If you’ve been watching travel agents from the sidelines, wishing you could do what they do, I hope you’ll read on. Many travel agents are in their second careers. They left their previous jobs as teachers or grinding in the corporate world to help people find more adventure in their lives. Sounds dreamy, right? But how did they actually get started? You might be thinking, “I have no travel industry background, can I really do this?” We talked to three Cruise Planners franchisees about how they broke into the travel agency business with no experience. These franchisees offer real firsthand accounts and insight into why this industry could be your next career move. What these franchise owners have in common isn’t previous travel industry experience. It’s that they chose a franchise system designed to help new entrepreneurs succeed. With award-winning training, powerful technology, supplier relationships, and ongoing business coaching, Cruise Planners helps people turn a passion for travel into a thriving business, regardless of where they started.
Success Doesn’t Start With Experience, It Starts With the Right Support
If you’re thinking about becoming a travel agent, there are a few things to consider. Going it alone is, of course, an option. But why would you when you could join a strong system? If you’re in a system, you’re not out there on your own. Which means you receive training, booking technology, and so much more. Previous experience in the travel industry is unnecessary when you have a system you can plug into.
Take Lashandrea Young, a Cruise Planners franchisee based in California. She says, “My background was twenty years in the United States Navy, where I learned discipline, leadership, organization, and how to manage complex operations, all skills that translate extremely well into travel planning.” As a veteran, she took her skills from her decades of service into her second career and is thriving. Alternatively, Savannah Krawczyk from Florida was a nurse. Her foray into travel was a total “leap of faith”, according to her.
Your First Clients Are Closer Than You Think
But who will I get for my first clients? Easy! Start with your own circle. Because travel agents aren’t paid for by the people who book the vacation, it’s a lot easier to say “let me quote your next trip” than “please pay me to book your next trip”. There’s no icky “selling”, just enthusiastic recommending. If you leverage your personal network and your friends become your first clients, it grows from there. Lashandrea and her extended family were already going on trips together. So, when she took the leap with Cruise Planners, she ended up organizing everything. “I created the group, shared the details, managed everything, and once we sailed, they immediately asked, ‘Where are we going next?’… From there, they shared my information with others, which created individual travel requests.” Especially if you’re already the point person in your family and friends’ travel, moving from group organizer to official travel agent is a natural and seamless progression.
Since travel is an experience people love to talk about, you can count on referrals after a positive travel experience (even from your friends and family). Savannah says, “We started telling everyone we knew about our business and asked them to consider letting us book their next trip. We also utilized social media to market our business, which helped attract new clients in the beginning.” While it may seem intimidating, a simple “think of us when you’re planning your vacation” goes a long way. Plus, the more positive experiences your first clients have, the more they’ll blab about you to others.
Pick a Niche and Let It Work for You
A lot of travel agents pick a niche. For example, Cruise Planners franchisee Jen Ludwick is just starting but knows her focus is Alaska. Since she’s been there so many times, she can speak to the experience of exploring the Last Frontier. Booking travel becomes less about selling and more about telling people what she really enjoyed.
For Savannah, she waited a bit to pick a niche but now has leaned into family travel. Since she has two young children and runs her business alongside her husband, they have tremendous insight about how to travel as a young family. Having a niche doesn’t necessarily pigeonhole you; it just makes it easier to share your own experience and come from a place of “this is what worked for us”.
Additionally, picking a niche that connects to your own experience is really fun. Every trip you take is research! Every anecdote you tell is marketing. Each new experience is an opportunity you can review for your clients. The world is a vast place and, if you love to travel, you can pick what areas or kind of travel you’re most interested. So fun, right?
Use the Tools and Training Already Built for You
If you’re still wondering how to get clients as a travel agent with no experience, travel agent training and support are key. Learning how to acquire clients is teachable, so don’t let that aspect deter you. If you’re able to receive proper training, getting plugged into a system with tools to help you succeed could mean the difference between a lukewarm side hustle and a thriving career in travel. A franchise like Cruise Planners offers both in-person and online training. Every franchisee attends STAR University, a 6-day in-person training held every 2 months in Ft. Lauderdale. Rather than jumping into a travel business on your own, franchisees from Cruise Planners receive training in areas like marketing, technology, and overall business strategy. Savannah says, “Cruise Planners’ STAR University was probably the most influential part of my early success. It was like a crash course for new travel advisors, providing a full week of classes covering the travel industry, sales and marketing, and vendor training.”
Additionally, being a part of a system like Cruise Planners gives you access to top-of-the-line technology. We spoke with a couple who run their Cruise Planners travel franchise together while they were on a cruise themselves. Thanks to the proprietary CP MAXX platform, they can work from anywhere while staying connected, managing bookings, and delivering exceptional service to their clients. Cruise Planners franchise owners aren’t tied to a traditional office. Whether they’re on a cruise, in an airport lounge, or exploring a destination firsthand, they have the tools to keep their business running seamlessly. That flexibility is one of the reasons so many professionals choose travel as a second career. Instead of worrying about logistics, they can spend more time building relationships, creating unforgettable travel experiences, and growing their business.
How Long Until Your First Client?
Ok, so you make the jump into becoming a travel agent with a brand like Cruise Planners. How long until you get your first client? Well, it depends! Franchisees like Savannah say it took them a year to achieve a steady monthly stream of bookings. For Lashandrea, it took about two years to see repeat travelers and new requests coming in regularly. Because of the affordability of buying into a Cruise Planners franchise, many franchisees start their businesses as a side hustle. They keep their current full-time work and ease into the travel agent life. If that’s the case, their business may grow more slowly than someone who completely dives in. This is the beauty of taking this career path: it can truly be what you want it to be. We at FBR interviewed a couple in their first year of ownership who are thriving. They outline how they leverage YouTube and other things to build their client base. They lean into their own strengths to build the careers they love.
More Information on Becoming A Cruise Planners Franchisee
If you’re looking for a job you love, investing in a Cruise Planners franchise could be your next career path. And if you have no experience, that’s fine! Being a part of a system, being willing to talk to people about travel, and taking advantage of amazing training will get you where you need to go. As Savannah says, “You get out what you put into it. It’s not going to happen overnight… but if you stay consistent and take the time to learn, your business will grow.”
We at FBR survey tens of thousands of franchisees every year. With that information, we make lists that honor the top-performing ones. Cruise Planners appears in the following lists just this year:
- Top Franchises for Culture
- Top Franchises for Women
- Top Low-Cost Franchises
- Top 200 Franchises
- Most Innovative Franchises
- Best Franchises for Veterans
Because Cruise Planners surveys their franchisees regularly with Franchise Business Review, we can give you all sorts of insight into the health and culture of their company. You can download their full franchisee satisfaction report on our site to learn so much more.
