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Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a travel agent? How much does it cost to get started? How many clients do you need to start off with? Do you have to trademark your logo and name?
Find out all about the process this week on Trade Secrets, when co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada are joined by Travel Planners International’s Jenn Lee. Weissmann and Biesiada will kick off the episode pitching their concepts for travel agencies, then ask Lee all the questions they would have if they were just starting out as travel advisors. Listen in for Lee's advice, applicable to new and veteran advisors alike.
This episode is sponsored by Windstar Cruises.
In This Episode
1:24: Meet our guest, Jenn Lee of Travel Planners International
2:28: A quick note on our format this week
3:43: Emma pitches her agency: All ABoat Travel
8:00: If an agent specializes in cruising, should they specialize in a particular subset of cruising?
10:09: Jamie pitches her agency: Disney meets ghosts (really!)
13:59: Should an agency with two specialties (or more) have multiple names?
15:50: More about travel agency names: Should you use your own name? Should you trademark? And when?
19:00: What’s the first thing you need to do when you decide to open an agency? (Spoiler: It’s more than one thing.)
22:05: What if your personal network isn’t supportive of your new business?
23:52: How many clients do you need to start your agency?
25:58: How many trips should a travel advisor be planning in any given week?
28:20: How do you juggle planning trips to destinations that you know well, versus those that you don’t, and how do you keep an air of expertise when planning a trip to somewhere you’ve never been?
30:20: How soon can you make money once you launch your agency?
31:29: Do you need a lawyer?
33:32: How much does it cost to start a travel agency?
35:02: How much time should a travel advisor spend working each week to avoid burnout?
Jenn Lee, vice president of industry engagement and support
Credit: 2022 Jenn MartinsResources Mentioned in This Episode and Related Reading
From TravelAge West:
How to Become a Travel Agent
A Travel Advisor’s Guide to Industry Terms
40 Tips and Resources for New Travel Agents
Jenn Lee on the Humans of Travel Podcast
On Social Media
TripChix on Instagram
The Fiercely Forward Travel Advisors Facebook Group
Jenn Lee on Facebook
Lee's recommended reading
Words that Sell
Phrases that Sell
Need Advice?
If you're a travel advisor with a question about the latest travel news, trends, best business practices or more, please call our hotline and leave a message at 201-902-2098 or send an email to tradesecrets@travelweekly.com.
About Your Hosts
Emma Weissmann is the Digital Managing Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the co-host of Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.
Jamie Biesiada is a Senior Editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
About the Show
Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, is where travel advisors ask — and answer — questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel industry insider to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at www.travelagewest.com/podcasts/trade-secrets.
