Trip Warrior

What is (trip weapons) a home based travel agent?

By Jennifer Dugan

 A travel agent books travel for customers and is paid by suppliers a commission on the booking. For bookings that suppliers do not pay a commission on, a travel agent also can charge the client a service fee for his/her time. An example is if you were to book a hotel for a client, the hotel would then send a check to the agency after the client checked out. Most hotels pay 10% of the price of the hotel before taxes and fees. A $100 per night hotel reservation would mean $10 a night for the travel agent who made the booking. This hotel would cost the same whether the customer uses a travel agent or books through the hotel directly. In many cases the travel agent can get a better price. It costs the customer nothing to use the travel agent unless the travel agent charges service fees.




Can anyone do this? In order to work with suppliers, you must have an account set up with the supplier. Most require an agency to hold an IATAN, CLIA or ARC number. IATAN stands for International Airlines Travel Agent Network. CLIA stands for Cruise Lines International Association. ARC stands for Airline Reporting Corporation. Each of these memberships requires different things including sales, money in the bank, experience or training in the industry, and membership fees. Many will require Errors and Omissions insurance of $1,000,000 or more.



For the average travel agent, membership is not a possibility with some organizations so the agent will team up with an agency and work as an independent agent or outside agent. There are also advantages of working with an agency because most travel agents cannot make enough in sales with a particular supplier to obtain higher commission levels and bonuses. Working with an agency with many agents can increase the commission percentages the agent gets because of the joint sales of all the agents at the agency. Support is also a very important aspect of being a successful agent. Agents who do not work with others tend to feel more isolated and have to learn to do it all solo. Since no agent can have the experience of being everywhere in the world or staying at every hotel or resort, having others that you can get advice from is really helpful.



The future of travel agencies is always questioned. The truth is the industry has changed in many ways. Some changes were for the better, some for the worse. Many airlines have cut commissions for travel agents. However, there are many other suppliers who are paying travel agents more than they were ten years ago. Cruises used to be booked by only the rich and now people in every income book cruises. Each year more and more people go on cruises. Most people say they want to go on a cruise at least once and many who go on their first come home to want to book another.



You can earn commission on many travel reservations.


Hotels


Rental Cars


Tour Packages


Cruises


Some airline tickets


International airline tickets


Travel insurance


Ground transportation including limos


Attraction tickets


Train tickets


Plus many other things


People all need travel arrangements at some point in time. Those who take road trips need hotel reservations. Those who need to travel for business need airline tickets, rental cars, and hotel reservations. Families want to experience vacations with their loved ones. People visit family and relatives. Most people who win money say they are going to spend it to take a nice vacation. Newly married couples go on honeymoons. You are not selling something that is hard to sell. People contact you for help; you are not calling them or approaching them trying to sell them something they dont want.



Educating the public is the main thing any travel agent must do. Most people put travel agents into the same category as real estate agents. They believe it costs additional to use a travel agent. This is untrue. In many cases a travel agent can get a better price than the general public through the suppliers who work only with travel agents. Many people do not know all the options for booking a vacation. A good travel agent does. Once people are educated on how a travel agent gets paid, they are more willing to work with travel agents. If a person knows that if he or she let you book a hotel and it will cost the same price regardless, she or he will work with you. It is important to let people know how you can help them save time and money on their travel arrangements.



So how do you get into the industry? Many people think they must go to school or become certified. This is not true. You can get into the industry and begin training. I dont recommend anyone spend thousands on a travel school until he or she knows this is a career that he or she will really want to pursue. The truth is you do not have to spend thousands to get trained. There are many courses free to travel agents from suppliers. There are also organizations such as ICTA (Institute of Certified Travel Agents) who offer courses as you get more years experience in the industry. CLIA also offers courses. There are some agencies that will offer training. Even if you decide this is a career you would like to pursue, you do not need to spend thousands to become an educated and competent travel agent. There are many courses you can take with suppliers and organizations to get a better education in travel. I truly believe a hands on approach is the best way to become a better travel agent. Learning to work with suppliers and how to find the information your clients need is an important part of becoming a good travel agent.

How can you find an agency to work with? There are a few organizations dedicated to independent travel agents. NACTA and OSSN are the top organizations. NACTA stands for National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents. OSSN stands for Outside Sales Support Network. You can also search online for home-based travel agent programs. I would never recommend anyone spending a lot of money to start this business. It is key to first try and see if it is something you would really want to do and get training before you invest too much money into it. Get involved in the industry first and see if it is really a career that is best for you.

For all this information you need to visit this interesting site

Dugans Travels , our website is the place to go. I also have an ebook on this website with more detailed information.

Your Online Source For All Your Road Trip Needs

The Opulence of Ireland’s County Sligo Golf Club

By Gerry Lamb

 When a vacation is coming up, golfers eagerly anticipate the time where they can load their gear and race to the courses. But for some who have worked the daily grind, these precious time will be spent on something truly worthwhile that would be the stuff memories are truly made off. Some of them save up and go to Ireland.

Why Ireland?

Simple, they have got some of the best golf courses, whether it be links or parkland courses, that the world have ever seen. Many golfers have discussed the fabulous games they have played and this has made the popularity of Ireland with regards to their golf even grow so much more.

Situated 8 kilometers northwest of the town of Sligo, you will find a century old golf course that has tested many seasoned golfers and have continually to do so. Founded at Rosses Point, the County Sligo Golf Club started in 1894 as a nine-hole links course and was soon developed as a full 18-hole course a dozen years later. Today, this mature golf course has been the site for many prestigious events such as the West of Ireland Championship which calls the course its home. The club has also been chosen as the host for the Irish Close Championship, the Interprovincial Championships, and the Home International Championships, cementing its stature as a world class golf course.

One of five beautiful golf courses found in Sligo, the County Sligo Golf Club golf course is a natural beauty that is encompassed by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and a range of mountains on the other. The fresh breeze from the ocean is a welcome accompaniment as you play along the course, but this same wind could get treacherous as strong gusts can greatly affect the game play. This has been a great challenge for many skilled and seasoned golfers and also a great teacher for the novice.

And since it’s a vacation, you’re family can tag along as well. Sligo town offers a wide variety of attractions and activities for the whole family. The kids can be taken to the biggest birds of prey sanctuary in the whole of Ireland and watch these predators swoop down and soar in their homes. You can also take them to the Woodville farm where rare animal breeds and historic farms can be visited.

You may also take your family in a horse ride whether it is a run in the beaches or a slow ride through the scenic views of this side of Ireland. True family fun for adults and kids are assured and you get to enjoy nature’s best.

But what would an Ireland vacation be if you don’t get a chance to savor a true Irish meal. A number of restaurants are just waiting to serve you the finest that this side of Ireland has to offer. Choose from a wide array of specialties and get a chance to be a witness to great Irish cuisines.

A golf vacation doesn’t have to mean that you need to leave your family behind. No vacation would be fun without them. Going to Sligo would be the best choice as you get to play golf in some of the greatest courses in the world and have the chance to do a host of activities as well with your family.

Learn about what do rabbits eat, what do turtles eat and other information at the Interesting Animals site.

trip weapons

Sunday, September 6th, 2009 at 11:00 am and is filed under travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.