Travel Agent Chatter | Starting And Growing Your Travel Agency

Shayna and Steph team up with Stephanie Gries from Travefy to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Travefy’s profile here: Travefy | Host Agency Reviews. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST! There are so many new travel tech tools out there, it can feel overwhelming to choose what’s actually worth investing in. How do you recommend an advisor figure out which tools will really help their business grow?One of my biggest headaches is dealing with last-minute changes, like when flights get cancelled or clients want to add something at the last minute. What are your top tips for staying organized and keeping clients in the loop without losing my sanity?I feel like my tech stack is all over the place, a CRM here, itinerary builder there, emails somewhere else. How important is it to have tools that integrate well with each other, and how do you know where to start?RESOURCES:➡️Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions w

Shayna and Steph team up with Jenn Lee from Vacation Planners to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Vacation Planners profile here: Vacation Planners | Host Agency Reviews. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST! I'm stuck on making a decision. I've only had two clients in the last year (my friends). They are FITs, its honestly been a pain to deal with. I do have a supplier helping me with this, but it's still been rough. I know I've only had 2 clients because I haven't advertised. It really seems social media is the way we need to market, and the idea of doing videos and reels of myself makes me nauseous. Plus, any training on marketing. Along with training in general for things so so time consuming. There's no time. I work a full time job already, so it all seems overwhelming and impossible. Should I just bag this whole thing of working for myself, and work for a supplier if I can?Can you talk about the practice of DMCs presenting quotes in gross vs net co

Shayna and Steph team up with Jennifer Dugan from Dugan’s Travels to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Dugan’s profile here: Dugan's Travels LLC | Host Agency Reviews. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST! I am a travel agent (since 2012) and own my own agency (since 2016). I am thinking of bringing on another agent and need to fully understand the differences and implications to both me as well as to the agent between me having this agent as an (a) employee, (b) and independent contractor, or (c) me being a host agency and them being a host agent. I attend market festivals as a vendor advertising my travel business between the spring and fall. This year, I have added some physical items to sell that are related to a few countries that I advertise. Because these are physical products and not travel, can I still sell them under my business name at these fairs? My host agency allows me to charge service fees, so I thought it would be ok to do this. Tha

Shayna and Steph team up with Lori Speers from Levarte Travel to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Levarte’s profile here. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST! Currently, I’m working as a receptionist, after my first year, I was promoted to Jr. Agent. Unfortunately, due to some health issues my son is facing, my career progress has been put on hold, and it wasn’t my choice to step back. I’ve had to prioritize his well-being, but it’s difficult not to be able to pursue my dream of becoming a travel advisor. Has anyone else faced something similar? How did you continue to move forward when life threw you a curveball like this? I’d really appreciate any advice or guidance on how to keep pursuing my goals despite these challenges.I know some host agencies pay out to their agents weekly, bi-monthly, or monthly. I'm curious to know the industry standard for how soon after receipt of commission from the supplier would a host agency pay the independent agent.Wha

Steph teams up with Eric & co. of Cruise Planners to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out CP's profile here. Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST! If you plan a destination wedding just as a coordinator - client pays vendor directly - how can you protect yourself? —Lenora D.I attend market festivals as a vendor advertising my travel business between the spring and fall. This year, I have added some physical items to sell that are related to a few countries that I advertise. Because these are physical products and not travel, can I still sell them under my business name at these fairs? My host agency allows me to charge service fees, so I thought it would be ok to do this. Thanks! —Marc C.I am an experienced agent (going on 6 years) but looking to switch hosts (participated in Host Week and have been researching since). I recently met and have been speaking with a travel company franchisee about joining them as an associate with 90/10 commission split (wh

Steph and Shayna welcome Sheila Folk of Travel Industry Solutions to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out TIS’s profile here on our brand-new travel tech software profiles.Here are the juicy questions they’ll tackle this Friday, as always, at 12 pm CST! I absolutely love working with clients and planning trips, but when it comes to the backend of running my business—things like systems, organization, and workflows—I feel like I’m constantly playing catch-up. What kinds of processes or tools should I be thinking about to stay on top of things and actually free up some time?As I’ve grown my business, I keep hearing that I should be using templates or contracts to protect myself, but I’m not sure where to even start. Are there certain legal or operational documents that every advisor should have in place no matter what stage they’re at?With so many scams and fraud risks out there—especially things like fake client inquiries or payment fraud—what are some red flags I should be watching out for?

Shayna Zand and Steph join forces with Vacation Planners and Travel Planners International to host this week's Friday 15 to celebrate the beginning of the long weekend in the USA. You can check out their HAR profile HERE! Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here: https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 !I am a huge fan of your podcasts and I look forward to listening to them each week. I have been in the industry for just over 2 years working part time while I build up my business. I am curious about host agency commission splits and why some host agencies have higher commission splits. I notice there is a range of agency commission splits 70/30, 80/20 or 90/10.  Right now I am at a 70/30 split and I wonder if this is an average commission split?  I wonder for host agencies with higher commission splits is it because they offer more perks or benefits than host agencies with a 90/10 split.Love the podcast! I'm just over a year in as a part time agent a

Shayna Zand and Steph join forces with Solstice Collective to host this week's Friday 15 to celebrate the beginning of the long weekend in the USA. You can check out their HAR profile HERE!  Also, we have a veritable barrage of questions this week, which you can read below, and then come and join us at 12 pm CST for the podcast. Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here: https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 !I mostly get new clients from referrals. What’s the value of investing in a professional website if word-of-mouth is already working for me?I have a basic website but I’m not sure it’s doing much for my business. What are the must-haves for a travel advisor site that actually converts visitors into clients?Do travel advisors really need a blog or SEO strategy? Or can a clean site with my services and a contact form be enough?RESOURCES:➡️ We have a wonderful article (that may or may not be written by Steph’s wonderful sister) on a step-by-step guide t

Shayna Zand and Steph cohost with April Swales of Uniglobe Travel Center to host this week's Friday 15 to celebrate Travel Advisor Day/Month. You can check out their HAR profile HERE! You can scope out our questions below, then come and join us at 12 pm CST for the podcast! Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here: https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 !1.  I am thinking of getting into travel advising to share my love of animals. I have traveled to Kenya on a safari with a small group and several expedition ship trips to polar regions. My question is how to achieve bookings and have a cohesive enough group to spend so much time together? For example, how or can I screen or evaluate the compatibility of potential travelers, so if a trip is very physical, to make sure everyone is the group is prepared? 2.  I realise that every Host agency has a different network. Even though I understand that I'm not supposed to go out of network if working

Shayna Zand and Steph join forces with Fora Travel to host this week's Friday 15 to celebrate the beginning of May. You can check out their HAR profile HERE!  Also, we have a veritable barrage of questions this week, which you can read below, and then come and join us at 12 pm CST for the podcast. Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here:https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 !1. The name I wanted to move forward with is "Be Prepared Vacations." The focus is on Disney, so the "Be Prepared" is a nod to Scar's song in the Lion King. I spoke with a trademark attorney. Unfortunately, the word "Be Prepared" can't be trademarked because the Boy Scouts have it trademarked. He said I can use the name, but it can't be trademarked. I really liked the name after going through hundreds of ideas, and the URLs and socials are all available. Upon doing some research, it didn't appear that many other smaller travel agencies had their name trademarked. If you can't g

Steph Lee co-hosts with Stephanie Gagnon of Just Perfect Travel. Check out the questions below, and then come and join us Friday at 12 pm CST for the podcast! Please submit your questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here!I am thinking about trying to become a travel advisor as a side hustle/potential career change. But, with the way the world is right now… Travel bands, tariffs, impending USA recession… I'm wondering what the outlook actually is for someone trying to start a new career in this field? What are the real travel agents preparing for? Is it a good idea to get into this business while all of this political stuff is happening? — Madi D.I am in the final steps of picking a host agency.  My business is based out of the United States but my clients are from many different countries. I have a 16,000 person international reach and need to be able to service any client, regardless of where they are citizens.  I have been told, possibly erroneously, that I can only book clients that are

Shayna Zand and Steph join forces with Cazavia Travel to host a special edition this week's Friday 15 to celebrate Earth Month. Cazavia’s host agency is Montecito Village Travel and you can check out their HAR profile HERE!  Also, we have a veritable barrage of questions this week, which you can read below, and then come and join us 12 pm CST for the podcast. Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here!How can travel advisors influence client decisions without being pushy—especially when sustainability isn’t already a priority for the traveler?Can you share an example of how an advisor made a trip more meaningful or sustainable for a client, even if that wasn’t the client’s original goal?What role do travel advisors play in supporting local communities and economies through the trips they plan?What do you wish more people knew about the impact their travel decisions have on the destinations they visit? RESOURCES:➡️We have a great article as well on Supp

Shayna Zand and Steph join forces with Lori Speers to host this week's Friday 15. Lori's host agency is Levarte Travel and you can check out their HAR profile HERE!  our co-host! Also, we have a veritable barrage of questions this week, which you can read below, and then come and join us 12 pm CST for the podcast. Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here!1.   Why is it so hard to narrow down a host on a general niche (like Mexico AIs)? 2.    What's the deal with TA discounts being earned + you not usually being able to tap into them until you reach certain sales levels? 3.    Why don't TAs necessarily have access to exclusive discounts for trips for their clients?4.    What about after hours support for traveling clients not being on the host side, but rather the supplier's?5.    Are air/car rentals maybe worth my time due to low commissions?RESOURCES:➡️Guide to choosing a travel niche. https://hostag

Our Managing Director Shayna Zand takes the helm this week at the Friday 15, with Connie Miller of Montecito Village Travel as our co-host! Check out Montecito's profile here and the questions below that Shayna and Conni will tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST.Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here: https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 1. Do you really need an Identification number to be seen as a travel agency.. or can I essentially just book someone's trip for them? I’m not sure I want to find a host, I want to start my own business, but I don't know if that would be beneficial without having a number because I don't know if I would get the best discounts that way. I would love to just book people's trips, any advice? I'm fine booking the trip and just charging a fee without receiving all the extra commissions.. I just want to know if that is something I am technically allowed to do. I also want to know would it benefit the client though.2. How does a newbi

