For Agents with Associates, Not All Host Agencies are Alike

A few years ago, becoming a home based agent was the big trend in travel and the industry saw travel agents making a steady migration away from working in agencies to working remotely – supported by a host agency. Then came the pandemic and working from home became the norm.

Today, many of these home based agents are now running “virtual agencies” and have associate agents working with them. This makes sense as their business grows and also allows them to cater to different market segments.

But not all host agencies are set up to support an agent with associates and among those who are, there are considerable differences in what they offer.

Ask the right questions

If you have associate agents or you are thinking of adding them it is smart to shop around for a host agency that can fully support you as you grow. Starting with the question: Can you add employees to your team while keeping full control of your business?

You will also want to know if you can add associates and decide on their commission split. Will their contract, payroll & their T4A be done on your behalf? Will the lengthy training process of associates be done on your behalf? Can you determine the monthly/annual fees & retain a portion of these fees?

TTAND agents discuss associates

We asked several successful agents with associates at The Travel Agent Next Door about their experience: