We may be biased, but becoming a Fora Advisor may be the best decision ever. You get to flex your passion for travel, join a super-engaged global community and make money while doing it. Pretty great, huh?
And while we could wax poetic on all the reasons to become a travel advisor, we’ll let our advisors do the talking. We polled our community to learn more about why they ultimately pulled the trigger and kicked off their career with Fora. From the desire for flexible work to the need for a forward-thinking agency environment, read on to learn about Fora Advisors' reasons for joining.
Intrigued? Sign up to become a Fora Advisor today.
1. A passion for travel
This one’s a given! It’s no secret that an innate, enduring wanderlust was the driving force behind the choice of many prospective Fora Advisors. They weren't content with simply going on personal adventures — they lived to research and plan trips, loved recommending the perfect hotel and reveled in sourcing the very best recommendations. This thrill made the path to professional travel advising an easy leap to take.
“My friends have always told me I should have a side hustle in travel planning, but with a full-time job I never thought I’d be able to do everything running your own business requires,” says Fora Advisor Kristen Kmetetz. “I loved that Fora made it easy and I instantly applied. I see it as a way to indulge a creative passion, while learning more about the travel industry — which I’m hopeful will help me do more travel-related work in my full-time PR job.”
(Speaking of passion, check out some of our advisors' stellar recommendations for where to stay during Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.)
2. A need for something different, career-wise
Many Fora Advisors found themselves in need of a career change, seeking a more rewarding, fulfilling or flexible professional life. Whether they had reached a point where their jobs no longer sparked their passion (speaking of passion, see above!), they needed a flexible source of income or they just needed a change of pace, in many cases, Fora provided a natural and ideal next step.
“I was very unhappy in my job and needed a creative outlet. Travel is my biggest passion and I’ve always loved the hospitality industry and working with people. It just felt like a no-brainer to give Fora a try,” says Fora Advisor Michelle Cassidy. “Fast forward six months and I’m in a new full-time role that I really enjoy, and my Fora side hustle is going strong! I dream about making travel advising a full-time career in the future, but for now I’m content to build my business and keep learning. I’m so grateful Fora came into my life when it did!
3. Feeling the Fora love
… And by ‘love,’ we mean a supportive community and structured framework (but of course).
Fora’s comprehensive support system, including training, tech tools and a business model (which takes care of all the back-office admin, no less), was a crucial factor in many to-be advisors’ decisions. This support & structure provided the confidence necessary for many prospective advisors — particularly those without prior experience in the travel industry — to embark on a new career path.
“I was searching for a new host agency and came across Fora, and when I saw the tech, the training and the real sense of community, it was a no brainer to sign up with Fora! And I’m so glad I did,” says Fora Advisor Amna Ismail.
4. Empowerment from like-minded peers
Fora Advisors at Live Forum 2023
At Fora, we are committed to bashing stereotypes as to what it means to be a travel agent in 2023, which is why we love sharing our advisors’ stories. And we love to hear that prospective advisors are seeing themselves in our content. Many reported that seeing others succeed in similar roles, especially those who transitioned from unrelated careers, tipped the scale when it came to becoming a Fora Advisor.
Speaking of stories, read more about our advisors A'Rie, Tanima, Gaya and Nancy.
5. Leveraging expertise
Not everyone is a newbie to the travel industry. In fact, some prospective Fora Advisors had extensive personal travel-planning experience, including knowledge of various destinations and bookings know-how. Whether prospective advisors had only dabbled in travel advising (like planning trips for a friend or two) or were longtime agents, they saw an opportunity to level up with Fora. (Learn more about how to become a travel agent.)
In the words of Fora Advisor Becca Santos, “I have always loved planning (whether that be an event or a trip) and seeing the results of all my planning come to life. For me, it's all about the details! For years, I'd been dreaming about opening a business centered around that…Becoming a travel advisor allows me to be a part of creating some amazing memories for my clients. Fora was exactly what I was looking for to help me kickstart my own business.”
6. Desire for remote & flexible work
Remember: at Fora, advisors always call the shots. Advisors book as much as they want, as often as they want. The ability to work remotely, maintain flexible hours and have control over their work-life balance was a big factor for prospective advisors. Between fast payments and the ‘work anywhere’ accessibility of our integrated booking platform, this flexibility was especially appealing to many advisors.
7. Fora’s non-traditional approach
Fora HQ members at Live Forum 2023
Fora is all about shaking up the travel industry with a modern, inclusive and tech-forward approach. A big piece of the puzzle is our perspective on the travel advisor role, moving away from traditional, often outdated perceptions of travel agents. This boundary-pushing mentality attracted those seeking a fresh and forward-thinking work environment.
“When I started researching becoming a travel advisor, I realized a lot of companies wanted previous experience and certifications that I didn’t have, but I felt like I was already pretty travel savvy. When I came across Fora and realized you all would train me and support the process, that really became my aha moment!” says Fora Advisor Kristel Finns.
8. An entrepreneurial opportunity
Fora's co-founder Evan Frank coaches advisors at Live Forum 2023
Our mission is to empower the next generation of travel entrepreneurs. And this next generation answered our call. The opportunity to turn a passion into a profitable business or side hustle was a significant motivator in many future-advisors’ decisions. For some, this meant setting ambitious financial goals or seeing the potential for a full-time career in travel advising.
“As soon as I started to research Fora and learn about all of the structure, support, resources and training that was in place here, I knew it was exactly what I'd been looking for to finally launch my travel business,” says Fora Advisor Veronica Contin. “I've been so impressed with everything provided at Fora, and have been having so much FUN finally developing my side hustle!! Really hoping I can turn it into my full-time career at some point!”
Intrigued? Sign up to become a Fora Advisor today.
