Now is a great time to get involved with the
travel business. Traditional Travel Agents used to earn their fees with expert knowledge of
travel and service to their clients. But the internet is changing the way travel agencies do business.
Expedia, Travelocity, and Priceline have shown that customers are willing to research and
make their own travel arrangements, online! As a result the travel agency business increasingly relies on the internet for business.
Now a days, all you need to become a travel agent is a computer, access to the internet,
and a relationship with a Host Agency such as: YTB Travel.
If you are interested in starting a home based travel agency, You’ll be happy to
learn it’s relatively simple and inexpensive. Unlike other businesses that may require hundreds of thousands of dollars in start-up
capital, you can start a home based travel agency business, for only a few hundred dollars.
There are also great tax advantages. For example, you can
deduct such items as your computer, the space in you home, your telephone, computer, and more; because your doing business from
your home based travel agency.
In addition to potential tax breaks A home based travel agency owner has a few
perks not available to the public
Here's why.
If you're the owner of a four star hotel in Boca Raton Florida you want to keep the hotel
full. It's simply good business to give a discount, or even a free room to travel agents who will send paying customers to your hotel for years
to come.
You see, the travel vendors - airlines, hotels, tour operators, car rental agencies,
cruise lines, etc. recognize the benefits of having travel agents who know the products they are selling.
This is why in addition to favorable rates and discounts, these same vendors
also offer free (fams) familiarization trips to resort destinations, free dinners, free shows, and free cocktail hours to learn about vendor
offerings.
To be sure, these are working
trips! They're not vacations. Travel vendors expect you to become familiar
with their resort. That's the whole point. If fams are abused, vendors may become more selective how they offer
perks.
Still, the travel industry is a multi billion dollar business! And Baby Boomers
are expected to fuel a continuing rise in vacation spending as they retire.
Often all that is required to be wealthy is to be in the right place at the right time. As
a referral Travel Agent you can earn up to 60% commission on all business, including airfare, placed
through your website.
Start a Home Based Travel Agency:
Most home based travel agents work with a "host agency." A host agency is a bonded, accredited ARC/IATAN agency through which the home based
agent makes bookings.
A home based travel agent needs to work with a host agency like YTB
Travel to collect commissions.
A prime example is airline tickets. Airlines generally do not ticket for the independent agent. Only an ARC/IATAN agency can print airline tickets, and collect commissions paid on those tickets.
As a result, home based travel agents need a host agency in order to offer travel reservations for airline tickets.
Referring Travel Agent
Referring travel agents don't book or sell travel products. They steer clients to their Host
Agency website.
In exchange for getting the customer to the website, the referring travel agent receives 60% of the commission that the host travel
agency gets from the travel vendor.
Also, the referring travel agent usually books her personal travel through the Host agency and receives a commission on that as
well. In effect, its a kind of rebate.
Referring Travel Agents don't need to know all the details of the travel industry. They don't have to know all the airline
codes, or what's the best hotel in Hawaii, or the difference between Category C and Category D on a cruise ship. However, it surely wouldn't
hurt to know!
Host Travel Agency companies issue their referring travel agents a photo ID that the travel agent can use to receive travel industry
discounts and courtesies from some suppliers (fam trips). The IATAN travel agent photo ID card remains the reliable gold standard
accepted by travel vendors worldwide.
capital, you can start a home based travel agency business, for only a few hundred dollars.
Referring travel agents don't book or sell travel products. They steer clients to their Host
Agency website.