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TAP (Travel Agent Proficiency Test) Key Study Guide
1. ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents): trade association that lobbies governments on behalf of travel professionals
2. consortium:
3. consortium: network of independently owned agencies, works with member agencies, has preferred relation-ships with suppliers
4. AAA American Automobile Association: A motor club that otters members a variety of travel and motoring services in the United
States.
5. ACC Accredited Cruise Counselor: training program and designation offered by Cruise Lines International Association.
6. accountable document: A standardized, numbered form issued by ARC that the travel agency must account for.
7. Acela Express: Amtrak's high-speed train serving the Northeast corridor of the United States.
8. ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act.
9. additional liability insurance (ALI): Extra coverage for injury, death, or other liability to a third party, beyond both what state law mandates
that car rental companies include in the cost of the rental and what the renter's own insurance might cover.
10. adjoining rooms: Rooms next to each other with separate entrances and no way to go from one room to the other.
11. affinity group: A club, team, or other membership organization of people who share a particular interest or characteristic (such as age
or ethnic background).
12. aft: Toward the rear of a ship.
13. AH&LA: American Hotel and Lodging Association.
14. Airline Deregulation Act: The U.S. law that ended the government's economic control of the airlines; enacted in 1978.
15. Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights: The U.S. law directing the Federal Aviation Administration to
2 / 21 create a bill of rights, protecting the rights of passengers with disabilities to fly free of discrimination.
16. Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC): The group owned by major U.S. airlines, regulating the sale and distribution of
airline tickets. It accredits agencies that sell airline tickets; supplies documents used in selling airline tickets, rail transportation, and related services; and provides a central sales-processing system. DOES NOT DEVELOP POLICIES TO ensure safety of US Transportation
17. American Plan: the nightly rate quoted by a hotel or resort includes three meals a day, (full board)
18. Amtrack Trains: Acela Express, Pacific Surfliner, Casccades
19. Bareboat Charter: yacht w/out professional crew
20. Bermuda Plan: full breakfast
21. Bow & Stern: front and back of ship
22. Code Sharing: SkyTem, StarAlliance, Oncworld, Airtran, Hawaiian, Midwest...
23. Commodity: something that varies little and has the same value everywhere
24. Continental Plan: a variety of bread, cereals, pastries, fruits, meats, cheeses, and beverages
25. Corporte Travel Counselors: Troubleshoot, book air & hotesl, communicate with DMCs
26. Demographic: age, location,
27. Direct or Through Flight: is NOT a non-stop flight. Flight # doesn't change, but may have a stop
28. DMC: Deestination Management Company
29. European Plan (EP): no meals included
30. Four P's marketing: Product, Price, Place, Promotion
31. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): protects citizens and residents of EU; applies to anyone in world who
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48. ATA Air Transport Assoc.: The trade association formed by major U.S. airlines that represents them before governmental bodies
and promotes the safety and efficiency of airlines.
49. all-suite: A hotel offering rooms with separate sleeping and living areas.
50. Amadeus: ne of the four major global distribution systems.
51. APEX fare: The most frequently used discount fare for international air travel.
52. Apollo: A computer reservation system owned by United Airlines.
53. ARC Report: A weekly accounting of a travel agency's sales of airline tickets and other accountable docu-ments; also called a
"sales report" or "air report."
54. Area Bank Settlement Plan: The system by which airlines that are members of ARC, Amtrak, and certain other suppliers
receive payments for tickets sold by travel agencies.
55. back-to-back ticketing: The practice of buying two discount tickets and rearranging the departures and returns in order to avoid
restrictions on the discount ticket.
56. base fare: Airfare before taxes, fees, commissions, surcharges
57. berth: bed on a cruise ship
58. boatel: A motel, which can be a boat, on a river or waterway for guests who arrive by boat.
59. bricks-and-clicks agency: A travel agency with a marketing plan that calls for using both a website and a physical location as
points of sale.
60. buffer zone: The 225-mile zone extending from the U.S. border into Canada and Mexico within which the
U.S. ticket tax is assessed.
61. bulkhead: A movable partition that divides an airplane into compartments.
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62. Bullet Train: Japan high-speed train
63. business development manager (BDM: An airline sales position that is equal to being a district or regional sales
manager.
64. CAA Canadian Automobile Association: A motor club that otters members a variety of travel and motoring services in
Canada.
65. CARs Canadian Aviation Regulations: A compilation of regulatory requirements and rule governing civil aviation in
Canada.
66. card mill: A company that sells travel agent credentials to outside sales agents but provides minimal support and training.
67. CCRA: An organization that specializes in representing and supporting independent contractors in the travel industry, outside sales
agents, and host agencies.
68. CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.: Provides travelers information about health risks, specific
diseases abroad, and recommended or required immunizations.
69. CDW collision damage waiver.: Insurance that waives the car rental company's right to charge the renter for damages if the
rental car is involved in an accident. See loss damage waiver (LDW).
70. CEIR Center for Exhibition Industry Research: Organization that advocates for and repre-sents the exhibition
industry.
71. chatbot: Technology used to simulate conversation, or chatting, between people online, often enabled by artificial intelligence.
72. CHRIE International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Educa-tion.: An organization
dedicated to continuing education in the hospitality industry.
73. Chunnel: The tunnel beneath the English Channel that links England and France.
74. CITE Certified Incentive Travel Executive: designation program ottered by the Convention Industry Council.
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89. couchette: Sleeping accommodations on a train consisting of a compartment with six bunk beds; found on European trains.
90. country of registry: The country from which a cruise ship is legally recorded as doing business and by whose laws and financial
regulations the ship is governed.
91. cross-selling: Selling products or services beyond those originally requested by a client.
92. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA): An association that promotes cruising to both the selling agents
and the buying public through public relations and advertising as well as by training travel counselors.
93. CTA® Certified Travel Associate: The Travel Institute's designation and educational program designed to grow sales,
improve eflciencies and increase marketability.
94. CTC® Certified Travel Counselor: The Travel Institute's designation and educational program created to prepare
candidates to meet the workplace and industry demands of travel managers and supervisors.
95. CTIE® Certified Travel Industry Executive: The Travel Institute's designation and educational program offering high-
demand skills needed by leaders in the travel industry.
96. CTP Certified Tour Professional: Educational program and designation offered by the National Tour Association.
97. customer relationship management (CRM): A strategy that combines technology and per-sonalized service to meet
the specific needs of customers, provide excellent service, build lasting relationships with clients, and increase customer loyalty.
98. customer relationship marketing: The use of information from databases to direct marketing efforts so that promotions
and services match clients' preferences and interests.
99. database: An organized collection of data.
100. debit memo: A document issued by an airline when an agent has issued an airplane ticket not in compliance with rules
and regulations
101. deck plan: A diagram of the layout of a ship.
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102. demi-pension: A meal plan at a European lodging that includes breakfast and one other main meal, usually dinner, in the room
rate
103. demographic segmentation: The process of categorizing people according to characteristics such as age, sex, or marital
status.
104. denied boarding compensation: Compensation owed to a passenger who is bumped if the airline cannot get the
passenger to his or her destination within the originally scheduled time.
105. departure tax: A tax imposed on passengers leaving a country.
106. dependables: In Stanley Plog's analysis, people who value familiarity and comfort and focus on everyday problems tend to visit
popular places when they travel and to return to the same places each year.
107. destination geography: The study of those characteristics of locations that influence travel.
108. destination management and promotion: The overall marketing of an area, whether a city, region, or other location.
109. destination management company (DMC): A local company that specializes in inbound travel.
110. direct flight: A flight with one or more stops at which the passenger does not have to change planes
111. distributor: A company that acts as an intermediary between suppliers and travelers, helping travelers obtain the goods and
services owned by suppliers.
112. double booking:: The practice of booking two reservations for a client at the same time.
113. double open-jaw trip: An arrangement similar to a roundtrip that allows the passenger to depart from and return to ditterent airports
in a city or a neighboring city.
114. dual distribution: A practice whereby travel suppliers sell to the public both directly and indirectly, through travel agencies and
other intermediaries.
115. electronic reading device: Lightweight, portable electronic tablets with a large storage capacity for downloading and reading
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118. escrow account: Funds or other property held by a third party, such as a bank, until specified conditions are met for its release.
119. ethnic agencies: Travel agencies or tour companies specializing in travel for people of a particular ethnic background or language.
120. European plan (EP): An arrangement in which the room rate includes no meals.
121. Eurostar: The train that transports passengers through the Chunnel, the tunnel beneath the English Channel that links England and
France.
122. Eurotunnel: The train that transports cars, coaches, trucks, motorbikes, and bicycles through the Chunnel, the tunnel beneath the English
Channel that links England and France.
123. extended liability insurance (ELI): Additional insurance for injury, death, or other liability to a third party, beyond both what state
law mandates that car rental companies include in the cost of the rental and what the car renter's own insurance might cover.
124. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): The agency of the federal Department of Transporta-tion that has primary
responsibility for airline safety regulations and that licenses pilots, certifies aircraft as safe, and enforces rules regarding passenger safety.
125. Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act: The U.S. law that mandates the development of the Airline
Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights.
126. feedback question: A question that confirms details that have emerged in the conversation.
