Can You Be Your Own Travel Agent?
If you already research your trips, compare cabins and make the booking call, you're doing an agent's job. Booking as a sub-agent lets the commission on eligible bookings come back to you.
The short answer
Yes, in many cases. You can book travel as an independent sub-agent working under an agency's credentials. The supplier sees an agency booking, and the commission on eligible bookings is paid through the agency to you.
How it works in practice
- Pick the trip. Research it exactly the way you already do.
- Call the supplier's travel agent line, not the public reservations number.
- Identify yourself as a sub-agent and give the agency's booking credentials, such as its CLIA number.
- Book the same cabin or room at the same fare.
- Log the booking and track the commission until the supplier pays it.
What you need
- A list of suppliers with their travel agent phone numbers
- Booking credentials from an agency that accepts sub-agents
- A way to track bookings and expected commission
DIY Travel Agent members get all three in the member portal for a one-time $19.99, and keep 80% of the commission suppliers pay on their eligible bookings.
What it's not
This isn't a job, a franchise or a recruiting plan. There are no quotas, no monthly fees and nothing to sell to anyone. You book the trips you were going to take anyway.
Where the limits are
- Personal travel rules. Some suppliers don't pay commission on an agent's own trips. Others do. The portal shows each supplier's rate.
- Licensing. A few states, including California, Florida and Washington, have seller-of-travel rules. Check your state's requirements.
- Agent perks take time. Agent rates and FAM trips usually require a record of real bookings first.
Who it suits best
People who take at least one sizable trip a year, plan travel for family or friends, or cruise repeatedly. On a single $9,500 cruise from a line paying 10%, your 80% share is $760, which covers the membership many times over.
Book it as the agent
81 suppliers with agent phone numbers, booking credentials and a booking log. You keep 80% of the commission. One payment, for life.
The agent booking cheat sheet
One page: what to say on the agent line, what's commissionable, and the checklist for moving a booking you already made. Free, by email.