Travel Agent MLM

[FanofLeaves]

I’ve had a couple of old uni mates recently post all over social media that they are now ‘independent travel agents’. Loads of posts talking about their travelling days and saying things like ‘I’d love to help you plan a trip..’ etc etc. Lots of ‘busy mum’ chat like ‘wow can’t believe I can fit this exciting new venture round being there for my kids whenever they need me’ ‘cooked a roast, took my littlest to karate, cleaned out the guinea pigs, everyone’s in bed and now to work on my new business!’ like it’s relentless, easily 4+ posts daily.

from what I can deduce, it’s £200 start up costs and then you’re supposed to convince people to book a trip that you’ve researched etc? But it’s got to be an MLM right? They’re not now actual independent travel agents that make real money? They’re supposed to recruit into the scheme right and get people to pay the £200 start up? From what I can gather they just bungled a few bits together using various travel sites but claim they have ‘exclusive insights’.

I’ve no idea why it’s bothering me so much but I feel like I need to know 🤣 anyone done it? Or been involved? I could never as I’m far too lazy with my social media.

The booking.com image is chopped on there. You can't see if it's a like for like comparison for a non-refundable room on the same date. The more expensive booking.com picture could be for a different date, a better room or a higher rate as it can be cancelled/refunded. That's how you're trained to fake it.

A school mum from when my kids were in primary did this - it was her most recent MLM. She's been a skincare specialist (x2 different companies), a content-marketing specialist, her own boss and then, a superstar travel agent. I think she has delusions of being Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig.

You could never accept a coffee date invitation from her because you knew that you were going to have to deal with a hard sell of something or other. Whether that was to buy something or to join her 'team' and 'be your own boss' or whatever the heck it is. Utterly ludicrous.

I forgot to say that when her husband chatted with me about it once, he said that after 2 years of pushing the skincare (aloe vera or beeswax, something like that), her net profit was..... £80. £80 for 2 years work. £80 for 2 years of hassling her friends.

I have always been utterly mesmerised by this, and what I mean is, how on earth people get sucked in! I'm friends of friends with an 'independent travel agent' who is always going on about how many people she has trained and joining her team, all these training calls she does, she goes on exotic holidays for 4-5 weeks, homeschools her child. The actual dream! I mean, I think she's a complete exception, rather than the rule. She says she's managed to retire her and her husband - I would really love to know if this is true. but I dread to ask?!

Also, these digital marketing courses that I'm constantly being bombarded by on social media. 'Buy my course and find your way to financial freedom'. Yawn! I've seen so many accounts, where they regurgitate the SAME content and messages on a daily basis, so you can tell it's an MLM of sorts. But what are these courses?!? Is it just a course telling people what and how to post with the same information? I'm so intrigued by the con of it all, that I look at the comments on posts and they're ALL the same sorts of accounts commenting with the same thing: "I found my way to freedom and now earning £25,000 a month while bringing my kids to school - living the dream" or something to that effect. Absolutely no questions or queries, let alone negative comments. I just don't get what it is. Total con, anyway!

oh I didn’t know this an influencer I follow is now an independent travel agent that’s a shame… probs should unfollow her now

Wow, I was not expecting that. You can search for them in the abta website see if it's true.

Now that is very interesting because I’ve just searched their user name and ABTA says they are not a registered member. I didn’t know you could search for members like that!

A friend did it for a while, but more so that she could use the discounts for her own family holidays - the fees paid were a drop in the ocean but they are a family who do regular expensive holidays.

It could be the company that they are reselling for are abta members, or they are just bullshitting

Would you want to report them to abta

I bought a holiday through a friend who set herself up as an independent travel agent. I think the company was Inteletravel or something like it.

She has done everything from weight loss coffees to smell-a-like perfumes. Shes a disabled, single mother to 4 so perfect candidate for these MLM companies to get their teeth into. The holiday was great, I received the ATOL certificate before we went and all seemed above board. I probably paid more than what I would have if I booked it myself but she did all the leg work and research for me. Its tricky because I do want to support her, but I hate those MLMs and how they prey on the vulnerable.

