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 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 only an ARC/IATAN agency can collect commissions paid on those tickets.

As a result, home based travel agents need a host agency in order to offer travel reservations of airline tickets.

Referring Travel Agent

Referring travel agents don't book or sell travel products. They steer clients to their Host Travel 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.

The referring travel agent usually books his or her personal travel through the Host agency and receives a commission on that as well ( a sort of "rebate" or "discount" in effect).

A referring travel agent, doesn'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.

 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). However, the IATAN travel agent photo ID card remains the reliable gold standard accepted by travel vendors worldwide.