Been researching the travel agent business online and it’s been quite an eye-opener. Times have changed big time! There are newer and better ways to become a travel agent apparently. Found this information on another blog.
All links still live!
Classic (old-school) Travel Agent Opportunity
There are still travel agent trainings, that cost an arm & a leg, and leave you with the ability to book travel, but that’s where it ends. My wife took this old-school training and it cost her over $10,000 and she had to pay for room & board for the month-long course. She ended up with a basic privilege to book travel.
With these kind of old-school credentials, you are missing out on something BIG, and I’ll get to why further in this article.
Internet Travel Agent Opportunity
Then along came the Internet, and soon there was hundreds of web-sites offering cheap eBooks, online courses claiming that you would get the information, and training you needed to succeed as a travel agent (home-based, or overhead based).
None of these cheap deals actually deliver on their promise, and this avenue usually leaves you out of pocket for some of your hard-earned money. How much can vary – from as low as $5.95, and as high as $2500 USD. OUCH! You want to stay clear of these scams for sure.
Then Came Programs Like YTB
YTB is a smoother, and slicker Internet based company that promises to provide you with the resources to become a home-based travel agent. The problem is that there are better offers out there now. These new-world networks cost less money, set you up faster, pay higher commissions, and provide for residual income as well. The travel agents make high commissions, and they have lucrative down-lines that grow wealth perpetually.
The New-World Travel Agent System
The new-world travel agent systems use a Network that provides for online travel booking so that the agent can work from anywhere there is an Internet connection, and they pay much higher commissions. The best example to date is a new travel company known as Pro Travel Network.
This new breed of travel agent gets all the travel benefits the old-school agents get, but they have more freedom because of the Internet based model, and they (more importantly), have downlines. This is where it gets very lucrative.
The best article I was able to find that explains Pro Travel Network in detail is here. There are links to a forum, where you can watch some of these Pro Travel Network agents planning trips, signing up new recruits, and talking about their commissions. Pretty cool to watch.
The Zulit article also breaks down the different ways new members can be agents. They can either sign up like the old-school agent with the ability to only book travel, or they can sign up for the PTN multi-level-marketing side.
This is not unlike the old Amway system, but it’s based on travel booking, and this is why it’s such a lucrative system. Signing up people for travel deals, and a residual income is an easy sell.
At this writing, I have not become a home-based travel agent, but my sister did a year ago. She joing PTN, and her income is now double what she made as a book-keeper. She has been traveling all over the world, and I’m getting quite envious with the schedule she has.
As I always suggest to my conservative-minded readers, don’t jump into this program without reading allot about it.
Have fun!???
