Why You Should Consider Working from Home as a Travel Agent
When you’re looking into how to become a travel agent from home, you may have a lot of questions. Here are some common questions and answers about how to become a home-based travel agent. Keep on reading to jump-start your future career today.
Why Be an At-Home Travel Agent?
Here are some of the best reasons why becoming an at-home travel agent is right for you.
- Convenience – Working from home lets you work when it’s convenient for you. If you’re juggling a busy home life or your day-to-day struggles make it so you can’t have a consistent schedule, working from home as a travel agent is perfect for you.
- Flexible working hours – You don’t have to come into the office at a set time, work a specific amount, or keep a consistent schedule from week-to-week or even day-to-day. No matter what your available hours are, you can work them.
- Make money while at home – If you have kids or elderly family living with you, it’s challenging taking care of work. If you’re not there to watch over those who need you the most, they don’t get what they need. Working from home gives you the opportunity to take care of your loved ones while earning money at the same time.
- Extra income – Working from home as a travel agent gives you the ability to bring in another paycheck to your family. Because it’s flexible, it can be anything from a full-time job to a weekend side hustle.
- Be with kids – You love your kids. They’re the best thing in the world, but they can make it feel like it’s impossible to ever leave the house or have a career. Working from home gives you the chance to be with them while still having a job.
- Low initial cost – Being a travel agent as part of the Dream Vacations Advisor opportunity doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. For an initial cost of $69 and then a monthly fee of $39, you get the training you need to start your new career.
- No additional staff – When you start your job as a travel agent, you don’t have to worry about anything else. You are starting a business that lets you make money on your own, but we take care of all of the bureaucratic paperwork. You don’t have to hire a group of people to work with you, because we’re already there to help you.
- No degree required – You don’t have to go to a university or have a successful job to be a work-from-home travel agent. Some people say a degree can be helpful, but there’s no requirement for it. There are no classes, courses, schools, or universities that you have to go through to become a great travel agent.
- No experience required – Some host agencies require any travel agent working with them to have at least a year of experience. The truth is, you can do this job without experience in the field and still find success. You don’t need to be an expert at travel and tourism to do your job right.
- Travel perks – Travel agents need to know where they’re sending their clients. That means they need to be able to go on the trips and cruises they’re sending other people on. As part of that, one of the biggest perks of being a travel agent is that you may get reduced or free trips. You’ll be able to tell your clients exactly what it will be like to walk barefoot on a white sandy beach with crystal clear waters in front of them, because you’ve been there.
Do I Work for Myself or for a Company?
Should you work for yourself or for a company? Almost always, you should start with a company. Jumping into the travel industry as a travel agent without the support and expertise of a company backing you up would be like trying to jump into fashion without knowing where to buy fabric or the restaurant industry without knowing where to purchase your cooking supplies. It’s possible, and there are always rare cases where people are able to make it work, but those are very rare.
Working for a company, especially host agencies, is a great way to get involved in travel and tourism without having to do it by yourself. A host agency is able to provide you with a support team that will train you and answer your questions, while still allowing you to manage your time the way you want. You’re able to get the flexibility you need for your life, but with the stability and reliability of an established company.
How Do You Choose a Company to Work With?
It’s important to understand who you’re getting into business with and their expectations. When you’re choosing a host agency, you should look for:
- Their industry reputation – You want to ensure that the credibility and reputation of the company you’re partnering with is strong. Which awards and recognition has the company received. What do their reviews and survey results look like? You can also look into the reviews and testimonials of existing agents to help guide your decision.
- Travel perks and discounts – Commissions are great, but an added benefit of being a travel agent is that most host agencies provide travel perks and discounts. You might be able to get free or discounted trips and vacations including cruises, excursions, and even hotel reservations. This will help you understand the packages you will sell and give you valuable first-hand experience that you can share with your clients.
- The company’s history – New companies that haven’t been around long aren’t always the most stable. When you pick a host agency, you want one with a good history. That shows that even in a changing market, they are consistently a stable company to work with. The more experienced and established an agency is, the more you can trust them to be able to guide you to success in your new job.
- Memberships in various travel and business associations – Being a member of one of the many travel and business associations shows that a host agency is part of the community. They’re better equipped to get up-to-date information about any changes.
How Do Home-Based Travel Agents Get Paid?
With each sale that a travel agent makes, they earn a percentage of the cost back as commission. Everything from complete vacation packages to smaller excursions during the trip and travel insurance are part of the commission structure. The more you work and sell, the higher your commission will be.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, travel agents earn an average of $38,700 annually. Because your income is commissions based, the amount you make is directly related to how much work you do, and everyone who joins Dream Vacations as an independent contractor. has different goals, so we cannot give you an estimate of what you would earn as an independent agent. It makes sense that a person who works full time as a travel agent and makes sales daily will earn more than someone who occasionally works nights and weekends and makes a sale every few months.
How Flexible Are Working Hours?
As a commissioned travel agent, you’ll take charge of your workload and how much, or how little, you’ll be able to manage. Whether you want to work a traditional 9-5 job and make it a full-time position, or just work evenings or weekends while your kids are asleep, working from home as a travel agent lets you set your own hours. It’s not required that you work during typical hours. No matter if you are working early in the morning before the rest of your house wakes up, or into the night as they fall asleep, you can set a schedule that works best for you.
What’s the Work Environment?
Your physical work environment as a work from home travel agent is your home. Typically, a place that is quiet and free from distractions works the best because you will be meeting with customers, making travel arrangements, and talking on the phone. An online travel agent is able to pick any place to work where they’re able to connect to the internet. That might be your home office, a quiet corner of your public library, or even when you’re traveling from your hotel balcony.
As part of the hospitality market, there are peaks and valleys to how many clients you will be working with a week. Some seasons, like spring and summer, are very busy with people wanting to go on vacations and travel.
What Do You Need to Get Started?
With each travel company that is out there, there are different requirements for what they want from their travel agents. While it can be helpful to have a background in travel and even a certificate or a bachelor’s degree in tourism, the factor that plays the biggest role is your self-motivation and strong work ethic.
When it comes to logistics, you’ll need to have a place at your home to work. This can be a dedicated office space, or just a kitchen table and a laptop, but you need to have someplace better than your couch or bed to get work done. While it is possible to do some work as a travel agent snuggled up in your favorite throw, it’s best if you have a dedicated spot so you can have a separation between your life and work.
If travel is your passion and you want a business opportunity that takes you to new places, then consider becoming a work from home travel agent with Dream Vacations.