Do you have a passion for travel and enjoy helping people experience the vacation of a lifetime? Dream Vacations can show you how to be a successful travel agent from the comfort of your own home.
If you’re wondering how to become a travel agent, we’ve got good news — it’s simple! All you need is the time to get your business started, a bit of entrepreneurial spirit and tips from the experts to give your new venture every chance of success.
What is the Market Like for Home-Based Travel Agents in 2025?
The travel industry continues to grow, with many seeking expert advice from travel professionals. As a travel agency owner, that’s where you come in!
Consider the following statistics:
- Planning a family vacation, with flights, accommodation, activities, passes and insurance, can take up to 10 or even 20 hours.
- The American Express 2025 Global Travel Trends shows that savvy travelers are looking to maximize savings, with 58% of global respondents likely to stack travel benefits across travel platforms. Travel planners deliver with global industry connections and value-expertise.
- The global surge in costs has seen customers flocking to travel agents to book their vacations and lock in competitive prices. On average, travel agents save clients $452.
- Baby Boomers love to travel – in the U.S., more than 10,000 people retire every day, and the entire Boomer generation is expected to be retired by 2030. In fact, there will be 2.3 million military retirees in the US by 2032.
- Sixteen new cruise ships will debut in 2026, and twenty-five in total by 2028. We see this reflected in travel trends, with cruising hitting new records in 2025. An estimated 19 million Americans are embarking on a cruise this year, at a 4.5% increase from 2024.
- Travel trends show that 77% of global respondents are planning on taking the same amount or more international trips in 2025.
- Many younger travelers are turning to travel agents to plan and book their vacations, because they don’t have the time to do it themselves.
How to Start a Travel Agency From Home
In today’s economy, there are three primary ways of becoming a successful work-from-home travel professional, each with its own challenges and benefits. These are:
- Start your own business: If you choose to run your own independent travel agency business, you will be responsible for developing your own website, marketing and advertising, travel booking systems and business insurance costs – to name a few. You will also be responsible for generating your own leads and managing all the business aspects of your business. You have more control, but the risk is greater, and it can take a long time to build up a network of travel providers and suppliers.
- Join a host agency: This means aligning yourself with a larger company or and using their systems, marketing tools and accreditation number. This option represents something of a lower risk, but also the lowest reward, so it’s not a perfect choice for everyone.
- Invest in a franchise: Franchising provides yet another pathway to becoming a successful travel agent from home. Although joining a franchise does require a larger initial investment that includes a franchise fee and other up-front costs, it also provides you with brand recognition, built-in lead generation programs, and proven systems that process both travel bookings and payments. There are many work from home franchise opportunities to choose from, so be sure to consider how commissions are paid out, how much support you receive from the corporate office and what types of perks you will be able to offer your customers as a result of being part of a larger franchise.
Supplement Your Existing Income
If you think you might be interested in taking the plunge, but would prefer to start slowly, there are ways to dip your toes into the water before committing to a home-based travel career. Before Christy Scannell joined Dreams Vacations as a travel Franchise Owner, she worked for more than 20 years as a writer and editor. That made it easy to build up a full-time business.
“If you are looking at how to be a successful travel agent from home, it pays to have a second source of income when you begin your business,” she says. Now eight years into her career, Scannell has traveled the world and planned amazing vacations for hundreds of clients.
“Thankfully, I’ve grown the business into a six-figure income, but that has come with enormous effort,” she says. “Not everyone will want to work that hard, and therefore their income will be substantially less. But if they are achieving their lifestyle and financial goals, that is the perfect franchise for them!”
How to be a Successful Travel Agent: 5 Expert Tips
Ready to go? Here’s what you can do to ensure success as a home-based travel advisor:
1. Exhibit a Passion for Travel
While extensive travel experience isn’t necessary, it does help if you have a love of exploration. For many, it can help to start by specializing in something you’re passionate about, such as all-inclusive resorts or theme park getaways.
