5th Edition, © 2006 Trade Paperback, 446 pages ISBN: 1-887140-61-4 Price: $59.95
Here's how to become a travel agent and grab your share of the $300 billion travel market. Everything you need to know to get into the travel business. Quickly. Legally. Cheaply. Anyone can learn how to sell travel and earn big commissions and free trips. This award-winning book is the street-wise guide to this exciting business opportunity. It provides detailed guidance on how to become a travel agent, set up a home-based travel agency, select a travel agency partner, deal with suppliers, make bookings, find (and keep) customers, and maximize commission income. This book has been endorsed by the Outside Sales Support Network (OSSN) and the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA). Recipient of the 1994 Recognition and Achievement Award from OSSN.
This book is not sold separately. Check out our Become A Travel Agent FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Read what people are saying about Home-Based Travel Agent. Check out the Table of Contents. Read an excerpt from the book. Return to Catalog Index.
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Kelly, just how is it possible to become a travel agent overnight without getting a lot of expensive training? The secret is to become an outside sales representative for an established travel agency. You become a travel agent instantly. Then you find the customer and make the booking with the airline, tour operator, or cruise line. The travel agency issues the ticket. And you and the travel agency split the commission.
Okay,I want to become a travel agent, but why would an agency be willing to take me on when I have no training? A lot of agencies won't. But a growing number of agencies are realizing that taking on outside sales reps will bring in a lot of business they wouldn't otherwise get. And if you've ever booked an airline ticket for yourself, you know everything you need to get started. Now, there's a lot to learn in the travel business and I don't want to minimize that. But selling travel is not rocket science and the basics are pretty easy to grasp.
Some agencies provide you with training manuals that walk you through the booking process. Others will give you forms to fill out that contain all the information you need to get from your customer and the supplier to make a proper booking. And in Home-Based Travel Agent I provide all the basic techniques you need to start booking tours, cruises, airlines, hotels, and rental cars.
How do I find an agency willing to take me on as an outside rep? I recommend starting with agencies in your local area. They're nearby so you can get questions answered quickly and pick up tickets on short notice. Unfortunately, these are the least likely to want to deal with a beginner. But, there are a growing number of bona-fide travel agencies that will take on outside reps, regardless of experience or location, usually for a fee, so you can get started right away. I've written a whole book about them; it's called A Shopper's Guide To Independent Agent Opportunities.
"Usually for a fee." So it's going to cost me a bundle, right? Not necessarily. There are some outfits that charge up to $5,000 or more, which I think is outrageous. In their defense, I'd have to say that they do provide computer systems and software and some training for that price, but still I think they're over-priced.
However, there are companies that charge a modest $50, which covers the cost of setting you up on their computer and sending you their training materials. There are plenty of agencies that that charge no sign-up fee at all -- and you can't get much more reasonable than that.
Okay, so I can get started for a few bucks. How much money can I make? That's hard to answer because it depends on a lot of variables. For example, how much of the commission do you get? It's pretty standard to split the commission 50-50 and I certainly wouldn't suggest accepting any less than that. But I get 70% of the commission from my host agency and one agency offers the outside rep 80%. So you have to shop around.
Another thing that affects your income is what you're selling. Domestic airfare doesn't make you a lot of money. But selling cruises, tours, and resort packages can earn you $200 to $500 in commissions for every sale you make.
Finally, there's the question of how much time you devote to it and how good a businessperson and salesperson you are. If you make one $200 commission each week, you've got a nice part-time income. Do that once a day and you're on your way to a nice living.
So far, it sounds pretty straightforward. But don't I have to be careful? Aren't there some scam artists out there? In researching Home-Based Travel Agent, I uncovered only one outfit, that's not even a travel agency, that takes your money and gives next to nothing in return. What you find more often are agencies that engage in over-pricing and deceptive advertising. Essentially their pitch is: "Give us $500 and we'll give you an 'official travel agent ID card' that will get you free hotel rooms and ultra-discounted airfares."
That's a lot of hooey. The industry is cracking down on this sort of thing, so you'll probably find their ID is about as "official" as your Captain Midnight decoder ring. And even if you do con your way into a cheap hotel room, you're committing fraud. I have very little time for this type of operation, but it must be said that these outfits are travel agencies and you can book travel through them and collect a commission.
But aren't the benefits -- big discounts and free trips -- one of the reasons people want to become travel agents in the first place? Sure, those benefits exist and it's not too hard to qualify for them legally and ethically. Bona fide travel agents are entitled to discounts and industry courtesies. For example, suppliers sponsor "fam trips" or familiarization trips to acquaint travel agents with their tours and resorts. These can cost a modest amount or even be free. Once you get active in the business, you'll learn about these opportunities. I've even had suppliers offer me great fam trips without my asking.
There's a lot of misinformation in this area, so I devote a whole chapter in Home-Based Travel Agent to how the system of ID cards, discounts and fam trips works and how you can legally qualify for all the great benefits.
Why can't I just deal directly with the airlines and the cruise operators and avoid the travel agency entirely? For a number of reasons. For one thing, the airlines won't let you. They only issue tickets and send commissions to travel agencies that they have accredited. You could become one but it costs an arm and a leg and takes a lot of time. For another thing, working through a travel agency can save you registration and license fees in some states.
