Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Finding Your Niche
By Laura Frazier

For many agents, trying to decide on which niche or specialization to focus on can be a big struggle. Many agents who are new to the business jump in with both feet and believe that in order to be a travel agent they have to be able to be all things to all people, or they will lose sales to the online sites. Sadly it’s this misconception that leads to endless frustration for both the agent and the client, and leads to a high rate of people giving up their dream of being an agent in a very short amount of time.

For some new agents, their niche choice is an easy one. Maybe they’ve traveled through Italy extensively and know the country like the back of their hand. Or maybe they have a passion for photography, and focus on building packages for clients that share their hobby. Some agents, like Geoff Millar of Ultimate All Inclusive Travel Inc have built their business by focusing on clients seeking upscale all inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and Mexico, and are able to provide their clients with details about the resorts that goes well beyond what a client could find on a website or in a brochure. This gives them a competitive edge with their niche markets.

If you’re struggling to determine what your focus or specialization here are a couple of different approaches you can take.

First, you could go with a destination that you’ve traveled to, and feel that you know well enough to call yourself an expert. I truly believe that in order to make this claim, your experience should be recent, probably within the last three years.

Next, you could you look at hobbies that your share with others. Do you love cooking or wine? You probably know a lot of other people that do as well. This could lead to operating a fantastic culinary travel experience that you could offer to individuals or groups.

What about your social network? Do you spend a lot of time with members of a church group, sports team, the gay & lesbian community, or other parents? John Frenaye of Single Parent Travel in Annapolis, sort of evolved into this niche. “I did not start out with a niche, but as the travel field became more competitive with online players and the home based agents, it made sense to focus my efforts.” Said Frenaye “I had worked with Brenda Elwell (founder of the concept and company) for years as her fulfillment arm. And seeing that I was divorced with kids, it made all the sense in the world to acquire her business.

Being in a niche is great. It allows me to truly immerse myself into the program and become the authority. It allows me to combine things I enjoy--travel, kids, and family. It eliminates a ton of competition. And to be honest, while I am a lot smaller of an agency than I was 10 years ago, I am more profitable now than ever.”

There are a lot of great resources available to agents to help them learn more about their specialization of choice. The Travel Institute offers a wealth of information on destinations and specializations, with certification programs available. The Travel Agent University offers dozens of free courses in everything from cruises to culinary specialist programs.

One of the very best resources for finding your path can be the assistance of another agent who is already successful in the specialization you are considering. On the HBTA board, you’ll find over 3500 member agents who specialize in just about every kind of travel conceivable. You’ll find groups of agents like yourself that are just learning the ropes, and are hoping to find an agent who would be willing to mentor them. You’ll also find experienced agents who are willing to mentor new agents and show them the steps they took to become successful.

If you’ve been concerned that establishing a niche will harm your sales because of the clients it will exclude, don’t be! The most successful agents in travel today are those who can call themselves an expert, and charge for their services.