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Home >> Careers In Travel >> I Want To Become A Home Travel Agent

I Want To Become A Home Travel Agent

A friend of mine was tired of corporate life. She wanted the freedom of working independently, and loved to travel. After months of considering, she finally phoned one evening: “I’ve figured out the perfect job for me! I want to become a home travel agent!”

As it turned out, she did become an independent travel agent, and a really good one. However, the rose-colored glasses came off within a few weeks, and stayed that way for many years, until her practice was built up enough for her to start enjoying it.

It all boils down to two key traits: the ability to think like a business owner, rather than an employee; and the discipline to balance good ole S&M.

Remember, your home based travel agency is a business, and you’re the boss. If you work for an agency, you are responsible for showing up, booking travel, and collecting payment. As an owner, you also have taxes, overhead, outsourcing, advertising… which can add up to a headache in no time.

Equally important is the ability to balance Sales and Marketing. As an employee you are responsible for selling to people who come into the office (or are recommended from friends and colleagues). It’s like being a waiter in a restaurant; some days are busy, some days are slow, but as long as you serve your clients when you need it, you’re OK.

Not so if you want to become a home based travel agent. Sure you must sell to your clients in order to help pay the bills today, but you must also market to your prospects in order to pay the bills tomorrow. I personally know four agents who tried to make the leap to a home based agency of their own, and they were all back in the office within the next year.

I’m not trying to scare you; rather, I want to make sure you are aware of the responsibilities associated with working at home. If you have the foresight and discipline to survive that first year, maybe, just maybe, there might be a pair of rose colored glasses waiting for you on your vacation!