Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 94 Steph chats with Joshua Harrell, Chief Marketing Officer for Travel Quest Network about HAR's new course (The Complete Guide to Starting a Travel Agency), what travel booking engine you can get access to without joining a host agency, and what next after you initial training into the travel biz. A list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Info on state-le...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 93 Steph chats with Vanessa McGovern, Co-Founder of Gifted Travel Network about converting quotes to Canadian money, host training vs. independent training, and why’s a consortium important to consider when choosing a host. Helpful Resources ( Use promo code HWhuzzah to save 50% through Feb, 12th, 2023 ) Course Community Meetup on Feb 13th at 7pm CT ( Friday 15 Epi...

Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about acquiring a GDS system without a host, attending FAM trips through other host/consortiums, using a payment system without using a host, and do you need to be certified to work with a host. Helpful Resources: ( Use code HAR149 to save 50% ) ( More on IATA/ARC ) ( Entertainment Travel Advisors Coalition ) ( Global Business Travel Association ) ( HAR’s ev...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 91 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about working with multiple host, the difference between a host and a travel agency, having international clients, and business travel expenses. Helpful Resources: ( Host Week!!! Register: https://hostagencyreviews.com/hostweek ) ( Host Week! Exclusive Specials: https://hostagencyreviews.com/blo...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 90 Steph chats with Jennifer Dugan, Chief Family Officer of Dugan's Travels about touching base w/ client post-booking, moving direct RCCL booking to host agency, host restrictions on personal travel, and the best group travel promotion in the new year. Question 00:00 | Welcome to Friday 15! 01:49 | What info to offer client after booking & before trip 06:33 |...

Welcome to this week's Friday 15 brought to you by our sponsors at Incentive Connection Travel! Today Steph chats about SBA loans to supercharge your agency start, best E&O insurance coverage, and host agency for African travel. Helpful Resources: https://hostagencyreviews.com/hosts/incentive-connection-travel https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/hosted...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 88 Steph chats about if experienced advisors were more likely to take the HAR survey, host with one booking system, and can new TA's get $100,000 in gross sales. Question 00:00 | Welcome and meet Steph! 01:27 | Do more experienced advisors take HAR's survey? 06:58 | Are there hosts with one portal to book all suppliers? 11:45 | How hard is it get $100,000 in sales...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 87 Steph chats about if hosts work with small suppliers, how do you find a host's preferred suppliers if not listed on HAR, and how do you find out information on advisor's average sales and commission. Question 00:00 | Welcome to Friday15! 02:30 | Can you book small suppliers with a host? 05:18 | How to find a host's preferred suppliers 09:19 | How do find data on...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 86 Steph chats with Jenn Lee, from Travel Planners International about if you need to experience it to sell a product/destination, Host that does group air? Hard to get timely air quotes. Why? Host Week specials -- should I wait to join? Question 00:00 | Welcome a sneak preview of HAR's latest data 05:45 | Do you need to experience the places you sell? 11:17 | Host...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 84 Steph chats with repeat co-host Kimberly Stirdivant, TourRadar. Which hosts use TourRadar? Is picking a host before getting a travel certification okay? I'm an advisor that wants to also operate as a tour operator . . . Can I be hosted? Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week -- It's Free! ) ( Host Agency Review Profiles ) https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 84 Steph chats with Jenn Lee, from Travel Planners International about which hosts allow you to book interline rates, if Host Week be recorded, is it normal for host not to pay commissions when you leave, and if you have a 1099, do you still have to do DBA and sole prop? Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak...

Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about how are influencers booking group travel, is there a minimum time commitment if you go hosted, host agency that are good for small tour operators. Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( Sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions w...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 82 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about using personal CC for business, homebased vs. IC - what's the difference, how to list host agency on HAR, and working as travel agent employee. Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( More inf...

A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Erica Carr stumbled into travel in 2019, booking a jaw-dropping 100 trips her first year … just in time for the worldwide pandemic. But ain’t no pandemic stopping this lady. Nope, Erica and her team of three employees are on track to bring in $2.2M in sales for 2022! Bookitbox TRAVEL is a luxury travel agency with a spin. Every client gets a box pre-departure with...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 81 Steph chats with Kimberly Stirdivant, Director of Partnerships, TourRadar about What resort/tour pics you can you use on your site, TourRadar has an LGBTQ-friendly filter for trips, What is VAX Vacation Access, How does TourRadar vet sustainable travel partners, and Does TourRadar only carry adventure tours? Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- J...

Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about supplier and host not paying commission, who is HAR's job board for, and are you team niche or team no niche? Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( We've got the steps you need to take both proactively to avoid joining a host with financial troubles, and...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 79 Steph chats about which hosts include ASTA membership, resources for hiring + job descriptions, and which hosts have military/veteran discounts. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! We'll also be putting on an educational session on hiring employees and writing stellar job descriptions...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 78 Steph chats about how much you can earn on international air tix, how much it cost to become host agency, and is $150 enough to start a travel agency? Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Fabo interview with Lar-Bear on how to make money selling airline tickets. Great inspiration and ideas for people interested in selling air only! ) ( Learn...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 65 Steph chats with Avery Campbell, from ACTA, about Canadian regulations: Agency vs. Outfitter, offering payment plans, and is 60 air tickets/yr worth joining a host? Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Infographic of which provinces have regulations and what they are. ) ( Avery's contact info ) ( ACTA Twitter account ) ( ACTA LinkedIn accoun...

Welcome to Friday 15! Today April chats about launching a new website and what to look for, why you should have social media, and rebranding or refreshing your brand. Helpful Resources: Young Leaders in Travel Council | allies.travel - https://www.allies.travel/young-leaders-in-travel-council Build a website on Wix - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/wix-tutorial Website Option - https://hostagen...

Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about going with host website or third party (which has better SEO), which hosts offer training for noobs, and advice for selling destination weddings. We do this every week! If you have travel industry questions, HAR likely has an answer :) Submit your burning question here Har. News/Friday15 and join us this Friday (and every Friday!) at 12CT for travel ag...

Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about if a CTA certification is valid in Canada, step-by-step guide for optimizing a ship inspection, and if it's important to choose a host with a GDS? Helpful Resources: ( What are the travel agent certification options out there? ) ( Get to know the Canadian provinces travel agent licensing rules ) ( Download HAR's free cruise ship inspection checklist---...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 74 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about how much to spend on travel expenses your first year, if you can have clients outside the state your Biz is in, do you need to register your biz if you move to a new state, and they discuss if large hosts have more pull than small hosts. Helpful Resources: ( Find ATTA events and many more...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 73 Steph chats with Mira Anselmi, ATTA Global Community Director about ATTA: Do you need host to join it, ATTA and Travel Leaders Certification Program, Host agencies outside the US/Canada, When does an S Corp biz structure make sense? Helpful Resources: ( Find ATTA events and many more on HAR's free event calendar! ) ( More about ATTA membership ) ( Find profiles...

Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 72 Steph chats about live lead programs for travel agents, the HAR Dogs (and how they are so stylish), and caring for clients on a FAM trip. Helpful Resources: ( Avoya Travel's profile on HAR ) ( Complete guide to travel leads for travel agents + comparison chart ) ( Check out the gorgeous dogs of HAR! ) ( Tips on building a network of other advisors you can lean o...