Travelzoo, a pubicly traded company controlled by founder and Chairman Ralph Bartel, has agreed to sell Travelzoo’s Asia-Pacific division, including Travelzoo Hong Kong, Travelzoo Japan, Travelzoo China, Travelzoo Taiwan and Travelzoo Australia, for $3.6 million to companies controlled by — Ralph Bartel.

You’ll notice I used Bartel’s first name, Ralph, twice in the preceding sentence. That’s because I don’t want to get you confused with Holger Bartel, Travelzoo’s CEO, who’s Ralph’s brother.

You may see where I am going with this.

Apart from the coziness of the pending transaction (which could still be upended by a rival bid, but I am not holding my breath), the deal actually could be a clever move by Travelzoo — not to mention Ralph Bartel — and fuel Travelzoo’s expansion in Europe and Asia-Pacific.