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To charge, or not to charge? Fees, that is — it’s a topic that’s gotten more and more attention among the travel agency community during the pandemic. Advisors make commission on the products they sell, but should they also charge clients for their services on top of that?
This week, join co-hosts Emma Weissmann (Digital Managing Editor of TravelAge West) and Jamie Biesiada (Senior Editor at Travel Weekly) as they explore the ins and outs of the topic with two veteran advisors: Jamie Jones, president of WhirlAway Travel in West Chester, Pa., and Susanne Hays, president of Fairytale Journeys Travel in Alexander City, Ala.
One charges fees (Jones) and one doesn’t (Hays), but both are confident in their business model. Tune in to learn more and hear them answer some listener questions, including how to avoid feeling like a client owns you if you charge a fee.
This episode is sponsored by Historic Highlights of Germany.
In This Episode
1:23 Meet our guests, Jamie and Susanne, two veteran travel advisors.
2:34 Susanne’s agency, Fairytale Journeys Travel, doesn’t charge fees. Why?
3:35 On the flip side, WhirlAway Travel was one of the first agencies in West Chester to charge fees, and still does today. Jamie tells us more.
4:51 The Disney agency space (where Susanne operates) is very crowded. Does that mean fees aren’t feasible?
7:09 Are hobbyist agents on the upswing?
8:11 Jamie’s main teaching points for new agents (spoiler: consultation and confidence)
11:19 More advisors are gravitating toward charging fees; what are Jamie and Susanne noticing among their peers?
15:40 Would either Jamie or Susanne consider flipping their stance on charging fees?
17:38 Julie Lanham, owner of Vacations to Remember, just started charging fees, and it’s been a great experience. But she’s concerned about the future: Will her clients feel like they own her once they’ve paid her fee?
20:37: Donna Wolfe, an advisor with Plaza Travel, wonders: How do you ask longtime clients to start paying a fee?
24:21: Disney agencies often advertise that booking with them won’t cost consumers any more than booking directly. Learn how that plays into Susanne’s strategy.
Jamie Jones, president of WhirlAway Travel in West Chester, Pa., and Susanne Hays, president of Fairytale Journeys Travel in Alexander City, Ala.
Credit: 2022 Jenn MartinsResources Mentioned in This Episode and Related Reading
From TravelAge West
A Travel Advisor Guide to Charging Service Fees
How Travel Agencies Are Rethinking Fee Structures
From Travel Weekly
A Journey Through Travel History, Fees Included
Advisors Getting Comfortable With Charging Fees
Theme Song
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod (License)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Details
WhirlAway Travel
Fairytale Journeys Travel
Call Into the Podcast
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.
