How to Get Started As a Home-based Travel Agent

The travel industry is a great way to make money from home and with the help of the Web, it's very easy to get started. However, like any other business, you'll need to do some research to identify the need, as well as the competitive landscape. The following tips provide some perspective into getting started.

Instructions

1

To get started, there are a few factors to consider. The first is what area of this industry you are interested in. Do you want to promote individual vacation packages or would you rather sell a large number of packages to corporations and large companies for special events? By deciding at the beginning the types of packages and services you would like to provide, you can determine the type of research you will need to do to begin your venture.

2

The next consideration will be how you will run your business. Will you be selling to your local market, online with your own website, or possibly both? By selling to your local market, you will be able to have a more personal approach, but this will limit you to a smaller number of clients. A website allows you to reach a worldwide market, but also requires designing a site, keeping it up to date and a detailed software program to track sales, questions and customer queries.

3

Once you determine what you are selling and how you are selling it, you will need to find suppliers and resources for fulfilling the needs of your clients. This will be done by doing research online. Do searches on "wholesale travel packages" and "travel agent resources" to get a feel for the available products and resources that will be available to you when starting and running this type of business.

4

If you plan on having your business entirely, or even partially online, visit many travel websites to get ideas on how other sites are laid out, what packages they are offering, as well as prices they are charging for their packages.

5

If you plan to sell to your local market, make calls to the agents in your area to find out packages that are popular locally, as well as how much they are charging. This gives you the information you need on your competition and may even provide you with an idea for a niche market that other companies are not focusing on.

6

No matter which method you choose, getting the word out will be the most important part of your business, whether online or offline. You will need to create a strong marketing plan and get it into action as soon as possible. There are many ways to do this, and again, will require research.