There are some cases where travel agents can travel for free, but for the most part they come out of pocket. Here are three instances where travel agents can rack up additional savings and put money back in your pocket.
I will share my savings experience as a home agent, which has saved me hundreds of dollars!
Get paid at retail or sale prices
When I travel with insider information, I get paid when I book a trip for myself (and of course I get paid when I book for others). The price I pay could be the same as anyone outside of the industry, the difference being that I get a check and you don’t! Commissions are already built into the price of what you see online or what your travel agent quotes you already has commissions built in. (they are never added to the quoted price, if you are told that additional fees must be added to cover the commission… run)
Trips at net or wholesale prices
Now, if I decide I want to travel at a lower cost and waive my commission, I still have to pay the net cost, I just won’t get paid for the trip. You can get trips at incredible prices if you travel this way!
But, I should add that various agencies may have ‘special’ discount trips that agents can take themselves or sell to their clients and STILL get a commission. I love them because they pay you AND the rates can be even better than net rate PLUS you have a great deal you can offer your customers. The only drawback is that there may be a limit on the number of people who can travel and be restricted to specific dates.
Ride on the industries dime
what about those very cheap excursions? Yes, very cheap destinations exist and they are exclusive to travel agents and are usually known as familiarization trips or familiarization trips. These trips are more educational for travel agents, teaching them about the property or destination experience they are visiting.
Providers invite agents on these ‘FAM’ trips so they can gain deeper insights to share with their clientele. The goal is to promote to get more bookings for those properties or destinations. The prices of these trips are so attractive that they might as well be free!
Just to recap, travel agents pay for their trips in four ways:
1. Travel at retail prices and get paid commission already embedded
2. Retail travel minus prices already embedded (so no commissions paid)
3. Travel in bulk and get a commission (varies by agency and limits dates and amount)
4. Travel on a FAM trip: deeply discounted trips (exclusive to travel agents)