127. FIT: A custom-designed tour.
128. flag of convenience: A term used for a ship a company registers in a country other than its own to avoid regulations or taxes.
129. forced single: An additional amount that a single traveler may have to pay when a tour operator cannot find a roommate.
130. fore: Toward the front of a ship.
131. four Ps: The four characteristics of a business—product, promotion, place, and price—that make up the marketing mix.
132. franchise company: A company that provides the use of a name, a central reservation system, adver-tising, and training.
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133. freighter: A ship whose principal purpose is to carry cargo.
134. frequent-guest program: A program that rewards repeat guests with bonuses, such as a free room night.
135. full pension: Where three meals are included in the price of lodgings, usually in Europe.
13 / 21 where they actually get ott, because that ticket is cheaper than a ticket for a flight between the originating city and the desired destination.
149. hosted tour: A tour in which individuals travel independently but have access to a host to assist them at each tour destination.
150. hotel consolidator: An intermediary company that purchases blocks of hotel rooms at favorable prices and resells them.
151. hotel representative firm: A firm that accepts reservations and provides marketing and sales for individually owned
properties; also known as a rep firm.
152. hub-and-spoke system: A system by which an airline uses certain cities as connecting centers, or hubs, for as many flights to
and from outlying cities as possible.
153. inbound travel: Companies that specialize in travelers arriving from other parts of the country or from abroad.
154. incentive house: A travel agency that specializes in arranging incentive travel.
155. incentive travel: Travel offered as a prize or reward for employees, usually for productivity or sales performance.
156. income statement: A financial statement summarizing revenues and expenses for a certain period.
157. interline agreement: An agreement among airlines.
158. International Air Transport Association (IATA): An association of international airlines, whose goal is to create
stability in international aviation.
159. International Airlines Travel Agent Network (IATAN): The organization that appoints U.S.travel agencies to sell
tickets for international airlines serving the United States.
160. International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE): An organization
dedicated to continuing education in the hospitality industry.
161. international date: line The imaginary line roughly equal to 180° longitude that, by international agreement, separates one
calendar day from another.
162. International Driver's Permit (IDP):: A translation of a driver's license into an international-ly-recognized format.
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163. joint fare: The fare for a trip through a connecting city when the flights involve ditterent airlines that have agreed on one published fare.
164. knot: The measure of speed at sea; equal to about 1.15 land miles per hour.
165. land rate: The tour rate that does not include destination airfare.
166. latitude: The distance measured in degrees north or south of the equator.
167. leeward: The side sheltered from the wind.
168. legacy airlines: Major airlines among the first in the industry.
169. longitude: The distance measured in degrees east or west of the prime meridian.
170. loss damage waiver (LDW): Insurance that waives the car rental company's right to recover damages resulting from theft,
vandalism, or collisions involving the rental car. See collision damage waiver (CDW).
171. management contract: An arrangement by which a hotel company manages but does not own a hotel.
172. MCC, Master Cruise Counselo=r: A training and designation program offered by Cruise Lines International Association.
173. Mediterranean climate: A climate with warm, dry summers and mild, wet winters.
174. megaship: A large cruise ship measuring at least 70,000 GRT and holds more than 1,600 passengers.
175. membership organization: A not-for-profit association in which individual members own and operate hotels that share a
global reservation system as well as other common services.
176. minshuku: A traditional-style private guesthouse in Japan; similar to a European pension.
177. miscellaneous charges order (MCO): An accountable document issued by travel agencies when standard ticket
stock cannot be used.
178. Modified American plan (MAP): An arrangement in which the room rate includes breakfast and another main meal, often
16 / 21 be an employee or an independent contractor.
192. override: An extra payment made by a supplier as a bonus for a large volume of sales. See preferred supplier relationship.
193. oversold: A situation in which the number of confirmed passengers who show up for a flight exceeds the number of seats.
194. package: Two or more travel components bundled and offered at one price; often used to refer to an independent tour.
195. parador: A traditional-style, government-operated hotel of Spain, usually in a historic building with atmos-phere. (Puerto Rico also applies
the term to some of its local inns.)
196. passenger facility charge (PFC): A surcharge imposed to pay for airport improvements.
197. passenger load factor: The percentage of available seats on a flight that are actually sold; it can be stated for any length of time.
198. passenger name record (PNR): A record of a passenger's reservation information in a computer.
199. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS): The standard that merchants, vendors, and financial
institutions must comply with; the standard sets security policies, technologies and ongoing processes to protect payment systems from breaches and theft of credit cardholder data.
200. PCI DSS See Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.:
201. pension: A small family-run European lodging that may be run much like a hotel or a bed-and-breakfast.
202. personal accident insurance (PAI): Car rental insurance that covers bodily injury to the renter.
