How do I become a paid Disney Itinerary Planner?

[TurnDownForWalt]

Looking for some suggestions to become a paid Walt Disney World itinerary planner. Right now I'm at the VERY early stages of considering this as a full-time or part-time career, but just looking for any tips on where to begin. I don't have any formal travel agency experience (yet) but I like to think of myself as a decent Disney vacation planner (fanatic) and I know every square inch of WDW like the back of my hand ☑.

I'd love to put my planning skills towards a paid Disney career, but not sure the best place to start. Any recommendations (good or bad) you can provide will be help me towards my next step. Thank you!!

 

[holden]

If you want to work for Disney directly, just google Disney jobs. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post the link, but Disney has a website with job openings.

If you want to become a Disney travel agent, that's a different thing.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Wait a minute--you joined this site 3 days ago, you're looking for money-saving ideas on the Budget board, and you think you'e a heck of a Disney vacation planner? Good luck with that--is that a whiff of troll I smell?

 

[NYCgrrl]

It's not that hard to be a travel agent and that would be my first step: checking into what is required in my area to be one.

 

[msjprincess]

Are you asking about being a travel agent or just making up itineraries for people?

 

[TurnDownForWalt]

Wait a minute--you joined this site 3 days ago, you're looking for money-saving ideas on the Budget board, and you think you'e a heck of a Disney vacation planner? Good luck with that--is that a whiff of troll I smell?

LoL Yes, you got me.. I'm new here to DIS Boards.. just getting my feet wet and figuring this whole thing out. And yes, maybe a "vacation planner" is a pipe dream, but I thought I'd at least try and get some recommendations from any savvy travel agents or planners out there that were once in my shoes seeking a Disney career. That's all. I definitely don't claim to be a Disney expert.. just looking for some good fresh recommendations (ie: money saving tips) from "DIS Veterans" like yourself.... But I digress.. I'll try and do a better job of meeting DIS Boards code of conduct.. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[TurnDownForWalt]

Are you asking about being a travel agent or just making up itineraries for people?

In all honesty, I'm not totally sure I have what it takes to be a travel agent. With 2 young kids and a full-time job in Michigan, I could probably only devote a few hours a week to a Disney career like this anyway.

That being said.. I really enjoy organizing WDW itineraries and would love to make it a career (even if it's part-time)! Maybe there's not even a public demand for this? and with the new Disney Genie app launching this year, it's probably going to become a dwindling occupation.. one can dream..

 

[Nayan]

You would essentially be a travel agent and have to deal with all of the good (people writing thank-you's, recommending you) and the bad (delayed/cancelled flights that people will be looking at you to fix immediately, room/food issues, etc. that cannot wait). It's really not something you can do part time since the field is crowded and very competitive, you don't get paid until after people take the vacation and you have to be very ready for those who will take up your time asking questions then book the vacation themselves instead of using you, meaning you just lost money.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

In all honesty, I'm not totally sure I have what it takes to be a travel agent. With 2 young kids and a full-time job in Michigan, I could probably only devote a few hours a week to a Disney career like this anyway.

I would say if you only have a few hours a week then a Disney Vacation Planner is probably not the best idea for you. One of the things people look for is someone who can respond to their requests within a couple of hours or even less, especially when a problem occurs.

I recently switched Disney travel agents because the new agent, who is part of a large agency, was the mom of one of my daughter's friends. I wanted to give my business to her, since she is someone I "kind of" know. She promotes herself as ready to help whenever we are ready (as she should). The problem comes with her responses. She has a full-time job and normally can only respond during lunch or after work. Sometimes (as in a recent cancellation) not at all. Asking for a quote has meant several days wait. I actually believe we lost out on a passholder discount because she couldn't get to it quick enough. Every Disney planner knows that discount day is very important. We've used her for 2 trips now but will likely go back to our normal person.

Just some thoughts. I'm not trying to be discouraging but giving you a realistic picture of the expectations from clients.

 

[TurnDownForWalt]

I would say if you only have a few hours a week then a Disney Vacation Planner is probably not the best idea for you. One of the things people look for is someone who can respond to their requests within a couple of hours or even less, especially when a problem occurs.

