Travel Agent Chatter | Starting And Growing Your Travel Agency

In episode 177 Steph is co-hosting with Stephanie Pickles of Pickles Travel! They’ve got a ton to discuss, including the following: 1. I hope to be a beginner agent one day soon and as I am sorting out how to break into this industry I have settled on going through a host agency, in large part thanks to your wonderful website and podcasts which I have been absorbing rapidly. However, as I review your Host Agency profiles I see GDS (which I understand and cannot use), as well as Ticketing for non-GDS agents and Air Programs listed under Corporate tools. What is the difference between a Ticketing for non-GDS agents program and an Air Program that is a corporate tool? Many thanks!  —Kerrin M.2. I guess you can now call me an 'older newbie', but I think I am losing some clients when they ask, "Do you do flights." As I know most TAs don't do airfare I have been giving them the same response. However, I have lost some clients by saying that. I have learned recently that Centrav is now offering t

In episode 176 Steph is co-hosting with Lori Speers of Levarte Travel! Here’s an introduction to the questions they’ll discuss. 1.Hi Stephanie and Guest du jour! I’m a very new advisor and would like to know how best to make the most of an upcoming trip. My husband and I are cruising the Caribbean in February with our adult children. To be clear, this trip was planned a year ago, long before I decided to plan travel professionally. We will be cruising out of San Juan, stopping in St Kitts, St Lucia, Aruba, Punta Cana, and Curaçao. Most of the stops are for 8 hours or so. We will be spending a week in Puerto Rico post-cruise. This is most definitely a vacation, but I definitely want to leverage my time and opportunity in these places. I am planning to reach out to our BDM for the cruise line to see if I can request a ship tour. How long do site inspections take? Would it be feasible to hit up a resort while in port and do an inspection while I’m in town? Or are there other, or better ways t

In episode 175 Steph is co-hosting with Kendra Tainsh of Travel Edge! Here are the questions they cover in this variety-filled episode! 1. I am not in Canada -- is this still pertinent? I would, however love to speak to someone about how to narrow down the overwhelming selection of host agencies to find one that fits my niche. I am just starting out. My niche is environmental based trips in nature featuring hiking, snorkeling, scuba and just relaxing for those who want to.  --Robin R. 2. Hey, Long time listener first time caller, LOL. I am getting a new website and I want to list my advisor fee. Where do you recommend I list out the information of my advisor fee on my website.Thanks, –Quincy in Houston  3. I have an interest in working with boutique suppliers, especially accommodations such as boutique hotels and Bed and Breakfasts. I'm wondering how host agencies mix with boutique suppliers? Do they generally have these connections? Am I able to make these connections and book with t

In episode 174 Steph is co-hosting with Heather Kindred of Nexion! Check it out below – a record-breaking four questions that they’ll cover! Tune in this Friday at 12 pm CST. 1. What is defined as a FAM? Would I be able to describe it as a business trip on my tax filing? Do I have to have any official reports, etc.? –Anonymous2. Why are host agencies apprehensive about advisors having access to the GDS systems? Or they say it "takes years" to master? And with some hosts you have to have 2 or more years experience to qualify in order to have access. I used Sabre years ago and it only took a few months to learn and with Sabre Red 360 it seems easier than ever. Reentering the travel industry I have a corporate background and I will be temporarily booking air only until I learn leisure efficiently and using Sabre would be so much easier than using a CRM all I would need is a refresher in Sabre. Please help. Thank you.  –Robin B.3. Do you have a list of host agencies that have GDS access? —Anonymous4. Ha