Also, it's a lot easier and more convenient to deal with one travel agency than dozens of suppliers. As you gain more experience, you'll find that you'll start dealing directly with some suppliers -- cruise lines in particular. That way, of course, you don't have to split the commission with anyone and you can start making some real money. You'll still have to maintain a relationship with a travel agency, however, if you want to continue selling airline tickets.
Won't the travel agency get upset if I start going directly to the suppliers? They might, but there's nothing they can do. As an outside rep you are an independent contractor, not an employee of the travel agency. They can't tell you how to run your business. Most agencies that use this kind of arrangement understand the realities of the business and accept them.
What kind of people are doing this? All sorts. There are a lot of experienced travel agents taking this route. They can make more money than they would as an employee and they avoid the high overhead of starting their own agency.
Then there are people looking for a new career, one that will let them travel more. And there are an increasing number of part-timers who sell to their family, friends and neighbors and make a few extra thousand each year.
What advice would you give to someone who's interested in becoming a travel agent using this strategy? First, shop around for the best deal with an agency. The financial arrangements vary widely. But don't worry too much. The nature of the business is that if you find a better deal, it's easy to switch agencies. You can even deal with more than one agency at once.
Second, start small. Don't make a big investment in training or equipment until you find out that the travel agent business is for you. It's possible to get started for under $100. Then if you decide you don't want to continue you've lost very little, if any, money. If you decide you like the travel game, you can invest in your business as it grows.
Third, make a commitment to learning. One of the great things about this business is that the suppliers make a big commitment to providing free educational seminars, low-cost training videos, and all sorts of other helpful information to travel agents. There are also professional organizations that offer educational opportunities. You can take a seven-day Caribbean cruise and learn how to sell cruises for $450 -- and it's a tax-deductible business expense!
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"A definitive guide to getting in on the travel business." Rudy Maxa Public Radio's Savvy Traveler
"A thorough introduction to the field. Provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a home-based business. Detailed and well-written." Phyllis Fine Travel Agent magazine
"Finally, someone has written a travel agent book that tells it like it is. Kelly Monaghan's knowledge explodes off every page." Donna Scherf Former Executive Director, National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA)
"A few months ago, a friend of mine let me read through his copy of Home-Based Travel Agent. Eventually, he had to pry it out of my hands to get it back. Now I want my own copy!" David Mace
"On Thursday, February 23, I purchased your book and can honestly state it was the smartest move and best bargain I have encountered in my six years as a part-time agent. I understand more fully the concepts involved, can make better bookings, be more responsive in my bookings, and have a definite game plan for retirement. Thank you. It should be mandatory for every part-time agent." Terri N. Austin International Tours of Northeast Philadelphia, PA
"A full-time read and better and more informative than anything I've read in years!" Barbara Holstein South Portland, ME
"In trying to find out if the travel business was for me or not, I found Home-Based Travel Agent to be the best all around source on the subject." Terry Daniels Medford, NY
"I very much enjoyed your Home-Based Travel Agent. In fact, I've already applied to [an agency]. Thanks for making my dream possible!" James K. Fowler Englewood, CO
"Your book, Home-Based Travel Agent, is great! I have read it twice and each time I read it I want to be as experienced as you are." Louise Mitchell Stafford, TX
"One of my new IC's [independent contractors], who has no formal training, cannot put your book down. She probably knows as much as I do after six years." Cheryl Shelly, travel agency owner Roselle, IL
"Thank you very much for the information in Home-Based Travel Agent. I've been looking for a way to be involved in the travel industry and combine it with my interest in golf; your book provided me with the material I needed." Penny Rauenhorst PJ's Travel & Golf Getaways
"Quite by accident, I discovered your book, Home-Based Travel Agent. I must say it is everything they did not teach us in the travel agent training course -- a virtual gold mine for anyone, such as myself, interested in testing the waters of the travel agent business before diving in." Rosalie Hughes Boise, ID
The book is organized in three main sections:
Part I: How You Can Become a Travel Agent - TODAY! In this section, I will lay out the opportunities that exist to get involved in organizing and selling travel on either a part-time or full-time basis. This information will allow you to construct your travel business on your own terms. Like I said, this is definitely not a one size fits all proposition.
I'll also show you how to get started in your new part-time travel business on a level at which you are most comfortable and point out some of the pitfalls as well as the pleasures of this exciting new lifestyle.
Part II: The Fine Art of Selling Travel. Next, I'll show you how to translate your enthusiasm for this new lifestyle into actual sales, and put real cash in your pocket. You'll learn how to locate your very first customers, get to know their travel needs and preferences, use powerful benefits to sell high-ticket tours and cruises, and ask for their business with pride and confidence. This is a complete mini-training program in the classic core selling skills. It is patterned after sales training programs I created for some of America's most successful selling organizations.
Part III: Resource Section. Here you will find annotated lists of books, magazines, educational institutions, industry organizations, professional associations, and other resources you can turn to for more information. Every organization, association, or book mentioned in Parts I and II is included in the Resource Section. (From the Introduction, pages 21-22)