How does a travel agent make money?

For years it has been a mystery to many people as to how travel agents eked out their humble existence. Mystery solved: We got (get) paid to tell people where to go!

Actually it is a fairly simple business model comparable to the insurance industry.
We (travel agents) make money on what we sell. As authorized agents for our suppliers (cruise lines, tour operators, hotels, trains, a few airlines & others) pay us to represent (sell) their interests.

Many agents are multiple line representatives selling the world while others have specialized and only sell certain products or destinations.

Today’s agents are located in brick & mortar shops, on the Net and home based.

Recent trends are reporting that many travelers are researching their travel needs on the Internet but making the actual reservations with a live travel agent.

The travel process for many travelers is a combination of high tech & high touch. The Net is the high tech while the personal interaction with their live travel agent is the high touch.

Interested in becoming a home based travel agent? Email me at thetravelprofessor@gmail.com.