In episode 173 Steph and Lindsay Taylor answer a bunch of excellent questions submitted by you, our faithful viewers and listeners. If you have a question, by the way, send it our way at https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15! 1. Hello Friday 15 team! I live in Ontario Canada & my question is, how do I get into the travel industry as an advisor with no experience but have the schooling as well as TICO Certified? Thank you kindly for all you do!  –Chrystal M.2. I’ve decided to expand my agency and diversify income. I plan to open my host agency division soon. Do you have any tips for someone starting a host agency from scratch? —Anonymous3. Hi, I am wondering how to join 'preferred agency program' (e.g. Marriott Luminous, Hyatt Prive etc.). All the program says they are invitation-only but I am wondering what the general criteria is. Does joining a consortium help to become eligible? –AnonymousRESOURCES:HAR’s travel jobs board. Subscribe to weekly jobs email of new postings! (https://hostagencyre

In episode 172 Steph welcomes Carolyn Orf of KHM Travel as a co-host! They will cover a ton of helpful topics, including the following: 1. My friend and I are interested in launching an agency together. We each bring slightly different skill sets to the table and have already worked together and been students together (and have been close for decades). When evaluating host agencies we see that only Travel Quest / WorldVia host agency seems to have a membership option geared towards a two person agency. Do other host agencies have a way to structure things so that two advisors are working together under the same hosted agency, sharing their clients and working together towards revenue goals and tiers of membership? From the outside looking in it appears that if we went with an agency like Fora we'd each have to independently reach revenue goals to unlock certain perks and access. —Shannon A.2. What merchant account service should you use to take payments for bookings and what is the difference b

In episode 171 Steph co-hosts with Chad Burt of Outside Agents. Here’s the questions that they’ll cover: 1. Which host agency has the most organized training and accessible people if there are questions? –Joanne A.2. Hi! I decided I can practice doing property inspection locally. I printed out your questionnaire and intended to go through it. I asked for a manager’s name and said I want a tour. Is it a good idea for me to do it at the point where I am at right now? Maybe I should just chill? Should I be paying attention to anything specific since I am a total amateur at this point, except everything listed in your questionnaire? How should I be introducing myself. I mean - I already did… but how do the professionals do it? —Anonymous3. Which title should I use travel advisor or travel consultant and why? –Thanks, Jenn00:00 Welcome to the Friday 15 with Steph and Chad02:01 Most organized host agency?10:30 Property Inspections!17:01 Advisor or Consultant?RESOURCES:Hosted travel advisor report will go live s

In episode 170 Steph cohosts with April Swales of Uniglobe Travel! They will tackle these questions, all provided by one curious listener this week! Thank you so much for all the wonderful resources on your website! If you don’t mind me asking you for advice..So I figured that I would be better off signing up with the Host Agency… I applied with 2 different ones and I'm gonna look into more. I can already see some obvious differences. Was wondering…1. Should I be worried if the company says, “they don’t do air bookings- they are booking the ground, for the most part..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 in their system, if I am able to keep my own name and advertise as my own company, am I allowed to book with different networks of suppliers? As well as, “Is it at all possible to be affiliated with more than one HA, or is it completely unrealistic?” 3. In between 2 different agencies that I looked

In episode 169 Steph cohosts with Jenn Lee in her brand-new role at Vacation Planners! They will tackle some great questions, so please join us! 1. Hello, I would like to know about the host agency called MAGICAL VACATION PLANNER https://www.magicalvacationplanner.com/. I cannot find the reviews about this host agency on your list. Please help.Thank you  ---Rajan M.2. I understand some suppliers don't pay the host until after the travel date, but I've found some suppliers like FareBuzz, Celebrity Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and Allianz pay the month after the sale or after the final payment it's made. I also 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.  ---Jen C.RESOURCES:Virtuoso Travel Week – Check out events cal and article on how to make the most of your travel conference. 5 Ways to Make Your Travel Conf

In episode 168 Steph cohosts with Kendra from Travel Edge. They’ve got some excellent questions to cover this week, everything from CRMs to autism to non-profits. Tune in! 1. Can you provide any insight about ClientBase? My agency uses it as the CRM and the record for commission, and I hate it. IMO, it is antiquated and clunky and is the worst part of my job. Dramatic, I know. But the web-based version I have wastes my time and it's very unhelpful to me. It's all about getting paid by the host agency.  Do all host agencies work off of this ClientBase system? I like my agency, but I would consider a change if there are agencies out there that connect directly to the vendors so I'm not doing so much data entry. Or, even if they don't connect directly, maybe their CRM systems are more useful. Thank you, Thank you for all you do!  –-K 2. Do you have any resources for adults with autism who want to travel? The biggest issue I have is low stamina when things are too overwhelming. My concern i

