Home Based Travel Business – What are your options?

Posted by Jess on Apr 15th, 2009

So, you are researching a home based travel business and you’re wondering what your options are.

Well, there are two maybe three avenues to explore:

1. Becoming a work from home travel agent for an travel agency

2. Start your own travel agency out of your home

3. Join direct sales company such as Coastal Vacations or Global Resorts Network

It’s no secret that I opted for teaming up with Global Resort Network, but this article is not going to be some long pitch about why I think you should join with me and GRN. What this article is about are the common threads that run through all three of these options.

You Are Starting A Business

Regardless of the route you choose to break in the travel niche you need to understand that you are starting your own business. This means that only YOU can make things happen. There will be no boss looking over your shoulder imposing deadlines or giving you any direction.

For some of you, this is exactly what you are looking for but many folks struggle when left to their own devices and have no idea what to do first which is why so many fail in the home based business industry.

When you start a home based travel business you are officially an entrepreneur and need to take full responsibility for your future, both financial and emotional. I am a business owner, both off line and on, and although it can reap great rewards it is extremely challenging. There are many a day that I ask myself “What the hell did I get myself into?” (Usually when I am dealing with employees at the restaurant)

So know this before you begin…this will be a long uphill battle that you will need to be ready to endure.

All Home Based Travel Businesses Need Leads

Again, regardless of the business model you choose you will need to generate your own leads for your home based travel business. Or, at the very least, you will need to call leads your agency may provide. You will need to describe your services and assist your customer from A to Z in booking their vacation.

When I was researching becoming a home based travel agent I realized that I was going to need to generate my own leads, call them, convince them to book travel through me instead of my competition (travelocity, hotels.com, expedia) and explain why.

Then, once I was able to “close” the sale I would then have to make all of the travel arrangements. When this was all said and done, I was looking at a commission of about $200 for about 8+ hours of work. So, this realization is why I opted to go with Global Resorts Network.

Now, to be fair, I have a very close friend that IS a home based travel agent but she works through a private agency that specializes in destination weddings and groups vacations. She can average between $5-$8,000 per sale but the work involved is intense. She is dealing with brides, bridal parties, parents, grand parents, etc all of whom need assistance and travel arrangements as well as other odds and ends that come up. She can work one party for four to six weeks before seeing her commission.

One client tested her by asking if the resort in question would be able to deliver the Wall Street Journal to his room. Personally, I couldn’t deal with that kind of pressure, no matter how much money I was being paid.

So what does all of this mean?

What this means is that no matter what direction you choose in the home based travel business industry, you will need to learn how to market your business. This can be done in a number of ways, both online and offline, it is a matter of finding what is best for your business model.

If you live in a large, metropolitan area, then using traditional print media may be an effective way to generate sales for your home based travel agency. But, if you choose to go the direct sales route with Coastal Vacation or GRN, then you will want to focus on learning the skills of an internet marketer.

In conclusion…

So, think long and hard about why you want to start a home based travel business and make sure you choose the right business model for your personality.

I knew that I would not be cut out for a customer service driven business, I deal with that enough with my restaurant. But if you love customer service then that will be perfect for you. If you are open to the concepts of direct sales and would like to build an internet driven home based business then you may want to research Coastal Vacations, YTB Travel or Global Resorts Network.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please leave them below.

One Response

1. Mandy Sites on Oahu says:

   December 23, 2009 at 11:05 am

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