Question:
I normally know a scam when I see one, and I feel that most "home businesses" are scams, but

I was thinking of checking into the travel agent home businesses, not so much for the money, but for the travel benefits. In fact I don't know that I would even try to sell much travel, maybe to close friends or something.

Has anyone done this? Do the "home based" travel agents get the discounts like a real travel agent gets? Can you recommend someone to go through to get going?

Answer:
I was thinking of checking into the travel agent home businesses, not so -much for the money, but for the travel benefits. In fact I don't know that I -would even try to sell much travel, maybe to close friends or something.

Far better for travel benefits is an airline job.  Not only non revenue flight benefits but extensive discounts throughout the travel industry, including cruises.  Check out some "interline" travel agencies- some pricing may be viewable.   Better than a travel agent who has to pay for air.


Sad to say that most of the travel agent "specials" are either around the same price as some of the discounts, or in some cases cost even more than the discounts.  There were quite a few in September that were almost half of the travel agent fare.  One of the regional airlines in Canada offers "special" travel agent rates, I was checking them last night in fact.  They were a whole $1 less than the regular fare being offered.

I don't know what travel agent discounts used to be like, but they're sure not tremendous now.  Fortunately I'm in this business because I love it, not for the discounts.

CruiseOne, for example, is part of the one of the largest sellers of cruise travel in the world, NLG.  Therefore, we often get rates from the cruise lines that aren't available to small, independent "brick and mortar" agents.

However, you can't just declare that you're an agent and be in business.  It requires training and investment.  If you want to do this just for the perks, you would be better off taking the money that you need to invest and using it to buy cruises from a "real" agent .I probably shouldn't write this as I know it will offend somebody.

I just retired after spending 25 years in the home video business, an industry which is about 25 years old.  Since we were one of the original video stores, when the business took off, it was not unusual for us to have people visit our store in order to find out how we did business, and to have people picking our trash to try to learn the names of our suppliers.

As time went by people would ask us for the names of our suppliers, and when we went to the Internet we would get e-mail all of the time asking how the sender could open a video store.  Since we had become international we still opted not to share our secrets.

The world can probably absorb one more travel agency, but if you want to open it, and I hope Alan knows that I am not talking to him, have the courtesy not to ask existing agents, and do your own homework.