Steph and Shayna co-host the Friday 15 with Stephanie Pickles of PTN! Scope out PTN's profile here and the questions below that Stephanie, Stephanie and Shayna will cover this Friday at 12 pm CST.Don't forget that you can submit questions and sign up for reminders for the F15 here!1. Where do I find a list of all the host agencies in Japan (like HAR for US and CA). I want to start a branch operation in Japan. I want the consortium in Japan. What are the accreditation in Japan? -Joseph W.2. If an Independent Contractor neglects to renew their Florida Sellers of Travel Independent Sales Agent license on time, what are the repercussions by the state? How have other host agencies handled this situation? Is the host agency liable? --Anonymous3. Why would there be a foreign transaction fee when you are paying the supplier? I guess if they booked direct there might be. --Larry H.RESOURCES:➡️Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) https://www.japan.travel/en/➡️World Travel Agency Associaion Alliance (WTAAA) https:

Steph and Shayna welcome Sheila Folk of Travel Industry Solutions to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out TIS’s profile here on our brand-new travel tech software profiles.Here are the juicy questions they’ll tackle this Friday, as always, at 12 pm CST! 1. Hi Stephanie and Team! Thanks for all you do! I am hitting a wall trying to figure out how to bill for group FIT trips. To have each person in the group pay individually for each hotel reservation and activity would cause many foreign transaction fees on their credit cards. It is so much easier to just collect one payment/client and then I could pay it to all of the vendors on my business credit card which has no foreign transaction fees. However, I have heard multiple times that this is not best practice. I called and emailed my host company about this and their only advice was to talk with other advisors about what they do which is fine, but I want to make sure I am doing things properly. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

View the video, transcript, and show notes at: https://har.news/vol32Today's guest made the leap from tech project management to travel advising in 2023 while living abroad in Switzerland. Within just two years, she's grown her agency, Your Travel Story, to nearly 6 times the sales from Year 1.What makes Grace Camoglu’s journey particularly fascinating is how she balances being an FIT travel advisor with living in Switzerland, raising two young children (ages 8 and 11), and primarily serving North American clients—all while operating in a different time zone.Grace has embraced fees from day one, starting with $200 and now charging $500 per household for a 7-10 day trip. She'll share how she's navigated time zone challenges, host agency selection as an expat, and why she believes in charging fees from the beginning.For Grace, travel is a family tradition. Her father, who worked at a travel agency in Taiwan before immigrating to the U.S., instilled a love of exploration in her from an early age. Now, she's pass

In episode 200, Steph and Shayna co-host and Global Travel Collection is out sponsor. We’ve got three substantial questions to dig into this week, so study up & let’s go! 1. I'm just in the beginning of becoming a travel agent and really appreciate all the information I have been able to get from Host Agency Reviews. Thank you so much! My question is related to my potential agency name. I have looked up the possible name on NameCheap and it was not listed but when I look on Facebook there is a page with the same name. It doesn't appear that there has been any activity since 2022. Should I abandon the name I want or add something to the Facebook page name as I create it like my name or the word vacation? Or do you recommend something else? -Debi W.2. As an aspiring travel advisor, do you believe changes in the United States' relations with other countries will significantly impact the number of people booking trips and vacations? How will such changes affect the travel industry? Also, do you think I s

In episode 199, Steph and Shayna co-host with Jennifer Dugan of Dugan’s Travels! Here’s the questions they’ll tackle this week. Please join us! 1. What is your favorite place to travel with children under 5?  ---Staci W.2. Hi guys, my question is about organizing and processes. Working independently it's difficult to see how other people organize not only their workflow but how they store their information to recall it. From as simple as an A-Z address book to put formats or special codes for suppliers, sometimes you just want things simple and quick.I struggle with how to set up my files to recall information. I see Steph saying "oh I'll attach a link …" and she retrieves it.Any tips on how to organize computer files? Any help on notes on webinars watched?Thank you! —Theresa W.RESOURCES:➡️ Project Management Software: Trello, Asana, Monday.com➡️ Software that allows different programs to pass information between them: Zapier➡️ HAR’s list of travel agency CRMs https://hostagencyreviews.com/trav

In episode 198, Steph Lee co-hosts with a longtime friend of the Friday 15, April Swales of Uniglobe Travel Center. They’ve got two especially in-depth questions, so have a look and tune in Friday 12 pm CST! 1. Do you have a good system for organizing all your travel BD contacts and promotional material of properties?  I get overwhelmed with paper and business cards and even online and notes I still cannot seem to get a system in place for everything I receive. --- Sara R.2.  I am an IC with about 2 years in the business.  I'm considering going out on my own because I'm not happy with my situation for many reasons.  How do you know it's the right time to make this change?  What do you see as the pros and cons of staying an IC and being independent? ---AnonymousRESOURCES:➡️Blinq.com for e-business cards and sharing your info, gathering other e-business cards➡️Camcard.com to organize business cards and create e-business cards➡️HAR’s list of travel agency CRMs➡️Follow on Youtube: Th