Anyone every heard of Travelonly?

[farmgirl]

Originally Posted by Shammy

Wow, that's a lot of money! Honestly, IMHO, not necessary. If you have basic knowledge and are willing to learn as you go, you can hook up with a host agency and set yourself up as a home based agent. How you get clients to come to you is a whole 'nother ball game, but that would be an issue no matter who you worked for. It's a slow process, that I can tell you.

I was hoping you would answer this one. So you think a person could do this on their own alot cheaper? I wonder if it is different in Canada cost wise. This hooks you up with all the discounted pricing, which after checking their website out is similar to that of selloffvacations here. It pays for your insurance, training and licence. The way I read it, pretty much what we do is get the customers,they do the booking etc. Maybe that is the catch to the price??
So what do you mean by a host agency? I'm seriously looking for something new to do. Will be done my other business the end of July but still want something I can do from home so I can be here for my kids. I'm very interested in travel and researching things thus why this interested me. Would be a good excuse to pay the $700 to get highspeed to my home too!!

[himynameisjan]

travelonly is being pushed heavily around my area. There are several former loan officers who are into it big time. It is in fact a multi level marketing program. I've been told that the cost to start up is $3500 and $300 per month in fees once you are up and going. This buys you some education, a web presence and a bit of marketing advice to get started on doing online travel agency. A couple of loan officers I used to work with are pushing me hard to join. Not in this or any other lifetime.

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by himynameisjan

Not in this or any other lifetime.

Good answer!

We have a major MLM operation in the USA, and they're so notorious that major tour operators have stopped allowing them to book with them. NOT a good idea to get involved with!

farmgirl....

This hooks you up with all the discounted pricing, which after checking their website out is similar to that of selloffvacations here. It pays for your insurance, training and licence. The way I read it, pretty much what we do is get the customers,they do the booking etc.

What does this mean? Discounted pricing? YOU get the client but THEY book the trip? None of that makes much sense to me. When pricing a trip, if you do the research to the best of your ability, then you will be offering your client the best possible price you can find. And that's all you can do. Sometimes another agent or agency will beat your price - can't win 'um all, part of the job. Sometimes your reputation will sell itself, sometimes people will book with you even if you do have slightly higher prices. But if not, you move along and chalk it up to that big 'ol world out there - can't please everyone. Some agents add fees, but in this competitive world, I've never found that to be possible, not for me anyway. To each his own. You'll find that more at brick and mortar agencies. Some agencies discount too, so you have to compete against that. I don't discount, at the end of the day, we all go to work for a reason - to support our families and I feel that I work very hard to make every nickle I see. And THEY are booking the trip? What's that about? I can tell you that I'd never hand over a client to an agency for them to book. I would never trust a client to anyone other than myself. That's part of what makes you successful - your personalized attention and knowledge. And if it was easy to GET clients, they wouldn't need YOU to do it! That's the hard part! They're not walking through your door if your home based. Eventually you figure out how to market yourself. I have found word of mouth is extremely important, and 90% of my business is referrals from past clients.

A host agency is when you use someone else's "number" to book your trip. It's an agency IATA number, CLIA number, etc. They provide insurance and you pay yearly for it (it's not expensive), your personal IATAN card and/or CLIA card comes through them - you pay these fees directly to the issuer. You can join consortium's, such as Vacation.com. The host agency keeps a portion of your commission, that's something you have to work out with them as there are various splits - usually depending on experience and volume. Host agencies differ - some provide a lot of education and support, and if you need that, you'll have to find that kind of host. Some just leave you alone and let you do your own thing - that's my host agency. I require no support or education, which is good because I know more than "they" do! They just take in the commission checks, keep their cut and send me the rest.

Don't know what else to tell you, and the current fuel crisis is being compared to the 9/11 slump so maybe not a great time to get into this business. But again, if you don't mind starting slow, making only a little money for quite some time and working your way up, it can be done.

[farmgirl]

Thanks a million Shammy! Nice to hear from someone who knows the business. I'm going to go back and reread some of their literature because I am sure they are hooked into Vacations.com somehow or maybe that was the other one I was checking out.
One more question for you. Did you take any courses or anything before you started? I've looked into some and just wondering if it is something I would smart to get?
I'm dying to hear how bluepalaski made out last night! Maybe get a bit more insight into this scheme!!!

