Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about how are influencers booking group travel, is there a minimum time commitment if you go hosted, host agency that are good for small tour operators. Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( Sign up for reminders for the F15, along with that week's questions we'll be covering! ) ( Small Business Saturday marketing ideas for agencies. We've done all the hasht...
Nov 10, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 83
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 82 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about using personal CC for business, homebased vs. IC - what's the difference, how to list host agency on HAR, and working as travel agent employee. Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( More info on setting up your agency's financials and importance of keeping biz/personal accounts separate. )...
Nov 02, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 82
A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Erica Carr stumbled into travel in 2019, booking a jaw-dropping 100 trips her first year … just in time for the worldwide pandemic. But ain’t no pandemic stopping this lady. Nope, Erica and her team of three employees are on track to bring in $2.2M in sales for 2022! Bookitbox TRAVEL is a luxury travel agency with a spin. Every client gets a box pre-departure with travel info and gifts personalized to their unique itinerary. As they say at Bookitbox, “All boxed u...
Oct 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 81 Steph chats with Kimberly Stirdivant, Director of Partnerships, TourRadar about What resort/tour pics you can you use on your site, TourRadar has an LGBTQ-friendly filter for trips, What is VAX Vacation Access, How does TourRadar vet sustainable travel partners, and Does TourRadar only carry adventure tours? Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( 7 websites with ...
Oct 26, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 81
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about supplier and host not paying commission, who is HAR's job board for, and are you team niche or team no niche? Helpful Resources: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! ) ( Want to speak at Host Week? Submit your Application! ) ( We've got the steps you need to take both proactively to avoid joining a host with financial troubles, and reactively, if you're with a host not paying commissions. ) ( List of travel industry attorneys. ) ...
Oct 19, 2022•17 min•Season 2Ep. 80
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 79 Steph chats about which hosts include ASTA membership, resources for hiring + job descriptions, and which hosts have military/veteran discounts. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Register for Host Week 2023 --- Jan 23-27th. It's free! We'll also be putting on an educational session on hiring employees and writing stellar job descriptions to attract the right candidates. ) https://hostagencyreviews.com/speaker ( ASTA's course with list o...
Oct 12, 2022•13 min•Season 2Ep. 79
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 78 Steph chats about how much you can earn on international air tix, how much it cost to become host agency, and is $150 enough to start a travel agency? Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Fabo interview with Lar-Bear on how to make money selling airline tickets. Great inspiration and ideas for people interested in selling air only! ) ( Learn how travel agent commissions on air differ from commission on other products ) ( Often used to book...
Oct 05, 2022•18 min•Season 2Ep. 78
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 65 Steph chats with Avery Campbell, from ACTA, about Canadian regulations: Agency vs. Outfitter, offering payment plans, and is 60 air tickets/yr worth joining a host? Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: ( Infographic of which provinces have regulations and what they are. ) ( Avery's contact info ) ( ACTA Twitter account ) ( ACTA LinkedIn account ) ( Survey closes June 15th and we need your help! Please take it. ) ( 3 really awesome things tra...
Oct 04, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 65
Welcome to Friday 15! Today April chats about launching a new website and what to look for, why you should have social media, and rebranding or refreshing your brand. Helpful Resources: Young Leaders in Travel Council | allies.travel - https://www.allies.travel/young-leaders-in-travel-council Build a website on Wix - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/wix-tutorial Website Option - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-websites Social Media - https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-a...
Sep 21, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 77
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about going with host website or third party (which has better SEO), which hosts offer training for noobs, and advice for selling destination weddings. We do this every week! If you have travel industry questions, HAR likely has an answer :) Submit your burning question here Har.News/Friday15 and join us this Friday (and every Friday!) at 12CT for travel agent tips! Today's Resources ----> ( Use the drop down tag 'destination weddings' and 'groups' to f...
Sep 15, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 76
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about if a CTA certification is valid in Canada, step-by-step guide for optimizing a ship inspection, and if it's important to choose a host with a GDS? Helpful Resources: ( What are the travel agent certification options out there? ) ( Get to know the Canadian provinces travel agent licensing rules ) ( Download HAR's free cruise ship inspection checklist---6 pages!---and read the article on how to optimize your next ship inspection ) ( The sister article ...
