Get paid to be an at-home travel agent!
Help people make their dreams come true while working from home? It can be your dream come true as an at-home travel agent! Even better? A new survey from Flexjobs.com ranks it as one of the least stressful remote jobs around! Here’s how:
✔ GET STARTED! “I started off working at home via a host company—i think that is the best way to go when you are starting out!” says Jenn Earley, who now runs her own travel company, Cultured Vacations, from home. “They provide training, and you’re able to learn the industry, rules, ways of working and tricks. The downside is that they take a percentage of your commissions, but just doing this part-time while still working a full-time office job, I wound up generating $ 600,000 in travel sales within my first two years! And once I learned the tools of the trade, I was able to break out on my own.” The best way to find a company hiring for at-home travel jobs? Look on sites like Indeed.com or Monster.com for “Independent Agent” listings.
✔ REEL IN CLIENTS! “Social media is a great place to attract target clients,” Earley says. Make an account for your business, and then have your own Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Post as many beautiful travel photos and videos from your own travels as you can, and those of your clients—those are what really draw people in! “Highlight what a great experience you provide—that it’s more than just creating packages for flights and hotels like some of the online booking engines. You make dinner reservations, send clients to the hottest excursions, book boat charters, and are a line of contact with those in destinations to help ensure a safe and enjoyable experience.”
✔ NARROW YOUR FOCUS! You’ll differentiate yourself from other travel agencies— and attract more clients—if you concentrate on a niche: “Specialize in something that personally interests you, where you have firsthand experience,” Earley says. “Clients want to know that their agent is knowledgeable and can deliver a unique experience for them!” Some of the most profitable niches? Corporate travel, Disney vacations and cruises. You can also specialize in creating trips around themes—think food tours, beer and wine trips or photography experiences.