How the Program Works
Host agency placement, Specialist status and our leads program — plus a clear picture of who handles what.
From Your Application to Your First Lead
- Pick your pathTell us your goals and apply for either the part-time Additional Income path or the full-time Career Fast Track.
- We place you with a hostYou’ll be placed with one of our host agency partners, chosen around what you plan to sell and how you like to work.
- Your host trains youTraining, booking service and commission payments all come from your host agency.
- Become a SpecialistFinish the training and certification of at least one major travel supplier or destination.
- Start receiving leadsSpecialists become eligible for leads from our network of travel websites.
Looking for the full picture — training, regulations, marketing and growth? Read our 8-step roadmap to becoming a travel advisor »
Placement With a Host Agency Partner
Every advisor in our program is placed with one of our host agency partners — you do not work for us. As an independent advisor under your host, you rely on it to handle your bookings, pay your commissions and train you.
There’s no host that’s ideal for every newcomer. Some are strongest with cruise sellers; others suit advisors focused on tours, resorts or groups; and training and support vary too. Peter Coloyan ran a host agency of his own from 2001 to 2007, so we know what makes a good fit. The comparing is our job, not yours.
Who Handles What
Your host agency handles
- Service on your bookings
- Paying your commissions
- Training you
We handle
- Placing you with the right host agency partner
- Network leads once you’re a Specialist
- Your free listing across our consumer travel directories
- Advice from someone selling travel since 1972
The Career Fast Track adds
- A personalized domain plus an established website with traffic
- Payment of your host’s first-year fees
- A Showcase listing on each of our consumer directories
- Twelve months of one-on-one help from Peter
Earning Specialist Status
Travel suppliers and destinations run training and certification programs for advisors. Complete one or more and you earn “Specialist” status, which shows you truly know what you sell.
Specialist status is what unlocks our leads. A traveler who contacts one of our websites should reach an advisor who knows that cruise line, resort or destination, and that’s why our leads go to Specialists.
We verify every designation. Claim to be a Seabourn expert and we’ll ask to see proof, and we may check with Seabourn. Leads in each product area go only to advisors verified as Specialists in it.
Why it pays: everyone wins. Our experience is that a Specialist closes a lead as much as six to seven times as often as a generalist — which can mean six to seven times the income for you. Travelers served by a product expert are happier, and happier travelers make for happier suppliers.
Inside Our Leads Program
Over a single year, our websites produced more than 68,000 cruise leads plus more than 30,000 additional travel leads for all-inclusive resorts, for tours and escorted tours, and for business- and first-class flights.
Those inquiries are generated across our network of travel websites, including cruise and river-cruise sites, destination guides, trip-planning sites and directories. Explore the whole network »
Commissions: 80% on the Business You Bring In
Put simply: you earn 80% on bookings you generate, and 50% on bookings from our leads.
- Clients you find: 80% of the commission on bookings you generate goes to you.
- Leads we provide: 50% of the commission on those bookings goes to you.
- Inquiries through your directory listing: they go straight to you with no lead share, so the full commission is yours.
- Career Fast Track: the program covers your host agency’s first-year fees.
These terms cover advisors placed through our program with our host agency partners.
Questions About How It Works
Am I going to be your employee?
No. You’ll be placed with one of our host agency partners, an established host that handles your bookings, pays your commissions and gives you your training. Our part is finding you the right host, opening our leads program to you once you qualify, and guiding you as you build your business.
What exactly does a host agency do?
Think of a host as the home base for independent travel advisors. It takes care of the business side of each booking, pays out your commissions and teaches you its systems, leaving you free to look after your clients. Most newcomers to independent travel selling begin under a host.
How do I get leads from your network?
Leads open up once you hold Specialist status, which you earn by finishing the training and certification of at least one major travel supplier or destination. Over a single year, our websites produced more than 68,000 cruise leads plus more than 30,000 additional travel leads for all-inclusive resorts, for tours and escorted tours, and for business- and first-class flights.
What commission will I earn?
On business you bring in yourself, 80% of the commission is yours. On bookings that come from our leads, you earn 50% of the commission. Career Fast Track advisors also have their host agency’s first-year fees covered.
Find your path
Extra income part-time or a career full-time — either way, it begins with the right host agency partner.
Career Fast Track »