Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15

This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Travel Leaders Market Square with Kelly and Rochelle! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! How do I decide what reasonable travel fees are to charge my clients? I'm a newbie. Can you talk about how to determine the host agency preferred suppliers both before joining and once you’re a member? It’s very difficul...

This week’s Friday 15, we're welcoming Sava Travel and Byrd! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! How can travel advisors protect ourselves against fraudulent chargebacks? I have terms and conditions in my TravelJoy that the clients have to sign when they pay a deposit and make payments. I had a client sign for a non-refundable deposit, They submit...

This week for the Friday 15, we're opening 2026 with OASIS Travel Network and Chelsea! Let’s have some fun, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! I have been listening to past Friday15’s and someone mentions that they send an email to prospective clients to explain HOW she is paid (commissions, fees etc). I'm communicating that I will be charging fees in my business, bu...

This week for the Friday 15, we've got a final in-house HAR special with the entire HAR crew, Shayna Zand, Abbey von Gohren, Rita Perez and Jenn Myers! So much to catch up on, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us! What are a few things that families care about when they travel (other than the cost) that advisors can typically overlook or forget about? Having been a fran...

This week for the Friday 15, we've got a special in-house HAR special with Jenn Myers and Rita Perez! So much to catch up on, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I’m a relatively new advisor (I started about a year and a half ago) and I am trying to understand the concept of “leads”. My host agency (which I love!) does not have a lead generation program, and I w...

This week for the Friday 15, it’s the RETURN OF STEPH LEE as she cohosts with Lori Speers of Levarte, now a KHM travel company.  So much to catch up on, plus some questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I am wanting to transition from working fulltime at home for my current job, to owning my own homebased travel business.  I still need to keep my fulltime salary whi...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Sheila Folk of Travel Industry Solutions. We’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I'm very confused and overwhelmed by the FIT "best practice" for travel advisors.  When advisors put together a/an FIT, do they always use tour suppliers (like Classic Vacations/Project Expeditions, etc), or make i...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Jennifer Dugan of Dugan’s Travels! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST, and you know it’s gonna be good. Join us!  I worked as an independent contractor for a brick-and-mortar agency before covid. BDMs visited us regularly with updates, and stayed to chat. Their presence drew attendees and raised...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Betsy of Uniglobe Travel Center. We’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I'm a disabled travel agent just starting. I'm nervous about Fam trips. how can I explain or how can a host agency help me go on Fam trips - Michelle I am thinking about switching to another host agency because the one I am with...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Robin and Jennifer of TiqueHQ. We’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  1. I am just starting out but I had a question about credit card reward points. If a client has points for flights or hotels with a particular credit card. Am I able to book travel for them using their points or a combination of p...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Kelli Hayes Smith of Wanderlust Campus. We’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  How to get visibility and to get my first clients to work with me and trust me as a junior travel advisor? - Julie How do you face your fear about marketing your travel business on social media if you are an introvert? -...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Sheila Folk of Travel Industry Solutions. We’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I realise that every Host agency has a different network of suppliers. Even though I understand that I'm not supposed to go out of network if working in their system, if I am able to keep my own name and advertise as my...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Jenn Lee of Vacation Planners and TPI! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  Hello all! I am at the start of my journey to becoming an independent travel advisor who will join a host agency. What are some of the ways that travel advisors obtain health insurance? I did see that ASTA member...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Jackie Friedman of Nexion Travel Group! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  When looking for a host agency is it better to find one in your home state? or it doesn’t really matter? - Michelle Hello! I'm an aspiring travel advisor and keen to better understand how to tackle social media....

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Lori Speers of Levarte Travel! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  When I'm a vendor at festivals a few times a year advertising my travel agency, booth visitors repeatedly ask what tours are available besides the flyers I have on the table that show guided trips of a particular country...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Meredith Calloway of Gifted Travel Network! I am in the process of forming an LLC for a travel agency based in California. However, I do not currently have a Seller of Travel (SOT) license. I was wondering if you host agencies allow independent agents (that are members of that host) to operate under their SOT license. - Zack Can a TA niche focus on...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Carolyn Orf of KHM Travel! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I understand some suppliers don't pay the host until after the travel date, but I've found some suppliers pay the month after the sale or after the final payment it's made. I also know some host agencies pay out to their age...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with April Swales of Uniglobe! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST. Join us!  I am wondering how it works if I book flights and hotel stays separately for myself? I typically travel for work within Canada and also to San Diego for pleasure to see family. How does commission work for that type of travel...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with Jennifer Dugan of Dugan’s Travels! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST, and you know it’s gonna be good. Join us!  I don’t want to go out on my own and get an IATA and all that comes with that. But I also don’t want my host agency’s name on things like the client’s cruise documents, final travel d...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna co-hosts with April Swales of Uniglobe Travel Center! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST, and you know it’s gonna be good. Join us!  -What is the best host agency for cruises? - Susan -I recently joined a host agency and I do a ton of research but somehow I feel more lost every day. I feel a little overwhelmed...

This week for the Friday 15, Steph co-hosts with Jenn Lee of Vacation Planners and TPI fame! This week we’ve got a bunch of great questions to discuss this Friday at 12 pm CST, and you know it’s gonna be good. Join us!  1. I understand this podcast typically focuses on questions from advisors, but as a global OTA, we’re working to completely revamp our program for travel advisors in the US th...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna and Steph are thrilled to join forces with the Arch Roamright team. They'll take on a slew of questions about travel insurance this Friday at 12 pm CST, so don't miss this one!  Sometimes clients say they’re already covered through their credit card. How do I explain the differences without sounding sales-y? I often get questions about ‘cancel for any reaso...

  ****** Transcript, Images + Show Notes: https://har.news/vol33 ****** What happens when you combine a Lord of the Rings obsession, a dragon-themed jeep, and a charismatic entrepreneur? You get Rocky Dimico, the owner of Flights and Fables - one of the most uniquely branded travel agencies we've ever featured!  Rocky went full-time from day one after a life-changing trip to New Zealand...

This week for the Friday 15, Shayna and Steph are thrilled to join forces with Dan Christian, fellow podcaster and host of the excellent Travel Trends podcast . They'll take on a slew of questions about tech and AI this Friday at 12 pm CST, so don't miss this one!  There are so many new travel tech tools out there, it can feel overwhelming to choose what’s actually worth investing in. How do...

Shayna and Steph team up with Stephanie Gries from Travefy to cohost the Friday 15 this week! You can check out Travefy’s profile here: Travefy | Host Agency Reviews . Here are the awesome questions they’ll tackle this Friday at 12 pm CST!  There are so many new travel tech tools out there, it can feel overwhelming to choose what’s actually worth investing in. How do you recommend an advisor...