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Original poster

To be sick of all the independent travel agents popping up on instagram?

34 replies

confusedlots · 15/02/2025 11:43

I follow a lot of interiors/house/self build pages on Instagram, and over the past year or so, so many of them have become independent travel agents. So they may have be a nurse or a SAHM or a teacher as their main job and now suddenly they're also expert travel agents who can give you the best advice for travelling to Mexico with kids, or Dubai, when they've clearly never been to any of these places.

And the worst of it is, they're constantly trying to get others to sign up to be travel agents too, because apparently you can earn 4k a month on top of your regular job!!

I guess it's another of those pyramid schemes or whatever you call it, but it's literally all over my Instagram now and I like following these people because of the home interiors content, but I don't want to be constantly bombarded with this!

OP posts:
TheChosenTwo · 15/02/2025 12:39

I haven’t seen this anywhere! Is it now a widespread side hustle? Is anyone making any money from it?

ToKittyornottoKitty · 15/02/2025 12:40

I’ve never seen this before, stop interacting with these posts and the algorithm will stop sending them to you

HereLiesBetelgeuse · 15/02/2025 12:44

It's everywhere now. In local FB groups too.
Everyone is suddenly a travel agent. I find it very odd these days when most folk have access to booking things independently anyway.

Original poster
confusedlots · 15/02/2025 14:34

It's become so common where I am, seems to be the new fad instead of selling make up. I wouldn't mind if it was the odd post coming up about a holiday deal somewhere, but everyone is pushing the narrative that you're missing out on this fantastic opportunity if you don't become a travel agent yourself and that's what's getting on my nerves! Yes, I guess could just unfollow them, but I like the other content which is why I started following them in the first place!

OP posts:
ididnot · 15/02/2025 14:35

Same, maybe we live in the same place! It’s off putting for new friendships too. I meet another mum and they seem keen to meet up and I think great, new friends, but they just want to use me as a cash cow Sad

Orangelight23 · 15/02/2025 14:35

2 girls I went to school with have started doing this. I don't really get it either, I thought most people didn't use travel agents anymore.

MrsMurphyIWish · 15/02/2025 14:37

Definitely a thing - I was given a card by a mum on my son’s football team if I want travel advice!

I’m a teacher and if an ex teacher gave me a card for travel advice to get “good deals” (which means travel on inset days etc), I’d blow my top!

Butchyrestingface · 15/02/2025 14:38

I've never come across this phenomenon. Sounds like a MLM scheme if they're trying to get others to sign up.

Brownie258 · 15/02/2025 14:38

Yesssss!

ICanTellYouMissMe · 15/02/2025 14:38

My friend does it, got 'promoted' after a number of week, so now she is head of her team and has multiple Insta accounts either punting holidays or trying to get people to join her team.

I've muted them all. It seems like a pyramid scheme to me; I asked her if she makes money from it and she said yes but I don't really see how. Her Insta channels are absolutely devoid of engagement.

Rosecoffeecup · 15/02/2025 14:40

Yes I keep saying this "I'm hosting a zoom meeting to show you how you can learnt to do it too"

Fuck off hen, I'll book my holiday through Tui thanks

Glorybox2025 · 15/02/2025 14:41

It's just a pyramid scheme scam. Ignore them and if anyone asks you to join their team send them some link about MLMs and why 98% of people lose money in them.

BobbyBiscuits · 15/02/2025 14:44

Yeah it's another MLM Hun scam. Fucking nonsense. Why do people do it?! Cretinous lying weirdos.

YorkshirePuddingsGreatestFan · 15/02/2025 14:53

I did look into this a couple of years ago to make some extra income on the side after someone I know recommended it to me.

It was half selling holidays and half MLM signing up other people to become travel agents. It's commission based only and you make a percentage of anyone you sign up and anyone they sign up and so on. You don't get commission until the holiday goer has completed the holiday. You have to pay fees to start up and ongoing monthly service fees to use the booking back office system. You're encourage to set up travel pages on social media, big up the travel pages from people in your network, and "fake it until you make it" posting about important meetings and big commission cheques and stuff like that.

The prices are just the same or more expensive as you can find elsewhere but you're encouraged to mislead people to sell.

Eg: Sunshine hotel: our price £100 a night, booking.com £150 a night

Only when you looked at the fine print, your £100 room was room only with a view of the car park, and booking.com's room was a deluxe room including breakfast and a sea view.

Decided to give it a miss as I didn't want to pay out money to join it. That was the end of the friendship as I was letting her down, not supporting her business and she took it really badly.

I've since heard she's no longer a travel agent!

Elphamouche · 15/02/2025 15:03

I work in travel, professionally. Not some shitty pyramid scheme. They’re after me too 😂 apparently I’ll get great benefits. Ridiculous!

Original poster
confusedlots · 15/02/2025 15:24

I thought all those pyramid schemes had largely died out after people realised what a con they were. It's sad that genuinely nice people are getting caught up in it and misleading people. And they'll not listen to you if you say anything anyway as they've been conditioned to think that everyone else is just jealous or else hasn't yet realised what a wonderful opportunity this is. Open your eyes ladies!! And yes, why is it always ladies who get caught up in this rubbish?

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CharlotteStreetW1 · 15/02/2025 15:26

A much loved colleague considered doing this and asked if we'd book trips through her. I'd love to support her but, bless her, she knows absolutely nothing about travel whereas I've usually got two or three trips booked at any one time.

Hey! Maybe I should offer my services... 😄

BabyShaark · 15/02/2025 15:26

Butchyrestingface · 15/02/2025 14:38

I've never come across this phenomenon. Sounds like a MLM scheme if they're trying to get others to sign up.

This. Most likely they are scams. I’ve seen a few of those.

StayAwayFromTheSugar · 15/02/2025 15:29

They're often called travel counsellors or, like you say, independent travel consultants.
Yes, it's a MLM/pyramid type scheme.
I avoid them, but do know a couple.

wotaloadashite · 15/02/2025 15:34

Is this travel counsellors?

camelfinger · 15/02/2025 15:38

I wonder what they do all day and how much custom they would get. It takes me no time at all to book a holiday with the internet. Perhaps people truly believe that they save you money. Surely the planning and the booking is the fun part? If I was going to spend money on a personal service it would be something unappealing, not just someone looking things up on the internet.

DreamW3aver · 15/02/2025 15:40

I dont know if it's new to Instagram but it's been a thing for years, like any MLM no one will be making any morey

EmeraldDreams73 · 15/02/2025 15:47

Oh God, it's driving me mad here too! In the nicest possible way, I'm not going to book a holiday through any random person, much less purport to be a "travel agent" myself. Arrghhh.

saraclara · 15/02/2025 15:48

I'm getting them too, and no way would I trust my precious holidays to any of them.