As the travel industry continues to evolve, there’s an increasing demand for knowledgeable and dedicated travel agents who can provide personalized service and expert advice. Learning how to become a travel agent from home allows you to leverage your passion for travel and adventure while enjoying the perks of a flexible schedule.
This guide — sourced from travel industry experts — walks you through the essential steps of becoming a travel agent from home, plus details on daily responsibilities, pay and more. When you’re ready to dive in, apply to become a Fora Advisor to jumpstart your new travel career.
What working from home as a travel agent looks like
As a travel agent, you work with clients, hotels and other travel partners (tour operators, cruises, yachts, personal shopping services…) to sell, curate and book travel. Working from home as a travel agent means that most interactions with clients and partners are done over the phone, by email and via video conferencing.
Regardless of the method, usually dictated by your client’s preference, you’ll get to know their budget, taste and any special requests (like accessible travel needs), and tailor their trips accordingly. You’ll make sure their travel is not only exceptional, but goes off without a hitch.
Leveraging tech to find hotels, tours, cruises & more (all from home)
In the digital age, working as a travel agent from home requires little more than an internet connection and a capable device. Most hotels and cruises, along with many other related experiences, can be booked online. Many major brands even accommodate this process with travel agent-specific websites.
Fora’s integrated booking platform removes the friction from booking, so our advisors can focus on planning excellent trips for clients. (The platform even allows advisors to book from their phones.) The majority of their time should be reserved for interacting with clients and crafting travel experiences, not sweating overly complicated technological logistics.
“Partnering with Fora has empowered me to be my own boss, giving me more time to focus on my business and travel,” Fora Advisor Chanda Daly said. “Their comprehensive technology enables me to book clients from anywhere in the world.”
A step-by-step guide to how to become a travel agent from home
Learning how to become a travel agent from home requires patience, dedication and grit. Building a business is no easy feat, but the right host agency will set you up for success by facilitating community, offering excellent expert-led training and rendering operational considerations more seamless . Below, we break down the initial steps to get started.
1. Join a host agency
Virtually all remote travel agents work under the umbrella of a travel agent host agency (like Fora) that supplies access to travel partnerships and other resources in exchange for a commission split and subscription fee.
Alternatively, you could learn how to open your own travel agency. But this requires a substantial investment in capital and time. You have to obtain your own IATA number — an internationally recognized ID that allows you to earn income from booking hotels and other related services — which is no easy task. Plus, you need to establish travel partnerships with leading brands. These partnerships (which are often invitation-only and require certain booking thresholds) unlock elevated travel perks for clients. Travel partnerships and preferred partner programs are major components to maintaining a competitive edge against online travel agencies like Booking.com.
Partnering with a host agency allows you to use their IATA number and pre-established partnerships. And at Fora, it also puts a ton of resources and tools at your disposal. Our subscription costs $49 monthly and includes a comprehensive travel advisor training program, marketing and booking tools, access to a community of travel experts and more.
When joining an agency, you’ll also want to consider how working there will affect your daily life. Some agencies have sales quotas or require set schedules. If you’re just learning how to become a travel agent from home, the former can be especially prohibitive. (For the record, Fora doesn’t have sales quotas or schedule requirements; you get to design your own schedule and complete our asynchronous training at your own pace.)
“With a full-time corporate job, two kiddos and running a household, my daily routine requires both consistency and flexibility,” said Fora Advisor Nadiah Ford. “Fora gives me the flexibility to work whenever and however I want — whether that be 5 am, Sunday afternoons, between corporate meetings or school drop-offs or late into the evening.”
2. Enroll in a travel agent training program
Some host agencies do require you to attend travel agent school, or at least have some sort of travel agent education, before joining. But many agencies, including Fora, have adopted their own programs. Either way, travel planning isn’t exactly a subject taught in most schools, so you’ll need to learn the industry before you can confidently book hotels and other services for clients.
Fora does not require prior training or a specialized degree. Instead, we offer a comprehensive travel advisor training program that covers everything you need to start and scale a successful travel business — regardless of whether you’re pursuing a full-time career or seeking part-time work. Our training covers topics ranging from earning commission to destination-specific deep dives, how to master group bookings and much more.