In episode 167 Steph hosts an episode on Disney and Seller of Travel laws! Also Chad Burt of Outside Agents pops in for some greetings and feedback! Questions1. I am a new agent as of early spring 2024, so I am just getting my business known out into my community. I do live on a relatively small island in the PNW so I am excited to help facilitate tropical winter trips for the people who live here year round. I just signed on with the Chamber of Commerce so I am looking forward to getting more exposure in my community. Though I am excited to book tropical vacations, I am extra enthusiastic about booking Disney trips and specifically Disney World vacations since booking a trip can be complex with all of the various components. I love the parks and resorts and think I could be very helpful to potential clients but I am worried there aren't enough Disney goers in my local community. Do you all have any tips or suggestions for gathering Disney clients specifically? I do have a group set up on Facebook called "Tr

In episode 166 Steph is co-hosting with Chad Burt of Outside Agents. Here are the questions they’ll tackle together this week! QUESTIONS1. I'm currently doing The Travel Institute’s TripKit course. Should I complete the CTA course before I start contacting host agencies? Also, what CTA course do you recommend (The Travel Institute, ASTA, etc…) ---Anonymous 2. I'm interested in learning more about utilizing press releases for attendance of industry events and/or FAMS. How would you recommend doing that? ---AnonymousRESOURCES:What travel agent certification is and isn’t. Plus, what are the certifications out there for agents?Press release and guide from HAR Travel Agent FAM Trips: What They Are + How to Find Them + Etiquette (How Travel Advisors Can Make the Most of a Cruise Ship Inspection) (The Definitive Site Inspection Checklist) (Become a HAR subject matter expert! Fill out the form and get quoted or appear in future HAR resources.) (Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that

****** Transcript + Show Notes: https://har.news/vol30 ******Special thanks to today’s sponsors: Travel Edge and Uniglobe Travel CenterToday’s guest got her start in the industry with the inside sales team at Travel Impressions. After a reorg, Veranda Adkins decided to start her own agency, Travel Legacy. She gave herself 6 months to see if she could make things work. She’s yet to look back. Having been in the shoes of a supplier, Veranda tells us how advisors—even those just started out—can strengthen supplier relationships to help grow their agency.Celebrating 10 years of business, Veranda has grown her agency to an impressive $1.5M in annual sales. In the past decade, she’s evolved from selling mainly cruises to now doing destination weddings as well as escorting 8-10 groups a year around the world. A firm believer in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, Veranda focuses her destination wedding business with one supplier, resulting in an elite status that helps to ensure her clients have an amazing stay AND r

In episode 165 Steph is co-hosting David Meihoefer of Travel Planners International. Here’s a taste of the questions they’ll cover! QUESTIONS1. Hello, as a founding partner of an IATA accredited travel agency with plans to move to the United States by the end of the summer to operate from home, will I still have to go through all the stages of ARC-IATAN? Could HAR provide me with end-to-end support in this regard considering your 7 day agency setup program? Thanks & Regards. —Roland Y. 2. Before I started my travel agency I created a few Facebook groups to get the ball rolling. I have 5 groups currently all specific to Royal Caribbean and their ships. Combined they have over 120k members and growing daily. It's a fantastic source for leads. This is where my question comes in. They are all public groups and in the rules it states "Pirates be Gone" no selling or promoting business within the groups. I have many many travel agents doing whatever they can to get leads from the groups. I have had to remove

