Travel franchises have great potential to be highly lucrative. However, even a ready-made business can only be successful if you are passionate and dedicated. Put in the work, and you don’t have to have former travel experience to build a successful franchise travel agency. There are numerous advantages to choosing this route instead of starting a travel business from scratch; read on to find out more.
What is a travel franchise?
A travel franchise is an excellent opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to buy a business in a box. A travel franchise has a proven business model with plenty of support and backup but you remain your own boss, choose your own hours and grow the business in the direction you desire.
Travel businesses constantly evolve as new technologies emerge, and staying up-to-date with the most recent innovations in tourism can be difficult. An established travel partner with access to expert knowledge makes it easier to stay ahead of the competition.
Becoming a member of a travel franchise means you can enjoy the benefits of a well-respected brand name, allowing you to skip some of the more time-consuming and expensive introductory steps that come with building a company from scratch. You’ll have access to trusted travel suppliers, customer service teams and marketing strategies which can eliminate stress while still offering you the freedom to express yourself without sacrificing quality.
Are tours and travel a good business?
Having a business promoting and selling tours and a variety of travel products is an excellent way to generate profitable income and is one of the most lucrative businesses out there, worth over $5 trillion globally. With an ever-increasing number of tourists each year, the potential for establishing yourself as a key player in the travel industry is enormous.
Some travel entrepreneurs have started getting creative and investing in niche forms of travel, such as luxury holidays, corporate travel, cruises, adventure tourism and so on – proving that there’s no shortage of ways to get your foot in the door.
Is it better to franchise or start your own?
Starting your own travel business, whether as a franchise or independently, is an exciting and rewarding endeavour. While it can be a natural progression for those with extensive experience in the travel industry, you can start a homeworking travel agency without any previous experience.
The Travel Franchise for example, offers the opportunity to invest in a ready-to-go business with minimal start-up costs no matter what travel experience you have because they provide support by travel professionals.
You will be able to trade under an already-established brand name with ABTA protection and have access to a proven marketing strategy, and expert knowledge.
However, with a franchise you will have to pay monthly fees and commission share.
Choosing the right path depends on your experience, financial situation, and personal business goals.
Starting from scratch entails the high costs you would expect with building any new business venture. If you choose to begin offline, you’ll need to find suitable premises in a good location; for online start-ups, there are website costs and the time involved in creating a marketing strategy and generating promotional content that converts readers to clients. However, any profit will be yours to keep or reinvest in marketing or other essentials.
In either scenario, a lot of work is involved in growing a client base, forming relationships with travel providers, getting your trading licences and regulations in order, and making enough sales to generate a healthy profit.
What are the advantages of a travel franchise?
There are many benefits to choosing to invest in a franchise rather than going it alone or working for a larger agency, including:
- Work your own hours
As your own boss, you’ll have complete control over your schedule and be able to work whenever you want, even from home! You are free to run your travel agency as a side hustle to your regular job, work around your other commitments and take days off when you choose.
- Marketing plan
You’ll have access to an already established and proven marketing strategy that has helped numerous newcomers to the travel industry build a successful travel agency.
- Training and support
A franchise offers the training and support needed to build a business, providing members with access to industry experts and courses designed to develop IT and marketing skills. Many franchises also offer training in business admin, customer support and building a network of trustworthy holiday providers.
- Trusted brand
You’ll work with an already established and trusted brand, so gaining new clientele will be much easier. Joining a franchise also allows you access to a broad range of travel providers, meaning you can offer your clients a vast choice of travel options.
- Increased earnings potential
As your own boss, you have no caps on your earnings, so the harder you work, the more money you’ll make. Travel franchises generally take a commission from the products you sell, passing a percentage back to yourself. This percentage varies depending on the franchise you join and your membership level.
- Regulations sorted
Generally, investing in a franchise will ensure all the regulations and licences for your business are in place, meaning you’ll avoid any costly mistakes.
Is The Travel Franchise a con?
No, The Travel Franchise isn’t a con. Like any business venture, it requires hard work and sustained effort to make a franchise successful. However, The Travel Franchise gives you all the tools you need to build a profitable homeworking travel agency including:
- £2bn of travel buying power
As part of the renowned Hays Independence Group, The Travel Franchise can offer franchisees over £2 billion in travel buying power and the ability to sell holidays from 450 tour operators.
- Ongoing training and support
You’re never alone on your travel business journey with The Travel Franchise because support and training are ongoing features, meaning you will continually improve and gain the experience and skills necessary to make your business successful.
- A dedicated Business Development Manager
A personal Business Development Manager with years of travel knowledge provides one-to-one support and guidance whenever you need it, delivering helpful tips and tricks along the way. They’re your right-hand expert for all things travel business related and will always be there for you.
- Operating procedures for all aspects of your business
From how-to guides and a proven marketing plan, all aspects of your business are accounted for and considered, meaning you won’t be left in the dark when you have questions or get stuck.
- Money-Back Challenge
A unique selling point is that you can even get your start-up fees refunded by The Travel Franchise under the exciting Money-Back Challenge! Make an agreed amount of commission in a set timeframe, and you could win your franchise investment back if you join on their Elite package.
Hear from others who completed the challenge and won their fees back here and here.
Of course, we know The Travel Franchise is a legitimate business model, but don’t just take our word for it, see what our franchisees have to say!
After only 16 weeks in the travel business, Ben Casey quit his other job.
He said: “The response has been amazing. I started the travel company around my full-time job, but to be honest, it’s gone so well I couldn’t keep doing both. It’s been challenging but I’m delighted it’s happened so fast.”
In their first six weeks, best friends Mike and Sean made over £55,000.
Sean said: “The support from head office has been great – their provision and knowledge has been invaluable. Any questions or guidance we’ve needed gets taken care of quickly, we can’t complement the team enough.
“I would 100% recommend people signing up to The Travel Franchise – we love the model that The Travel Franchise offers.”
Reasons why you can trust The Travel Franchise
- Rated excellent by Trustpilot
The Travel Franchise scores 4.8/5 on Trustpilot and 4.9/5 on Facebook, where you can read many reviews from happy and successful franchisees. Parent brand Not Just Travel has a 5/5 on Trustpilot!
- Discovery meetings
The Travel Franchise runs discovery meetings where you can meet the team in person for a few hours for extra peace of mind. Find your next discovery day here or you can watch a 10-minute video to find out more.
- Award-winning company
The Travel Franchise and parent company Not Just Travel have won numerous awards, establishing themselves as trusted and recognised brands.
- 8 times winner of The Top Homeworking Agency of the Year 2015-2019, 2020, and 2022 and 2023.
- Co-founders Steve Witt and Paul Harrison won the LDC award for ‘Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders’.
The Travel Franchise is a legitimate business model with many benefits that can help you grow your business into a success. With guides and plenty of support on hand, it’s no wonder The Travel Franchise has trained over 900 franchisee partners! However, franchising is not for everyone and it requires self-motivation and hard work, so it is essential to consider your personal business goals, experience, and financial situation to make the right decision for you.
