Travel Professional News

Seven logins before breakfast. Multiple supplier portals. A CRM that doesn’t know what happened in the booking system. Marketing tools sitting completely separate from client data. And somewhere in between all of that, a travel advisor is still expected to answer clients quickly, follow up with leads, manage bookings, track commissions, and grow the business. Sound familiar? The travel industry has no shortage of technology. In fact, the bigger problem may be that there is simply too much of it. Modern travel agency software is supposed to make an advisor’s work easier . But when every new problem gets another tool, another subscription, and another login, technology can quietly become part of the problem. A 2025 Sabre survey of 499 agencies found that 91% were operating across four or more booking platforms, while more than half were managing seven or more. That raises an important question: Are travel advisors actually becoming more efficient, or are they spending more time managing ...

You send an email, then another, and then another—but somehow, the open rates keep dropping while the unsubscribe list keeps growing. So, what went wrong? Maybe the problem isn’t that your clients don’t want to hear from you. Maybe they’re simply tired of receiving emails that don’t feel like they were meant for them. A strong email campaign strategy starts with a simple question: “Why would this particular client want to open this particular email?” Think about two clients on the same travel advisor’s contact list. One has booked river cruises for years and carefully watches shoulder-season pricing. Another travels internationally with family and always asks about flight convenience and hotel locations. Would you send both of them the exact same email? Probably not. Yet this is exactly what happens when travel advisors treat their entire database as one audience. That’s where segmentation becomes important. Instead of sending one generic promotion to everyone, a smarter email campaig...

Signing with a host agency feels like the finish line. You’ve compared options, signed the agreement, received the welcome email—and suddenly, you’re officially in business. But then comes the question most new travel advisors don’t expect: “Okay… what do I actually do now?” This is where the real journey begins. Choosing a host agency gives you access to tools, supplier relationships, training, technology, and support. But simply signing the agreement doesn’t automatically turn those resources into a successful travel business. What you do during those first few weeks can set the tone for everything that follows. And there’s one mistake new advisors often make: they rush to get their first booking. It sounds logical. You joined a host agency to sell travel, right? But imagine taking your first client booking without fully understanding the booking platform, commission structure, supplier policies, CRM, or support process. One small mistake can quickly become a much bigger problem whe...

Starting a travel business is an exciting milestone. Whether you're transitioning from a traditional agency, launching your own independent brand, or turning your passion for travel into a full-time career, one decision will shape almost every aspect of your business moving forward choosing the right host agency. It's a decision many advisors underestimate. With hundreds of host agencies competing for your attention, every website promises higher commissions, stronger supplier relationships, better technology, and unmatched support. At first glance, they all seem to offer similar benefits, making the decision even more confusing. But here's the truth: the best host agency isn't necessarily the largest, the oldest, or the one offering the biggest commission split. It's the one that aligns with your business goals and helps you build the kind of travel business you actually want to own. Before signing any agreement, it's worth taking a step back and understanding ...