“I've managed to quickly develop a successful travel business in addition to having a full-time corporate job and being a mom,” Nadia added. “This would be next to impossible without the support, training, processes and structure provided by Fora. I can easily and efficiently manage all my work from the comfort of my home and mobile device.”
3. Market your business
Once you’re equipped with the know-how to plan and sell travel, start working on getting clients. A grassroots effort through friends and family is a great way to get your foot in the door. Most of our top-earning advisors have grown their businesses via word of mouth. Eventually, you may want to invest in establishing a web and social-media presence to cultivate brand awareness and interest.
Don’t worry if you’re a marketing rookie. If you become a Fora Advisor, our travel agent training not only teaches you how to become a travel agent from home, but how to market yourself as a travel agent. We supply our advisors with social-media and email templates, offer unlimited content generation opportunities and provide a dedicated landing page.
Fora also gives advisors pre-written travel content called magic articles. These articles make it appear as if our advisors wrote them, and contain calls to action (CTAs) that allow potential clients to reach out to book their next trip.
“My favorite parts about Fora’s marketing assets are the magic articles, the monthly newsletter templates and the opportunities to be featured in articles” noted Fora Advisor Chanda Daly. “The magic articles provide engaging content that resonates with clients, the newsletter templates make it easy to maintain consistent communication and being featured in articles helps boost my visibility and credibility in the industry.”
Related article: How to Get Clients as a Travel Agent: Fora's Top 3 Tips
How to become a travel agent from home: Apply to join Fora
When you join the Fora community, we’ll set you up with everything you need to become a successful work-from-home travel agent. As a modern host agency, we’ll get you onboarded, help you set up your profile and teach you the ropes. Even better, you'll learn how to become a travel agent from home alongside fellow advisors.
“Fora has enabled me to become a travel agent from home by offering robust online tools, comprehensive training and continuous support,” Chanda said. “Their platform allows me to efficiently manage bookings, communicate with clients and access valuable resources, all from the comfort of my home or from the palm of my hand while traveling the world.”
How to become a travel agent from home: FAQs
Read on for answers to common questions about learning how to become a travel agent from home.
Are travel agents still in demand? Is becoming a travel agent worth it?
Absolutely. Now more than ever, people are seeking insider knowledge and personalization to level up their vacations. In becoming a travel agent, you’re capitalizing on a growing market.
As for whether becoming a travel agent is worth it, check out our candid take on the pros and cons of being a travel agent. Becoming a travel agent requires hard work and persistence, but if you stick with it, it can be a fulfilling (and lucrative) career.
What’s considered a home-based business?
You don’t actually have to work from home to be considered a home-based business, especially as a travel agent partnered with Fora. So long as you have an internet connection and a modern device, you’re free to work from anywhere in the world.
Do you need to be certified to be a travel agent?
Technically, no. But becoming a certified travel agent does have its perks. For one, it’ll help you stand out from the crowd, demonstrating that you are a verified seller of travel. Moreover, going through the process of learning the industry inside and out really does give you an edge when it comes to both booking and planning travel. At Fora, our training program contains various tiers that earn you industry-wide legitimacy.
How much can travel agents make from home?
Our guide to how much travel agents make offers a detailed explanation, but how much you make really boils down to how much you put in. Whether you’re looking for a full-time career or more of a part-time role, Fora helps you become a travel agent from home. Top earners make over six figures selling travel. The job is truly flexible, especially if you partner with a modern host agency like Fora.
How much does it cost to become a travel agent from home? How long does it take?
Check out our guides to how much it costs to become a travel agent and how long it takes to become a travel agent. We don’t speak for every host agency, but all of our costs are wrapped up in one monthly ($49) or yearly ($299) subscription fee, and a 70-30 commission split (you take home the larger percentage). These costs encompass everything you need to become a successful travel agent from home.
Is working from home as a travel agent lonely?
Learning how to become a travel agent from home has its benefits, like home-cooked lunches, location flexibility and extra time with loved ones and pets. But we understand that people appreciate connection and being a part of something greater than themselves.
We’re building a diverse community in the travel space to help people become travel agents from home. We frequently host in-person events and have numerous local chapters throughout the world. Fostering community — both on a local and global scale — is paramount to us, and we’ll only continue to do so.
More travel agent resources
Check out resources on other types of travel agent careers:
