HAR's Travel Agent Chatter | Friday 15 Steph Lee | Travel Industry Veteran, Founder Host Agency Reviews

In episode 160 Steph is co-hosting with April Swales of Uniglobe! Please join us as this dynamic duo tackles a couple of important questions!

1. I was wondering if I could pick your brain a little about the current status of the industry, the possibilities of finding someone interested in buying an agency, and what makes a travel agency attractive for a potential buyer. My mother isn't ready to stop working as an agent and loves helping her clients but I could see it being a good exit strategy for her in the near future. —Nathan

2. I went to an actual school in 1988 on the Sabre system. Do you know if there are courses that might bring me up to speed & how much they cost?
I spoke with IATAN & ARC today. It's not as expensive as I thought it'd be but I'd still like to start off maybe working with a national agency for a while first. Thoughts? —Anonymous



TODAY’S RESOURCES:
https://www.youtube.com/live/b8PvbmxA35U?feature=shared&t=8959 (Host Week presentation with Steph and Marc Casto on selling an agency)
https://www.tvlacq.com/ (Broker specializing in travel agencies/tour operators)
https://www.score.org/resource/eguide/small-business-owner’s-guide-succession-planning
https://www.trinet.com/insights/small-business-succession-plan-101
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/general-guide-succession-planning-small-business-c-suitesupport
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/become-corporate-travel-agent (Tips on how to become a corporate travel agent with links to Sabre trainings.)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-accreditation (A list of the different travel agent accreditation options.)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-jobs (Find travel agent jobs on HAR’s travel jobs board!)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/how-much-do-travel-agents-make-travel-agent-salary (Info on how much travel agents make)
https://www.travelleadersoftomorrow.com/business/ (Travel Leaders of Tomorrow is only accepting students who have already secured a job with an agency but are in need of training.)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-gds (In-depth information on what the GDS, global distribution system, is and which travel advisors use it.)
https://www.thetravelinstitute.com/product/sabre-personal-trainer/
https://your.sabre.com/sabretraining
https://www.linkedin.com/advice/3/what-most-important-gds-training-resources-travel-ihklf

entrepreneurship, entrepreneur, business, small business, home based business, travel agency, travel, marketing, travelagent, travel advisor, business, host agency, Friday15, podcast

(158) Agent Etiquette on FAM trips? Benefits of the GDS? Should I belong to ASTA?

In episode 158 Steph is flying solo! We’ve got some great questions and requests from our audience this week, so have a listen!

1. Not a question but a request... PLEASE discuss agent etiquette on FAMs. From the unwritten rules of don't sit on the bed or use a toilet to the obvious ones of show up on time, don't solicit guests, etc. There seems to be a lack of awareness and understanding lately. —Becky S.

2. What are the benefits of the GDS? —Anonymous

3. I saw ASTA had a conference this week. I hear about all these travel events and I don’t know which ones I should prioritize. Is ASTA’s event a good fit for new advisors, even if I’m not a member yet? —Anonymous




TODAY’S RESOURCES:

https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-fam-trip (Travel Agent FAM Trips: What They Are + How to Find Them)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-conferences-events (HAR’s travel industry conferences and events calendar with over 100+ events!)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-gds (In-depth information on what the GDS, global distribution system, is and which travel advisors use it.)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-debit-memo (What is a travel agency debit memo?)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/travel-conferences-events (HAR’s travel industry conferences and events calendar with over 100+ events!)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/make-your-travel-conference-count (Tips on how to get the most out of your next travel conference!)
https://traveladvisorconference.org/ (ASTA’s Travel Advisor Conference)
https://har.news/roadmap (Take ASTA’s Roadmap to Becoming a Travel Advisor course, send your certificate to HAR and get a coupon to save $40 on the HAR 7 Day Setup course!)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/affiliate (Become an affiliate for HAR’s course on starting your travel agency and earn 20% commission!)

Welcome to Friday 15! For today's Friday 15 throwback, we are re-streaming Vol. 92 from Feb. 2023, where Steph chatted about acquiring a GDS system without a host, attending FAM trips through other host/consortiums, using a payment system without using a host, and do you need to be certified to work with a host.

Helpful Resources:

https://asta.org/become (Use code HAR149 to save 50%)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-accreditation (More on IATA/ARC)
https://gbta.org/ (Global Business Travel Association)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-fam-trip
https://hostagencyreviews.com/events (HAR’s event calendar with FAMs, conferences, ship inspections and more)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/credit-card-processing-for-travel-agencies (Few notes on things to know when doing credit card processing)
https://www.nationaltransaction.com/ (high risk credit card processing in travel)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/events
https://www.adventuretravel.biz/
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-certification (See many of the certification options available)
https://courses.hostagencyreviews.com (HAR’s new course on starting your travel agency!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn4S0mV4zMk&list=PLdEeS4KrdBLqVDL24Cw8Mw2XeMQVBwmec (Host Week 2023)
har.news/7DS
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-gds (What is the GDS and Which Travel Agents Need It)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-industry-lawyer-list (Travel Industry Lawyer List & Free Legal Docs for Agencies)
https://www.carpentertaylor.com/ (Carpenter Law Office)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 (Sign up for reminders and ask your questions!)