Not saying your niece is doing this but I know some people who ran up debt to provide the "evidence" of how well they were doing with their MLM

It doesn’t. MLMs never do for 95%of people. If she’s constantly posting on SM about it, it’s because she isn’t getting any customers. Someone or something else is paying her bills.

Like all MLMs, a total scam.

I have an old work colleague in some Italian skincare/make-up MLM that genuinely no one here would ever have heard of. There's multiple posts daily, often close-up gurning selfies showing "how happy I am!" and "doesn't my skin look amazing?" Babe, you're 40, and like every other 40yo, you look 40. It's so cringe.

Her bills will be paid by an actual job, benefits or a partner who earns actual money, not from the MLM

If she is making money, it isn’t from selling holidays, she is being paid commission by scamming convincing other people to join as her downline. They will be the ones losing money.

These things are pretty much a benefits scam. People claim to be working 16 hours then they get a ticket for the gravy train.

Benefits don't work like that any more. Universal credit has a minimum income floor and if a person doesn't meet that with their self employed income they only get benefits as if they have (does that make sense? I'm not explaining well)

Great that they closed that loophole! For a while it seemed like on 1 in 5 people were an Avon Rep.

So - Inteletravel are both an MLM and a real travel agent! They are ABTA members much to the disgust of most other travel agents, as the general feeling is that allowing them to join ABTA damages the reputation of good quality agents.
I'm not an agent but work in the industry so am very familiar with them and how it works.
There are around 20k 'agents' signed up to Intele and if you average out how much they say they pay on commission most are earning pennies if not losing money. There are however some who are genuinely making a good living from selling travel. The ones all over FB are the ones making money from recruitment. Inteletravel will say😁 they aren't an MLM and that it's PlanNet who recruit for them that are. But you can't join without going through PlanNet - make of that what you will!
Most of the good agents eventually moved to more reputable host agencies as they have better commercials with suppliers, and a better reputation.
As for does anyone book with an agent - yes millions of people do! About a third of all ATOL protected holidays booked are through travel agents, and it's growing. The business I work for is seeing higher growth through agent bookings than direct - and we are a high end, very reputable tour operator. People parting with 20k for a holiday often want to see someone face to face.

Slightly off topic but don't be fooled into thinking ABTA has any real meaning beyond it's code of conduct - some very good businesses aren't ABTA members, Travel Counsellors and Trailfinders for example. They protect customers money in trust accounts which is arguably better as it's ring fenced until travel.
Also, Designer Travel are legit and generally very good agents.

Many mlm people also do not know the difference between turnover and profit.

I always find it suspicious how they're way more keen to get you to join rather than book you a holiday.

There’s a midlife fashion influencer on instagram, that I generally really like, that is pushing this. It really put me off her and have since unliked, because of the way it preys on people.
I used to sell Phoenix cards for a very short while, and still sometimes cringe myself inside out that I “recruited” a friend into it!

That’s really interesting @EnglishGirlApproximately. Helpful to know a bit more about how it works.

I have a friend doing it too with Inteletravel. She is big into travel anyway - not happy unless she has something booked - and I think initially signed up to book her own travel but is now full on recruiting. Went to some big travel thing in Orlando recently. She pushes it constantly. She is apparently now a director. She seems happy but it really doesn’t sit right with me. They just won’t see or admit that travel is not the product - people are.

I've actually been looking into inteletravel. You can sign up to sell holidays or you can sign up to sell holidays and recruit. My friend does the former, uses it to book her and her family's trips and that's all. There's no heavy sales pressure etc.

@NorthFaceofthelaundrypile - I had a friend who did Phoenix cards for a while - we lived overseas and she was able to bring everything in and she did quite well with it. I think the difference with Phoenix for us was she was the only one doing it and the products were nice. I think I still have some cards!