I recently switched Disney travel agents because the new agent, who is part of a large agency, was the mom of one of my daughter's friends. I wanted to give my business to her, since she is someone I "kind of" know. She promotes herself as ready to help whenever we are ready (as she should). The problem comes with her responses. She has a full-time job and normally can only respond during lunch or after work. Sometimes (as in a recent cancellation) not at all. Asking for a quote has meant several days wait. I actually believe we lost out on a passholder discount because she couldn't get to it quick enough. Every Disney planner knows that discount day is very important. We've used her for 2 trips now but will likely go back to our normal person.

Just some thoughts. I'm not trying to be discouraging but giving you a realistic picture of the expectations from clients.

Thank you @PlaneJoy1! Not discouraging at all, this is exactly why I created the thread.. to get a good honest realistic outlook on a Disney Vacation Planner career. It actually sounds way more stressful than I would like, and it would probably take away the Disney magic for me! For now I'll just continue planning my own family vacations and hopefully help others plan their vacations thru DIS Boards.

 

[Darcy03231]

I have a wonderful travel agent that I use all the time. He responds quickly and is available days, nights, weekends, etc. If he isn't available his calls/emails are forwarded to a covering agent who also responds quickly. Would you have a back-up for when you're not available or would you have to leave your clients waiting until you had time?

 

[VandVsmama]

There was a recent Dreams Unlimited Travel podcast in which they talked about this very topic...what being a Disney travel agent entails. From what they said, it's really NOT a part time thing. It's a full time job and it is NOT Mon-Fri 8-5. It's being up and online at 3:00 in the morning when the latest discounts come out. It's staying up late and spending hours on the phone helping your clients sort through airline delays and all of that.

 

[2TxAgs]

Gotta tell ya...I put some thought and time into my response to you on the Budget Board where you portrayed yourself as someone who didn't know Disney "like the back of your hand" and were looking for advice to save $$. Hopefully your future posts will be a bit more clear on what your intentions are.

 

[Searc]

There was a recent Dreams Unlimited Travel podcast in which they talked about this very topic...what being a Disney travel agent entails. From what they said, it's really NOT a part time thing. It's a full time job and it is NOT Mon-Fri 8-5. It's being up and online at 3:00 in the morning when the latest discounts come out. It's staying up late and spending hours on the phone helping your clients sort through airline delays and all of that.

It also means a lot of hand holding, ego stroking and shooting down people who feel entitled to your undivided time and attention, as well as tempering entitled expectations about treatment from Disney.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm not sure there is a market for an itinerary planner that is not a travel agent. Travel agents are paid by Disney and the customer doesn't pay an "extra" just because they have a travel agent. If you were trying to market yourself as just an itinerary planner for someone who had already booked their vacation, then they would be the one paying you. I'm not sure there are people that want to pay extra on top of an already expensive vacation to have someone make an itinerary for them.

 

[nkereina]

I worked as an agent for a Disney travel agency. The first thing to note is that the majority of agents who work for a Disney exclusive agency are independent contractors. In order to book Disney, you need to work for a legitimate agency that has an IATA number, so there's not really a way around this. The agency "sponsors" you so that you can obtain a login for Disney bookings and complete the Disney College of Knowledge, and your bookings are completed under the IATA number of that agency, which is essentially their registration number. You can only obtain an IATA number under some strict credentials, so its not something an individual can easily obtain themselves. When I made a Disney booking, all documents were sent to the agency main office and they facilitated mailing the documents to the clients on my behalf. Because I was an independent contractor, they deducted a flat $20 per month from my monthly commission check (if I got one) to cover the cost of mailing documents to clients.

In my experience, which is quite similar to many other agencies, I was paid a portion of the commission for the Disney bookings I made after the trip was completed. Disney commission is abysmal to begin with, so to only receive 50% of that means that I was not making much money at all. I also was not given leads by the agency and had to generate them myself. They did list me on their web site, but that was along with 50+ others so that didn't draw in any leads. I had my own social media, business cards, and friends/family spread the word. It was a full time job just to promote myself and actually find bookings. Much more challenging than I ever anticipated, and the lack of leads is what ultimately led me to stop doing it. In addition, I was expected to book ADRs and FPs for people, which meant 6am and 7am scrambles for that. All to make maybe $60 in the end from their booking (just an example, it varied depending on the cost of the trip).