203. Pied Piper: A well-known and popular leader for a special interest tour.
204. pitch (1): The amount of space between one seat on a plane and the seat directly in front of or behind it;
(2) the up-and-down motion of a ship.
205. point-to-point tickets: Fare from one stopover point to another.
206. port charges: On a cruise, charges to cover fees levied by governments or port facilities for the use of the port.
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207. port of call: A stop on a cruise ship's itinerary.
208. pousada: A government-operated, traditional-style hotel of Portugal, usually in a historic building with atmosphere.
209. preferred supplier relationship: An arrangement where a travel agency is committed to maxi-mizing its use of a particular
supplier; in turn, the agency can receive overrides.
210. premium economy class: Airplane seats located between business/first class and economy class.
211. price segmentation: The process of dividing a population into segments based on the amount they can and will pay for a product.
212. prime meridian: The imaginary line running through Greenwich, England, that connects the North and South Poles.
213. psychographic segmentation: The process of categorizing potential consumers based on their attitudes, interests, beliefs.
214. public relations: Any activity conducted to establish recognition and respect for a company or product.
215. purser: The person on a cruise ship who handles financial matters and operates the information desk.
216. rack rate: The regular posted or off-the-street price of a room.
217. Rail Europe: A company owned by Swiss and French railroads that acts as a booking agent for rail travel in Europe.
218. rondavel: Circular lodgings in southern Africa with varying levels of amenities.
219. routing system: The method of setting international airfares in which the fare depends on the specific route flown; used for most
international discount fares.
220. run-of-the-house (ROH): A flat discount rate at which a hotel otters any of its available rooms, whatever their location, to
members of a group.
221. ryokan: A traditional-style inn in Japan; usually superior to first class.
222. Sabre: One of the major global distribution systems.
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231. space ratio: The measure of spaciousness on a cruise ship; computed by dividing the ship's GRT by the number of passengers.
232. specialty train: A train taken by passengers mainly for the experience, not the transportation.
233. spread: A range of cabins at various prices on a ship.
234. stabilizer: A mechanical device that can be activated from the side of a ship to minimize its roll and create a smoother cruise.
235. step-on guide: A person who joins a tour briefly to conduct sightseeing.
236. supporting businesses and organizations: Entities that either provide travel-related ser-vices such as maps and travel
insurance or aid or regulate the travel industry.
237. tender: A small boat used to carry passengers from ship to shore and back when the larger ship cannot dock in a too-shallow or too-
crowded harbor.
238. tented camp: Accommodations for travelers on safari in Africa, ranging from simple to more luxurious.
239. TGV: A high-speed train in France that travels close to 200 miles per hour.
240. The Travel Institute: The international non-profit organization that educates and certifies travel pro-fessionals at all stages of their
careers.
241. third/fourth person rate: The price for additional persons, after the first two, who share either a cabin on a cruise or a room on
a tour.
242. through fare: The fare through a connecting city when the connection involves flights by the same airline.
243. tourist card: An entry document used by some countries in lieu of a passport.
244. tourist court: Individually owned cabin accommodations built in the 1920's.
245. Transportation Security Administration (TSA): The agency of the federal government responsible for developing
policies to ensure the safety of U.S. transportation, including airport security and the prevention of hijacking.
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246. travel accident and health insurance: Coverage that protects the insured in case of accidents and sickness while away
from home.
247. Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO): One of several consumer protection/regulatory bodies in Canada.
248. tree lodge: Accommodations on stilts for travelers on safari in Africa, ranging from simple to luxurious.
249. trip cancellation or interruption insurance: Coverage that reimburses clients for nonre-fundable prepayments if
they must cancel or discontinue a trip for a reason covered by the policy.
250. United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA): The professional association for tour operators that
conduct business in the United States; members pledge adherence to a code of ethics and participate in a consumer protection plan.
251. usage segmentation: The process of categorizing potential consumers according to the purpose for which they would use a
product.
252. USA Rail pass: A rail pass on Amtrak that can only be bought outside the United States.
253. U.S. ticket tax A tax: charged on airline tickets purchased in the United States for travel among the fifty states or in the butter zone
in Canada and Mexico.
254. value-added tax (VAT): A tax levied on a product at each stage of manufacture or distribution and included in the final price.
255. value season: The time of year at a destination when prices are lower; sometimes called low season or "ott-season."
256. venturers: The term used by Stanley Plog to describe travelers who tend to be confident and curious, to have varied interests, and to
enjoy discovering new vacation spots.
257. VFR: travel Travel to visit friends or relatives.
258. VIA Rail: Canada's passenger train network.
259. walking the guest: Practice whereby a hotel substitutes nearby accommodations of equal or better quality when it has no rooms
available for a confirmed guest.