You also need to be willing to conduct research on itineraries you are not familiar with. When you are part of the Dream Vacations family, you can rely on other franchise resources to help you quickly expand your knowledge base so you can help a broader range of travelers plan their dream vacations.
2. Tap Into the Skills of a Successful Remote Advisor
If you want to know how to be a successful travel agent from home, you need both strong organizational skills and a drive for success. Dream Vacations’ caring community and support team will help motivate you, but as a business owner, you’ll plan your own schedule and make the final decision on your goals.
3. Embrace Technology and Seek a Quiet Work Environment
One Dream Vacations Franchise Owner swears by having two computers running at one time, giving him four screens and the ability to view multiple screens while running the Cruise Control booking system. As a home-based franchise, you’ll choose your workspace.
We recommend our Franchise Owners have a dedicated office space, so you can work uninterrupted from the demands of home or family – and if you plan to work while traveling, you may want to invest in some noise-canceling headphones and a portable lap desk.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Follow Up
Attention to detail means following up with clients at every stage – from initial lead inquiry through post-vacation feedback. For the customer who was once interested in a trip, get back to them with new pricing or other suggestions. If a customer has already booked a trip, don’t be afraid to make recommendations based on their interests or any other needs they might have.
“This can come in the form of booking additional components that a client might not be aware of or ready for at the time of booking – such as airfares, shore excursions, hotels, or transfers,” said Trapper Martin, Dream Vacations Franchise Owner in Orlando, FL. It’s also important to make sure a client’s trip went as planned and see if they are interested in booking their next trip. As Martin says: “There can be lots of additional income opportunities there – there is no reason not to get another trip booked and provide them value at the same time!”
5. Work Your Travel Agency Business Plan
While friends and family make excellent first customers, you should have a plan for growing your client base beyond your first few bookings. Look at any strong ties you have to various organizations or groups looking to travel.
Think about how you want to present yourself to new clients and how you might use our franchise marketing plan tools – including direct mail, social media, or email marketing (all provided in your Dream Vacations marketing “toolbox”) – to broaden your potential customer base. Include a travel agency company profile as part of your strategy, one of the fantastic resources offered by Dream Vacations to Franchise Owners.
Martin’s advice is to put together a list of 100 people you think you will announce this to once you are comfortable booking – and then be sure to follow up!
6. BONUS – Take Advantage of the Perks!
One of the biggest reasons why you probably became interested in launching your own travel agency is that you love to travel! Thanks to opportunities offered by Dream Vacations, Franchise Owners can take advantage of special events that expose them to new vacation experiences throughout the world – including river cruises and summits at all-inclusive resorts. Plus, you get discounts on your own travel.
As part of our community, you’ll enjoy our numerous events: for example, our weeklong annual national conference at sea, regional training and summit events.
What’s Different About Dream Vacations and How Does the Company Support Your Success?
Dream Vacations, under the umbrella of World Travel Holdings, is the world’s largest cruise agency. Since 1992, the community has grown to more than 2,300 Franchise Owners who help travelers book hotels, all-inclusive vacations, cruises, and so much more. Thanks to being home-based, our Franchise Owners can sell travel to anyone across the country – your neighbor or a client thousands of miles away!
When you join Dream Vacations as a new Franchise Owner, you’ll attend an initial weeklong training course to help you hit the ground running. This is a great opportunity to meet and network with others who will be going through our travel agent training for beginners alongside you! Follow-up training modules and weekly webinars keep you updated about the company’s booking system and about what travel vendors have to offer (among a variety of topics), and you can keep in touch with your new colleagues via our online support network.
If you are looking for leads, Dream Vacations can help. Thanks to the combined $4 million we invest annually in both brand awareness and exclusive promotions; you stand to gain recognition and plenty of website traffic. Other tools, such as social media campaigns, customizable websites and email marketing campaigns, help Franchise Owners build their online presence and gain access to hot leads looking for travel deals.
