| By :
Kelly Monaghan
If you love to travel you may have considered becoming a home-based travel agent. But then you may have decided against making the move because you fell victim to one or more of the three big myths about home-based travel agents. So let's examine -- and explode -- those myths once and for all. Myth # 1: Travel Agents Are A Dying Breed Nonsense! The media bases this claim on the fact that storefront travel agencies are in decline and that is an undeniable fact. Why are storefront agencies shutting down? Because airlines no longer pay base commissions on airline tickets. In that environment, it makes no sense to maintain the expensive overhead of those storefront operations, so travel agencies close. That's easy for the media to see. But what the media can't see very easily is that many of the owners of those agencies didn't retire. They simply set up home-based businesses and continue to sell high ticket, high margin products like cruises and tours. Also, many of their employees, not to mention the legion of newcomers to the industry, did the same. The result: home-based travel agents are the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. Myth #2: Everyone Buys Travel On The Internet Again, nonsense! Yes, a lot of travel is sold on the Internet. But travel agents still sell 55% of all airline tickets, the easiest travel product to sell online. Travel agents also sell 73 percent of all packaged tours and 77 percent of all cruises. Those figures represent huge markets and billions of dollars! And because there are fewer storefront agencies out there and because complex, high ticket travel products, not to mention complete itineraries that might involve a dozen or more different travel products, are hard to sell on the Internet, home-based agents are rushing to fill this gap in the marketplace. Myth #3: Home-Based Travel Agents Can't Compete On Price Once again, nonsense! Often times, a home-based travel agent can get you the best price, especially if they specialize in the area you are interested. Also, most suppliers, not wanting to alienate this very important sales channel, will protect their home-based agents. That is, if you find a lower price on the Internet, the home-based agent can turn to the supplier and meet or beat it! Then again, most professional home-based travel agents don't want to even try to compete on price. The value they add with their superior knowledge, one to one customer service, and personalized attention more than justify paying a few extra dollars for a trip you know will meet your needs and expectations. Professional travel agents know that people who always insist on the lowest possible price are the worst kind of customers to have and they are more than happy to let them take their business elsewhere. So if you've been thinking of turning your love of travel into a lucrative part- or full-time business, don't be fooled by the myths and the mythmakers. Do your homework and you'll find that being a home-based travel agent is one of the best ways to "follow your bliss" into self employment.
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