I'm not trying to be discouraging, but I think many of us feel like booking Disney trips is a dream job since many of us are so knowledgeable about it. But the fact is that takes a while to become established and earn a good living off of it, and most people aren't in a position to put in that much work in for such a little return. For someone who is serious about this, I would recommend working for a larger or national agency like Liberty Travel or AAA, where agents are usually paid a base salary in addition to commission. This would entail booking trips other than Disney, but that's not really a bad thing because other hotels or tour companies will pay more too.

 

[Meglen]

If you make spread sheets for disney planning you could sell the pattern on Etsy for some extra cash.

 

[TurnDownForWalt]

I worked as an agent for a Disney travel agency. The first thing to note is that the majority of agents who work for a Disney exclusive agency are independent contractors. In order to book Disney, you need to work for a legitimate agency that has an IATA number, so there's not really a way around this. The agency "sponsors" you so that you can obtain a login for Disney bookings and complete the Disney College of Knowledge, and your bookings are completed under the IATA number of that agency, which is essentially their registration number. You can only obtain an IATA number under some strict credentials, so its not something an individual can easily obtain themselves. When I made a Disney booking, all documents were sent to the agency main office and they facilitated mailing the documents to the clients on my behalf. Because I was an independent contractor, they deducted a flat $20 per month from my monthly commission check (if I got one) to cover the cost of mailing documents to clients.

In my experience, which is quite similar to many other agencies, I was paid a portion of the commission for the Disney bookings I made after the trip was completed. Disney commission is abysmal to begin with, so to only receive 50% of that means that I was not making much money at all. I also was not given leads by the agency and had to generate them myself. They did list me on their web site, but that was along with 50+ others so that didn't draw in any leads. I had my own social media, business cards, and friends/family spread the word. It was a full time job just to promote myself and actually find bookings. Much more challenging than I ever anticipated, and the lack of leads is what ultimately led me to stop doing it. In addition, I was expected to book ADRs and FPs for people, which meant 6am and 7am scrambles for that. All to make maybe $60 in the end from their booking (just an example, it varied depending on the cost of the trip).

I'm not trying to be discouraging, but I think many of us feel like booking Disney trips is a dream job since many of us are so knowledgeable about it. But the fact is that takes a while to become established and earn a good living off of it, and most people aren't in a position to put in that much work in for such a little return. For someone who is serious about this, I would recommend working for a larger or national agency like Liberty Travel or AAA, where agents are usually paid a base salary in addition to commission. This would entail booking trips other than Disney, but that's not really a bad thing because other hotels or tour companies will pay more too.

Thank you so much for this @nkereina! Very helpful!

 

[TurnDownForWalt]

Gotta tell ya...I put some thought and time into my response to you on the Budget Board where you portrayed yourself as someone who didn't know Disney "like the back of your hand" and were looking for advice to save $$. Hopefully your future posts will be a bit more clear on what your intentions are.

Thanks @2TxAgs for your thought and time. My intentions?... To start a discussion on Disney itinerary planning but at the same time get some fresh takes on cost savings for a trip. I'm not a vacation guru, but thank you for "portraying" me as one. Clearly after reading thru this thread 'Travel Agent' is not going to be a future career choice I will undergo!

 

[scrump]

Work life balance is becoming more and more fleeting in a lot of professions - I sense this job is even more vulnerable than most. I am working with a travel agent now for my upcoming WDW trip and am surprised how she responds at all hours. I am a night owl and tend to do a lot of my personal email late at night. I email her to just get something off my plate, totally not expecting a response, but she often times sends a fairly quick email back. She is even more responsive during business hours. Maybe keep this career idea in your back pocket, and perhaps as other commitments evolve and your schedule becomes more flexible (even 5 - 10 years from now?) you can revisit. I think if it's something you love doing, it's worth finessing, even if it takes time.