In episode 164 Steph is co-hosting again with Lindsay Taylor of Travel Leaders 365. Have a look at the questions below that they cover in this rich and informative edition of the Friday 15! Submit your questions + sign up for e-reminders for the upcoming F15 questions!QUESTIONS1. Hi Steph. I worked as a Travel Manager at my previous company, however, it was a created position and I used a combination of Concur, Expedia, Hotels.com, National Car rental and all the other sites. I loved this position but it all went away during Covid. Now, I'd like to get back into it but everything I'm interested in requires some Sabre experience. I know it's easy and I know I could do it but do you think it's worth taking the 60 hour course with The Travel Institute? Is there a better place to obtain this training? It could add a few lines on my resume and I'm great with self-study. $149 doesn't seem high for getting some experience. What are your thoughts? Thanks for your time! :) —Anonymous 2. Hi Steph. I have a diploma f

In episode 163 Steph is co-hosting with Lindsay Taylor of Travel Leaders 365, If you have a question for Steph and her co-hosts, please submit it here for a future episode: https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 !1. I work as an independent contractor so I already have an LLC for non travel related business. I was wondering if I could just add a "second" DBA and use the same LLC to start the travel business but continue to work on my full time job as another name. So basically 2 DBAs under one LLC? I live in Florida. Thanks! —Anonymous 2. Hello, so I live in the US and want to help people in Guyana, South America purchase flights to travel to and from the US and charge a small fee. I want to use sites like Priceline and Expedia and Booking to purchase the flights. Sort of an off the books business. Is this possible? —Mike S. 3. Hi, I’m curious about startup/yearly/monthly fees. I keep reading that it's a red flag if a travel host charges. In your opinion and experience, what do you want to look for when s

In episode 162 Steph Lee is joined by Chad Burt of Outside Agents. We’ve got some great questions from you all. Speaking of – if you have a question for Steph and her co-hosts, please submit it here for a future episode: https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 !1. Do the airlines still give commissions on flights? If not, what is the benefit of an $2300 ARC #? —Anonymous 2. Hello! I have a quick question about workflows. If you have a travel services agreement, is it better to have clients sign that before or after you send quotes/proposals? I don't want to scare clients away before they see options, but I also don't want to waste my time! —Kristin R. RESOURCES: (Submit questions, sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering!) (Friday 15 going over benefits of GDS system) (In-depth information on what the GDS, global distribution system, is and which travel advisors use it.) (What is an ARC number?) (A list of the different travel agent accreditation options.) (All a

In episode 161 Steph is co-hosting with Lori Speers of Levarte Travel! We’ve got some great questions, so make sure you set aside the time to tune in this week! (Also, ICYMI, all of our podcasts are archived, so you can listen at your leisure!) QUESTIONS :1. I recently joined a host agency (exactly 1 month ago) and I do a ton of research but somehow I feel more lost every day. I feel a little overwhelmed with so much information and access out there that my brain is freezing. I don't know where to start off so I am doing all at the same time and freaking out. Do you have a "step list" of what to do first that you would recommend? - Build a website, contracts, forms, services guide, social media, training (do I prioritize supplier training or destinations?) I have a business and social media account set up and going but I am a mess behind it all. I would like to say thank you for making this website such a welcoming place where I feel comfortable asking beginner questions. TIA! —Camila S. 2. What I'm still n

In episode 160 Steph is co-hosting with April Swales of Uniglobe! Please join us as this dynamic duo tackles a couple of important questions!QUESTIONS :1. I was wondering if I could pick your brain a little about the current status of the industry, the possibilities of finding someone interested in buying an agency, and what makes a travel agency attractive for a potential buyer. My mother isn't ready to stop working as an agent and loves helping her clients but I could see it being a good exit strategy for her in the near future. —Nathan2. I went to an actual school in 1988 on the Sabre system. Do you know if there are courses that might bring me up to speed & how much they cost?I spoke with IATAN & ARC today. It's not as expensive as I thought it'd be but I'd still like to start off maybe working with a national agency for a while first. Thoughts? —AnonymousTODAY’S RESOURCES: (Host Week presentation with Steph and Marc Casto on selling an agency)https://www.tvlacq.com/ (Broker specializing in trav

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