[bluepalaski]

i must admit that after attending the travelonly presentation last night i am very excited about starting my new TA business!!! First question i asked was about MLM. it is definately NOT MLM. The only income i can make is with selling trips (thank god) it was a big relief as MLM is not for me. YTB was mentioned if you are interested in MLM. Groups and niche markets seemed to be their focus and they seem to be very professional. The thing that sitcks out from last night is that they have a certified Travel and Tourism Diploma as a part of the deal and provide a mentor for the first year to help get your business going on top of all the training. i have a 2nd meeting set up and will take it from there. wish me luck and thx for your input

[farmgirl]

Originally Posted by bluepalaski

i must admit that after attending the travelonly presentation last night i am very excited about starting my new TA business!!! First question i asked was about MLM. it is definately NOT MLM. The only income i can make is with selling trips (thank god) it was a big relief as MLM is not for me. YTB was mentioned if you are interested in MLM. Groups and niche markets seemed to be their focus and they seem to be very professional. The thing that sitcks out from last night is that they have a certified Travel and Tourism Diploma as a part of the deal and provide a mentor for the first year to help get your business going on top of all the training. i have a 2nd meeting set up and will take it from there. wish me luck and thx for your input

Check your PM's.
What is YTB? Still makes me nervous the amount of money they want when you can get the training thru a correspondance course a way cheaper. Very interested to hear more about what you learned!!

[bluepalaski]

YTB is MLM...with them you earn $$$ by recruiting more TA to work under you and then you make $$ when they recruit more TA's and so on and so on. if you are looking for MLM you should talk to them..but from what i have read and heard they are already being delisted or deactivated with suppliers (yikes)!
starting a new biz is a big move for me and have dreamed about it for years. i want to make sure i am joining a company that is going to be around in 40 + years . i have not signed on the dotted line but really felt alot better about travelonly after the presentation. they offer all the licensing, live training, web training, accredited diplomas and certification all included...this is very exciting stuff! i like to hear all the negatives too so i can make an educated decsion. i have a 2nd meeting set up for Sat. its a 1 on 1. wish me luck!!!

[Shammy]

Originally Posted by farmgirl

Check your PM's.
What is YTB? Still makes me nervous the amount of money they want when you can get the training thru a correspondance course a way cheaper. Very interested to hear more about what you learned!!

YTB is the company I was talking about in the first part of my post above. Walk away, far away!

[farmgirl]

Originally Posted by Shammy

YTB is the company I was talking about in the first part of my post above. Walk away, far away!

Sounds like a good plan!! Have to laugh, travelonly has an add on the top of this page. If you have it too Shammy, check it out and see what you think from what you read.
If it is legit and not a pyramid scheme, sounds interesting. I have no use for the MLM stuff though. Had enough of that years ago when I got suckered into a very pink makeup company. That is one thing that scares me about the seminar, be careful Blue, they have a very good system for getting people pumped up and ready to take on the world. If I was you I would not sign at your next meeting, think it over long and hard, it's alot of money no matter which program you pick!!!! Good luck to you!

[farmgirl]

Blue, have you checked out TPI? It is another company similar. I had emailed for info a few months ago. It was less money to get into. The difference that I found was you had to go to Winnipeg for your 5 day training session, at your own expense.
I guess what is holding me back is the talk of the monthly meetings and such, to me that sounds like MLM. Hopefully I am wrong.
I checked out some other sites, all from the states. Way cheaper to enter there for some reason, but they pretty much all say for US citizens only.
Shammy, do you think maybe it costs more here just because it is Canada? Maybe the insurance and licencing is alot more. The bronze program with t.o. is around $10,000. After that you pay $450 a year for insurance, that is all.
If I only had a crystal ball to see what would happen!!!

[Rissask]

something about this thread....reminds me of THIS thread....things that make you go hmmmmm.

[TAPPY]

Originally Posted by Rissask

something about this thread....reminds me of THIS thread....things that make you go hmmmmm.

hee hee - I remember that one.

One of their reps posted to give their two cents !!

[Rissask]

Originally Posted by TAPPY

hee hee - I remember that one.

One of their reps posted to give their two cents !!

mmm hmmmm

[farmgirl]

So does Arbonne come across like they are not MLM as well? I know they are as my nieces both got in at the right time. Both drive the vehicles, make thousands doing nothing. Not a good way to start being at such a young age IMHO. Eventually it has to crash like all the other similar companies out there. I still have pink boxes in my cupboards from the one I got sucked into. Thus why I am a little hesitant with this one.

[bluepalaski]

i have checked out tpi but havent attended a meeting as there doesnt seem to be any in my area. i am definately looking for a canadian company that is not MLM. all i want to do is sell travel! i will let you know how my meeting goes tomorrow. it will be a make or breaker.
PS. RISS & TAM (i am in no way associate with any travel co./MLM, etc.) just doing my research as i want to start my travel business. i already have a couple groups i could tap into right away. I had no idea how regulated and enormous the industry was until i started digging. thx