AirTran $20.00

American Airlines $25.00

Continental Airlines $23.00 (online) $ 25.00 (airport)

Delta Airlines $23.00 (online) $ 25.00 (airport)

While you pay a premium for your luggage to ride on the airline, there are no added benefits to the traveler.  You still have to wait in line to check your bag (even if you prepay online), you still have to wait for your luggage once you arrive at your destination and you still run the risk of your baggage being lost (a big fear for many).

Many travelers have turned to shipping their luggage a couple of days ahead to avoid the hefty airlines charges.  UPS took notice and created the luggage box specifically for this reason. Check out the write up below from UPS’s website: 

Luggage Box – It’s not just a box; it’s a suitcase with options. Pack it, ship it, check it or carry it on. With luggage solutions from The UPS Store, you choose. Visit The UPS Store the next time you run out of space in your suitcase or need a quick shipping solution. We’re here to make it easy and we’ve got you covered. Not traveling? The luggage box makes a great tradeshow or conference carrier, or it can even be used as a keepsake storage. Its possibilities are endless!  View a luggage box information sheet with details about box dimensions, weight limitations and declared value.

If you decide to go this route, there are some logistics to keep in mind:

• It’s much simpler to do this if you are staying at someone’s home.
• If traveling to a hotel/resort, check with the Concierge on any possible shipping & handling charges.
• You need to ship your package a few days before your trip so it arrives before you do or soon after!
• Bring a small carry on with a change of clothes, medicine, etc. just in case your box doesn’t arrive timely.
• Track your package and bring your tracking number with you.
• If you are returning your luggage home, make sure you know if UPS picks up or where the nearest UPS Store is!

It’s always nice to have options when you travel.  Kudos to UPS!!  I am going to try this and let you know how it works out for me.  If you have used the luggage box, let me know your thoughts!

Q

This is part 2 of a 2 part series on Virtual Assistants.  Read below about my experience as EventEssentials’ VA and how this opportunity started! Enjoy it and stay tuned for more tips on incorporating VA’s into your business.

The profession is growing in centralized economies, there are many as Virtual Assistants worldwide and I’m one of them working for EventEssentials. My experience started when I met Qualena in 2008 I moved to the US in January 2008 in a exchange program to improve my English and the first course I took was Qualena’s Event Planning Certificate and It was great! I learned a lot with her and she is a great teacher.

We kept in contact I was volunteer in many of her events and one day she posted on her Facebook she needed an intern for her company and I contacted her and we started working together since then. I always worked from home. At that time (2009) I was volunteering in her company since I was in the US as an au pair (exchange program) but I saw the opportunity to learn and gain experience in my career.

I have Bachelor degree in Business Administration from PUC – Brazil. Fluency in English, Spanish and Portuguese (native). I’ve been building a solid career in Administrative Operations with experience in Large and Medium-sized Companies. Experience in Commercial Department and Customer Service; Administrative Operations with internal and external customers; Distribution and Transportation Center; Logistics System; Human Resources – Health Assistance; Event Coordinator Assistant. I also worked on Implantation of a new method of measurement. And I had a Business Scientific Article published in 2007 in 2 magazines and approved in a Business Congress.

In the beginning of 2010 when my exchange program was going to finish I was between staying in the US or coming back to Brazil, so I came back and we talked about still keep working together and it became a Virtual Assistant opportunity. I’m also VA for one of her friends who work in various projects but she is also an Event Planner. It’s been great!!! I do all kinds of assistance I can do virtually, basically office duties. I have an ATL phone number here and I’m online all day, Qualena contact me by email and I normally answer her right the way.

I enjoy a lot working with Qualena and EventEssentials, Q is very organized and a great Event Planner. As her virtual assistant I basically run her office from here and keep her on track. I work on a variety of projects, manage her databases, work with proposals and budgets, create spreadsheets and forms, prepare correspondence and letters, type up documents, conduct research on the internet, work on updating websites, electronic communications, social media and onsite volunteer management. It’s been a great experience!!! I just love it! I keep building my career, my networking in the US, getting knowledge, and my English up to date!

