baby Boomers constitute a very large segment of the population in most developed countries.

Now, given their age, it's reasonable to expect that they will demand a high level of comfort in their travels. No tents or backpacking for them, though they won't be demanding 5 stars and caviar for breakfast either! But will they want, say, a comfortable tour bus? Plenty of relaxation? Fine cuisine? Nice hotels? A touch of local colour? Yes, they want it all! So give it to them.

There's potential for this in China, I've noticed. Chinese have good intentions when it comes to tours, but they too often put together tours based on what THEY THINK Westerners want. It's all a lot of cultural misunderstandings. Chinese have a bit of a herd mentality, they prefer to be guided around, have everything arranged and have everything explained to them. Noise and numbers are comfort, solitude and quiet are eerie. And shopping is the world's greatest activity.

Hence a Chinese tour is basically a lot of shopping stops with some attractions in between. It's not just to satisfy the shopping bug - the shops pay kickbacks to the tour operators. The bus ride is not complete without the guide barking through the megaphone pretty well constantly. Very grating on the ears. And the food is generally lousy. Would a bunch of Western tourists put up with it? Probably not, and if they did they sure wouldn't recommend it to their friends! So the objective is clear - a pleasant environment, heavy on the attractions, relaxation and free time, and light on the organised shopping trips. Nice hotels (not easy to find in China!), and good food, more along the lines of the Chinese food found back home. Chinese-Chinese food isn't quite the same! And no megaphone-wearing guide... silence is golden, apart from a brief spiel on the attractions. Basically, it's not so much the authenticity of the experience, but the chance to see some of the great sights of China in comfort. Your average 55+ tourist would probably enjoy this far more than a Chinese-run tour.

And all you need is a bus, really. The hotels will fall over themselves to give you what you want if you guarantee a steady flow of guests. The guests will fly there themselves. Of course, there's all the advertising, the itineraries, permits, etcetera. But having looked into this, I feel it's something that might work. Especially just focusing on the basics - the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, a traditional Chinese garden, a teahouse, pandas, hot springs, Tian'anmen Square, Shanghai, the Yangtze River, Shangri-La...

[fromantv]

teabenny...great post...however, i am not looking to settle in one spot...i wish to try to travel as much as possible....

great idea if i would like to settle on one spot, but i would like to go to different countries and often

thanks

[HiTechGadgets]

Import/Export is always has potential and you can earn alot of money if you do it right. Start small, build client base and also build relationship with people interested in your field to share knowlede on different markets. Also build trust with your supplier before you buy anything from them and make sure they are legit. I sent you a PM maybe we can brainstorm some ideas depending where you at.

Best of Luck!!

[zoobie]

To travel and visit places is great. Best of luck to you.

[fromantv]

yeah zoobie, i need to travel. i am stuck in New Jersey too much....but i dont have the money to do what i wish..so that is why i am here trying to figure oiut how i can do both

[zoobie]

You could have a travel and tours business. You could offer packages for those who will be having educational trips or any trips for a group of people. I know a lot are doing this kind of business so it's kinda tough. Just a thought.

[teabenny]

Fromantv, you could aim at the baby boomers anywhere in the world, i guess. if hanging around the wrinkled old lovelies is your cup of tea, of course!

[fromantv]

hey money shows no age!

[teabenny]

There's extreme tourism... people who want to visit the world's dangerous places, like Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Palestine, Iraq. Foolish people but they pay well. Hire yourself an ex-Special Forces dude to handle the actual tour! Scratch that... hire Russians - they're cheaper.

There's treks, especially in Thailand... four or five-day walking tours through the jungle (or wherever... why not one through New York, ha ha).

Rafting tours down rivers... these are common in Cambodia. They last for a few days, and the participants camp at night.

Autogyro clubs are pretty popular... imagine if you could combine the humble autogyro with travel... buzzing about the Himalayas, or hopping through the Amazon jungle... hmmm.

[fromantv]

hahahha crazyness