The rose of the Independent travel advisor/agent

[Daisypod]

I've seen a massive rise in people on social media now becoming travel agents but they seen to work for themselves and are recruiting others to also do this.
Aibu to think this is just another MLM scheme?
Anyone know whether they are legit or is this again praying on people needing to make money?

I'd have thought the days of any kind of travel agent were long gone.

I've not come across this before but I would be very wary of any "business " recruiting the way MLM schemes recruit. Don't get sucked in!

It's 50/50 from the ones I've seen - it's a legit way to make money and book a holiday, but they also recruit "teams" and can make an income from having lines of people working below them, so it's quite MLM too. Anywhere that promotes people to ranks like "diamond director" is an MLM 😂

There was another thread about this on here recently. I use an independent travel agent but she's been working in travel for 30 years. I wouldn't use anyone who had just appeared to have started up.

Don't want to derail the thread but do you mind if I ask why you use a travel agent rather than just booking it directly?

Promise I'm not being goady or anything! Just curious.

Have never used one. What do you think is the benefit of using one? Can they get you a better deal?

Some of the big travel agencies are franchise models which seem to have big expansion drives on at the moment.

I use one because she saves me so much time in looking for what we want (it's never a straightforward request!) and often has ideas we wouldn't have thought of.

@iLovee if we're just doing a chill villa holiday I'll book flights and villa myself. If we're doing something that involves more research, more travelling within that country, trips out etc then I'd rather someone else did all the hard work for me! They'll come up with several choices within our budget and I can just pick the best one! Some people love researching holidays, hotels etc, I really don't!

I guess some have contacts in the industry, people in resorts, or maybe just are good at doing the legwork online to hunt out the best deals. Affordabroad are a good example, with plenty of good reviews.

@MermaidEyes oh I love that! I'm looking at doing lapland and I'm completely bamboozled. I didn't even realise travel agents were still a thing! Thank you 😊

@Minata the benefit is probably really taking the hassle away if you're not someone who loves spending time researching holidays. The one I use doesn't charge anything as she'll get commission from the flights, accommodation, companies she recommends.

It's largely bored SAHMs whose kids are a bit older. Ignore. lots of reputable travel agents if you need help.

Yes they absolutely are! If you google in your area, or use facebook, you'll be able to find some local independent travel agents who are usually really helpful.

Not interested in either doing it myself or booking through them as I've always booked my own. I was just curious about why there seems to have been a large increase at the moment and I'm worried it is preying on vulnerable people, especially women who struggle to get work elsewhere.
I do find the bored housewife comment unnecessary though, more likely that they are fed up of being judged and trying to do something to counteract that.

For many types of holiday we book direct and haven't used an agent for years.

However we have used a company called Inntravel several times over the last decade for self guided walking holidays. I think they would be more tricky to organise yourself because of the faff of arranging luggage transfer between hotels and also just the sheer amount of research that has gone in to compiling the walking routes and seeking out lovely independent places to stay.

It’s definitely an MLM. The language specifically about being an “independent travel agent” is something to avoid.

The company is Inteletravel.

I signed up last year, and within a week had cancelled.

It was very clear when I checked their systems I couldn’t access fantastic deals, the price I could offer people was the same they could find themselves, but I’d get a small amount of commission.. not sure why people would book with me?

In the main they have become popular and people are making money out of it if they are popular influencers, as they make the most money from recruiting others.

Disney vlogger/ influencers tend to be the main ones I’ve seen recently.

It definitely wasn’t for me.