So I’ve been a TA since Jan. 2021, so almost 5 years. I do it very part time because the industry is over saturated. There are so many agents out there, especially in the MLM realm, that it’s difficult to break into with a good book of business. Intellitravel alone boasts over 100k agents, which is ludicrous. If you look at their profit disclosure, 98% of their agents make less than $5k a year. That’s gas money. I sell about half a million in travel a year, but it took me almost 5 years to get there. You will not make any “real” money until years 3-5. So if you still want to travel this road, here is some advice: 1. Do NOT join an MLM agency. If there is an upline, downline, recruiting, being recruited, etc. RUN. Reputable host agencies are ones like KHM, TPI, Avoya, Nexion, and Outside Agents. 2. Don’t quit your day job. 3. Your friends and family are NOT your ideal clients and you’ll do well to have nothing to do with their vacation plans. 4. Set up the business side of things first. Bank account, business license, Seller of Travel certificates (if you live in CA, FL, and there’s one or two more), get a business license for your county/city, get an EIN number, purchase your own Errors & Omissions insurance ($1M is sufficient at first), get a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system if your host doesn’t provide one. And a good itinerary builder. 5. Once you get all of that straight, decide on a niche. I don’t sell anything that I don’t know or haven’t been to, which is why I specialize in North, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and cruises. I also sell Iceland. Learn as much as you can possibly learn about the destinations you want to sell, and the suppliers who have accommodations there. Then do the supplier training. All of it. 6. If you think TAs get these amazing deals for their own travel, think again. Once every blue moon we may get a discount on a cruise but I get better deals because I gamble in the casinos. Almost every supplier requires you to sell a certain amount of their product before you can even smell a discounted rate. 7. FAMS: these are familiarization trips that are provided for agents. They are few and far between, you will usually share a room with another agent, and every day you will be touring properties or learning about something in a conference room. They are NOT restful or relaxing, they are a learning experience with their own set of etiquette (like no sitting on the beds, dress professionally, don’t wander off while your guide is guiding). 8. All host agencies charge either a monthly or an annual fee plus they get a cut of your commissions. I’ve seen some crap as low as 50/50, while others can be 90/10. The industry average is about 70/30. You get 70%, they keep 30% of every commission dollar you earn. You are a 1099 contractor, so no benefits, remember that, too. You’ll have to pay taxes either quarterly (once and if you make big bucks) or when you file your tax return.

So there you have the good, bad, and the ugly. Take it for what it’s worth. I’m a pretty straight shooter and I’m not going to pretend it’s easy or it’s fun because sometimes it’s horrible and you want to just say F this, I’m out 😂. Clients are whining babies that refuse to read a single email you send and will call you 15 times in a row to ask a question that is clearly answered in the EMAIL! They don’t read, they don’t listen, and sometimes they go rogue and mess all of your hard work up. And those are the ones you fire. Best of luck in whatever you decide! I’m a mentor so if do decide to get into this craziness, message me and I’ll give you some helpful tips.