Thanks Q for the opportunity to be your guest blogger.

Caroline Rezende

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Caroline Rezende is an independent Virtual Assistant.

You can reach her at caroline@rcinvest.com.br

Hello!!! I’m Caroline Rezende from Brazil and EventEssentials’ Virtual Assistant.

I was invited by Q to write about Virtual Assistantance and my experience with EventEssentials. My article will be in posted in 2 parts, hope you enjoy it!!

From a basic description from Wikipedia, Virtual Assistant (typically abbreviated to VA, also called a virtual office assistant) is an entrepreneur who provides professional administrative, technical, or creative (social) assistance to clients from a home office. But this profession goes further, than that since VAs are virtual workers, but not all virtual workers are VAs.

A VA is anyone who provides any sort of assistance to another person or business without having to be physically present.  A VA provides administrative and personal support. So, a VA is a person who supports a client, across the board, administratively and personally without being geographically present in the client’s location.

Virtual assistants are independent entrepreneurs who work remotely and use technology to deliver services to clients globally. Most work from their home offices and receive their project instructions by phone, fax, e-mail or even instant message. At first, the virtual assistant performed duties consistent with executive assistants and is not limited in the methods used to complete the work.

Virtual assistants are hired by the hour and can earmark a certain number of hours per month to a client for their work. They have several clients but make their reputation on treating each one like the only one. The VA works on each client needs and interests and it a relationship, because the VA becomes the right hand of the person assisted, becoming a partner in his success.

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by Caroline Rezende

Caroline Rezende is an independent Virtual Assistant.

You can reach her at caroline@rcinvest.com.br

In my never ending quest for productivity, I have been reading Timothy Ferriss’, “The Four Hour Work Week.” Early on Ferriss encourages the use of Virtual Assistants (VA’s) to increase productivity. We could not get through an event or even the day without our Virtual Assistant, Caroline. I haven’t seen our VA face to face since January, but I hear from her daily and see her weekly via Skype.

Many colleagues have inquired about how we use a VA, is it cost effective, etc.  I decided to leave that to an expert to tell you!

Caroline will be a featured Guest Blogger in the next few weeks. If you want to learn about what a VA is and the services they can offer you and your business stay tuned for Caroline’s two-part series on Virtual Assistants help us Work Smarter.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this!

Q

You may have heard about the scam going around, where someone calls an Event Planner/Producer and pretends that they are from MTV’s Sweet Sixteen show and they want to hire you to produce P Diddy’s niece’s,  Sweet 16 Birthday in a few weeks.  Well, read all about it here and Event Planner Beware! 

 http://specialevents.com/latest_stories/sean-combs-party-scammers-back-in-act/

Q

Plan Your Meetings (PYM) offers a free subscription to their annual publication (it’s great!), sends you meeting news information and best practices emails about once a week, and hosts educational tradeshows (PYM LIVE Events) all over the country that provide you with continuing education units toward earning your CMP or CSEP. You can also connect with them on many social network platforms – just pick your favorites and link to them. I assure you, you’re going to love all of it!

 Here is a link to subscribe: http://www.planyourmeetings.com/subscribe/, in the referred box please indicate “TheQSpotBlog”

I hope you will also register and join us at the next  PYM’s next LIVE Event in Atlanta (September 16th)! Here is a link to see more information: http://www.planyourmeetings.com/events/

You can find links to all of PYM’s social networks on the top right-hand side of the homepage: http://www.planyourmeetings.com/ my personal favorite is PYMConnect http://www.pymconnect.com/– which is like Facebook, but it’s designed specifically for meeting planners. I hope you “friend” me on it!

Let me know what you think, and how I may be of assistance answering any questions you may have. Thanks so much and happy planning!

Q