Sep 07, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 75
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 74 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about how much to spend on travel expenses your first year, if you can have clients outside the state your Biz is in, do you need to register your biz if you move to a new state, and they discuss if large hosts have more pull than small hosts. Helpful Resources: ( Find ATTA events and many more on HAR's free event calendar! ) https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-rates (Free download...
Aug 24, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 74
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 73 Steph chats with Mira Anselmi, ATTA Global Community Director about ATTA: Do you need host to join it, ATTA and Travel Leaders Certification Program, Host agencies outside the US/Canada, When does an S Corp biz structure make sense? Helpful Resources: ( Find ATTA events and many more on HAR's free event calendar! ) ( More about ATTA membership ) ( Find profiles and info, ask questions to Travel Leaders Network and other consortia ) ( Explainer of what a travel...
Aug 18, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 73
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 72 Steph chats about live lead programs for travel agents, the HAR Dogs (and how they are so stylish), and caring for clients on a FAM trip. Helpful Resources: ( Avoya Travel's profile on HAR ) ( Complete guide to travel leads for travel agents + comparison chart ) ( Check out the gorgeous dogs of HAR! ) ( Tips on building a network of other advisors you can lean on for questions, support, and more ) ( Best travel industry events calendar out there! Find FAM trip...
Aug 11, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 72
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about the difference between travel consortias, travel agent discounts, and why someone should use a travel agent. Helpful Resources: ( List of the travel consortia. If you love your consortium, go ahead and leave a review to help others understand the value of your consortium! ) ( Great explainer of what a travel consortium/co-op is. ) https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-rates (Download our list of 200+ travel agent rates you can access with y...
Aug 05, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 71
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats with Jenn Lee, VP of Industry Engagement & Support for TPI, about starting an agency without travel experience, how long to plan for a site inspection, and recommended PCI-compliant CC storage. RESOURCES: - How Travel Agents Can Make the Most of a Cruise Ship Inspection: https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/how-travel-agents-can-make-the-most-of-a-cruise-ship-inspection - The Definitive Site Inspection Checklist: https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/defini...
Aug 04, 2022•19 min•Season 2Ep. 70
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about going from hosted to a true number and all you need to know and best host for wheelchair travel. Helpful Resources: https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-license ( All about seller of travel licensing/registrations. ) (Breakdown and infographic of the different accreditation options for travel agencies, includes more details on the TRUE accreditation number) https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agents-need-eo-insurance (When moving fro...
Jul 21, 2022•12 min•Season 2Ep. 69
This quarter we sit down with a mom of seven who left a career in education to start a travel agency focused on educational travel just four years ago. She’s moved from being with a traditional host to a host-franchise hybrid and we dig into why. (Not sure what a host-franchise hybrid is? We cover that too.) If you’ve ever wondered the difference between an agency that belongs to a travel franchise, vs. one that doesn’t, we break down the main differentiators in layman’s terms for you. Not only ...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 68 Steph chats with April Swales, Marketing Director for Uniglobe Travel Center about working full-time while starting an agency, is $10k normal cost to start travel agency, and best host + trainings for groups Helpful Resources: ( Real numbers on the average cost to start a travel agency ) ( A great resources for different educational and training options for travel advisors. ) ( Travefy is mentioned in the podcast as a great itinerary builder -- and it is -- bu...
Jul 14, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 68
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 64 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about working with more than one host, how much to earn in the 1st year to break even, cost of host educational programs, and are credit checks with hosts normal. Helpful Resources: ( Love HAR's data? It comes from our survey and we need your help! Please take the survey today so we can continue to push out the valuable info to free to the advisor community. ) ( What to look for in your host c...
Jul 08, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 64
ASTA's board of directors election is coming up! Join us as we hear from the candidates unscripted, unedited, and super fun. :) ➡️MORE INFO + REGISTER FOR VIDEO RECORDING: https://hostagencyreviews.com/candidatechat 🎤 12pm CT - Peter N. Lobasso and I bring the noise and lay out Board of Directors 101 for those of us non-board-y types. :) 🎤 Marc Casto, President Leisure Americas, Flight Centre Travel Group 🎤 James Ferrara, Co-founder & CEO, InteleTravel.com 🎤 Jackie Friedman CTC, CTIE, Pr...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 25 min
Welcome to our 67th Friday 15! Today Steph chats promoting suppliers (do you need permission?), How commissions work with a host agency, and affiliate marketing on site/email. Helpful Resources: **** HAR is hosting a Candidate Chat for ASTA's Board of Directors election --- Thurs, July 7th @12pm CT. It'll be so fun! Check out last year's Candidate Chat to get a feel for it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ0R3KkPlrA **** ( Great guide for new advisors on how to vet suppliers ) ( Guide to how tr...