We’re the #1 travel agency franchise for a reason – because we are here to help our Franchise Owners succeed.
What Support Can You Expect From the Corporate Team at Dream Vacations as a Home-Based Travel Advisor?
Beyond the first week of initial training, Dream Vacations stands ready to provide plenty of support – thanks to our caring headquarters support team. You’ll have a dedicated business development manager, whom you’ll meet in person for the first time in that introductory week. They’ll guide you through devising your strategy – from how to get clients as a travel agent to building itineraries, selling and effectively using technology. With Dream Vacations, you may work from home – but you’re never on your own.
How Can Being Engaged in a Corporate Organization Promote Success for Individual Advisors?
It’s easy to take advantage of all that Dream Vacations has to offer and learn how to be a successful travel agent from home. The community offers opportunities to network with travel suppliers, fellow Franchise Owners, and corporate staff at several venues, including regional and national conferences. These in-person events are a great way to supplement your online training and network with fellow travel professionals – and in fact, Franchise Owners who participate experience an average 35% sales increase!
You can also serve on a committee or the Advisory Council to help better understand the organization and tap into a wealth of expertise that can propel your business forward. The more engaged you are, the more you will benefit!
Franchise Business Review Recognition
Dream Vacations was rated among the top franchises by its Franchise Owners in a recent Franchise Business Review survey, where it ranked as either “Excellent” or “Very Good” in eight categories, including Core Values, Leadership, Franchise Community and Training and Support. Some of the other awards we’ve won recently include:
- Entrepreneur Magazine #1 Ranked Travel Agency Franchise (2025)
- US Veteran’s Magazine Top Veteran-Friendly Companies (2024)
- Franchise Business Review Top Franchise Satisfaction (2025)
- Entrepreneur Magazine Top Low-Cost Franchise (2025)
- Franchise Business Review Top Franchise for Women (2025)
What Can I Make as a Home-Based Travel Advisor?
With Dream Vacations, you earn the highest-tier commissions in the industry on everything you sell, paid into your account weekly. You’ll decide your strategy and determine what your goals are – every day, week, and year.
Franchise Owners can grow their business in many ways, but here are some strategies that have worked for our network:
- Niche travel planning: Offer niche vacation planning, from luxury glamping to world-class cruises. This is a great way to earn loyal customers and subsequent referrals.
- Travel blogging: Writing a travel blog can be hugely beneficial for your business, helping increase your reach while bringing new clients to your page. Your travel blog is a direct representation of your expertise, showing how you can use lived experience to plan once-in-a-lifetime vacations. You can even monetize your blog for an additional income source.
- Travel Clubs: Many franchise owners gather a group of travel-loving people in their community, meeting regularly to discuss vacation tips, new destinations, and plan trips as a group.
What Does a Travel Agency Franchise Cost?
Our initial franchise cost is $10,500 – making us one of the top low-cost franchises available. Plus, exciting discounts are available. For instance, experienced travel professionals, U.S. Veterans, military families, Gold Star Families, first responders and community heroes, including teachers and medical staff all have exciting low prices available. You can get started for as little as $3,500 down thanks to financing options available.
Turn Your Dream of Becoming a Successful Travel Agent Into Reality
If you can imagine yourself being paid to travel while working from home, planning ultimate vacations and having unlimited earning potential, then now’s the time to stop dreaming and start doing!
With the right help and advice – and the care of the Dream Vacations family – you can learn how to be a successful travel agent from home. Thanks to Dream Vacations, you can bring your passion for travel to others while enjoying the flexibility of working from home.
All it takes is a small initial investment, a bit of time and training and the right entrepreneurial spirit. We’ll provide the rest. From there, you could be well on your way to your dream lifestyle. After all, there’s a world of people out there longing to see more – and they’re looking for your knowledge and support.
Ready to get started? Embark on a new adventure and take the next steps in becoming a Dream Vacations Franchise Owner.