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!

📧 Never miss a HAR resource. Join 30,000+ agents and subscribe to our newsletter: http://www.hostagencyreviews.com/newsletter 🎧 Listen to our Podcast: http://www.hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter 🤔 Travel Agent Think Tank FB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TravelAgentThinkTank 🌴 Thinking of becoming a travel advisor? Join our FREE 7 Day Set Up program: https://hostagencyreviews.com/7-day-set-up ________________________________________________________________
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/hostagencyreviews
http://www.facebook.com/iamstephly
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/hostagencyrvws
http://www.twitter.com/iamstephly
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/hostagencyreviews/
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/2534866
http://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephly

Welcome to Friday 15! For today's Friday 15 throwback, we are re-streaming Vol. 92 from Feb. 2023, where Steph chatted about acquiring a GDS system without a host, attending FAM trips through other host/consortiums, using a payment system without using a host, and do you need to be certified to work with a host.

00:00 | Welcome to Friday 15 with Steph Lee!
01:44 | Acquiring a GDS System Without a Host
09:19 | Attending FAMS with Other Hosts
10:11 | Payment System without a Host
14:27 | Certification with a Host



Helpful Resources:

https://asta.org/become (Use code HAR149 to save 50%)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agency-accreditation (More on IATA/ARC)
https://gbta.org/ (Global Business Travel Association)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-fam-trip
https://hostagencyreviews.com/events (HAR’s event calendar with FAMs, conferences, ship inspections and more)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/credit-card-processing-for-travel-agencies (Few notes on things to know when doing credit card processing)
https://www.nationaltransaction.com/ (high risk credit card processing in travel)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/events
https://www.adventuretravel.biz/
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-agent-certification (See many of the certification options available)
https://courses.hostagencyreviews.com (HAR’s new course on starting your travel agency!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn4S0mV4zMk&list=PLdEeS4KrdBLqVDL24Cw8Mw2XeMQVBwmec (Host Week 2023)
har.news/7DS
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/what-is-gds (What is the GDS and Which Travel Agents Need It)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/travel-industry-lawyer-list (Travel Industry Lawyer List & Free Legal Docs for Agencies)
https://www.carpentertaylor.com/ (Carpenter Law Office)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/friday15 (Sign up for reminders and ask your questions!)

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!

📧 Never miss a HAR resource. Join 30,000+ agents and subscribe to our newsletter: http://www.hostagencyreviews.com/newsletter 🎧 Listen to our Podcast: http://www.hostagencyreviews.com/travelagentchatter 🤔 Travel Agent Think Tank FB Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/TravelAgentThinkTank 🌴 Thinking of becoming a travel advisor? Join our FREE 7 Day Set Up program: https://hostagencyreviews.com/7-day-set-up ________________________________________________________________
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/hostagencyreviews
http://www.facebook.com/iamstephly
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/hostagencyrvws
http://www.twitter.com/iamstephly
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/hostagencyreviews/
LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/company/2534866
http://www.linkedin.com/in/iamstephly

In episode 156 Steph is so excited to co-host with Meredith Calloway of GTN! You’ve sent along some fabulous questions this week, so please join us for some great Friday afternoon conversation!

Here's Today's Questions!

1. Hi! I’d like to charge a fee for my business. I plan to specialize in luxury, which I think will make it easier to charge a fee, like Courtnie in your last podcast said. What is the best rate to charge? Any other fee-charging tips? —Anonymous


2. I'm currently with a Virtuoso host agency but thinking of making a change. Is there a way to filter your hosts to select for Virtuoso? I'm not sure I want to give that up. —C.

3. Hi there. I have a couple questions about becoming a travel agent and thought maybe you could send me more information. I would like to understand the difference between being a host agency and a franchise. There is so much information online that is untrue and it's hard to decipher between what's real and what people just put out there to take your money.

Any information you could send me I would appreciate!
Thanks, –Andrea C.





TODAY’S RESOURCES:


https://hostagencyreviews.com/page/tr... (Annual hosted travel advisor report gives idea of earnings over time for both FT and PT advisors to help with your planning.)

https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/tr... (Travel agent guide to charging fees.)

https://hostagencyreviews.com/travela... (Luxury travel advisor Courtnie Nichols, who charges a $5k group planning fee and only takes on destination wedding a month.)

https://hostagencyreviews.com/travela... (Italy Beyond the Obvious charges per person per day fees. They account for 80% of her income.)

https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/ho... (The different routes to become a travel agent.)
https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/tr... (Differences between travel franchise and a host agency.)

https://hostagencyreviews.com/blog/tr... (Learn more about travel MLMs, why HAR recommends staying away from them if you want to be a travel advisor, and what to look out for.)