I need to become a travel planner...

[tiggergirlinMI]

Gonga, I also think its cool that I obviously got you so interested into who I am that you went to my yahoo profile and then got my link to the site my 15 yr old is making me, Don't say that you know who I am and what I am, that is so rude, and each reply gets ruder and ruder, yikes! Calm down sweetie, it's the DIS boards, not a political debate on who you think I am.I know who I am and what I have accomplished and negative, rude people like you just make me so INCREDIBLY stronger and confident in myself! Nothing you say can hurt me, it only makes you look horribly rude and ignorant as a human being! How do I know? Because since you have begun this personal assault on me ,I have received PMs from people agreeing that you are a rude individual with nothing better to do than to attempt to make others feel bad about themselves. Won't work with me, so throw your nastiness at someone else, thanks!

 

[boswellnakia]

If you go into being a travel agent as being your sole source of income, I think that you will have some difficulty.

I agree ILoveWDW2003! I became a home based travel agent about two months ago. I still have a "real" job, but me being a TA allows me to save some on my trips and earn a little from the friends that I help. For my vacation in May at WL, my commission was almost 200. That may not be a lot, but it's spending money.

I travel a lot for work, so I count that. I'm not trying to get rich, just saving myself a little and making a little on the side. I love it and I would do it for nothing, so even if I only get 10% commission from Disney and I have to give my host agency 10% of that, I'm still happy because that is 90% than I had before.

 

[dorazio8]

I always wanted to become a travel agent, but i dont like that you only get paid on commission. now a days people can book travel on their own, who needs a travel agent. its cheaper on your own.
Kim

 

[tinkerbell81284]

I know I need a job like that! In the past 2 years I've already shown all 3 of my little cousins around WDW with my aunts and uncles! Plus I get to keep the Disney magic alive for them by sending little notes from the characters every now and then!

 

[boswellnakia]

But as another reponder has said, it is more about the service. Sure, they can get the same price themselves. BUT, they have to the research and know where to go to find the discounts. So many people are running themselves thin, they don't have time for their kids much less to plan their travel. I keep a list of ongoing discounts; sure anyone could get these. When someone mention traveling around me, I ask them to see if I can check to see if I can get them a better deal. There are lots of "free coupon/codes" that I try to appply. If I find something cheaper, I've made a future client. If I can't find a cheaper deal, then I apologize and step out. Once you learn a few tricks, you don't have to spend a great deal of time looking for deals. I don't do airlines unless it is for friends or part of a package; this helps to free up time.

Now, a TA can get some better deals. My host agency has a list of preferred suppliers. From that list, I can get a better deal with the Choice brand hotels than my clients can. These preferred rates are lower than the gov rate, AAA rate or AARP rate; so if they can use this brand, yes I can save them money. There are also a few other exceptions.

Again, I don't get rich, but I do expect to make about $1,500 my first year for something that I love to do in my spare time anyways.

I always wanted to become a travel agent, but i dont like that you only get paid on commission. now a days people can book travel on their own, who needs a travel agent. its cheaper on your own.
Kim

 

[boswellnakia]

Here is a link if you are interested in learning more about becoming a home based travel agent.

http://www.hometravelagency.com/cgi-bin/at.cgi?a=403181

 

[mookie]

Wow, all, I know this thread is old, and I don't want to dig up any "old' issues, but I did want to say that I found this thread to be very interesting on both points. Dh has always said that I should become a TA, I planned our Hawaii trip for my sisters wedding for 30+ people, and when they all saw the deal I had, compared to the prices they were getting quoted, they asked me to help them. Most of thes people did just what some of the other posters described - they just want it booked, and will rely on someone else to tell them that they are getting a good deal. I, personally, love doing the work. There is something so satisfying about knowing that you successfully got the best possible trip you could for the least amount of money. Would I be happy to do the work for others? Sure. Would it get boring if it was a place I wasn't interested in going to myself? Maybe. Is the money enough to survive? Definitely not, but it's fun to live vicariously through others vacations!

Anyway, just wanted to have this on my subscribed list in case I ever wanted to refer back to this info if I do decide to persue becoming a TA in the future.

Have a Disney Day!

 

[Dashzap]

Can any current TAs tell about the current climate? Have the TA discounts disappeared? Anything new going on since this thread was started?