Jun 22, 2022•15 min•Season 2Ep. 67
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 66 April chats about educational programs, what are travel agent rates, and how to get travel agent rates. Helpful Resources: https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/survey https://hostagencyreviews.com/7-day-set-up https://www.facebook.com/groups/1470400299678907 https://asta.digitalchalk.com/learn/RoadmapToBecomingATravelAdvisor *Use code HAR149 for Roadmap Deal* https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-rates We do this every week! If you have travel industry...
Jun 15, 2022•10 min•Season 2Ep. 66
Welcome to Friday 15! In episode 64 Steph chats with Lori Speers, Owner & Founder of Levarte Travel about working with more than one host, how much to earn in the 1st year to break even, cost of host educational programs, and are credit checks with hosts normal. Helpful Resources: ( Love HAR's data? It comes from our survey and we need your help! Please take the survey today so we can continue to push out the valuable info to free to the advisor community. ) ( What to look for in your host c...
Jun 03, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 63
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats with Keith Waldon, Founder and Director of Departure Lounge, about the best travel conferences, why to join a virtuoso host for luxury travel, and what to know about merchant accounts. We do this every week! If you have travel industry questions, HAR likely has an answer :) Submit your burning question here Har.News/Friday15 and join us this Friday (and every Friday!) at 12CT for travel agent tips! Resources we go over: https://hostagencyreviews.com/events...
May 18, 2022•22 min•Season 2Ep. 63
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats Jackie Friedman, President of Nexion Travel Group, about being a travel advisor with a fulltime job, best ways to market your business, non-US citizen abroad w/ US clients finding host, and what to do after you finish our 7-day setup. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: https://hostagencyreviews.com/7-day-set-up sales@nexion.com jackie.friedman@nexion.com We do this every week! If you have travel industry questions, HAR likely has an an...
May 12, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 62
This episone first aired on May 6, 2022. Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats with Lori Speere, Owner and CEO, from Levarté Travel about hosts for LGBTQ+ niche, going from sole proprietor to LLC, IATAN or CLIA to book group cruise, and tips for booking cruise groups. 00:00 | Welcome to Friday 15! 02:15 | Which hosts are good for an LGBTQ+ travel niche? 06:25 | How do I transition from a sole proprietor to an LLC business model? 12:55 | Should I use CLIA or IATAN to book a group cruise? Here's...
May 06, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 61
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats with Lori Speere, Owner and CEO, from Levarte Travel about hosts for LGBTQ+ niche, going from sole proprietor to LLC, IATAN or CLIA to book group cruise, and tips for booking cruise groups. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: https://iglta.org https://hostagencyreviews.com/7-day-set-up https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-preferred-supplier https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-business-structures https://hostagencyrevie...
May 06, 2022•20 min•Season 2Ep. 59
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats Mark Mead from ASTA about what ASTA is doing to help with hotel resort fees, what the real difference is between ARC & IATA, and booking your employer's travel: ethics. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: * Take the annual HAR survey * https://onemileatatime.com/news/marriott-hotel-sustainability-fee/ https://my.asta.org/ASTAVTA/Home/ASTAVTA/Default.aspx https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/3-travel-agents-creative-fee-structures http...
Apr 27, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 60
Welcome to Friday 15! Today Steph chats about trainings offered for corporate advisors, booking school groups and if you should join a host, and a UK agency with same name as me. Here's a list of helpful resources for today’s episode: https://www.gbta.org/professional-development/global-travel-professional-certification-gtp ( use promo code HAR149 for 50% off ) https://www.gbta.org/professional-development/gbta-academy-career-path https://www.bunnyboot.camp/courses/travel-agent-training https://...
Apr 20, 2022•14 min•Season 2Ep. 59
